Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Preparing For A Northwest Passage: A Workshop On The Role Of New England In Navigating The New Arctic, Katharine A. Duderstadt, Catherine M. Ashcraft, Jennifer F. Brewer, Elizabeth Burakowski, Jaed M. Coffin, Jack E. Dibb, Lawrence C. Hamilton, Nancy E. Kinner, Larry A. Mayer, Jennifer L. Miksis-Olds, Joseph Salisbury, Kerri D. Seger, Ruth K. Varner, Cameron P. Wake

Earth Systems Research Center

Preparing for a Northwest Passage: A Workshop on the Role of New England in Navigating the New Arctic (March 25 - 27, 2018 -- The University of New Hampshire) paired two of NSF's 10 Big Ideas: Navigating the New Arctic and Growing Convergence Research at NSF. During this event, participants assessed economic, environmental, and social impacts of Arctic change on New England and established convergence research initiatives to prepare for, adapt to, and respond to these effects. Shipping routes through an ice-free Northwest Passage in combination with modifications to ocean circulation and regional climate patterns linked to Arctic ice melt …

Integrated Analysis Of The Value Of Wetland Services In Coastal Adaptation; Methodology And Case Study Of Hampton-Seabrook Estuary, New Hampshire, Paul Kirshen, Semra Aytur, David M. Burdick, Diane Foster, Tom Lippmann, Ellen Douglas, Sydney Nick, Chris Watson

Jackson Estuarine Laboratory

The present impacts from coastal storms and high tides grow significantly over time due to SLR even over the relatively short period to 2060. Hydrodynamic model simulations of storm surge with and without sea level rise scenarios show that although flooding and inundation increases with increasing subtidal forcing and higher sea level, dissipation of the tide and storm surge in the estuary channel somewhat limits the maximum inundation that might otherwise be expected in the back marsh areas. The estuary is dominated by high marsh, which lies high in the intertidal zone and by 2060 it will convert to mostly …

Seabed Classification For Trawlability Determined With A Multibeam Echo Sounder On Snakehead Bank In The Gulf Of Alaska, Thomas C. Weber, Chris Rooper, John L. Butler, Darin Jones, Chris Wilson

Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping

—Rockfishes (Sebastes spp.) tend to aggregate near rocky, cobble, or generally rugged areas that are difficult to survey with bottom trawls, and evidence indicates that assemblages of rockfish species may differ between areas accessible to trawling and those areas that are not. Consequently, it is important to determine grounds that are trawlable or untrawlable so that the areas where trawl survey results should be applied are accurately identified. To this end, we used multibeam echosounder data to generate metrics that describe the seafloor: backscatter strength at normal and oblique incidence angles, the variation of the angle-dependent backscatter strength within 10° …

Eelgrass Habitat Creation In Nantucket Harbor, Massachusetts, David M. Burdick, Gregg Moore, Chris Peter

Natural Resources & the Environment

In response to eelgrass habitat losses associated with development and marine activities in and around Nantucket Harbor, a plan to restore a meadow by transplanting eelgrass to previously vegetated areas was developed in conjunction with the Nantucket Land Council. Over 6,000 eelgrass shoots were sustainably harvested from an extensive bed within the Harbor that was located just west of First Point and near the inlet to Nantucket Sound. Four weeks following collection, impacts from our collection were shown by a 24% decline in shoot density, but live eelgrass cover did not decline significantly. After 12 weeks, no effects of collecting …

Evaluation Of Rockfish Abundance In Untrawlable Habitat: Combining Acoustic And Complementary Sampling Tools, Darin Jones, Christopher D. Wilson, Alex De Robertis, Chris Rooper, Thomas C. Weber, John L. Butler

Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping

—Rockfishes (Sebastes spp.) are an important component of North Pacific marine ecosystems and commercial fisheries. Because the rocky, high-relief substrate that rockfishes often inhabit is inaccessible to standard survey trawls, population abundance assessments for many rockfish species are difficult. As part of a large study to classify substrate and compare complementary sampling tools, we investigated the feasibility of using an acoustic survey in conjunction with a lowered stereo-video camera, a remotely operated vehicle, and a modified bottom trawl to estimate rockfish biomass in untrawlable habitat. The Snakehead Bank south of Kodiak Island, Alaska, was surveyed repeatedly over 4 days and …

