Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Status Of The Major Oyster Diseases In Virginia 2006-2008 A Summary Of The Annual Oyster Disease Monitoring Program, Ryan Carnegie, Eugene M. Burreson

Reports

Fall Survey sampling revealed P. marinus levels to be generally normal to high in Virginia tributaries. By 2007 P. marinus was present on every oyster reef sampled, and by the end of the 2006-2008 period the parasite was probably causing some mortality throughout Virginia waters. Data for H. nelsoni are still incomplete for 2006/7 because of funding limitations, but in 2008 H. nelsoni was observed at 17 of 31 sampled reefs, a marked expansion in distribution since 2003/4. A significant MSX disease outbreak occurred in the Great Wicomico River in 2008, as a mild winter and a long period of …

Estimating Relative Abundance Of Young-Of-Year American Eel, Anguilla Rostrata, In The Virginia Tributaries Of Chesapeake Bay (Spring 2009), Troy D. Tuckey, Mary C. Fabrizio

Reports

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) adopted the Interstate Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for the American eel in November 1999. The FMP focuses on increasing coastal states’ efforts to collect American eel data through both fishery-dependent and fishery-independent studies. Consequently, member jurisdictions agreed to implement an annual survey for young-of-year (YOY) American eels. The survey is intended to “…characterize trends in annual recruitment of the YOY eels over time [to produce a] qualitative appraisal of the annual recruitment of American eel to the U.S. Atlantic Coast” (ASMFC 2000). The development of these surveys began in 2000 with full implementation …

Nutrient Enrichment Studies Of Natural Phytoplankton Populations In Tampa Bay: A Summary Of Results June 1993 To August 2009, The City Of Tampa Wastewater Department

Reports

The Bay Study Group (BSG) has been conducting nutrient enrichment studies (bioassays) on natural phytoplankton populations at four locations in Tampa Bay since 1993 (Figure 1). This report will summarize findings for all tests that have been performed to date, from June 1993 through August 2009.

City Of Newport News, Virginia Shoreline Inventory Report Methods And Guidelines, Marcia Berman, Harry Berquist, Sharon Killeen, Carl Hershner, Karinna Nunez, Karen Reay, Tamia Rudnicky, Daniel Schatt, Dave Weiss

Reports

This shoreline inventory is developed as a tool for assessing conditions along the tidal shoreline in the City of Newport News. Field data were collected during July and September 2002, and data were updated using VBMP 2006/2007 imagery. Conditions are reported for three zones within the immediate riparian river area: riparian land use, bank and buffers, and the shoreline. A series of maps and tabular data are published to illustrate and quantify results of an extensive shoreline survey. Shorelines of the James River, Skiffes Creek, Warwick River and Deep Creek, including small tributaries, were surveyed. Some sections were coded using …

Sand Dunes And Beaches In Virginia: Science And Management, Pamela Mason

Reports

No abstract provided.

2009 York County, Virginia Shoreline Inventory Report Methods And Guidelines, Marcia Berman, Harry Berquist, Sharon Killeen, Carl Hershner, Karinna Nunez, Karen Reay, Tamia Rudnicky, Daniel E. Schatt, David Weiss

Reports

The data inventory developed for the Shoreline Inventory is based on a three tiered shoreline assessment approach. In most cases this assessment characterizes conditions that can be observed from a small boat navigating along the shoreline. The three tiered shoreline assessment approach divides the shorezone into three regions: 1) the immediate riparian zone, evaluated for land use; 2) the bank, evaluated for height, stability, cover and natural protection; and 3) the shoreline, describing the presence of shoreline structures for shore protection and recreational purposes.

The 2009 Inventory for York County was updated using on-screen, digitizing techniques in ArcMap v10.0 while …

Sand Dune And Beaches In Virginia: Science And Management, Center For Coastal Resources Management, Virginia Institute Of Marine Science

Reports

Rivers & Coast is a periodic publication of the Center for Coastal Resources Management, Virginia Institute of Marine Science. The goal of Rivers & Coast is to keep readers well informed of current scientific understanding behind key environmental issues related to watershed rivers and coastal ecosystems of the Chesapeake Bay.

Evolving Guidance For Tidal Wetlands Management, Center For Coastal Resources Management, Virginia Institute Of Marine Science

Reports

Rivers & Coast is a periodic publication of the Center for Coastal Resources Management, Virginia Institute of Marine Science. The goal of Rivers & Coast is to keep readers well informed of current scientific understanding behind key environmental issues related to watershed rivers and coastal ecosystems of the Chesapeake Bay.

