Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Coastal-Ocean And Estuarine Acidification In Long Bay, South Carolina: A Comparison Of In-Situ Water Quality Monitoring With Measured Carbonate System Parameters, Mary Olsen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

One of the major water-quality issues impacting our coast and estuaries is coastal-ocean and estuarine acidification. Due to a relative dearth of data in the southeastern United States it is increasingly difficult to determine the full extent and intensity of this problem. This study provides the first characterization of coastal-ocean and estuarine acidification in Long Bay, SC by attempting to leverage long-term water quality data sets at two coastal-ocean pier sites using in-situ YSI EXO sondes deployed at both the surface and bottom waters along with two estuarine sites sampled by volunteer monitors using Orion star multi-meters. Discrete samples (120) …

Quantifying Tidewater Glacier-Fjord Environments In The Rapidly Changing Regions Of West And South Greenland, Sydney Baratta

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Greenland Ice Sheet has undergone rapid mass loss over the last four decades, primarily through solid and liquid discharge at marine-terminating outlet glaciers. The acceleration of these glaciers is in part due to the increase in temperature of ocean water in contact with the glacier terminus. However, quantifying meltwater injection and heat transport can be challenging due to iceberg abundance, which threatens instrument survival and fjord accessibility. Additionally, acceleration and eventual retreat of tidewater glaciers onto land can change glacier forcing, completely altering fjord water-meltwater dynamics. Here, we couple in situ and remote sensing methods to quantify the upper-layer …

Wave Attenuation Through Submerged Oyster Aquaculture Cages, Liam T. Hanley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Coastal erosion presents a growing issue to shorelines around the world and is especially harmful to Maine, a region where sea-level rise is higher than the global average. Green and hybrid coastal defense strategies are being implemented around the country to provide sustainable, habitat-friendly solutions to erosion control. Maine is a hotspot for commercial aquaculture, with an estimated $13.6 million economic impact. This study looks to bridge the gap between Maine aquaculture and the living shorelines initiative, by determining the wave attenuating properties of submerged oyster cages. The project will be able to inform local oyster farmers, resource planners, and …

Collaborative And Engaged Research To Strengthen Equity And Adaptive Governance In Co-Managed Fisheries, Gabrielle V. Hillyer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Small-scale, co-managed fisheries are found throughout the world and often represent intertwining cultures, societies, communities, economies, institutions, and governments. They face complex issues, derived from ecological and social sources. Solving these issues requires diverse expertise, often developed through engaged methodologies which can facilitate collaborative solution creation between researchers, community members, and others. In this dissertation, I demonstrate the benefits of these engaged methodologies and review how they, when coupled with anticolonial approaches to research, can create more equitable solutions to complex issues. This dissertation focuses on multiple projects within the wild clam fishery in Maine including: (1) the creation of …

The Response Of The Zooplankton Community In The Western Gulf Of Maine To A Shift In Oceanographic Conditions: 2005-2017, Emma Cecile Dullaert

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Gulf of Maine (GoM) harbors a productive ecosystem that supports a wide variety of marine life, providing services upon which local communities rely. The GoM ecosystem supports many important commercially harvested species, including the American lobster (Homerus americanus) which is the most valuable fishery in the US, Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus) and a variety of groundfish. The GoM is also home to the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis), which has historically been known to feed in the eastern GoM and Bay of Fundy during the summer and fall months. In …

The Upper Ocean At The End Of An Ice Age: Using Proxies In Benthic Foraminifera To Investigate Intermediate Water Changes During The Last Glacial Termination, Cassandre R. Stirpe

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The ocean is an important component of the global climate system and plays a key role as a storage reservoir for heat and carbon. Under glacial conditions, the ocean sequestered carbon from the atmosphere, contributing to a cooler global climate. During the last glacial termination, that carbon was released back into the atmosphere, but the exact timing and mechanisms of this transfer are still not fully understood. This study examines waters from the intermediate depths of the Southern Ocean to gain insight into deglacial processes. Intermediate waters are capable of reacting to climate change on decadal timescales, making them a …

Ocean Wave-Coherent Temperature And Humidity Near-Surface Vertical Distributions And Their Effect On Radar Performance Over The Ocean, Mathew James Stanek

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Large knowledge gaps concerning the effect of ocean surface waves on near-surface vertical distributions of temperature and humidity in the marine atmospheric surface layer exist due to practical limitations and sensor fidelity challenges of direct measurements. Wave effects on these distributions between the wave trough and crest are least studied within the literature. These scalar distributions influence atmospheric refractivity, which can lead to anomalous propagation of electromagnetic energy. Measurements of temperature and humidity are classically made using rocket- or radiosondes and fixed weather stations, and can utilize tethered profiling systems. However, these measurement systems have limitations when obtaining measurements near …