Shellfish Tissue Monitoring In Piscataqua Region Estuaries 2010: Final Report, Matthew A. Wood, Philip R. Trowbridge

PREP Reports & Publications

Gulfwatch examines the effects of decades of development and industrialization on the water quality of the Gulf as it relates to human health primarily through assessing contaminant exposure of marine organisms. Gulfwatch scientists collect blue mussels at over 60 US and Canadian sites Gulfwide, and analyze the organisms’ tissue for potentially harmful levels and concentrations of toxins including heavy metals, chlorinated pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). New Hampshire increased the number of Gulfwatch sampling locations from two sites per year in 1997 to an average of five sites per year from 1998-2010. The increased spatial coverage …

Lamprey Watershed Education And Outreach, Lamprey River Watershed Association, Dawn Genes, Lamprey River Watershed Association. Lamprey River Nominating Committee

PREP Reports & Publications

The Lamprey River Nomination Committee sought the assistance of the Piscataqua Region Estuaries Partnership (PREP) to complete an extensive and detailed information package to nominate the Lamprey River and its major tributaries to the NH Rivers Management and Protection Program. The nomination package was due at DES on June 1, 2010, was reviewed and accepted by the State Rivers Management Committee in September and forwarded to the Commissioner of DES. The nomination is now working through the NH legislature with hearings anticipated during the spring 2011 session. If passed, the bill should be signed by Governor Lynch in July of …

Watershed Survey And Pilot Lcc Project, Norman Turgeon, Three Ponds Protective Association

PREP Reports & Publications

This describes two projects accomplished in 2010 by the Three Ponds Protective Association (TPPA) and several partners to identify and reduce soil erosion due to storm water runoff into the Milton Three Ponds

Fertilizer And Stormwater Runoff Outreach Program In Newcastle, Nh, David Anderson

PREP Reports & Publications

The New Hampshire Coastal Protection Partnership (NH Coast) implemented a year long pilot public education and outreach program in the Town of New Castle aimed at reducing nitrogen pollution from lawn fertilizers and promoting rain gardens as a solution to storm water runoff and nonpoint source pollution. A total of 77 landowners representing 138 acres of land pledged to either not use lawn fertilizers or use only low phosphorus, slow release nitrogen brands. The program also resulted in the installation of New Castle’s first demonstration rain garden.

Conserving The Pawtuckaway River Focus Area And Kennard Hill Focus Area : Final Report, Brian Hart

PREP Reports & Publications

The Piscataqua Region Estuaries Partnership provided $8,000 to support the Southeast Land Trust of New Hampshire’s land conservation work within the Pawtuckaway River and Kennard Hill Focus Areas, two areas identified by the Land Conservation Plan for New Hampshire’s Coastal Watershed. Through this grant, the Southeast Land Trust has: permanently conserved two parcels totaling 90.55 acres within the Pawtuckaway River Focus Area; entered into four agreements to acquire and conserve 221.4 acres within the Pawtuckaway River Focus Area and 190 acres within the Kennard Hill Focus Area; and facilitated, through the Wetlands Reserve Program, the protection of 60 acres within …

Eelgrass Distribution In The Great Bay Estuary For 2009 : Final Report, Frederick T. Short

PREP Reports & Publications

Eelgrass in the Great Bay Estuary in 2009 was once again present only in Great Bay itself and in Portsmouth Harbor. For the second year in a row, there was no eelgrass in Little Bay or in the Piscataqua River. In 2009, there was a continued loss of eelgrass biomass in Great Bay; there has been a 66.4% loss of biomass in Great Bay since 1996 and distribution is 30% less than in 1996. Although eelgrass distribution in Great Bay itself increased between 2008 and 2009, primarily due to continued expansion from natural seeding of bare areas, the Bay’s eelgrass …

Results Of The Gulfwatch 2010 Samples : Memorandum, Matthew A. Wood

PREP Reports & Publications

The purpose of this memorandum is to document the sample collection activities for Gulfwatch 2010. .

2010 Piscataqua Region Comprehensive Conservation And Management Plan (Ccmp), Piscataqua Region Estuaries Partnership

PREP Reports & Publications

In the fall of 2010, the Piscataqua Region Estuaries Partnership (PREP) completed an 18-month effort to understand current and future environmental issues affecting the Region’s estuaries, to establish realistic goals and objectives for the next 10 years, and to create effective action plans to systematically achieve the shared environmental goals of a broad base of Regional stakeholders.

