Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology Commons^™

The State Of Coral Reef Ecosystems Of The United States And Pacific Freely Associated States: 2002, Donna D. Turgeon, Rebecca G. Asch, Billy Causey, Richard E. Dodge, Walter Jaap, Kenneth Banks, Joanne Delaney, Brian Keller, Richard E. Spieler, Cruz A. Matos, Jorge R. Garcia, Ernesto Diaz, Don Catanzaro, Caroline Rogers, Zandy Hillis-Starr, Richard Nemeth, Herman Taylor, Marcia Taylor, George P. Schmahl, Margaret W. Miller, David A. Gulko, James E. Maragos, Alan Friedlander, Cynthia L. Hunter, Russell E. Brainard, Peter Craig, Robert H. Richmond, Gerry W. Davis, John Starmer, Michael Trianni, Peter Houk, Charles E. Birkeland, Ahser Edward, Yimnang Golbuu, Jay Gutierrez, Noah Idechong, James E. Maragos, Gustav Paulay, Andrew Tafileichig, Nancy Vander Velde

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Reports

Called for by the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force’s (USCRTF) National Action Plan to Conserve Coral Reefs, this is the first biennial report on the condition of coral reefs. It is the scientific baseline for subsequent reports on the health of U.S. coral reef ecosystems that are to be used by NOAA and others to evaluate the efficacy of coral reef conservation and management practices. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Ocean Service led the development of this report. It was authored by 38 experts and supported by 79 contributors from government agencies and non-governmental organizations across the nation …

Habitat Standardization Of Cpue Indices: Research Needs, C. Phillip Goodyear, David Die, David W. Kerstetter, Donald Olson, Eric Prince, Gerald P. Scott

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Reports

Habitat standardization for billfish CPUE offers a potentially useful alternative to the statistical procedures used in the past. However, most of the assumptions of the current habitatstandardization methodology remain untested and some are not consistent with current knowledge about the behavior of billfish. This paper outlines research required to ensure the methods for habitat standardization produce robust estimates of CPUE.

Habitat Preferences Of Istiophorid Billfishes In The Western North Atlantic: Applicability Of Archival Tag Data To Habitat-Based Stock Assessment Methodologies, John E. Graves, David W. Kerstetter, Brian E. Luckhurst, Eric D. Prince

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Reports

The Japanese pelagic longline fishery, which has a broad temporal and spatial coverage in the Atlantic Ocean, provides an important time series used in assessments of istiophorid billfishes. Past assessments of Atlantic blue marlin and white marlin by the ICCAT SCRS indicate a pronounced decrease in stock abundance of both species over the past fifty years. The current biomass of the white marlin is estimated to be 15% of that necessary for maximum sustainable yield (BMSY), while blue marlin are estimated to be at 0.4 BMSY. Over the past fifty years Japanese pelagic longline fishing operations have moved from shallow …

Sea Turtle Conservation Program, Broward County, Fl 2003 Report, Curtis M. Burney, Stefanie Ouellette

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Reports

No abstract provided.

Status Of Coral Reefs Of Little Cayman, Grand Cayman And Cayman Brac, British West Indies, In 1999 And 2000 (Part 1: Stony Corals And Algae), Carrie Manfrino, Bernhard Riegl, Jerome L. Hall, Robert Graifman

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

A benthic assessment of the isolated Cayman Islands was completed at 42 sites. Major changes in the reef community structure were documented by comparison with earlier studies. Acropora palmata and A. cervicornis, once abundant as shallow framework builders, were uncommon. Diseased stony corals were seen in >90% of the study sites, with the highest averages in Little Cayman, especially at Bloody Bay which is one of the most highly regulated marine parks in the Cayman Islands. The Montastraea annularis species complex accounted for two-thirds of the diseased corals which, along with other massive species, were affected largely by white-plague …

Marine Biological Monitoring In Broward County, Florida: Year 3 Annual Report, David S. Gilliam, Richard Dodge, Richard E. Spieler, Lance K. B. Jordan, Jamie A. Vernacchio

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Reports

A study has been undertaken to monitor Broward County, Florida (southeast Florida) coral communities, reef fish assemblages and sedimentation rates in relation to possible effects from a proposed extensive beach renourishment (restoration) project. Coral communities and reef fish assemblages will be monitored at a total of 23 stations distributed offshore Broward County. This monitoring effort will characterize and quantify populations of scleractinian (stony) corals, octocorallian (gorgonian) corals, sponges, and reef fishes. In addition, sediment traps located at each station will be sampled and analyzed.

