Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Addressing Binational Issues For Water Quality Along The United States-Mexico Border And The Use Of The 1944 Water Treaty As A Means For Developing Transboundary Aquifer Agreements, Gilbert Anaya

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The water resources of the United States (U.S.) and Mexico are under tremendous pressure due to declining reservoir levels, changes in climate, and prolonged drought. The U.S.-Mexico border region relies on the Rio Grande and Colorado River, and shared groundwater resources that are transboundary in nature. These resources are vital to the U.S.-Mexico border and are susceptible to drought that leads to reduced flow and allocation to the users. In addition, there are impacts to water quality caused by return flows and from failing sanitation infrastructure. In this study, we focus on 1) the contribution of springs in an area …

Desalination: Adapting To A Changing Climate And An Increasing Demand For Freshwater, Rebecca A. Acosta

Master's Projects and Capstones

The state of California is just one place in the world that is experiencing an increasing demand for freshwater while also experiencing increasingly hotter conditions and longer periods of drought. There are a number of plants slated for development in the state of California but have been met with resistance from the public with concerns regarding their impacts to the surrounding marine environments. This paper provides background on desalination plants, provides evidence for a potential indicator species, identifies potential impacts to marine environments, and addresses stakeholder concerns and perceptions around desalination plants.

Arctic Ocean And Subarctic Seas Dynamics In A Changing Climate, Sarah B. Hall

Theses and Dissertations

Salinity is the primary determinant of the Arctic Ocean’s vertical density stratification in the upper ocean, which has major implications on the ocean’s physical dynamics alongside a period of rapidly declining sea ice. In recent decades, the Arctic’s freshwater content (FWC) has increased as a result of the accumulation of freshwater source inputs. Additional freshwater exported to the North Atlantic may hinder overturning processes that are vital to the regulation of global climate. This dissertation employs in situ measurements, satellite observations, and ocean model simulations to better understand salinity and freshwater changes in the Arctic Ocean during this changing climate. …

In Situ Study Of Geological Fluid Inclusions Using 23na Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy, Stephen Pilar

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

²³Na Magic Angle Spinning Solid State Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (MAS SS NMR) spectroscopy has been used to study natural geological samples of halite, fluorite, and quartz to evaluate the efficacy of NMR spectroscopy for in situ fluid inclusion analysis. NaCl calibration standards yielded a strong linear correlation (R²=0.9919) for salinity, albeit only over a ~1 ppm breadth of chemical shift. Fluid inclusions were successfully identified in all three types of minerals studied using MAS NMR. Chemical analysis with Inductively Coupled Plasma -- Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) was employed to quantify elemental contaminants in halite samples. Powder X-Ray Diffraction …

The Effects Of Saline Soil On Microbiome And The Isolation Of Root-Associated Microbes To Relieve Salinity Stress, Duncan Jakubowski

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Increasing levels of salinity in once-viable lands for crop production is a serious and growing problem in the Northern Great Plains. The objectives of this study were to determine the effects of saline soil on the microbial composition of plant roots and bulk soil, to measure metabolic changes in plant roots from saline soil, to determine the viability of root-associated microbes as inoculants to increase stress tolerance in plants, as well as determine the impact of saline soil on nitrogen cycling genes linked to greenhouse gas production. This study hypothesizes that high soil salinity levels have a significant impact on …

Sodium-Calcium Ratios In The Planktic Foraminifera Trilobatus Sacculifer As A Proxy For Sea Surface Salinity, Colton Steele Watkins

OES Theses and Dissertations

Recent culture and field studies have found a significant positive correlation between seawater salinity and the incorporation of sodium into foraminiferal calcite, suggesting a potential new proxy for reconstructing past changes in sea surface salinity (SSS) (Mezger et al., 2016 and Bertlich et al., 2018). In order to test the applicability of this new proxy in an open-ocean setting, Na/Ca ratios in the planktic foraminifera Trilobatus sacculifer (T. sacculifer Na/Ca) were measured from a suite of sediment core tops spanning a natural salinity gradient from the North Atlantic subtropical gyre to the South Atlantic subtropical gyre. Initial results from …

