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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

A Characterization Of Hyporheic Temperatures With Applications For Salmon Habitat Restoration In A Thermally Impaired River, Sydney Jantsch Jan 2023

A Characterization Of Hyporheic Temperatures With Applications For Salmon Habitat Restoration In A Thermally Impaired River, Sydney Jantsch

WWU Graduate School Collection

This thesis project is part of an ongoing study assessing the effectiveness of a potentially innovative habitat restoration strategy for Pacific salmon in thermally impaired rivers. This strategy uses engineered log jams (ELJs) to create pockets of cool-water refuge by forming deep scour pools and promoting localized upwellings of shallow subsurface (i.e., hyporheic) water. This project seeks to characterize the relationship between hyporheic temperature and overlying surface stream temperature to elucidate the extent to which hyporheic upwellings can deliver cool water to ELJ-formed pools during the summer low-flow season. Among six sites within a 2.7 km-long study reach on the …


Mussel Squeeze: Dissolved Oxygen And Temperature Can “Squeeze” Zebra Mussels Out Of Invaded Reservoirs, Crysta A. Gantz, Rich Miller, Steve Wells, Mark Sytsma, Angela Lee Strecker Dec 2022

Mussel Squeeze: Dissolved Oxygen And Temperature Can “Squeeze” Zebra Mussels Out Of Invaded Reservoirs, Crysta A. Gantz, Rich Miller, Steve Wells, Mark Sytsma, Angela Lee Strecker

Environmental Sciences Faculty and Staff Publications

Zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) are an aquatic invasive species that cause extensive economic and ecological impacts and are a management priority in areas outside of their native range. Survivorship and distribution of zebra mussels within a waterbody are thought to be influenced by temperature and dissolved oxygen conditions, but detailed information to confirm the importance of these environmental controls is necessary to inform management efforts. We measured planktonic zebra mussel veliger density and adult survivorship in San Justo Reservoir in central California to determine distribution and timing of spawning in relation to temperature and dissolved oxygen throughout winter, spring, and …


Using Frog Embryo Teratogenesis Assay-Xenopus Laevis (Fetax) To Study Metals And Temperature As Multiple Stressors In Cascades Frog (Rana Cascadae), Adam Turner (Cockrill) Crispin Jan 2022

Using Frog Embryo Teratogenesis Assay-Xenopus Laevis (Fetax) To Study Metals And Temperature As Multiple Stressors In Cascades Frog (Rana Cascadae), Adam Turner (Cockrill) Crispin

WWU Graduate School Collection

Amphibian populations have been declining globally since at least the 1970s. In the western United States, disappearances have resulted in significant range contractions due to habitat loss, climate change, predation by non-native species, pesticide use, and disease, most recently by the fungal pathogen, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis. Several recent studies have addressed amphibian population declines due to climate change, yet few studies have examined the interacting effects of climate change and metal contaminants as they relate to amphibians. Risks may be especially pronounced in amphibians that reside in high-alpine aquatic ecosystems, such as the Cascades frog (Rana cascadae), which may be affected …


Preliminary Impacts Of Constructed Log Jams On Streambed Topography And Bed Temperature On The South Fork Nooksack River, Sam Kaiser Apr 2019

Preliminary Impacts Of Constructed Log Jams On Streambed Topography And Bed Temperature On The South Fork Nooksack River, Sam Kaiser

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

Salmon are an essential part of the culture, ecology and economy of the Pacific Northwest region of North America, but populations of some ecotypes are declining. One specific population, the Puget Sound chinook (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), is listed as threatened under terms of the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA). The decline of this ecotype has implications not only for humans but also for all links of the ecosystem such as the populations of southern resident killer whales (Orcinus orca) which prey predominately on chinook salmon. Major threats to these fish include overharvest and habitat degradation due to …