This document reports the data collected during the third year of this project. Coral communities and …

Growth And Survivorship Of Meandrina Meandrites And Montastrea Cavernosa Transplants To An Artificial Reef Environment, And The Effectiveness Of Plugging Core Holes In Transplant Donor Colonies, Elizabeth Glynn Fahy

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

The growth and survivorship of two species of scleractinian coral transplants, Meandrina meandrites and Montastrea cavernosa, were investigated. Identically sized replicate transplants were obtained from the second reef, off Dania Beach, using a hydraulic drill fitted with a 4” core barrel. The transplants were fixed to Reef Ball™ substrates using an adhesive marine epoxy. Drill holes in the donor corals (core holes) were filled with concrete plugs to prevent the detrimental effects of bioeroders. Control corals, of comparable size to both the donor colonies and the transplant corals, were selected for comparison. The transplant corals, donor corals, and controls …

Diurnal Variation In The Basal Emission Rate Of Isoprene, Jennifer L. Funk, Clive G. Jones, Christine J. Baker, Heather M. Fuller, Christian P. Giardina, Manuel T. Lerdau

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Isoprene is emitted from numerous plant species and profoundly influences tropospheric chemistry. Due to the short lifetime of isoprene in the atmosphere, developing an understanding of emission patterns at small time scales is essential for modeling regional atmospheric chemistry processes. Previous studies suggest that diurnal fluctuations in isoprene emission may be substantial, leading to inaccuracies in emission estimates at larger scales. We examined diurnal patterns in the basal emission rate of isoprene in red oak (Quercus rubra), eastern cottonwood (Populus deltoides), and eucalyptus (Eucalyptus saligna) and the influence of light and temperature on the magnitude of these diurnal patterns. Maximum …

Fishes Of The Red River In Arkansas, Thomas M. Buchanan, Drew Wilson, L. G. Claybrook, William G. Layher

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Fishes were collected from Red River mainstem habitats in Arkansas with seines, rotenone, hoop nets, gill nets, and trotlines from 1995 through 2001. Seventy-two species were identified distributed among 17 families, and 15 species were new records for the Red River in Arkansas. Eighty-three species are now historically known from the Arkansas segment of the Red River. Approximately 67% of the fishes known from the entire Red River have been found in the Arkansas segment, which is only 11% of the entire river length. Baseline data on the fish fauna of the Red River is critical for the analysis of …

Experimental Investigation Of Elemental Incorporation In The Otoliths Of Larval And Juvenile Fish: Implications For Use As Environmental Recorders, Gretchen Bath Martin

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Innovative techniques for discerning fish stocks, identifying nursery habitats, locating spawning sites, tracing larval transport pathways, and quantifying the degree of population connectivity are required to meet the goals of sustainable management of marine capture fisheries. One of the most promising techniques is the use of elemental signatures in fish otoliths (ear stones), which record valuable life history data and serve as the link between fish and their environment. To validate the assumption that otolith elemental composition is a function of water elemental concentrations, and to address the possible effects of external variables such as temperature and salinity, the composition …

Effects Of Epiphyte Load On Optical Properties And Photosynthetic Potential Of The Seagrasses Thalassia Testudinum Banks Ex König And Zostera Marina L, Lisa A. Drake, Fred C. Dobbs, Richard C. Zimmerman

OES Faculty Publications

The biomass and optical properties of seagrass leaf epiphytes were measured to evaluate their potential impact on the photosynthetic performance of the seagrasses Thalassia testudinum Banks ex König (turtlegrass) and Zostera marina L. (eelgrass). Turtlegrass was obtained from oligotrophic waters near Lee Stocking Island, Bahamas; eelgrass was collected from a eutrophic environment in Monterey Bay, California. Leaf–epiphyte loads were characterized visually and quantified using measurements of their phospholipid biomass. Light absorption and reflectance of the intact epiphyte layer were determined spectrophotometrically. Turtlegrass epiphytes from the oligotrophic site absorbed a maximum of 36% of incident light in peak chlorophyll absorption …