Applications Of Artificial Intelligence To Improve Coastal Ocean Modeling, Dongliang Shen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Numerical Modeling (NM) is widely used to simulate and predict hydrodynamic processes and marine particle movements in coastal oceans, particularly during extreme weather events and emergencies. NM offers the capability to realistically simulate multiple state variables and fill gaps caused by scarce observations. However, inherent uncertainties exist in all NMs, primarily arising from the following three factors: 1) insufficient observations leading to uncertain model initial and boundary conditions, 2) inevitable truncation errors due to coarse model resolution, and 3) imperfect physics parameterization schemes for sub-grid processes, especially those related to waves. The consequences of these uncertainties are that 1) even …

Anthropogenic Effects On Tidal Distortion In A Tidal River, Matthew D. Fischer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Tidal rivers are landward portions of estuarine systems constituting the union between coastal, tidally controlled settings and rivers, where fluvial processes dominate. In these reaches, river discharge (mean flow) and tides are the two most important mechanisms in controlling geophysical flows. The processes governing water levels and current amplitudes in tidal rivers are highly nonlinear and modulated by external forcings- thus requiring sophisticated techniques for accurate prediction and forecasting. Physical oceanographers and estuarine physicists tend to limit their study area to the maximum extent of the horizontal tide (salinity intrusion), not the most landward point influenced by tidal water levels. …

Microplastic Accumulation In The Digestive Tract Of Young-Of-Year Atlantic Sharpnose Sharks (Rhizoprionodon Terraenovae) In The Grand Strand, Sc, Andrew Curtis Sitlinger

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study focused on the presence and accumulation of microplastic fibers in the digestive tract and livers of young-of-year Atlantic Sharpnose Sharks (Rhizopriondon terraenovae) from two sampling locations along the Grand Strand of South Carolina. R. terraenovae is a small, mesopredatory elasmobranch found abundantly along northwestern Atlantic Ocean coastlines. Thirty specimens of R. terraenovae were collected from May through August of 2020. Microplastics were found in all specimens. A total of 672 plastic particles were identified over the course of the study, with an average of 22.4 ± 10.5 (SD) plastics per specimen. The majority of the plastics were classified …

Silting Dynamics And Metal Contaminants In The Georgetown Inner Harbor, Ezekiel Wil Meyers

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Georgetown inner harbor is an abandoned oxbow-like river loop and a vital historic site with a wealth of traditional businesses and heavy local industry located within Winyah Bay. Since the modification of the Sampit River in 1949, chronic rapid silting has plagued the inner harbor. With these substantial amounts of fine-grained material accumulating inside the inner harbor, business operations along the waterfront, navigational and maritime operations, and contamination within the harbor are of major concern. The goals of this study were to (a) understand the silting dynamics inside the inner harbor, (b) identify heavy metals which might be of …

Simulations Of Coastal Currents, Transport And Population Connectivity Of Blue Mussel (Mytilus Edulis) In The Gulf Of Maine, Denghui Li

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Sections of the coastal Gulf of Maine (GoME) differ in circulation, temperature, salinity, and primary production. These regional differences as well as their temporal changes, together with biological factors, such as the vertical migration, pelagic larval duration, etc., determine marine larval transports, and further affect the population connectivity, and community assembly in the intertidal GoME. To investigate the variations of coastal currents in the GoME, we built a high-resolution circulation model covering the shelf seas from Long Island Sound to the Gulf of St. Lawrence, This model was quantitatively validated with observed sea surface height (SSH), time series of temperature, …

Remotely Sensed Assessment Of The Preferred Habitat Of Alexandrium Catenella In The Gulf Of Maine And The Bay Of Fundy, Andre F. Bucci

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) of the toxic dinoflagellate Alexandrium catenella are an annually recurring problem in the Gulf of Maine (GoM), resulting in risks to human health and substantial economic losses due to shellfish harvesting closures. The monitoring approaches in the region are restricted to real-time identification of the HABs events, when they are clearly underway and already causing deleterious effects to the environment. To fully function as an early warning system rather than an immediate response, monitoring strategies need to be focused on environmental conditions preceding A. catenella HABs. However, the current understanding of the preferred habitat for A. …

High Resolution Remote Sensing As A Tool To Improve Coastal Habitat Mapping In The Gulf Of Maine, Gabriel Hesketh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The derivation of oceanographic and biological parameters from remote sensing is well documented across decades of research. Careful evaluation of satellite products provides insight into the optimal algorithms for image processing, research, and various biogeographical applications. Archived multi-satellite data from the United States Geological Survey offers users decades of continuously updated global data, and the agency has recently updated the Landsat portion of its catalog with Collection 2 files, which offers both Level 1 and Level 2 processed data products. Here, we evaluate the Collection 2 improvements using several published algorithms currently used to derive sea surface temperature, chlorophyll, and …