Effects Of Warm Ocean Temperatures On Bull Kelp Forests In The Salish Sea, Braeden Schiltroth, Sherryl Bisgrove, Bill Heath Apr 2018

Effects Of Warm Ocean Temperatures On Bull Kelp Forests In The Salish Sea, Braeden Schiltroth, Sherryl Bisgrove, Bill Heath

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Kelp beds are marine sanctuaries, providing some of the most productive ecosystems on the planet and serving as critical habitat and refuge for many species, including juvenile salmon. Rising ocean temperature associated with climate change is a major stressor contributing to declines of kelp forests worldwide. In the Salish Sea, we identified bull kelp (Nereocystis leutkeana) populations growing under two different temperature regimes. Since 2011, kelp growing in the central Strait of Georgia has been exposed to sea surface temperatures (SSTs) of 15-21 °C in the summer months, which is 5-6 °C warmer than temperatures in the Strait of Juan …


Recent Conditions Highlight Regional Differences In Temperature, Salinity And Dissolved Oxygen Between Strait Of Juan De Fuca And Puget Sound Sites Under Anomalous 2014-2017 Climate Patterns, Julia Bos, Christopher Krembs, S. L. Albertson, Mya Keyzers, Allison Brownlee, Carol Maloy Apr 2018

Recent Conditions Highlight Regional Differences In Temperature, Salinity And Dissolved Oxygen Between Strait Of Juan De Fuca And Puget Sound Sites Under Anomalous 2014-2017 Climate Patterns, Julia Bos, Christopher Krembs, S. L. Albertson, Mya Keyzers, Allison Brownlee, Carol Maloy

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Understanding impacts of climate change on Salish Sea water quality is critical yet challenging due to the complexity, strength and diversity of influences on circulation and mixing. Different extreme climate conditions in recent years (2014-2017) include record warm temperatures with reduced snow pack in 2014-2015 followed by a few years of alternating summer droughts with record rainy seasons. These conditions influenced marine water temperature, salinity and dissolved oxygen (DO) throughout the Salish Sea. Analyses reveal distinct differences in these key physical and chemical characteristics between Strait of Juan de Fuca sites and sites within Puget Sound basins. Extremely low DO …


Tipping The Balance: The Impact Of Eelgrass Wasting Disease In A Changing Ocean, Morgan Eisenlord, Colleen Amy Burge, Phoebe D. Dawkins, Reyn Yoshioka, Tyler Tran, Natalie Rivlin, Miranda Winningham, Clio Jensen, Kathy Van Alstyne, Drew Harvell Apr 2018

Tipping The Balance: The Impact Of Eelgrass Wasting Disease In A Changing Ocean, Morgan Eisenlord, Colleen Amy Burge, Phoebe D. Dawkins, Reyn Yoshioka, Tyler Tran, Natalie Rivlin, Miranda Winningham, Clio Jensen, Kathy Van Alstyne, Drew Harvell

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Infectious disease has the potential to cause devastating damage to valuable marine organisms and habitats. Eelgrass wasting disease (EGWD), caused by the pathogenic protist Labyrinthula zosterae (LZ), has caused mass die-offs in Zostera marina at regional and global scales. Despite this, little is known about the host-pathogen interaction or disease drivers in the Salish Sea. To determine the regional impact of EGWD, we measured summer prevalence and severity in the San Juan Islands, Padilla Bay, Hood Canal, South Puget Sound, and Willapa Bay. We used cultures and quantitative PCR to verify results, measuring LZ load in lesioned tissue from multiple …


Chinook Habitat Restoration Decision Support Tool- Identifying Chinook Salmon Habitat Restoration Effectiveness Based On Temperature, Flow, And Bioenergetics Models, Andrew Spanjer, Patrick W. Moran, Robert Black Apr 2018

Chinook Habitat Restoration Decision Support Tool- Identifying Chinook Salmon Habitat Restoration Effectiveness Based On Temperature, Flow, And Bioenergetics Models, Andrew Spanjer, Patrick W. Moran, Robert Black