Water Quality Conditions And Restoration Of Submerged Aquatic Vegetation (Sav) In The Tidal Freshwater James River, 2008, Ken Moore, Betty Berry Neikirk, Erin C. Shields, David Parrish

Reports

In 2008, wild celery (Vallisneria americana), water stargrass (Heteranthera dubia) and hydrilla (Hydrilla verticilata) shoots were transplanted into shallow water sites in the Hopewell region of the tidal James River and sampled for survivorship and growth throughout the SA V growing season. Water quality sampling was conducted at bi-weekly intervals throughout the year for water column nutrients, chlorophyll a, suspended solids, water transparency and other chemical and physical constituents important for SA V growth. Continuous water quality sampling was also conducted along the James River from the mouth of the Chickahominy River to the upstream limits of tidal water at …

A Guide To Shoreline Management Planning For Virginia’S Coastal Localities, Donna A. Milligan, C. Scott Hardaway Jr.

Reports

Short pamphlet describing methods for managing and making recommendations for shorelines.

Evaluating Recruitment Of American Eel, Anguilla Rostrata, In The Potomac River (Spring 2009), Troy D. Tuckey, Mary C. Fabrizio

Reports

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) adopted the Interstate Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for the American eel in November 1999. The FMP focuses on increasing coastal states’ efforts to collect American eel data through both fishery-dependent and fishery-independent studies. Consequently, member jurisdictions agreed to implement an annual survey for young of year (YOY) American eels. The survey is intended to “…characterize trends in annual recruitment of the YOY eels over time [to produce a] qualitative appraisal of the annual recruitment of American eel to the U.S. Atlantic Coast” (ASMFC 2000). The development of these surveys began in 2000 with …

Estimating Relative Abundance Of Young Of Year American Eel, Anguilla Rostrata, In The Virginia Tributaries Of Chesapeake Bay (Spring 2008), Troy D. Tuckey, Mary C. Fabrizio

Reports

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) adopted the Interstate Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for the American eel in November 1999. The FMP focuses on increasing coastal states’ efforts to collect American eel data through both fishery-dependent and fishery-independent studies. Consequently, member jurisdictions agreed to implement an annual survey for young-of-year (YOY) American eels. The survey is intended to “…characterize trends in annual recruitment of the YOY eels over time [to produce a] qualitative appraisal of the annual recruitment of American eel to the U.S. Atlantic Coast” (ASMFC 2000). The development of these surveys began in 2000 with full implementation …

Tidal Sediment Yield Estimate Methodology In Virginia For The Chesapeake Bay Program Water Quality Model, C. Scott Hardaway Jr., Donna A. Milligan, Lyle M. Varnell, Julie Herman

Reports

Water quality in Chesapeake Bay has degraded over the past 50 years with respect to oxygen depletion and reduced light attenuation. While the causes are numerous, sediment resuspension from wave and tidal action cloud the water column and reduce light attenuation thereby negatively affecting submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) beds. Sediments on the Bay bottom come from upland runoff and shoreline erosion, each of which has significant contributions to the loading of sediments into estuary. The purpose of this report is to assess the present methods used to calculate sediment loading from tidal shoreline erosion that is input to the Chesapeake …

Mathews County, Virginia Shoreline Inventory Report Methods And Guidelines, Marcia Berman, Harry Berquist, Sharon Killeen, Carl Hershner, Tamia Rudnicky, Daniel E. Schatt, Karinna Nunez, Karen Reay, David Weiss

Reports

The data inventory developed for the Shoreline Situation Reports are based on a three-tiered shoreline assessment approach. This assessment characterizes conditions in the shorezone observed from a small boat moving along the shoreline. Handheld GPS units record data observations in the field. The three tiered shoreline assessment approach divides the shorezone into three regions:

1. the immediate riparian zone, evaluated for land use

2. the bank, evaluated for height, stability and natural protection

3. the shoreline, describing the presence of shoreline structures for shore protection and recreational purposes.