Evaluation Of Groundwater Sodium And Sodium Uptake In Taxodium And Its Hybrids On Galveston Island, Texas, Daniel Morgan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In September 2008, Hurricane Ike swept through the Gulf of Mexico striking the Gulf Coast, claiming hundreds of lives and causing billions of dollars in damage. The hurricane left behind elevated sea salt concentrations in the soil and groundwater, preventing the unaided return of live oaks and other species to the island. To determine effective ways to ameliorate the elevated Na⁺ concentrations in the soil, eight treatments were applied to the soil and combinations of three species of plants, live oak (Quercus virginiana), hybrid bald cypress (Taxodium ‘T406’), and yellow hibiscus (Hibiscus hamabo …

Temperature And Salinity Distributions And Flushing Time Estimates In A Low-Inflow California Estuary, Sydney N. Wewerka

Physics

This study examines the temperature and salinity distributions in Morro Bay, a small, seasonally LIE located on the central coast of California. In Morro Bay, eelgrass (Zostera marina; a temperate seagrass), like all seagrasses, is a critical habitat-forming species that supports a large variety of invertebrate, fish, and bird species in the estuary (MBNEP, 2018). Since 2007, eelgrass in the estuary has declined by over 90%, with most losses occurring in the back regions (i.e., head) of the estuary (MBNEP, 2018). Near the mouth, eelgrass meadows have remained resilient, indicating that gradients in environmental conditions throughout the bay may be …

Investigating The Effects Of Sea-Level Rise And Increasing Salinity On Procambarus Lunzi Of Sapelo Island, Georgia, Samuel Long

Biology Theses

Barrier islands have great ecological and economical importance and face a threat from increasing sea-level due to climate change. Erosion of existing freshwater lens and ocean inundation could greatly change freshwater availability on the island. This could have significant impacts on freshwater crayfish like Procambarus lunzi, which are complexly intertwined into the trophic food web of the island. This study’s goal was to investigate the salinity tolerance of this crayfish on Sapelo Island, Georgia, in an attempt to predict the possible effects and response to sea-level rise by this crayfish. Crayfish were wild-caught from the island in March, June, and …

Evaluating The Effects Of Sodium, Potassium, Magnesium, And Calcium Concentrations On Dolomite Stoichiometry, Cation Ordering, And Reaction Rate, Hanna F. Cohen

Masters Theses

Numerous environmental factors affect dolomitization. Shallow peritidal and restricted marine environments, for example, are often associated with more abundant and more stoichiometric dolomite than deeper marine environments. Higher fluid Mg/Ca ratios resulting from gypsum precipitation are often invoked to explain this observation, even when evidence of evaporites is absent. In this study, high-temperature dolomitization experiments show that the concentrations of major cation concentrations (Na, K, Mg, and Ca) impact dolomite stoichiometry and reaction rate. Nearly 200 batch dolomitization experiments were run whereby 100 mg of natural aragonite ooids were dolomitized at 215°C in ionic solutions. Fluid [NaCl] and [KCl] correlate …

Effects Of Reservoir Conditions And Trace Co-Contaminant Gases On Geological Carbon Sequestration, Ram Kumar

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Geological carbon sequestration in a saline formation is a promising technology for large-scale carbon dioxide (CO2) mitigation. Several factors such as temperature, pressure, salinity, hydraulic conductivity, and mineralogy of a formation affect the CO2 sequestration in saline formations. These factors can vary widely depending upon the type of formation or the degree of heterogeneity within a formation. In addition to these properties of the repositories, the CO2-rich flue gas streams captured from point sources often contains small amounts of impurities such as sulfur oxides (SOx) and nitrogen oxides (NOx), which may have serious implications on the chemistry of the repositories …

Attributing Accelerated Increases In Salinity In The Mediterranean Coastal Zone To Climate Change And Seawater Desalination Brine And The Resultant Unsustainability Of Modern Desalination Technology, Brandon W. Harper

HCNSO Student Capstones

Anthropogenic climate change influences our oceans on a global scale and has brought about increased salinity levels in large areas of our oceans such as the North Atlantic (Dunbar 2009). Concentrations of large scale desalination plants around small bodies of water add to this pattern and have shown even larger increases in salinity due to desalination brine discharge (Purnama et al., 2005). Salinity profile data over time should show similar increases in salinity in the Mediterranean Sea due to climate change and localized data should show increased salinity due to brine discharge. This study aims to pinpoint the extent of …

Pursuing Resilience Of Coastal Communities Through Sustainable And Integrated Urban Water Management, Pacia Díaz

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Reliability of water supply in the urban setting has become essential for communities to function and thrive. It is needed for more than mere human consumption and well-being. Although modern cities have water treatment and distribution systems, pressures from urbanization, population growth and the anticipated pressures of climate change are affecting the quality of water supply and the reliability of treatment and distribution systems. There is therefore an urgent need to take appropriate measures to improve the resilience of water supply systems before the impacts are irreversible.