A Biooptical Model Of Irradiance Distribution And Photosynthesis In Seagrass Canopies, Richard C. Zimmerman

OES Faculty Publications

Although extremely vulnerable to coastal eutrophication, seagrasses represent important structuring elements and sources of primary production in shallow waters. They also generate an optical signature that can be tracked remotely. Accurate knowledge of light absorption and scattering by submerged plant canopies permits the calculation of important plant- and ecosystem-level properties, including rates of photosynthesis, vegetation abundance, and distribution. The objectives of this study were to develop a realistic, yet simply parameterized two-flow model of plane irradiance distribution through a seagrass canopy submerged in an optically active water column, to evaluate its performance against in situ measurements, and to explore the …

Extracellular Enzyme Activity And Uptake Of Carbon And Nitrogen Along An Estuarine Salinity And Nutrient Gradient, Margaret R. Mulholland, Cindy Lee, Patricia M. Gilbert

OES Faculty Publications

Amino acid oxidation (AAO) and peptide hydrolysis (PH) are processes affecting the recycling of organic material and nutrients. We compared extracellular AAO and PH rates to C and N uptake rates along estuarine gradients of salinity, nutrients and productivity in the Pocomoke River, a subestuary of the Chesapeake Bay. This estuary is seasonally depleted in inorganic N, and rich in dissolved organic material (DOM) throughout the year. AAO, PH, and N uptake rates measured in 1999 and 2000 were not limited to particular size fractions measured, or to auto- or heterotrophic groups of organisms. At a station near the turbidity …

Winter 2003, Nsu Oceanographic Center

Currents

No abstract provided.

Bio-Optical Properties Of The Labrador Sea, Glenn F. Cota, W. Glen Harrison, Trevor Platt, Shubha Sathyendranath, Venetia Stuart

CCPO Publications

Three cruises were conducted during fall and spring in the Labrador Sea to investigate the effects of bio-optical properties on satellite retrievals of phytoplankton chlorophyll in this important high-latitude ecosystem. Taxon-specific and regional differences were found. Diatoms had similar to 1.5 lower chlorophyll-specific absorption but significantly higher reflectance ratios than prymnesiophytes. Particulate absorption at 443 nm for total, phytoplankton, and "detrital'' fractions was related to chlorophyll, but values were lower than reported for lower latitudes. Decreased particulate absorption is attributed primarily to pigment packaging, while low backscattering to scattering ratios result from a lower relative abundance of bacteria and picophytoplankton …

Assessment Of Wind Energy Potential For Eletricity Generation In Setchet, Hanang, Tanzania, A. S. Kasasi, R. M. Kainkwa

Tanzania Journal of Science

Tanzania depends heavily on hydropower for her electricity demand and experiences power shortage during the dry seasons. Wind energy is proposed as an alternative source of electricity to the fossil fuel generators during the dry season, the latter are normally used to supplement the shortfall in hydro-electricity generation. Fossil fuel generators produce emissions that are toxic and as such degrade the environment. Wind speed data from a site called Setchet is used to illustrate that the available wind energy can be harvested to generate electricity that can supplement the shortfall of electricity. The windy season, which is from July to …

Historical Changes In Mid-Water Stands Of Common Reed In The Winnebago Pool Lakes, Wisconsin, Anthony O. Gabriel, Leo R. Bodensteiner

All Faculty Scholarship for the College of the Sciences

Despite the tolerance of common reed grass to environmental extremes, mid-water stands in the Winnebago pool lakes of central Wisconsin appear to be diminishing. Formerly occupying shoreline locations, water level manipulations subsequent to dam construction beginning in the 1850's have isolated reed stands off shore. These stands have persisted but casual observations indicate that stand size has been declining. To address this perception we obtained an approximately decadal series of aerial photographs dating back to 1937 for four stands in Lake Poygan. Annual records were available for 1986–94. Using image analysis software, we determined shape and size metrics. Changes in …

Fall 2002, Nsu Oceanographic Center

Currents

No abstract provided.