Three GIS coverages are generated from the collection technique. The Mathews_lubc coverage are features related …

Shore Status, Evolution, And Storm Vulnerability Assessments For George Washington Birthplace National Monument, C. Scott Hardaway Jr., Donna A. Milligan, Kevin P. O'Brien, Christine A. Wilcox

Reports

The shoreline at the George Washington Birthplace National Monument (GEWA) is eroding and vulnerable to storms. Recent storms, such as Hurricane Isabel and Tropical Storm Ernesto impacted the region in 2003 and 2006, respectively. Large losses of the bank prompted the National Park Service to determine the vulnerability of the shore and its associated cultural, natural and archeological resources. This project maps the existing shoreline along the Potomac River and at the Memorial House on Popes Creek, provides an assessment of shore and bank dynamics, determines the rate of shoreline change between 1937 and 2007, and presents an analysis of …

Virginia Shellfish Aquaculture Situation And Outlook Report : Results Of The 2008 Virginia Shellfish Aquaculture Crop Reporting Survey, Thomas J. Murray, Michael J. Oesterling

Reports

Recent growth of the shellfish aquaculture industry in Virginia has added significant value to the state’s seafood marketplace. Today, watermen continue to harvest both hard clams and oysters from the state’s public resources, albeit at diminished rates. At the same time, Virginia’s watermen-farmers are providing growing quantities of additional quality shellfish to consumers. Following the lead of the hard clam industry, there has been a significant transition to intensive aquaculture of native oysters in recent years. The once extensive oyster planting has disappeared primarily as a result of endemic oyster diseases and increasing wildlife predation of seed oysters. In its …

Monitoring Relative Abundance Of American Shad In Virginia Rivers 2008 Annual Report, John E. Olney, Brian Watkins

Reports

Concern about the decline in landings of American shad (Alosa sapidissima) along the Atlantic coast prompted the development of an interstate fisheries management plan (FMP) under the auspices of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Management Program (AS

Encroachment Of Sills Onto State-Owned Bottom: Design Guidelines For Chesapeake Bay, C. Scott Hardaway Jr., Donna A. Milligan, Kevin O'Brien, Christine A. Wilcox, Jian Shen, Carl H. Hobbs Iii

Reports

Recent efforts have sought to expand the use of “Living Shorelines” by waterfront property owners in Virginia and Maryland to combat tidal shoreline erosion. Living shorelines represent a shoreline management option that combines various erosion control methodologies and/or structures while at the same time restoring or preserving natural shoreline vegetation communities. Some regulatory agencies and non-governmental organizations prefer living shorelines over “traditional” shore hardening using bulkheads or stone revetments because these structures create a “barrier” or disconnect between the upland and marine environments. Typically, creation of a living shoreline involves the placement of sand, planting marsh flora, and, if necessary, …

Climate Change Impacts In Virginia: Status Of Natural Resource Data Records As Tools To Assess Continuing Trends, Tamia Rudnicky, Marcia Berman, Roger L. Mann, Carl Hershner

Reports

As scientists we pose the hypothesis that climate change over the past decades has left a signal in natural resource status and productivity in Virginia. This signal exists subsumed in a variety of data from crop and forestry production, to fishery landings, to spatial distribution of numerous plant and animal species of interest. Description of these signals in concert with known changes in climate descriptors (temperature, rainfall and more) provide a basis for hind-casting possible cause and effect relationships. If such relationships exist, and we hypothesize that they do, then projections of climate descriptors (temperature, rainfall and more) provide the …

Dune Monitoring Data Update Summary, Kevin P. O'Brien, Donna A. Milligan, George R. Thomas

Reports

The Shoreline Studies Program at VIMS established a beach and dune monitoring program for nine sites around the Virginia portion of Chesapeake Bay (Milligan et al., 2005). These sites were monitored twice yearly for four years (2001-2004). In addition to three years of relatively calm conditions, these data included the impact of Hurricane Isabel, a nearly 100-yr event, on the Bay’s shorelines. The shoreline’s change due to the storm and their subsequent short-term recovery was documented by this data. However, since the end of the monitoring program, other events have impacted Chesapeake Bay shorelines. In order to document the longer-term …

Restoration Of Seagrass Habitat In Tampa Bay Using Large Manatee Grass (Syringodium Filiforme) Sod Units And A Discussion Of Planting Site Sediment Elevation Dynamics, Roger Johansson, Walt Avery, K. B. Hennenfent, J. J. Pacowta

Reports

The final project monitoring results show that the manatee grass transplanting effort was completed successfully. First, the donor site monitoring indicated that disturbances caused by harvesting were fully mitigated within the two year study period. Second, about 1300m2 of manatee grass were established in an area previously devoid of this species. Third, at the end of the study period the per unit area above ground biomass of the restored manatee grass in several of the planting plots was similar to, or may have exceeded the biomass of the donor grass at the time of harvest. Finally, several of the restored …

York River Water Budget, Carl Hershner, Molly Mitchell, Donna Marie Bilkovic, Julie D. Herman, Center For Coastal Resources Management, Virginia Institute Of Marine Science

Reports

No abstract provided.