With input from more than 150 individuals, representing 82 organizations, PREP compiled the 2010 Piscataqua Region Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP) that lays the foundation for work over the next decade to protect and restore the Region’s estuaries and associated watersheds

2010 Piscataqua Region Comprehensive : Executive Summary, Piscataqua Region Estuaries Partnership

PREP Reports & Publications

In the fall of 2010, the Piscataqua Region Estuaries Partnership (PREP) completed an 18-month effort to understand current and future environmental issues affecting the Region’s estuaries, to establish realistic goals and objectives for the next 10 years, and to create effective action plans to systematically achieve the shared environmental goals of a broad base of Regional stakeholders.

With input from more than 150 individuals, representing 82 organizations, PREP compiled the 2010 Piscataqua Region Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP) that lays the foundation for work over the next decade to protect and restore the Region’s estuaries and associated watersheds.

Advances In The Study Of Marine Mammal Predator-Prey Interactions: A Novel Real-Time Visualization Of Independently Collected Echosounder Data Using Geozui4d, Roland J. Arsenault, Ari S. Friedlaender, Elliott L. Hazen, Colin Ware, David N. Wiley

Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping

No abstract provided.

Using Moored Arrays And Hyperspectral Aerial Imagery To Develop Nutrient Criteria For New Hampshire's Estuaries, J. Ru Morrison, Thomas K. Gregory, Shachak Pe'eri, William H. Mcdowell, Philip Trowbridge

PREP Reports & Publications

Increasing nitrogen concentrations and declining eelgrass beds in Great Bay, NH are clear indicators of impending problems for the state’s estuaries. A workgroup established in 2005 by the NH Department of Environmental Services and the NH Estuaries Project (NHEP) adopted eelgrass survival as the water quality target for nutrient criteria development for NH’s estuaries. In 2007, the NHEP received a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to collect water quality information including that from moored sensors and hyper-spectral imagery data of the Great Bay Estuary. Data from the Great Bay Coastal Buoy, part of the regional Integrated Ocean Observing …

Temporal Alternation Between Light- And Nutrient-Limitation Of Phytoplankton Production In A Coastal Plain Estuary., Jonathan Pennock, Jonathan H. Sharp

School of Marine Science and Ocean Engineering

ABSTRACT: The potential for Light- and nutrient-limitation of phytoplankton production was examined in the Delaware Estuary, USA, by combining a hierarchy of expenmental approaches including smallscale bioassay experiments, ecosystem-level analysis of nutrient concentration and stoichiometric ratios, and light-limitation modeling. Light was found to be the predominate regulator of phytoplankton growth throughout the estuary during the winter period as a result of high turbidity and a wellmixed water column. However, during late spring, phosphorus (P) was found to limit growth. This observation was confirmed at each of the experimental levels, and was related to several factors, including elevated input ratios (230:l) …

Comparison Of Predicted And Observed Dioxin Levels In Fish: Implications For Risk Assessment, Judy S. Lakind, Daniel Q. Naiman

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)

After comparing sampled and modelled dioxin levels in the tissue of fish near pulp and paper mill discharges, the authors argue that, until an improved bioaccumulation model is incorporated into EPA's Risk assessment process, determination of human health Risks associated with consuming dioxin-contaminated fish should be based on sampling.

Phytoplankton Production In The Delaware Estuary: Temporal And Spatial Variation., Jonathan Pennock

School of Marine Science and Ocean Engineering

ABSTRACT:

Phytoplankton production in the Delaware Estuary (USA) was measured over several seasonal cycles (1980-1985). Seasonal variability in daily area1 production (JP; g C m-2 d-l) was dlrectly related to chlorophyll concentrations in the upper estuary, ranging from a maximum of 1.1 g C m-' d-' In summer to a minlmum of d-l) dunng summer in the presence of low phytoplankton biomass (2 to 10 kg Chl I-'), and in mid-estuary [2.6 g C d-l) during the spring diatom bloom (50 to 60 yg Chll-l). Desplte the occurrence of maximum nutnent concentrations in the freshwater region, highest JP and 90 …