Improving the resilience of water supply systems can be a challenge. In the …

Assessment Of Groundwater Quality In The Al Khatim And Remah Area Of The United Arab Emirates, Qasim Raza Khan

Civil and Environmental Theses

Groundwater constitutes an important part of the available water resources in arid areas. Knowledge of the quantitative and qualitative status of groundwater is a key aspect in optimal groundwater management. The chemical characteristics of groundwater in two neighboring areas (Remah and Al Khatim) have been used to identify the processes controlling groundwater chemistry in the sand aquifer of Abu Dhabi Emirate, United Arab Emirates. Furthermore, the suitability of the groundwater for agricultural purposes was assessed using a range of indices. Both areas showed elevated levels of nitrate, potassium and cadmium, indicating the impact of agricultural activities. The groundwater was found …

Influence Of Salinity, Sunlight, And Sediment On The Toxicity Of Pesticides In Three Non-Target Organisms, Emily Noelle Vebrosky

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Pesticides used in the United States must undergo registration by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), after a multitude of analyses ranging from environmental fate to aquatic toxicological impacts to human risk exposure. Testing varies for each chemical, some requiring more testing than others. In many cases, environmental factors are restricted in the analysis of chemical behavior and organismal testing is limited to larvae. Many pesticides are formulated to breakdown in the environment by means of photolysis, hydrolysis, or oxidation, either to ensure low-persistence, limited transport, or to form the active ingredient (pro-pesticides). Environmental influences on chemical behaviors include …

Analysis Of Temperature And Salinity Effects On Growth And Mortality Of Oysters (Crassostrea Virginica) In Louisiana, Troy Sehlinger

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Salinity (S) and temperature (T) control every facet of the eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) life cycle, principally reproduction, development, growth, and mortality. Previous studies conducted in in the Breton Sound (BR) and Barataria (BA) estuaries have reported differences in growth and mortality rates between the basins. In the present study, environmental conditions were synchronized to compare growth and mortality rates between basins at similar combinations of T and S. Results indicate that when T and S are the same (synchronized), seasonal oyster growth and mortality rates differ between BR and BA. Seasonal analyses revealed that as salinities increased …

A Combined Field, Experimental And Modeling Approach To Understand The Impacts Of Flood Irrigation On Pedogenic Caco3 And Co2 Dynamics In Drylands, Anna Cristina Ortiz

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Soil salinization is a global problem affecting 10% of agricultural soils, particularly in irrigated arid-lands. This study investigated salt loading through flood-irrigation, particularly of calcite (CaCO3) salt in the southwest of the United States. To evaluate the impact that flood-irrigation has on CaCO3 buildup and its effect on C-cycling, a natural soil and two agricultural soils were sampled: a pecan orchard and an alfalfa field in the El Paso, TX region. Agricultural soils in this study are flood irrigated by the Rio Grande river and by ground waters in its absence, both of which are oversaturated with calcite.

To trace …

Tracing Anthropogenic Salinity Inputs To The Semi-Arid Rio Grande River: A Multi-Isotope Tracer Approach, Sandra Garcia

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Water is an important component for life and as such water quality and availability are major concerns in the world today. In arid to semi-arid regions, freshwater quality is especially important due to its scarcity. Elevated salinity of rivers in arid regions poses potentially devastating consequences for the communities that depend on these rivers as a source of freshwater. In the Rio Grande region, high salinity has led to severe reductions in crop productivity and accumulation of salts in soils. Salinity inputs into the river may come from both anthropogenic and natural sources. Thus, identifying and quantifying salinity inputs to …

Salt Gland Excretion Efficiency And Salinity Tolerance Of Sporobolus Species, Piumi Shrimani Weragodavidana