Workshop On Environmental Research Needs In Support Of Potential Virginia Offshore Oil And Gas Activities, Robert J. Diaz, Richard Brill, Linda C. Schaffner, Kenneth W. Able, Larry Atkinson, Diane Austin, Scott Kraus, Douglas Lipton, United States. Minerals Management Service

Reports

The MMS, a bureau within the Department of the Interior, sponsored a workshop on the environmental research needs in support of potential Virginia offshore oil and gas activities 3 and 4 December 2008, in Williamsburg, Virginia. The focus of the workshop was to assess the existing scientific knowledgebase along the Virginia Coast and the information gaps that need to 2 be addressed should a lease sale for oil and gas activities be held for the Virginia outer continental shelf. This report summarizes the outcome of the workshop.

Ecosystems Services Of Tidal Shorelines, Center For Coastal Resources Management, Virginia Institute Of Marine Science

Reports

Rivers & Coast is a periodic publication of the Center for Coastal Resources Management, Virginia Institute of Marine Science. The goal of Rivers & Coast is to keep readers well informed of current scientific understanding behind key environmental issues related to watershed rivers and coastal ecosystems of the Chesapeake Bay.

Vulnerability Of Shallow Tidal Water Habitats In Virginia To Climate Change, Donna Marie Bilkovic, Carl H. Herschner, Tamia Rudnicky, Karinna Nunez, Daniel E. Schatt, Sharon Kileen, Marcia Berman, Center For Coastal Resources Management, Virginia Institute Of Marine Science

Reports

The principal objective of this study was to develop a characterization of current shallow-water habitat components in Virginia tidal waters and predict climate driven changes to these habitats. To project broad-scale climate change effects on the abundance and distribution of coastal habitats, an inundation model based on anticipated relative sea-level rise, temperature and salinity projections, and coastal development were integrated into a GIS modeling framework. Using this framework, simple models were constructed that forecast the distribution of key coastal habitat parameters within the next 50 to 100 years including: shallow-water areas, tidal wetlands, submerged aquatic vegetation and estuarine beaches. The …

Vargo Results, University Of South Florida

Reports

Major Results and Conclusions from USF Bioassay on Dunaliella sp.

The Effects Of Model Misspecification On Linear Regression Coefficients As Applicable To Solar And Linear Terms, Troy A. Wynn, Vincent B. Wickwar

Reports

Determining atmospheric solar response from data is typically done by fitting a linear model to the data using a least squares approximation. These models typically include a solar proxy that follows the 11 year solar intensity variation, as well as a linear cooling trend. In this paper it is argued that such a regression model is flawed in that the atmospheric solar response might be out of phase with the solar input. And if so, the phase difference between solar input and atmospheric solar response can significantly bias the linear regression coefficient and attenuate the solar coefficient. This result is …

Summary Tables: Mathews County, Virginia Shoreline Inventory Report Methods And Guidelines, Marcia Berman, Harry Berquist, Sharon Killeen, Carl Hershner, Karinna Nunez, Karen Reay, Tamia Rudnicky, Daniel E. Schatt, David Weiss

Reports

The Shoreline Inventory Summary Tables quantify observed conditions based on river systems, such as the combined length of linear features (e.g. shoreline miles surveyed, miles of bulkhead and revetment), the total number of point features (e.g. docks, boathouses, boat ramps) & total acres of polygon features (tidal marshes).

Extreme Storm Events Increase The Risk For Chemical Contamination Of Coastal Waters, Michael A. Unger, Virginia Institute Of Marine Science. Initiative For Coastal Climate Change Research

Reports

Sea-level rise and an increase in the severity of coastal storms are probable outcomes for the Chesapeake Bay due to global climate change. A consequent ecological and economic risk for tidewater Virginia and other low-lying coastal zones is the contamination of coastal waters by industrial and agricultural chemicals released by accidental spills during severe storm events. . . .

The Effects Of Sea Level Rise On Tidal Wetlands In The Lynnhaven River Watershed, Marcia Berman, Harry Berquist, Center For Coastal Resources Management, Virginia Institute Of Marine Science

Reports

This study classified tidal wetlands for the Lynnhaven Watershed using remote sensing techniques and high resolution imagery from 2007. This updated delineation of wetlands, was used in conjunction with a simplistic geospatial elevation model to quantify the potential loss of wetlands under various sea level rise scenarios.The study revealed that using conservative estimates of sea level rise, nearly all wetlands would be lost by the year 2100. Projecting sea level rise into the future can be considered speculative, nevertheless such predictions are necessary to begin managing for and planning for climate change impacts. Evidence from this study suggests that upland …