Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Re-Emergence Of The Harmful Algal Bloom Species Alexandrium Monilatum In The Chesapeake Bay: Assessing Bloom Dynamics And Potential Health Impacts, Sarah K.D. Pease, Kimberly S. Reece, Wolfgang K. Vogelbein

Presentations

Effective management of harmful algal blooms (HABs) within a region requires an understanding of species-specific HAB spatial and temporal distributions, bloom dynamics, as well as potential health impacts. In 2007, the southern Chesapeake Bay witnessed its first blooms of the HAB species Alexandrium monilatum. Since then, A. monilatum has bloomed in the region almost annually. A. monilatum produces the toxin ‘goniodomin A’ and is suspected in local mass mortalities of oyster larvae (Crassostrea virginica) grown for aquaculture and restoration projects. Representatives from Virginia’s multimillion dollar oyster aquaculture industry recently expressed great concern over A. monilatum impacts to their businesses; field …

Diel Vertical Distribution Patterns Of Zooplankton Along The Western Antarctic Peninsula, Patricia S. Thibodeau, John A. Conroy, Deborah K. Steinberg

Presentations

The Western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) is a region that has undergone significant change over the past several decades due to unprecedented increases sea surface temperature and decreases in sea ice cover. The ongoing Palmer Antarctica Long-Term Ecological Research (PAL LTER) study shows that these environmental changes are significantly affecting the marine pelagic ecosystem along the WAP. The goal of this study was to analyze diel vertical distribution patterns of zooplankton along the WAP.

Effects Of Commercial Clam Aquaculture On Biogeochemical Cycling In Shallow Coastal Ecosystems, Annie E. Murphy, Iris C. Anderson, Mark W. Luckenbach

Presentations

The bivalve aquaculture industry is expanding worldwide; sustainability requires improved understanding of its interactions with the environment. As suspension feeders, bivalves, such as clams, reduce primary production through feeding, and thus dampen eutrophication. Additionally, enhanced rates of denitrification, the microbial removal of reactive nitrogen, have been reported in bivalve sediments due to increased organic matter supply through biodeposition; another potential, yet indirect, control on eutrophication. Simultaneously, bivalves can influence local ‘bottom-up’ effects on production by enhancing nutrient regeneration through excretion and microbial mineralization of biodeposits. At clam aquaculture sediments, respiration and nutrient regeneration rates were significantly higher compared to uncultivated …

Informing Social Decision Making: Physical Vulnerability To Sea Level Rise, Alexander D. Renaud, Karinna Nunez, Molly Mitchell, Carl Hershner

Presentations

Social indices on census tract and other geopolitical levels are increasingly being considered to inform decision making. In a flooding and sea level rise context, the likelihood of an area flooding is an important component of adaptation and the decision-making framework, however it is frequently modeled on a continuous scale. In our work, we have developed an index of physical vulnerability to flooding on a census tract scale, specifically designed to complement social vulnerability indices.

The Role Of Oyster In Nitrous Oxide Emissions From Oyster Reefs, Anne Arfkin, Ashley Smyth, Bongkeun Song

Presentations

Oyster microbiomes may play a significant role in the biogeochemical N cycle and N2O emissions in estuarine and coastal ecosystems. Rates of denitrification and N2O production were measured from live oysters and oyster shells collected at a coastal lagoon and a tidal estuary in the Chesapeake Bay. Live oysters had the highest rates of denitrification and N2O production in both study sites. This indicates that oysters are an import N remover and a N2O source in coastal ecosystems.

Quantifying Finfish And Blue Crab Use Of Created Oyster Reefs In The Lower Chesapeake Bay, Bruce W. Pfirrmann, Rochelle D. Seitz

Presentations

Structurally complex reefs created by the eastern oyster Crassostrea virginica provide a host of ecosystem services yet have experienced significant declines, prompting extensive restoration efforts. We investigate the use of created oyster reefs in the lower Bay by mobile finfish and blue crabs with field surveys and diet analysis. The results of this study provide insight into how restoration activities influence estuarine community dynamics and the provision of ecosystem services.

Structural Complexity And Location Affect The Habitat Value Of Restored Oyster Reefs, Melissa Karp, Rochelle Seitz

Presentations

Oyster reefs provide a suite of valuable ecosystem services, such as water filtration, nitrogen sequestration, and provision of habitat and foraging grounds. The global decline of these habitats has had negative economic and ecological impacts to coastal waters worldwide. In the Chesapeake Bay, < 1% of the historic oyster population remains and efforts to restore oyster populations and the services they provide have been increasing. Building reefs that successfully provide specific ecosystem services may require different techniques then previously used, and success may depend on reef morphology, location, and environmental conditions. Settling trays were embedded into previously restored oyster reefs that varied in their structural complexity (rugosity) in multiple rivers in the lower Chesapeake Bay. Trays were collected after 7-weeks, sorted, and species identified and weighed (ash-free dry weight) to obtain species diversity, abundance, and biomass. Species composition data was analyzed using nMDS plots, which showed that salinity was an important driver of differences in species composition. Results of an ANOVA analysis found that species diversity was significantly greater on reefs in the high-salinity rivers compared to reefs in low-salinity rivers. Total organism abundance and biomass were positively correlated with reef structural complexity measures, such as rugosity, oyster clump volume, and oyster biomass. These results suggest that more complex oyster reefs in higher salinity locations may support more diverse and productive benthic communities. This study provides insight into the driving factors that structure oyster reef communities and has important implications for oyster reef restoration design and management.

