Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Ecological Monitoring Program At Vims Esl: Annual Report 2023, Paige G. Ross, Richard A. Snyder

Reports

An Ecological Monitoring Program (EMP) has been established at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science Eastern Shore Laboratory (VIMS ESL) for the coastal environment near the Wachapreague lab. The goals of the initiative are to 1) provide status and trends information to scientists who study and regulators who manage Virginia’s marine resources, 2) provide a scientific context for short-term research and grant proposals 3) provide pedagogical enrichment for educators to use in their classes, and 4) build capacity in staff expertise and training of interns and students at VIMS ESL.

The program formalizes and standardizes data collection for a long-term …

Monitoring The Abundance Of American Shad And River Herring In Virginia's Rivers: 2023 Annual Report, Eric J. Hilton, Patrick E. Mcgrath, Ashleigh Magee, Timothy Hoyt

Reports

This report describes the results of the twenty-sixth year of a continuing study to estimate the relative abundance and assess the status of American shad (Alosa sapidissima) stocks in Virginia by monitoring the spawning runs in the James, York and Rappahannock rivers in spring 2023, evaluating hatchery programs, and contributing to coast-wide assessments (ASMFC 2007, ASMFC 2020). We also report on two fisheryindependent monitoring programs using anchor gillnets in the Rappahannock River (year 6) and a major tributary of the James River, the Chickahominy River (year 9), to determine relative abundance and stock structure for the adult spawning run of …

Aquaculture Governance: Five Engagement Arenas For Sustainability Transformation, Darien D. Mizuta, Stefan Partelow

VIMS Articles

A greater focus on governance is needed to facilitate effective and substantive progress toward sustainability transformations in the aquaculture sector. Concerted governance efforts can help move the sector beyond fragmented technical questions associated with intensification and expansion, social and environmental impacts, and toward system-based approaches that address interconnected sustainability issues. Through a review and expert-elicitation process, we identify five engagement arenas to advance a governance agenda for aquaculture sustainability transformation: (1) setting sustainability transformation goals, (2) cross-sectoral linkages, (3) land–water–sea connectivity, (4) knowledge and innovation, and (5) value chains. We then outline the roles different actors and modes of …

Fecal Pellet Production By North Atlantic Zooplankton, Michael Gibson

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Fecal pellet carbon (FPC) production by zooplankton is a significant component of the ocean’s biological carbon pump: the suite of biological processes that mediate export of carbon to the deep ocean, ultimately leading to the sequestration of atmospheric carbon dioxide in the ocean. In this study, mesozooplankton (zooplankton 0.2 mm to ~2 cm) were collected from the epipelagic zone in the temperate North Atlantic Ocean during day and night in May 2021. Zooplankton were live separated into five size fractions and incubated on board ship in natural surface seawater to measure fecal pellet production rate of the mixed mesozooplankton community. …

Succession Of The Late Summer Phytoplankton Blooms In The York River Estuary, Va, Heather Kathleen Corson

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

The influence of bottom-up and top-down controls on the formation and persistence of phytoplankton blooms has been well studied. However, the relative importance of these bottom-up and top-down controls vary spatially and temporally. In the tidal tributaries and mainstem of Chesapeake Bay, the summer dinoflagellate population follows a succession of bloom-producing species. The dinoflagellate species Margalefidinium polykrikoides and Alexandrium monilatum are currently considered the end of this succession. These species form near-annual blooms in the lower half of Chesapeake Bay and are considered harmful algal bloom (HAB) species due to their negative ecological impacts. However, analysis of long-term monitoring data …

Center For Coastal Resources Management Annual Report 2022, Center For Coastal Resources Management

Reports

No abstract provided.

Ecological Monitoring Program At Vims Esl: Annual Report 2022, Paige G. Ross, Richard A. Snyder

Reports

An Ecological Monitoring Program (EMP) has been established at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science Eastern Shore Laboratory (VIMS ESL) for the coastal environment near the Wachapreague lab. The goals of the initiative are to 1) provide status and trends information to scientists who study and regulators who manage Virginia’s marine resources, 2) provide a scientific context for short-term research and grant proposals 3) provide pedagogical enrichment for educators to use in their classes, and 4) build capacity in staff expertise and training of interns and students at VIMS ESL.