Characteristics Of Shark Bycatch Observed On Pelagic Longlines Off The Southeastern United States, 1992-2000, Lawrence R. Beerkircher, Enric Cortes, Mahmood S. Shivji

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Data collected by fisheries observers aboard U.S. pelagic longline vessels were examined to quantify and describe elasmobranch bycatch off the southeastern U.S. coast (lat. 22°-35°N, long. 71°-82°W). From 1992 to 2000, 961 individual longline hauls were observed, during which 4,612 elasmobranchs (15% of the total catch) were documented. Of the 22 elasmobranch species observed, silky sharks, Carcharhinus falciformis, were numerically dominant (31.4% of the elasmobranch catch). The catch status of the animals (alive or dead) when the gear was retrieved varied widely depending on the species, with high mortalities seen for the commonly caught silky and night, C. signatus …

Summer 2002, Nsu Oceanographic Center

Currents

No abstract provided.

In Situ Observations On Three Species Of Large-Finned Deep-Sea Squids, M. Vecchione, C. F. E. Roper, Edith A. Widder, Tamara M. Frank

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

The manned submersible Johnson Sea-Link II was used for a series of dives on the continental slope of the eastern Gulf of Mexico in September 1995. The deep-sea squids Mastigoteuthis hjorti Chun, 1913 and Octopoteuthis megaptera (Verrill, 1885) were repeatedly observed at depths of 600–850 m. Both species were videotaped alive, in situ, for the first time during these dives. These species share the characteristic of very large fins, almost as long as the mantle length, but their swimming behavior observed in the vicinity of the submersible differed greatly. Throughout most of the videotaped sequences of O. megaptera, it …

3d Visualization Of Coral Reef Habitat, Brian K. Walker, Richard E. Dodge

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Proceedings, Presentations, Speeches, Lectures

A bathymetric survey was recently conducted in Southeast Florida (Broward County) during April 2001 using the Laser Airborne Depth Sounder (LADS) system. This four-meter resolution survey encompassed from North Dade County, through the length of Broward County coastline, to south Palm Beach County (approximately 43 km) and from the shore eastward to depths of approximately 40 m (2.5-3.5 km offshore). This georeferenced data was sun shaded at various angles and azimuths and draped with a NOAA NAPP 1:24,000 georeferenced air photograph mosaic. The model was zoomed and tipped to the desired orientations and processed into three-dimensional perspectives. Two views, slightly …

Zooplankton, Tracey Sutton, Scott E. Burghart

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Reports

No abstract provided.

Artificial Keys To The Genera Of Living Stalked Crinoids (Echinodermata), Michel Roux, Charles G. Messing, Nadia Améziane

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Two practical, illustrated, dichotomous keys to the 29 genera of living stalked crinoids are provided: one for entire animals and one for stalk ossicles and fragments. These are accompanied by (1) an overview of taxonomically important morphology, and (2) an alphabetical list by family and genus of the ∼95 nominal living species and their distribution by region. This is the first compilation of such data for all living stalked crinoids since Carpenter (1884) recognized 27 species in six genera in his monograph based on the H.M.S. CHALLENGER Expedition collection.

Sea Stewards: A Volunteer Ecological Monitoring Program, Nicole D. Fogarty, Mary Enstrom

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Reports

No abstract provided.

Fisheries Research Report No. 134, Vol 1 - Towards An Assessment Of The Natural And Human Use Impacts On The Marine Environment Of The Abrolhos Islands, F J. Webster, C J. Dibden, C F. Chubb

Fisheries Research Reports

The State Territorial Waters surrounding the Abrolhos Islands are gazetted as a Fish Habitat Protection Area and vested with the Minister for Fisheries under the Fish Resources Management Act 1994. Three Fisheries Management Papers have identified management priorities for the marine environment at the Abrolhos Islands:

• Management of the Houtman Abrolhos System
• Aquaculture Plan for the Houtman Abrolhos Islands
• Sustainable Tourism Plan for the Houtman Abrolhos Islands.