Anthropogenic Impacts To Essential Habitats In The Gulf Of Maine: A Case Study Of The American Lobster, Homarus Americanus, And Its Fishery, Andrew Goode

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Gulf of Maine has been fundamentally altered by anthropogenic forcings for decades and offers an ideal study system to monitor response to change. Through complex interactions between ocean warming, altered demographic bottlenecks, and reduced top-down controls, the American lobster (Homarus americanus Milne Edwards) capitalized on favorable conditions and proliferated within the Gulf of Maine. These changes catalyzed the expansion of the lobster fishery, elevated its status as North America’s most valuable marine resource, and shifted coastal communities towards a virtual lobster monoculture. The same processes that facilitated lobster to capitalize on favorable conditions may come with unintended consequences …

Seasonal Habitat Use Of Diamondback Terrapins (Malaclemys Terrapin) In North Inlet, Winyah Bay, Georgetown, South Carolina, Danielle Elizabeth Capella

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Hydrodynamic Impacts Of Expanding Aquaculture, Zhilong Liu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Climate change may potentially change aquatic systems and bring certain risks for aquaculture development. Understanding interactions between aquaculture and the environment helps to ensure aquaculture expansion is sustainable in the future. It is critical to determine how farms influence tidal flow patterns, turbulence, mixing and material transport in estuaries. This research aims to determine the flow response of an oyster farm, predict how expanding farms and farm placement will alter estuarine dynamics, and understand how the design of a farm influences material transport.

The hydrodynamic response of a floating oyster aquaculture farm in a low inflow estuary (the Damariscotta River …

Optical Signatures Of Plankton In The Open Ocean: From Individual Cells To Global Patterns, Nils Haentjens

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Marine plankton ecosystems play a major role on Earth, having implications for the global carbon cycle and the food-web structures. Ocean color satellites and networks of autonomous platforms equipped with optical sensors are the primary tools used to study phytoplankton dynamics. They provide long term records while offering a synoptic view of our oceans, enabling to study impact of climate variability on planktonic ecosystems. Interpretation of these observations rely heavily on optical theory and how light propagating through the water is affected by particles who absorb and scatter light (e.g. phytoplankton, sediments). However, the complexity of the optical properties of …

Early Life History Of Tarpon (Megalops Atlanticus) In South Carolina Estuaries: Assessment Of Juvenile Recruitment And Validity Of Aging And Back-Calculation Methods, Garrett M. Elmo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Parametric Model Development For Heterogeneous Atmospheric Conditions, Daniel Paul Greenway

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Studies Of Quaternary Depositional Systems Of The Coastal Plain And Inner Continental Shelf Along The Georgia Bight: South Carolina And Georgia, U.S.A., Joshua H. Long

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Quaternary stratigraphy of the continental shelf offshore of South Carolina consists of stratigraphic units deposited in coastal plain, shallow marine, and shelfal environments bound by composite erosional surfaces that developed in response to numerous glacioeustatic cycles and overprinted by regional uplift. These units are commonly distributed laterally rather than stacked vertically, a function of the long-term, low shelf gradient and the resulting lack of accommodation. This study integrates high-resolution geological and geophysical data sets acquired offshore and onshore with existing data onshore into a comprehensive conceptual model describing the Quaternary geologic evolution of the coastal plain and continental shelf …

Phytoplankton Community Composition In The Surface Ocean: Methods For Detection Using Optical Measurements, Pigment Concentrations, And Flow Cytometry, Alison P. Chase

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Phytoplankton are microscopic photoautotrophs living in the surface ocean waters and help support all life on earth via photosynthetic production of oxygen. Thousands of species make up the bulk phytoplankton community, and the spatial and temporal distribution of different types of phytoplankton has relevance for many ocean ecosystem questions including marine food web dynamics, and carbon flux and sequestration. Methods to detect phytoplankton community composition (PCC) on the vast scale of the global ocean require estimates of PCC from remote platforms, namely earth-observing satellites. The use of satellite data to observe and interpret PCC in the surface ocean requires significant …

The Effect Of Radium Partitioning On Hydrothermal Fluid Flow Determination Across Guaymas Basin, Charlotte R. Kollman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Analysis of the distribution of radium through sedimentary porewater profiles is a promising method for constraining diffuse discharge/recharge flow rates in hydrothermal settings; these parameters are critical for evaluating hydrothermal circulation and its chemical and biological implications. The short-lived 224Ra (T1/2 = 3.54 days) is an effective tracer due to its behavior in marine environments and changes in activity due to ingrowth/decay. However, the distribution of radium may be influenced by its varying solid:aqueous partitioning coefficients (Kd) and is critical to understand for any study utilizing radium as a tracer. This project explores Kd across the hydrothermally active Guaymas Basin …