The program formalizes and standardizes data collection for a long-term …

Impacts And Uncertainties Of Climate Change On The Chesapeake Bay, Kyle E. Hinson

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Climate change impacts in the Chesapeake Bay will limit the efficacy of nutrient reduction efforts and decrease dissolved oxygen, but uncertainties associated with the magnitude of these effects remain. An understanding of underlying mechanisms that have driven recent warming trends will narrow uncertainties for future pathways of temperature change. Additionally, future simulations of climate impacts in the estuary are dependent on multiple different sources of uncertainty, many of which have not yet been fully evaluated. This dissertation used a three- dimensional coupled hydrodynamic-biogeochemical model to investigate recent warming trends as well as underlying uncertainties likely to influence regional projections of …

Biotic And Abiotic Factors Associated With Temporal And Spatial Variability Of Constitutive Mixotroph Abundance And Proportion, Marcella Dobbertin Da Costa

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Mixotrophic protists, which combine the use of photosynthesis and prey ingestion to obtain nutrients for growth, comprise a substantial portion of the plankton community. However, there is a major gap in our understanding of how mixotroph prevalence varies spatially and temporally and under what conditions they dominate. I utilized a recently developed molecular technique to experimentally identify active mixotrophs (taxa identified to be grazing when samples were collected) and combined this with microscopy data to estimate active mixotroph abundance and proportion at two locations in a temperate estuary over a year. Active mixotroph abundance was compared to potential mixotroph (taxa …

Influence Of Oyster Genetic Background On Levels Of Human-Pathogenic Vibrio Spp., Corinne Audemard, Kimberly S. Reece, Robert J. Latour, Lydia M. Bienlien, Ryan B. Carnegie

VIMS Articles

Human-pathogenic Vibrio bacteria are common inhabitants of oyster tissues, but our understanding of factors driving the wide range of concentrations found in individual oysters is extremely limited. We examined the influence of oyster sex and parasitism in light of their profound effects on oyster tissues against a backdrop of eastern oysters, Crassostrea virginica, from two diploid and two triploid aquacultured lines. This allowed us to examine not only the effect of oyster ploidy but also of oyster genetics, a factor never investigated with regard to human-pathogenic Vibrio species. We measured levels of total Vibrio vulnificus (vvhA), and of …

Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve In Virginia Management Plan: 2022-2027, W. G. Reay, J. Baber, H. Brooks, A. Demeo, C. T. Friedrichs, C. Gonzales, J. Kuriawa, T. Hooper, S. Lerberg, E. J. Miles, B. Neikirk, S. Nuss, L. Ott, D. Parrish, T. Rudo, E C. Shields, S. Snyder, S. Wood

Reports

Established through the Coastal Zone Management Act, the National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS) represents a partnership program between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the coastal states to promote informed management of the Nation’s estuaries and habitats. Designated in 1991, and administered by the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) of William & Mary, the Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve in Virginia (CBNERR-VA or Reserve) is one of 30 protected areas, which encompass over 1.3 million acres and make up the NERRS.

As the nation's largest estuary, the Chesapeake Bay contains a diverse collection of habitats …

A General Pattern Of Trade-Offs Between Ecosystem Resistance And Resilience To Tropical Cyclones, Christopher J. Patrick, John S. Kominoski, (...), Enie Hensel, Marc J. S. Hense, Bradley A. Strickland, (..), A. K. Hardison, Sean Kinard, Et Al

VIMS Articles

Tropical cyclones drive coastal ecosystem dynamics, and their frequency, intensity, and spatial distribution are pre-dicted to shift with climate change. Patterns of resistance and resilience were synthesized for 4138 ecosystem time series from n = 26 storms occurring between 1985 and 2018 in the Northern Hemisphere to predict how coastal ecosystems will respond to future disturbance regimes. Data were grouped by ecosystems (fresh water, salt water, terrestrial, and wetland) and response categories (biogeochemistry, hydrography, mobile biota, sedentary fauna, and vascular plants). We observed a repeated pattern of trade-offs between resistance and resilience across analyses. These patterns are likely the outcomes …

Ecological Monitoring Program At Vims Esl: Annual Report 2021, Paige G. Ross, Richard A. Snyder

Reports

An Ecological Monitoring Program (EMP) has been established at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science Eastern Shore Laboratory (VIMS ESL) for the coastal environment near the Wachapreague lab. The goals of the initiative are to 1) provide status and trends information to scientists who study and regulators who manage Virginia’s marine resources, 2) provide a scientific context for short-term research and grant proposals 3) provide pedagogical enrichment for educators to use in their classes, and 4) build capacity in staff expertise and training of interns and students at VIMS ESL.