These plans and other national and international obligations to examine the effect of extractive and non-extractive anthropogenic activities on marine habitats (eg. Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999) led to …

Fish Assemblages Associated With Artificial Reefs Of Concrete Aggregates Or Quarry Stone Offshore Miami Beach, Florida, Usa, Brian K. Walker, Bruce Henderson, Richard E. Spieler

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Few studies have compared the suitability of different artificial reef construction materials in terms of their efficacy in acquiring diverse faunal assemblages. We compared the fishes associated with 12 co-located reefs constructed of limestone quarry boulders, concrete-gravel aggregate, or concrete-tire aggregate (four of each substrate) in 7 m of water, 200 m offshore Miami Beach, Florida, USA. All 12 reefs were deployed 100 m apart the same day in two lines of six. The four quarry stone reefs consist of a pile of 50 boulders each. The remaining eight reefs, of concrete-gravel aggregate and concrete-tire aggregate, were each constructed with …

Spring 2002, Nsu Oceanographic Center

Currents

No abstract provided.

Vertical Distributions Of Zooplankton At The Mouth Of Chesapeake Bay And Calibration Of Backscatter From An Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler, Arthur Keith Jenkins

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

This study investigated the physical factors influencing the vertical distribution of zooplankton at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay and attempted to derive biological data from acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) backscatter. A single site was occupied in the North Channel at the mouth of Chesapeake Bay (37° 04' N, 75° 58' W) from 17.0–19.7 November 1999. Temperature, salinity, fluorescence, light transmission, current velocity and backscatter were measured throughout the sampling period. Plankton samples were collected every hour from 3.5, 7.5, and 11.5 m.

We found little association between ADCP backscatter and plankton concentrations, but stronger correlations between backscatter and …

Crop Updates 2002 - Cereals, Peter Burgess, Gary Fawell, Dean A. Diepeveen, Tim Setter, Jeff Russell, Tony Seymour, Robin Wilson, Iain Barclay, Robyn Mclean, Robert Loughman, Jenny Garlinge, Bill Lambe, Neil Venn, Peter Clarke, Mohammad Amjad, Wal Anderson, Raffael Del Cima, James Bee, Darshen Sharma, Sheena Lyon, Melaine Kupsch, Pam Burges, Veronika Reck, Brenda Shackley, Ray Tugwell, Bindi Webb, Steve Penny Jr, James Fisher, Bill Bowden, Craig Scanlan, Senthold Asseng, Michael Robertson, M. A. Hamza, G. Mcconnell, W. K. Anderson, Md Shahajahan Miyan, Darshan Sharma, Daya Patabendige, Patrick Gethin, Stephen Loss, Tim O'Dea, Ryan Guthrie, Lisa Leaver, Tyrone Henning, Lionel Martin, Narelle Hill, Simon Wallwork, Laurence Carslake, Darren Hughes, Glen Mcdonald, Nichole Burges, Dominie Wright, Jenny Hawkes, Roger Jones, Kith Jayasena, Kazue Tanaka, Vanessa Johnson, Robert Loughman, Josh Jury, Sean Kelly, Shashi Sharma, Robert Park, Phil Michael, Debbie Thackray, Christopher Newman, Garren Knell, Kevin Povey, David Stephens

Crop Updates

This session covers thirty one papers from different authors:

VARIETIES AND BREEDING

1. Agronomic evaluation of wheat and barley in the central wheatbelt of Western Australia, Peter Burgess¹and Gary Fawell², ¹Agritech and ²Farmanco Management

2. Evaluating stress tolerance to terminal drought by Western Australian wheats, Dean Diepeveen and Dr Tim Setter, Department of Agriculture

3. Broadscale wheat variety comparisons featuring Wyalkatchem, Jeff Russell, Department of Agriculture

4. Australian crop accreditation system variety selector, Tony Seymour, Australian Crop Accreditation System

5. Future wheat varieties, Robin Wilson, Iain Barclay,Robyn McLean, Robert Loughman, …