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Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons

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Theses/Dissertations

University of Central Florida

2022

Environmental Sciences

Articles 1 - 6 of 6

Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Synergistic Impacts Of Climate Change And Human Induced Stressors On The Apalachicola Bay Food Web, Kira Allen Jan 2022

Synergistic Impacts Of Climate Change And Human Induced Stressors On The Apalachicola Bay Food Web, Kira Allen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-

Apalachicola Bay, an estuary located in northwest Florida, is likely to experience an increase in climate change and human-induced stressors, such as sea level rise and changes in freshwater inflow, in the future. A coupled hydrodynamic and food web modeling approach was used to simulate future scenarios of low and high river flow and sea level rise in Apalachicola Bay from 2020 to 2049 and demonstrate the range of temporal and spatial changes in water temperature, salinity, fisheries species populations and the broader food web. Concurrent with model development, a survey of Apalachicola Bay stakeholders was conducted to assess stakeholder …


Testing The Influence Of Water Depth In Design Of Created Oyster Reef For Living Shoreline Applications, Peter Vien Jan 2022

Testing The Influence Of Water Depth In Design Of Created Oyster Reef For Living Shoreline Applications, Peter Vien

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-

Living shoreline stabilization has become a popular practice in shoreline restoration and bank protection; however, there are still many uncertainties regarding effective site design using living materials. For example, natural wave-breaks may be formed of created reefs, but the optimum water depth for hydrodynamic influence may differ from the preferred depth to ensure organism recruitment. The objective of this research is to understand how water depth relative to the crest of submerged artificial oyster reef structures influences nearshore hydrodynamic processes and sediment transport or retention in nearshore areas. A field study, sited in a microtidal estuary on the Atlantic coast …


The Global Impact Of Covid-19 And Tourism On Conservation Rangers' Guardianship Capabilities, Zachary Bockler Jan 2022

The Global Impact Of Covid-19 And Tourism On Conservation Rangers' Guardianship Capabilities, Zachary Bockler

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This thesis explores how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted wildlife rangers with an emphasis on the influences of tourism rates. Two sets of data are used: one is a survey of rangers around the world and the other looks at global governmental tourism data. While coming from a routine activities perspective, the problem of decreased capable guardianship becomes apparent in the form of massively decreased tourism arrivals and troubling ranger perceptions. This data allows for the establishment of tourism trends and changes during COVID. The findings of this thesis link the downturn in tourism with impacts on formal and informal …


Application Of Biologically Activate Carbon For Treatment Of Sulfide-Laden Groundwater, Jessica Cormier Jan 2022

Application Of Biologically Activate Carbon For Treatment Of Sulfide-Laden Groundwater, Jessica Cormier

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-

Small-system water purveyors must overcome many challenges to provide an adequate and safe water supply to its consuming public. This dissertation reports on research related to the application of biologically activated carbon (BAC) media filters for the treatment of well water to remove disinfection by-product (DBP) precursor matter, measured as dissolved organic carbon (DOC), at two treatment plants serving a small community water system. Four research questions were investigated individually in discrete, yet interconnected studies at two water treatment facilities processing groundwater that contained hydrogen-sulfide (~1.2 mg/L) and dissolved organic carbon (~2.0 mg/L). The first study revealed that BAC filters …


"Reeling In" Juvenile Sportfish Through Coastal Habitat Restoration: Population, Community, And Trophic Responses In The Indian River Lagoon, Florida, Jennifer Loch Jan 2022

"Reeling In" Juvenile Sportfish Through Coastal Habitat Restoration: Population, Community, And Trophic Responses In The Indian River Lagoon, Florida, Jennifer Loch

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-

Coastal habitats provide crucial nursery habitat for predatory fishes, but they are in decline worldwide, impacting economically important fisheries. Habitat restoration can simultaneously mitigate the effects of habitat loss and benefit predators (e.g., sportfish), although this relationship is understudied. Here, the response of juvenile sportfish to oyster reef and living shoreline restoration is compared to controls in the Indian River Lagoon, Florida prior to and following restoration for up to three years through examination of community (diversity, assemblage), population (abundance), biometric (size, body condition), ontogenetic, and trophic (gut contents, stable isotopes) dynamics. Stable isotopes were used to quantify dietary history, …


A Novel Antibody-Dependent Mc-Lr Detecting Biosensor For Early Warning Of Harmful Algal Blooms (Habs), Stephanie Stoll Jan 2022

A Novel Antibody-Dependent Mc-Lr Detecting Biosensor For Early Warning Of Harmful Algal Blooms (Habs), Stephanie Stoll

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-

Microcystins (MCs) are toxins produced by cyanobacteria commonly found in harmful algal blooms (HAB) occurring in many surface waters. Due to their toxicity to humans and other organisms, the World Health Organization (WHO) set a guideline of 1 µg/L for microcystin-leucine-arginine (MC-LR) in drinking water. However, current analytical techniques for the detection of MC-LR such as liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) are costly, bulky, time-consuming, and mostly conducted in a laboratory, requiring highly trained personnel. Therefore, an analytical method that can be used in the field for rapid determination is essential. In this study, an Anti-MC-LR/MC-LR/Cysteamine …