The program formalizes and standardizes data collection for a long-term …

Monitoring The Abundance Of American Shad And River Herring In Virginia’S Rivers 2022 Annual Report, Eric J. Hilton, Patrick E. Mcgrath, Brian Watkins, Ashleigh Magee

Reports

This report describes the results of a continuing study to estimate the relative abundance and assess the status of American shad (Alosa sapidissima) stocks in Virginia by monitoring the spawning runs in the James, York and Rappahannock rivers in spring 2022, evaluating hatchery programs and contributing to coast-wide assessments (ASMFC 2007a; ASMFC 2020). We also report on a fishery-independent monitoring program to determine abundance and stock structure of river herring (A. pseudoharengus, and A. aestivalis) in Virginia by evaluating the adult spawning runs in the Chickahominy River, a major tributary of the James River, and the Rappahannock River. Further, a …

Monitoring The Abundance Of American Shad And River Herring In Virginia’S Rivers 2021 Annual Report, Eric J. Hilton, Patrick E. Mcgrath, Brian Watkins, Ashleigh Magee

Reports

This report describes the results of the twenty-fourth year of a continuing study to estimate the relative abundance and assess the status of American shad (Alosa sapidissima) stocks in Virginia by monitoring the spawning runs in the James, York and Rappahannock rivers in spring 2021, evaluating hatchery programs, and contributing to coast-wide assessments (ASMFC 2007, ASMFC 2020).

We also report on two fishery independent monitoring programs using anchor gillnets in the Rappahannock River (year 4) and the Chickahominy River (year 7; a major tributary of the James River), to determine relative abundance and stock structure for the adult spawning run …

From The Subsurface To The Sky: Tracking Groundwater With Drones, Stephanie Wilson

Reports

Grades: High School Subjects: Earth Science | Physical Science

Determining the inputs of nitrogen to coastal waters from drone based radiometric temperature data.

Topics covered:

• Technology and radiometric imagery
• Drones in science
• Groundwater
• Nutrients / pollutants
• Water cycle/ Watersheds

Center For Coastal Resources Management Annual Report 2021, Center For Coastal Resources Management

Reports

No abstract provided.

Killer From The Deep!, Tor Mowatt-Larssen

Reports

Grades: 6-12 Subjects: Life Science | Ecology

Explore the deep-sea environment and biological adaptations to living in the deep sea through murder-mystery investigation and graphing activities.

The Role Of Zooplankton Community Composition In Fecal Pellet Carbon Production In The York River Estuary, Chesapeake Bay, Kristen Nicole Sharpe

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

The biological pump is a critical component of carbon transformation in aquatic ecosystems, but the role that zooplankton play in carbon production and vertical export is rarely studied in estuaries. Zooplankton produce carbon-rich fecal pellets which sink to depth and can fuel benthic community metabolism. The body size and taxonomic structure of the zooplankton community varies on interannual, seasonal, and diel time scales, and can lead to varying carbon production and export rates. We quantified fecal pellet carbon (FPC) production by the whole mesozooplankton community (> 200 µm) in the York River, a sub-estuary of Chesapeake Bay. Biomass and taxonomic …

Diel, Seasonal, And Interannual Changes In Coastal Antarctic Zooplankton Community Composition And Trophic Ecology, John A. Conroy

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Throughout the ocean, zooplankton transfer energy from primary producers to higher predators and transport carbon from surface waters to depth. The efficiency of these processes depends in part upon the taxonomic composition and trophic ecology of the zooplankton community. Zooplankton species abundance and distribution shifted over recent decades along the West Antarctic Peninsula during a period of rapid regional warming and sea-ice decline. Although conducted within the context of long-term change, this dissertation research focuses on zooplankton dynamics at finer temporal scales that have received less attention. I analyzed depth-stratified net samples to investigate zooplankton diel vertical migration during Antarctic …

The Fate And Transport Of Nitrogen In Subterranean Estuaries, Stephanie J. Wilson

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

The subterranean estuary (STE) is a subsurface ecosystem where fresh groundwater mixes with intruding, recirculated seawater at the coastline. Despite being present globally, STEs and their potential impacts as hotspots for biogeochemical processing, or as a source of nutrients to coastal systems, are not well understood. STEs have been recognized as highly reactive zones for biogeochemical reactions, which influence the fate and transport of nutrients, organic matter, and trace metals discharged to the coastal ocean. Biogeochemical processing of nitrogen (N) in STEs influences N in submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) including its availability for use by primary producers and cascading eutrophication. …

Virginia Seafood Sustainability, Samantha E. Askin, Robert A. Fisher

Reports

Virginia’s commercial fisheries operate sustainability under a suite of management tools based upon information received from marine scientists and fishery managers who regularly conduct biological sampling of fish while tracking commercial landings and other gathering of required information. Analyses of fishing effort and overall stock conditions, as well as formulas designed to calculate threshold limits for maintaining sustainable stocks are regularly performed. Restrictions on seasons, size, days at sea, and gear are imposed as needed to achieve management supporting long-term biological sustainability.

