Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology Commons^™

Effects Of El Nino On Local Hydrography And Growth Of The Giant Kelp, Macrocystis Pyrifera, At Santa Catalina Island, California, Richard C. Zimmerman, Deborah L. Robertson

OES Faculty Publications

Deepened isotherms associated with El Niño resulted in severe nutrient limitation and very low kelp productivity during the last half of 1983. Frond growth rates were so low that terminal blades formed before reaching the surface, eliminating the canopy. Frond initiation rates were also extremely low, resulting in significant reductions in mean plant size. Plants growing above 10m were more severely affected than plants at 20m. Nutrient pulses associated with internal waves are thus critical for survival of Macrocystis pyrifera in nutritionally marginal habitats in Southern California.

Soils And The Location Of Cacao Orchards At A Maya Site In Western Belize, Daniel R. Muhs, Robert R. Kautz, J. Jefferson Mackinnon

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Cacao was one of the most important crops of the lowland Maya. Ethnohistoric sources document that the Postclassic-Colonial Period Maya settlement of Tipu in western Belize was an important cacao-growing center, yet evidence of where the cacao was grown is not apparent. We analysed the suitability of floodplain, terrace, and bedrock soils for cacao cultivation. Our results indicate that the soils most likely to have been used for cacao growth were those on the modem floodplain of the Macal River, based on their suitable physical and chemical properties. In addition, buried stone walls of Late Classic or Postclassic age that …

An Evaluation Of Uranium-Series Dating Of Fossil Echinoids From Southern California Pleistocene Marine Terraces, Daniel R. Muhs, Los Angeles County Museum Of Natural History, Los Angeles, Ca

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Fossil sea urchins (Strongylocentrotus) from Pleistocene marine terraces on the southern California Channel Islands have been dated by the uranium-series method in order to test the suitability of echinoids for dating marine terraces. Results indicate that urchin plates and spines do not behave as closed systems with respect to both uranium and thorium. Calculated ages based on these data do not agree with uranium-series ages (120,000 and 127,000 yrs) obtained previously from corals from the same localities. Thus, fossil sea urchins (Strongylocentrotus) are not considered suitable for uranium-series dating of Pleistocene marine terrace deposits.

Benthic Diatom Community Dynamics In The Colorado River: Interactive Effects Of Periodic Dessication And Current Regime, Christopher Gerard Peterson

Publications (WR)

The response to periodic desiccation of periphyton communities developed in eddy environments or in areas exposed to variable, direct current was examined. Algal communities were incubated on clay tiles for between 2 and 12 weeks in the Colorado River, directly below Hoover Dam from October, 1983 - January, 1984. Mean daily discharge from the dam decreased over this period. To assess the influence of these discharge changes on community dynamics, samples collected over the first 12 weeks of the investigation were compared to samples of the same age collected over the final 8 weeks.

The small diatom taxon Achnahthes spp …

A Proposal To Fertilize The Overton Arm And Gregg Basin Areas Of Lake Mead, Larry J. Paulson

Publications (WR)

Several limnological studies have been conducted in Lake Mead during the past decade. The recent studies clearly show that most of Lake Mead is deficient in nutrients, especially phosphorus, and very low in productivity. The reservoir-wide average total phosphorus concentration for 1981 - 1982 was only 9 mg/m³. This is below levels found In most oligotrophic lakes and reservoirs. Algal biomass, as measured by chlorophyll-a, averaged only 1.5 mg/m³. That also places Lake Mead in the oligotrophic range. Transparency, as measured by a Secchi disc, averaged 9-5 m in Lake Mead during 1981-1982. That far exceeds …

Wetlands Forest Communities As Indicators Of Flooding Potential In Backwater Areas Of River Bottomlands, Edward E. Dale Jr.