Investigating Dorsal Fin Hydrodynamic Function Of The Lemon Shark, Negaprion Brevirostris, Vivian Lynn Turner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Many sharks are considered highly efficient swimmers. Their swimming efficiency is partially governed by their morphological features such as dorsal fins, which play a role in their hydrodynamics. Most sharks feature two dorsal fins that can vary in size and location over the body. The first dorsal fin has been shown to improve stabilization, maneuverability, and increase thrust production during swimming, whilst the hydrodynamic role of the second dorsal fin is largely unknown. An understanding of the hydrodynamic function of the dorsal fins can be utilized in engineering applications, e.g., to replicate fins on underwater autonomous vehicles to increase energy …

Temporal Transport Dynamics Of The Amazon River Plume Revealed Using Radium Isotope Analysis, Elana J. Ames

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Amazon River is the largest river by discharge in the world. It carries terrestrial nutrients into the Western Tropical North Atlantic via a buoyant freshwater plume, conveying water hundreds to thousands of kilometers away and driving critical biogeochemical cycles near the coast. Factors controlling the delivery of nutrients offshore by the plume are complicated and interconnected, yet these nutrients impact the foundation of phytoplankton community structures across the entire plume ecosystem. To better understand the temporal dynamics of this massive, highly influential region, we employ naturally occurring radium isotopes (223Ra, 224Ra, 226Ra, and 228Ra) to analyze mixing and transport …

An Algorithm To Estimate Suspended Particulate Matter Concentrations And Associated Uncertainties From Remote Sensing Reflectance In Coastal Environments, Juliana Tavora

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM) is a major constituent in coastal waters, involved in processes such as light attenuation, pollutant propagation, and waterways blockage. The spatial distribution of SPM is an indicator of deposition and erosion patterns in estuaries and coastal zones and a necessary input to estimate the material fluxes from the land through rivers to the sea. In-situ methods to estimate SPM provide limited spatial data in comparison to the coverage that can be obtained remotely. Ocean color remote sensing complements field measurements by providing estimates of the spatial distributions of surface SPM concentration in natural waters, with high …

Participatory Modeling Of Tidal Circulation On Maine Mudflats To Improve Water Quality Management Of Shellfish Areas, Gabrielle V. Hillyer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Over the past decade, researchers have become increasingly aware of the vital role stakeholder knowledge plays in understanding complex social and environmental problems. Incorporating stakeholder knowledge into understanding complex problems allows for greater awareness and identification of community needs and can help build partnerships to support the development of applied research. In this thesis, I demonstrate the value of stakeholder knowledge and research partnerships by focusing on the soft-shell clamming industry in Maine and how a complex collaboration between clammers, municipal officials, representatives from state agencies, researchers, and other partners relied on and build adaptive capacity to address complex water …

The Potential Of Radium-224 As A Tracer Of Timescales Of Gulf Of Mexico Crude Oil Exposure To The Marine Environment, Matthew T. Kurpiel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Petroleum pollution in the marine environment can be deleterious to coastal and marine ecosystems and can have sustained effects for years. While oil slicks on the surface of the ocean are tracked with relative ease using satellite-based technology, deep sea, neutrally-buoyant hydrocarbon plumes remain exceedingly difficult to track. We provide evidence for the utility of Ra-224 as a potential hydrocarbon tracer to determine the marine exposure time of crude oil. We employed time course incubations to constrain a time dependent Ra-224 release signature and tested a variety of timescales, temporal resolutions, oil sources, seawater, and experimental treatments to determine potential …

A Tale Of Two Bays: The Development And Applications Of The Saco And Casco Modeling Project, Stephen M. Moore

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis details the development and application of a finite-volume, hydrodynamic model of Saco and Casco Bays. The primary study conducted herein focused on coupling storm simulations with sea level rise (SLR) to identify vulnerabilities of the two bays. The February 1978 Northeaster and an April freshwater discharge event in 2007 following the Patriot’s Day Storm were modeled by utilizing the Finite-Volume Coastal Ocean Model (FVCOM). Both events were repeatedly simulated under SLR scenarios ranging from 0 to 7 ft. Modeled storm responses were identified from the 1978 blizzard simulations and were tracked across SLR scenarios. By comparing changes in …

The Role Of A Permeable Sand Column In Modifying Tidal Creek Geochemistry And Land-Derived Inputs To The Coastal Ocean, Nicholas Anthony Legut

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The impairment of regional water quality in Long Bay is an episodic occurrence that has been documented for over a decade. According to one explanation, the occurrence of these events is hypothesized to be the combination of local, terrestrially derived inputs and water-column stratification in the nearshore zone. A portion of these inputs may discharge as surface run-off through estuaries ending in sandy transitional environments termed "swashes". An investigation into the fate of land-derived materials through swashes utilize a linear conservative mixing model to describe the non-conservative behavior of materials in the overlying water and pore-water. This model relies on …