Estuarine Microbiomes And Biogeochemistry: Impacts Of Spatiotemporal Variation, Algal Blooms, And Microplastics, Samantha Grace Fortin

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Estuaries are biogeochemical hotspots connecting terrestrial and coastal ecosystems. Anthropogenic disturbances, including increased nitrogen loading and plastic pollution, may have significant impacts on estuarine carbon and nitrogen cycling by altering microbiome structure and functions. The overarching goal of this dissertation was to examine how microbiomes and their associated biogeochemical processes are influenced by natural variation and anthropogenic disturbances in the York River Estuary (YRE). In chapter 2, spatial and temporal variation in benthic microbiomes and the rates of denitrification, anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox), and dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA) were examined to determine biotic and abiotic drivers of nitrogen …

Ecological Monitoring Program At Vims Esl : Annual Report 2020, Paige G. Ross, Richard A. Snyder

Reports

An Ecological Monitoring Program (EMP) has been established at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science Eastern Shore Laboratory (VIMS ESL) for the coastal environment near the Wachapreague lab. The goals of the initiative are to 1) provide status and trends information to scientists who study and regulators who manage Virginia’s marine resources, 2) provide a scientific context for short-term research and grant proposals 3) provide pedagogical enrichment to educators for their classes, and 4) build capacity in staff expertise and training of interns and students at VIMS ESL.

The program formalizes and standardizes data collection for a long-term status and …

The Status Of Virginia’S Public Oyster Resource 2020, Melissa Southworth, Roger L. Mann

Reports

The Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) monitors recruitment of the Eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica (Gmelin, 1791), annually from late spring through early fall, by deploying spatfall[1] (settlement and recruitment of larval oysters to the post metamorphic form termed spat) collectors (shellstrings) at various sites in three Virginia western Chesapeake Bay tributaries. The survey provides an estimate of a particular area’s potential for receiving a "strike" or settlement (set) of oysters on the bottom and helps describe the timing of recruitment events in a given year. Information obtained from this monitoring effort provides an overview of long-term recruitment …

Monitoring The Abundance Of American Shad And River Herring In Virginia’S Rivers 2020 Annual Report, Eric J. Hilton, Patrick E. Mcgrath, Brian Watkins, Ashleigh Magee

Reports

This report describes the results of the twenty-third year of a continuing study to estimate the relative abundance and assess the status of American shad (Alosa sapidissima) stocks in Virginia by monitoring the spawning runs in the James, York and Rappahannock rivers in spring 2020, evaluating hatchery programs, and contributing to coast-wide assessments (ASMFC 2007, ASMFC 2020).

We also report on two fisheryindependent monitoring programs using anchor gillnets in the Rappahannock River (year 3) and the Chickahominy River (year 6; a major tributary of the James River), to determine relative abundance and stock structure for the adult spawning run of …

Improving Observation, Assessment, And Management Of Atlantic Coastal Sharks, Cassidy Dawn Peterson

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Coastal sharks represent a group of stocks for which observation, assessment, and management are particularly challenging. Large distributional ranges, complex migratory behavior, low economic value, and relatively few observations in fishery independent surveys hinder relative abundance estimation. Assessing stock status of coastal sharks is encumbered by limited data availability, data quality, and knowledge of life history strategy. Further, coastal sharks are challenging to manage due to their slow intrinsic population growth rates, competing stakeholder interests, history of overexploitation, and in some cases, subjection to international exploitation. This dissertation aimed to improve the capacity to observe relative abundance of coastal sharks. …

Living Shorelines Achieve Functional Equivalence To Natural Fringe Marshes Across Multiple Ecological Metrics, Robert Isdell, Donna M. Bilkovic, Amanda Guthrie, Molly Mitchell, Randolph M. Chambers, Matthias Leu, Carl Hershner

VIMS Articles

Nature-based shoreline protection provides a welcome class of adaptations to promote ecological resilience in the face of climate change. Along coastlines, living shorelines are among the preferred adaptation strategies to both reduce erosion and provide ecological functions. As an alternative to shoreline armoring, living shorelines are viewed favorably among coastal managers and some private property owners, but they have yet to undergo a thorough examination of how their levels of ecosystem functions compare to their closest natural counterpart: fringing marshes. Here, we provide a synthesis of results from a multi-year, large-spatial-scale study in which we compared numerous ecological metrics (including …

An Operational Overview Of The Export Processes In The Ocean From Remote Sensing (Exports) Northeast Pacific Field Deployment, David A. Siegel, Ivona Cetinic, (...), Deborah K. Steinberg, Et Al

VIMS Articles

The goal of the EXport Processes in the Ocean from RemoTe Sensing (EXPORTS) field campaign is to develop a predictive understanding of the export, fate, and carbon cycle impacts of global ocean net primary production. To accomplish this goal, observations of export flux pathways, plankton community composition, food web processes, and optical, physical, and biogeochemical (BGC) properties are needed over a range of ecosystem states. Here we introduce the first EXPORTS field deployment to Ocean Station Papa in the Northeast Pacific Ocean during summer of 2018, providing context for other papers in this special collection. The experiment was conducted with …

Center For Coastal Resources Management Annual Report 2020, Center For Coastal Resources Management

Reports

No abstract provided.