Arkansas Water Resources Center Technical Reports

A phytosociological study was made of forest types that occur in backwater and river bottomlands of the Gulf Coastal Plain, Arkansas Valley, and Mississippi Delta Regions of Arkansas. Twenty different forest types dominated principally by a single species were identified and described. Their occurrence was then correlated with flooding conditions in their habitats and the types were arranged along decreasing moisture gradients. Those forest types tolerant of flooding or saturated soils between three months to a year or more are Taxodium distichum, Nyssa aquatica, Cephalanthus occidentalis, Salix nigra, and Planera aquatica types. Those tolerant from one to three months are …

Use Of Microcomputers To Aid Wastewater Treatment Plant Operations, David G. Parker, Sandra C. Parker

Arkansas Water Resources Center Technical Reports

This report presents the development of a microcomputer based data management system for wastewater treatment plants. The relational database model was shown to be well suited for data management applications in wastewater treatment plants. A general data management system was developed for use with a microcomputer using a commercially available relational database management system. Use of the developed system requires no special computer training. The system was tailored for use at the wastewater treatment plant at Springdale, Arkansas. The capabilities of the system were demonstrated with actual data from the Springdale plant.

Water Management Simulator Presentations, Leslie E. Mack

Arkansas Water Resources Center Technical Reports

One of the larger stumbling blocks to comprehensive water management is the lack of public understanding of the multitude of variables that operate at the same time within the hydrologic cycle. With more public understanding, there is greater public support for various water projects. Dr. John R. Amend from Montana State University developed a water management simulator which could handle a large number of variables simultaneously of natural surface and groundwater flow plus a number of water use variables on an accelerated time sequence. By using several remote control devices, participants can "control" their water use but have no control …

Evaluation Of Nitrogen And Phosphorus Enrichment Using In Situ Enclosure Bags With Temporal Indigenous Phytoplankton Populations, Richard L. Meyer, W. Reed Green

Arkansas Water Resources Center Technical Reports

An in situ experimental procedure and protocol was developed to evaluate nitrate and phosphate enrichment using isolated indigenous phytoplankton assemblages during different seasons. Results of the comparison of the parameters-temperature, pH, alkalinity, conductivity, and dissolved oxygen between the open water and enclosed systems indicated that there was no significant influence of the physicochemical factors on the isolated biological processes. Growth responses were measured by turbidity, biomass and chlorophyll-a, the most sensitive being chlorophyll-a. Additions of nitrate and phosphate were added in known concentrations and in different magnitudes of concentration based upon ambient conditions and ratio. During the fall, phosphorus influenced …

Groundwater Quality And Mineral Deposits Relationships In The Ozark Mountains, Kenneth F. Steele

Arkansas Water Resources Center Technical Reports

Ninety-nine groundwater sites were sampled in northern Arkansas in order to determine the effect of local manganese, phosphate, pyrite, lead-zinc and uranium mineralization on the groundwater chemistry. Most of this study (75 springs) was concentrated in the Batesville manganese district. Hydrogeochemical exploration for these types of manganese deposits appears possible with 44 percent of the springs within 2000 feet of mineralization having anomalous metal concentrations (especially manganese). Because only a few springs were sampled in the remaining areas, the results are not conclusive; however, only the pyrite and small lead-zinc deposit would appear worthy of additional investigation. None of the …

Studies Of Effectiveness Of Commercial Home Treatment Systems, William W. Trigg, Raymond D. Couser

Arkansas Water Resources Center Technical Reports

Eleven home water systems were tested representing six different types of filtering systems. Tests were made for Sulfates, Nitrates, Phosphate, Iron and Escherichia coli and Enterobacter aerogenes before and after passing through a home treatment system. All of the systems removed iron adequately but had little effect on the removal of nitrates, phosphates, sulfates or control of pH. Since none of the ground waters was contaminated by coli- forms, nothing was established regarding the effectiveness of bacterial removal by these systems.

Factors Affecting The Removal Of Suspended And Dissolved Solids In High Strength Wastewater From Vegetable Processing, William A. Sistrunk

Arkansas Water Resources Center Technical Reports

Fifty or more individual factorial experiments were designed to study the effectiveness of physical-chemical and micro-biological treatments in removal of suspended and dissolved solids in effluent from potatoes, hominy, dry beans and other vegetables. The wastewaters were obtained from local processing plants and treated with 3 to 5 inorganic salts, 13 polymers, and 3 or more pH levels during 12 months. Also, selected strains of yeast and fungi were used to assimilate the effluent. Individual inorganic salts were more effective on a certain vegetable effluent than others. Polymers (anionic and cationic) were more effective in coagulating suspended solids in combination …

Evalution Of Drainage Tile To Alleviate Salt Building In Heavy Soils Irrigated With Brackish Water And Cropped With Rice And Soybeans, T. C. Keisling, J. T. Gilmour, H. D. Scott, A. M. Sadeghi, R. E. Baser