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Stream restoration projects focus on improving habitat for Pacific Salmonids in watersheds throughout the Pacific Northwest. Currently, few comprehensive tools are available for managers to mechanistically predict the improved fish growth that comes with restoration actions, such as riparian acquisitions, riparian planting or levee setbacks. Therefore, managers need tools that can predict salmonid growth potential given different decision scenarios. One approach to address the Puget Sound Partnership’s regional chinook recovery goals would be a linked stream temperature, flow, and fish bioenergetics model that predict chinook growth benefits of different remediation strategies. Considered strategies will include changes to riparian habitat and …


Is Local Adaptation A Factor In Planning Eelgrass Restoration? Initial Assessment Of Responses To Temperature By Eelgrass Growing Across A Stressor Gradient, Kate Buenau, Celia Thurman, John Vavrinec, A. B. (Amy B.) Borde, Ronald M. Thom Apr 2018

Is Local Adaptation A Factor In Planning Eelgrass Restoration? Initial Assessment Of Responses To Temperature By Eelgrass Growing Across A Stressor Gradient, Kate Buenau, Celia Thurman, John Vavrinec, A. B. (Amy B.) Borde, Ronald M. Thom

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Large-scale eelgrass restoration in an environment as complex as the Salish Sea requires estimating the effects of a wide range of environmental conditions (e.g. temperature, salinity, turbidity) on the effectiveness of restoration actions in different locations. We have developed a spatial model of eelgrass growth in response to environmental drivers, based on physiological data collected in Sequim Bay, WA, to aid in identifying restoration sites. However, field tests suggest that the model underestimates the capability of eelgrass to grow in conditions more stressful than Sequim Bay. A critical uncertainty is the extent of localized genotypic and/or phenotypic adaptations by eelgrass …


Using Ferry Monitoring Data To Explore The Importance Of Isotherms On The Winter Survival Of Northern Anchovy In Puget Sound, Suzan Pool, Christopher Krembs, Julia Bos, S. L. Albertson Apr 2018

Using Ferry Monitoring Data To Explore The Importance Of Isotherms On The Winter Survival Of Northern Anchovy In Puget Sound, Suzan Pool, Christopher Krembs, Julia Bos, S. L. Albertson

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

The Salish Sea displays strong seasonality in water temperature which can impose physiological limits on temperature sensitive species. Puget Sound, in winter, relies on ocean water as a heat source whereas in summer, the gradient is reversed. The dynamic exchange of Puget Sound with coastal water dictates the spatial and temporal patterns of isotherms that are relevant to temperature sensitive species. Recent winters with increased water temperature may expand the range of certain species to be able to survive in Puget Sound over the winter. Northern anchovy (Engraulis mordax) are pelagic spawners and survive in between 8 and 25 °C …


Temperature Regulation Of Bacterial Production, Respiration, And Growth Efficiency In A Temperate Salt-Marsh Estuary, Jude K. Apple, P. A. Del Giorgio, W. Michael Kemp Jul 2006

Temperature Regulation Of Bacterial Production, Respiration, And Growth Efficiency In A Temperate Salt-Marsh Estuary, Jude K. Apple, P. A. Del Giorgio, W. Michael Kemp

Shannon Point Marine Center Faculty Publications

There is consensus that temperature plays a major role in shaping microbial activity, but there are still questions as to how temperature influences different aspects of bacterioplankton carbon metabolism under different environmental conditions. We examined the temperature dependence of bacterioplankton carbon metabolism, whether this temperature dependence changes at different temperatures, and whether the relationship between temperature and carbon metabolism varies among estuarine sub-systems differing in their degree of enrichment. Two years of intensive sampling in a temperate estuary (Monie Bay, Chesapeake Bay, USA) revealed significant differences in the temperature dependence of bacterial production (BP) and respiration (BR), which drove a …