Theses

Halophytic C4 grasses, including Sporobolus species, have developed specific mechanisms to cope with salinity stress. Among these, “salt glands” which are bi- cellular leaf epidermal structures eliminating excess saline ions from shoots by excretion under salinity stress. Salt glands are morphologically visible and can potentially be used for salt tolerance breeding programs. The objectives of this study were: (1) to determine the leaf salt gland excretion rates of United Arab Emirates native halophytic chloridoid grass species, S. spicatus and S. arabicus; (2) to determine if leaf salt gland excretion rate and density can effectively predict salinity tolerance among Sporobolus genotypes, …

A Regional Chemical Characterization And Analysis Of Groundwater In Eastern Ontario, Laura M. Colgrove

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This study utilizes 234 samples to provide a regional characterization and analysis of groundwater chemistry in eastern Ontario, Canada, where elevated TDS, Na and halogens occur in shallow groundwater. Water-types, PCA and mapping are used to investigate the processes and features controlling the chemistry. The chemical patterns are associated with glaciomarine deposits (extent, thickness) and bedrock topography, which modulate residence time and flow-path of groundwater. These determine the relative effects of recharge, ion exchange, salinization and organic breakdown on groundwater chemistry. Anomalous chemistry east of Ottawa (brackish-to-saline TDS; elevated water δ¹⁸O; elevated Na, Cl, I, CH₄, …

Variations In Salinity And Temperature On The Flank Of An Offshore Louisiana Salt Structure, Candice M. Mccollum

LSU Master's Theses

Sediments located in the vicinity of salt structures in the northern Gulf of Mexico have highly complex structures and fluid dynamics associated with the dissolution and diapirism of salt. Past studies (Lin and Nunn, 1997; Bruno and Hanor, 2003; Richards, 2013) have shown that faults associated with salt structures can act both as migration pathways and barriers to the flow of formation waters. Bruno and Hanor (2003), Steen et al. (2011), and Richards (2013) also demonstrated that lithology was a controlling factor in the flow of formation waters. In this study, two sets of wireline logs, one used in salinity …

Population Ecology Of The Ribbed Mussel In Southeastern Louisiana, Aaron Jacob Honig

LSU Master's Theses

Benthic intertidal bivalves play an essential role in estuarine ecosystems by contributing to habitat provision, water filtration, and promoting productivity. As such, ecosystem level changes that impact population distributions and persistence of local bivalve populations may have large ecosystem level consequences, making it important to better understand the population distribution and ecology of native bivalve populations. Gametogenesis, recruitment, growth, mortality, size structure and density of the ribbed mussel, Geukensia demissa, were examined across a salinity gradient in southeastern Louisiana. In summer 2012, 100-m transects were placed at interior and edge marsh plots to collect data on mussel density, and vegetation …

Diatoms In Castor Lake (North-Central Washington, Usa) – Proxies Of Climate And Hydrologic Variation, Kelly D. Hollingshead

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This research provides a high temporal resolution (1 sample / 2-3 years) record of hydrologic variation for the last 2,000 years using a lake sediment record from Castor Lake, a closed-basin system in Washington, USA. The core was dated using ¹³⁷Cs, ¹⁴C, and tephrochronology. Approximately 600 diatoms were identified and enumerated in 198 samples from a Castor Lake freeze core and Livingstone-piston core. A diatom-inference model for salinity was applied to reconstruct fossil diatom salinity. Diatom-inferred salinity for the last century tracked Palmer Drought Severity Index, indicating diatom community composition tracks effective moisture and can be used to …

A Ctd Biotag For Mid-Sized Marine Predators, Heather Broadbent

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Biologging tools for investigating the study of fine-scale linkages between animal behavior and the physical microstructure of the marine habitat are technically limited by substantial size, high cost or low sensor resolution. However, recent advances in electronic technologies and process techniques present attractive alternatives to current tag designs. Motivated by the need for a low-cost, compact CTD biotag for medium-sized marine animals, the University of South Florida Center for Ocean Technology developed a multi-sensor biotag for quantitative measurements of ocean salinity. This dissertation describes the development and performance of a novel CTD biotag used for animal-borne measurements of the physical …

Spatial Variation Analysis Of Salinity To Determine Fluid Flow Pathways And Reservoir Compartmentalization In A Deepwater Gulf Of Mexico Field, William Jacob Daugherty