Arkansas Water Resources Center Technical Reports

The use of tile drains for alleviating soluble salt accumulation on silt loam soil was investigated during 1984. Although the chemical analyses of the floodwater and tile drainage water were very similar suggesting that the floodwater was moving to the tile drain, the overall results so far indicate that this is not a feasible solution owing to lack of significant drainage. Application of DRAINMOD utilizing soil and weather data from Arkansas showed no significant effluent from the tile drains for our experimental site during rice production. This was attributed to the extremely slow saturated hydraulic conductivity values for this particular …

Precedings Of Arkansas Lakes Symposium Limnological Studies Of Lake Chicot, Arkansas, Joe F. Nix, Frank R. Schiebe

Arkansas Water Resources Center Technical Reports

Lake Chicot is an oxbow lake that was created more than 600 years ago by the meandering of the Mississippi River. It is located in Chicot county in southeastern Arkansas adjacent to the present Mississippi River. As the largest natural lake in Arkansas it earned an early reputation for its good fishing and recreational value. Development of a levee system forced the enlargement of the lakes watershed to its present 350 square miles. Initially this alteration affected only the volume flow through the lake, drastically reducing the water residence time. Because the watershed was located in one of the most …

Identification Of Critical Water Levels In Flooded Rice Fields, Carl L. Griffis

Arkansas Water Resources Center Technical Reports

A mathematical model was developed to simulate the transient hydrology of a flooded rice field. With the model, users can determine the critical interlevee areas in which to monitor the water levels so that the irrigation well can be turned on at the critical low water level, and turned off at the critical high water level, in order to maximize water application efficiency. Sensitivity analysis performed with the model showed that it will be necessary to calibrate the model for each specific field. A calibration procedure has been developed.

The Prospects Of The Kra Canal, Pannarai Chuapibul

Marine Affairs Theses and Major Papers

The controversies over the prospects of the Kra Canal persuade me to write my major paper about it. Ever since the Thai government rejected the proposals for construction of the canal, the press has criticized that the actual reason why the government rejected the canal proposals was because of its fear of the irredentist movement with complete disregard of the enormous benefits of raising our balance of payments and standard of living. Nevertheless, there must be other important reasons. My opinions, which do not reflect those of the Thai government are based on problems of sources of capital, advantages and …

Coral Reef Islands And Their Problems, Peter C. Schroeder

Marine Affairs Theses and Major Papers

Small islands and in particular those more or less dependent on their reefs as a resource were often self-contained units, maintaining a fragile equilibrium in which even small changes could and have wrought fatal disturbances. The pressures of the modern world have endangered these vulnerable units economically, socially, and biologically. In all instances the "'population factor has played an important role. Coral reef islands appear to be more susceptible to the side effects of rapidly growing modernization than other types of islands. No clear answer or solution to this problem can be given but recognition of the threats to them …

Seasonal And Spatial Heterogeneity In The Limnetic Zooplankton Community Of Lake Mead, Gene Robert Wilde

Publications (WR)

Zooplankton samples collected from throughout Lake Mead, in 1981-1982, demonstrate the presence of a statistically significant seasonal and spatial heterogeneity in zooplankton densities. Seasonally, the major zooplankton groups were most abundant in the spring and fall, coincident with maxima in chlorophyll-a concentrations. Successions among the various rotifers, cladocerans and copepods present in the reservoir were influenced by food availability, diapause, predation by planktivorous fish and, possibly, water temperatures. Spatial heterogeneity in zooplankton densities was unrelated to water temperature, pH, conductivity and dissolved oxygen concentrations, but was related to the abundance of phytoplankton (chlorophyll-a concentrations) and fish. Statistical analyses indicate that …

U. S. Arctic Oil: A Perspective, William T. Decamp

Marine Affairs Theses and Major Papers

The United States Arctic, for the purposes of this study, encompasses the seabed and subsoil under the resource jurisdiction of the United States, including the Bering Sea offshore, and the Hope Basin, Chukchi (Barrow Arch) and Beaufort (Diapir Field) Seas, and land territory north of the Brooks Range onshore. Although U.S. credibility with its Arctic allies would be enhanced by its becoming a party to the Law of the Sea Convention, this remote possibility is not a prerequisite for a successful U.S. Arctic Policy. It is more important that U.S. policy goals are perceived among its Arctic allies as being …

Fundy Tidal Power Development : Preliminary Evaluation Of Its Environmental Consequences To The Resources Of The State Of Maine, Bigelow Laboratory For Ocean Sciences

Maine Collection

Fundy Tidal Power Development : Preliminary Evaluation of Its Environmental Consequences to the Resources of the State of Maine

A Report to the Maine State Planning Office by the Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, April, 1984.