The Relationship Between Reproduction And Mortality In Triploid Crassostrea Virginica: A Matter Of Economic Importance, Joseph L. Matt, Standish K. Allen

Presentations

The goal of this project is to maximize survival for commercially produced triploid Crassostrea virginica oysters in Virginia. Over the last few years, commercial oyster growers in Virginia have reported significant mortality events of triploid oysters during the spring and summer months. The summer of 2014 was the worst yet, as growers across the state reported summer mortality, most severe on the Eastern shore and in some cases as high as 85% of the crop (Karen Hudson, personal communication). Surviving oysters from some of these mortality events were sent to the Virginia Institute of Marine Science and several of the …

Identification Of Suspended Resilient Pellets In Particles Tracked By A Particle Image Camera System (Pics) In A Muddy Estuary, Grace M. Cartwright, Kelsey A. Fall, Carl T. Friedrichs

Presentations

The Particle Imaging Camera System (PICS) was designed to allow for the measurement of the settling velocity of individual particles in situ by using the smaller particles (< density < 1800kg/m3 ). This classification system, while adequate for suspended dredge plumes, needs to be revisited when the PICS is used in a muddy estuary, such as the York River Estuary, Virginia. Figure 1B shows the settling velocities of particles tracked within a video captured 2.5m from the surface in the Clay Bank region of the York River, plotted against their equivalent spherical diameters. While most of the particles are classified as flocs, as indicated by the blue dots in Figure 1C and the peak in the relative number of particles in Figure 1E, there is still a large number of particles classified as “bed aggregates” (red dots). This number of higher density particles may be unexpected, as this video was captured 4.25m over a “muddy bed” in a natural system with a flood current of 40cm/s. However, biologically compacted mud in the form of resilient pellets (see Figure 2) may be the answer. Bed sediments from five sediment cruises during this study period (Aug 2012 – Nov 2014) were found to be comprised of 86-96% mud (Figure 3A). However, 9-14% of the mud was packaged as resilient pellets (Figure 3B). Sediment captured 38cm above the bed by traps deployed on tripods were found to have 92-98% mud, with 4-14% of the mud packaged as resilient pellets (Figures 3A and B). Pellets isolated from the Apr to Jul 2014 trap were sampled with the PICS to determine the distribution of settling velocities (Ws), particle densities, and the ratio of the long and short axis of the particles. This will be used to identify the pellets in PICS videos captured during the five 6h anchor stations (black lines in Figure 3) where three depths were sampled each hour.

Challenges Associated With Operational Modeling Of Low-Oxygen Waters In Chesapeake Bay: Results From A Multiple Modeling Effort, I. D. Irby, M. A.M. Friedrichs, C. T. Friedrichs

Presentations

No abstract provided.

Including Fine-Grained Sediment Processes Within Numerical Representations Of A Partially-Mixed Estuary, The York River, Virginia, Danielle Tarpley, Courtney Harris, Carl Friedrichs, Kelsey Fall

Presentations

The Community Sediment Transport Modeling System (CSTMS) is being used to represent conditions in the York River, Virginia, a partially-mixed tidal tributary of Chesapeake Bay. Our modeling approach includes both an idealized two-dimensional longitudinal representation of the estuary, and a more realistic full three-dimensional model of the York River. Both have been implemented using versions of the Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS). Our modeling efforts have been motivated by a rich set of observation data from in-situ measurements made by acoustic Doppler velocimeters (ADVs), a pulse coherent acoustic Doppler profiler (PC-ADP), a laser in-situ scattering and transmissometry (LISST), and a …

Skill Assessment Of Multiple Hydrodynamic-Dissolved Oxygen Models In Chesapeake Bay, I. Irby, M. A.M. Friedrichs, C. T. Friedrichs

Presentations

No abstract provided.

Introduction To The Research Capabilities Of The Vims Coastal Hydrodynamics & Sediment Dynamics (Chsd) Lab, G. M. Cartwright, K. A. Fall, C. T. Friedrichs, D. Tarpley

Presentations

No abstract provided.

Collective Impact: Results From A Multi-Campus Farm To College Pilot Program, Mary Ellen Mallia, Jamie Adams, Hannah Morgan, Lisa Mitten, Deborah Howard

Presentations

Presented at Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) Conference and State of NY Sustainability Conference.

Scaling Up Local Food Sourcing: A Multi-Campus Farm To College Pilot (2015), Mary Ellen Mallia, Lisa Mitten, Hannah Morgan, Jamie Adams, Deborah Howard

Presentations

Presented at the Northeast Campus Sustainability Consortium Conference.

Scaling Up Local Food Purchases, Mary Ellen Mallia, Lisa Mitten, Hannah Morgan, Jamie Adams, Deborah Howard

Presentations

Presented at the State of NY Sustainability Conference.

Towards Predicting Street-Level Inundation: Using Operational Forecast Modeling Techniques During 2011 Hurricane Irene, J. D. Loftis, H. V. Wang, D. R. Forrest

Presentations

Storm surge-induced coastal inundation poses numerous personal, commercial, industrial, and sociopolitical challenges for society. Flooding can be caused by the combination of storm surge and river-induced inland flooding in many locations throughout the coastal plain. The cross-disciplinary nature of the hydrodynamics involved (hydraulics, oceanography, and hydrology), coupled with the complexity of the atmospheric forcing, makes a numerical model the best approach for a comprehensive study of the dynamics of coastal inundation.

This study builds upon the lessons learned from forecast modeling experiences during 2011 Hurricane Irene in Tidewater Virginia, to ascertain the most effective way to approach predicting street-level inundation. …