LSU Master's Theses

Variations in salinity have been documented in previous studies onshore Louisiana in the Wilcox group (Funayama and Hanor 1995) as well as offshore Louisiana on the continental shelf (Bruno and Hanor 2003 and Steen et al. 2011). These studies were conducted using various methods to estimate pore water salinity and make inferences about possible fluid flow pathways and compartmentalization of reservoirs in order to better understand the complex hydrogeology of the Gulf of Mexico. Similar variations in salinity were documented in this study located in a deepwater salt withdrawal minibasin located on the upper slope of the Gulf of Mexico. …

Evaluation Of Pleistocene To Holocene (Mis 5 To 1) Climatic Changes In Southwestern Black Sea: A Palynological Study Of Dsdp Site 380, Shannon Ferguson

LSU Master's Theses

Site 380 of the Deep Sea Drilling Program [DSDP] is located in the southwestern region of the Black Sea (42°05.94’, 29°36.82’E). The location of this site is important due to its proximity to the narrow Bosphorus strait, the only present-day connection between the Black Sea and the Aegean Sea. Drops in eustatic sea level during extensive Pleistocene glacial episodes disconnected the Black Sea from the Aegean Sea at the Bosphorus strait, creating a change from brackish to freshwater within the Black Sea during these intervals. Organic-walled phytoplankton (dinoflagellate cysts, acritarchs, and fresh-water algae) are investigated to better constrain these glacio-eustatic …

Spatial And Temporal Variations In The Air-Sea Carbon Dioxide Fluxes Of Florida Bay, Christopher Michael Dufore

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The flux of CO2 between the ocean and the atmosphere is an important measure in determining local, global, and regional, as well as short term and long term carbon budgets. In this study, air-sea CO2 fluxes measured using a floating chamber were used to examine the spatial and temporal variability of CO2 fluxes in Florida Bay. Measurements of dissolved inorganic carbon and total alkalinity obtained concurrently with chamber measurements of CO2 flux allowed calculation of ΔpCO2 from flux measurements obtained at zero wind velocity. Floating chamber measurements of ΔpCO2 were subsequently coupled with wind speed data to provide a simple …

Geomicrobiology Of Louisiana Coastal Marshes Before And After The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, Chang Liu

LSU Master's Theses

The 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico not only impacted open ocean and shoreline geochemical and ecological environments, but it served to promote research of microbial ecosystems in poorly studied habitats, such as Louisiana marshes. Sediment and water samples from four main marshes in southern Louisiana were collected in May 2010 (pre-oil), September 2010 (oiled), and June 2011 (post-oil). Sites near the Mississippi River had exceptionally low salinity in the immediate months following the oil spill due to freshwater diversion efforts; salinity increased by an order of magnitude one year later. Microbial diversity was evaluated from …

Developmental Responses To Abiotic Conditions During Aquatic And Air Incubatoin Of The Gulf Killifish (Fundulus Grandis): Subtitle, Charles Alexander Brown

LSU Master's Theses

The Gulf killifish (Fundulus grandis) is a topminnow native to the tidal marshes of the Gulf of Mexico. The species is prized by anglers as effective bait for catching popular sportfish and is of interest to aquaculturists and bait dealers due to its hardy nature. Limited seasonal availability and aquaculture of this species due to low fecundity and larval cannibalism of fry has led to increased incentive to improve cultural techniques. The purpose of this study is to determine the influences of temperature, salinity, and air incubation on embryogenesis of the Gulf killifish. Temperature was found to have a negative …

Measurement And Interpolation Of Sea Surface Temperature And Salinity In The Tropical Pacific: A 9,000 Nautical Mile Research Odyssey, Amber Brooks

Earth and Soil Sciences

The purpose of this project was to compare spline and inverse distance weighting interpolation tools on data collected in the tropical Pacific Ocean by ship and data from a global network of CTD floats, known as Argo floats (fig.1), to provide evidence that technological advancement and integration is aiding our understanding of the ocean-atmosphere system of planet Earth. Thirty-one sea surface temperature and salinity samples were manually taken across a 9,000 nautical mile trek of the Pacific Ocean for the months of April, May and June 2008. Argo ASCII globally gridded monthly averaged sea surface temperature and salinity data, from …