"Technical Report No. 35 - Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, West Boothbay Harbor, Maine - A Division of Northeastern Research Foundation, Inc."

Contents: Executive Summary / Introduction / Methods / Physical and Biological Consequences / Socio-Economic Consequences / Research Needs / Bibliography / Appendix I. Written Comments on Greenberg Model

Laser-Photoacoustic Detection Of Water Pollutants, Gregory J. Salamo, Richard J. Anderson

Arkansas Water Resources Center Technical Reports

We have investigated the potential of amplitude-modulation laser-photoacoustic scheme for the detection of trace pollutants in water. The technique has been found to be non-disturbing and easy-to-apply. In particular, the technique could be used to detect pollutants with a concentration corresponding to an absorption coefficient of 10-6cm-1. The sensitivity was found to be limited by a background signal resulting from light absorption by water. In addition to the amplitude-modulation scheme we also investigated the potential of a wavelength modulation scheme. Although this approach did reduce the background signal due to water absorption, we found the technique to be much more …

Las Vegas Wash Multispectral Scanner Survey, T. H. Mace, M. V. Olsen, Environmental Protection Agency

Publications (WR)

At the request of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Boulder City, Nevada, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Environmental Monitoring Systems Laboratory at Las Vegas collected multispectral scanner imagery of Las Vegas Wash on October 1, 1982. A combined maximum likelihood classification and editing procedure was used to classify the multispectral scanner imagery into 12 categories of land cover. The classification identified four categories of marsh vegetation, one category of riparian, two categories of mixed scrub, and two desert categories. Turbid water and cultivated land formed an "other" category. Area tabulations were formed by georeferencing the classification to the Universal Transverse …

The Development Of Construction And Equipment Standards To Promote Tanker Safety And Pollution Prevention, Kathleen M. Daly

Marine Affairs Theses and Major Papers

Upstaged by a dramatic series of tanker accidents in the winter of 1976-77, the Carter Administration responded by meeting drama with drama - the President proposed a bold set of recommendations that, if adopted, would surely improve tanker safety but would, at the same time, impose considerable economic hardship on an already faltering tanker industry. The purpose of this study is to examine the specific construction and equipment requirements put forth in the Presidential Initiatives, as they later became known, and trace the modifications made to them before they were incorporated into the tanker safety laws of the U.S. and …

Chartering Recreational Boats In The United States: A Compilation And Analysis Of Applicable Federal Maritime Law, Mary Nathalie Peter

Marine Affairs Theses and Major Papers

No single primary source exists to provide current and would-be participants in recreational charter boat operations in the United States with a basic legal understanding of their rights and obligations. The relevant federal maritime standards, laws, regulations, and judicial interpretations are scattered in isolated codebooks, reporters, and bulletins. Moreover, the governing body of law for boat chartering is admiralty law, which has been shaped throughout the centuries primarily by the traditions and dictates of the commercial shipping and shipbuilding industries. As a result, the logic behind the admiralty framework tends to be obscure when viewed in the context of a …

Geohydrology Of The High Plains Aquifer In Parts Of Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, And Wyoming, Edwin D. Gutentag, Frederick J. Heimes, United States Geological Survey, Richard R. Luckey, John B. Weeks

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

The High Plains aquifer, which underlies about 174,000 square miles in parts of eight states, is the principal source of water in one of the Nation's major agricultural areas. About 170,000 wells pump water from the aquifer to irrigate about 13 million acres in the High Plains. In 1978, the United States Geological Survey began a regional study of the High Plains aquifer to provide geohydrologic data and computer models of the aquifer needed to evaluate the effects of ground-water development. This report describes the geohydrology of the High Plains aquifer. The High Plains aquifer consists mainly of hydraulically connected …