Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology Commons^™

Data Analytics For Sustainable Food And Agriculture Systems, Megan Lord Reavis

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The increasing concentration of anthropogenic greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is altering the climate, posing a serious threat to global agriculture and food security. Agriculture and food production contribute a quarter of all GHG emissions produced, so there is a critical need to limit emissions in this area while increasing food production to feed the anticipated 10 billion people by 2050. To address the needs of the future, data-driven solutions are needed to guide decision-making and provide support for actionable climate mitigation and survival strategies. Research efforts must be focused on analyzing problems on multiple scales, identifying new ways to …

A Global Agenda For Advancing Freshwater Biodiversity Research, Alain Maasri, Sonja C. Jähnig, Hendrik Freitag, 93 Co-Authors

Biology Faculty Publications

Global freshwater biodiversity is declining dramatically, and meeting the challenges of this crisis requires bold goals and the mobilisation of substantial resources. While the reasons are varied, investments in both research and conservation of freshwater biodiversity lag far behind those in the terrestrial and marine realms. Inspired by a global consultation, we identify 15 pressing priority needs, grouped into five research areas, in an effort to support informed stewardship of freshwater biodiversity. The proposed agenda aims to advance freshwater biodiversity research globally as a critical step in improving coordinated actions towards its sustainable management and conservation.

Nutrient Uptake And Management Strategies In Recirculating Hydroponic Systems, Lauren Leigh Houston

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Nutrient management in recirculating hydroponic systems requires the periodic replenishment of water and nutrients to the nutrient solution reservoir. Common nutrient management strategies, such as replenishing the reservoir with fresh solution and maintaining a constant solution electrical conductivity (EC), can lead to ion accumulation and nutrient imbalances since nutrients are taken up by roots and depleted from solution at different rates. To avoid nutritional disorders, commercial growers typically dump and replace the hydroponic solution periodically, which is wasteful and has an economic cost. A potential alternative is to specially formulate the nutrient replenishment solution to balance the supply of nutrients …

Law Library Blog (December 2021): Legal Beagle's Blog Archive, Roger Williams University School Of Law

Law Library Newsletters/Blog

No abstract provided.

Dioxins Contamination In Sediment And Their Effect On Accumulation In The Portuguese Oyster (Crassostrea Angulata) And White Shrimp (Litopenaeus Vannamei), Yin-Yu Chen, Yu-Sheng Wu, Hsiang-Yin Chen, Zhen-Hao Liau, Fan-Hua Nan

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

This research aims to realize whether the dioxin accumulation in the oyster and white shrimp which were cultured in the dioxin pollutant sediment. This presented evidence indicated that dioxin was detected in all experimental groups with high concentration accumulated in experiment animals. Observation of the concentration, the PCDD/F, 2,3,7,8-T4CDD was with high concentration in the sediment and declined with the time elapsed. Detection of the dioxin accumulated in the animal, the accumulative maximum amounts was in the oyster as 3746.16 (pg-TEQ/g d.w.) and in the shrimp as 705.44 (pg-TEQ/g d.w.). The detected amount of dioxin in the supernatant was quite …

A Meshless Method With Radial Basis Function For Solving Unsaturated Flow In Heterogeneous Porous Media, Cheng-Yu Ku, Chih-Yu Liu, Wei-Po Huang, Jing-En Xiao

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

This paper presents a study for solving unsaturated flow in heterogeneous porous media using the meshless method with the radial basis function (RBF). For modeling the nonlinear hydrological process in unsaturated zone, an exponential model is introduced in the Richards equation such that we may obtain the linearized Richards equation. We adopt the multiquadric function as the RBF in the meshless method for solving the linearized Richards equation. For simulating the unsaturated flow problems in layered heterogeneous soils, the flux and the head must satisfy the continuity condition at the interface. Several examples are carried out for modeling the hydrological …

Catch Rates And Distribution Pattern Of The Silky Shark, Carcharhinus Falciformis, Caught By The Taiwanese Large-Scale Longline Fishery In The Indian Ocean, Chia Yun Li, Xing-Han Wu, Shang Yin Vanson Liu, Sheng-Ping Wang, Wen-Pei Tsai

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

The silky shark, Carcharhinus falciformis, is widely distributed in tropical and temperate waters, and it is a common bycatch species for tuna longline fisheries. This study examined the distribution of and presents relative abundance indices of the silky shark in the Indian Ocean by using logbook and observer data from the Taiwanese large-scale tuna longline fishery between 2005 and 2019. Due to the high zero catch rate, a zero-inflated negative binomial (ZINB) model was used to standardize catch per unit effort. Due to a lack of detailed targeting information, the fishery strategy was identified by using cluster analysis based on …

Accumulation And Bioavailability Of Heavy Metals (Cadmium, Chromium, Nickel, Lead And Zinc) In Water And Sediment Samples In The Musa Creek, Northwest Coasts Of The Persian Gulf, Saghafiankhoo Sedigheh, Battaleb-Looie Sedigheh, Amanipoor Hakimeh, Dravishi Khatooni Javad, Ghanemi Kamal

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

The current study aimed to investigate the total concentrations of heavy metals in water and sediment samples as well as their bioavailability in sediments of Musa Creek. Twenty samples including 10 sediments and 10 water samples were collected from 10 stations. The concentration of heavy metals was measured using inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry. The bioavailability of heavy metals was carried out by first step of Tessier sequential extraction method so called single extraction in the manuscript. The results showed that the mean concentrations of cadmium, chromium, nickel, and zinc in water samples was 0.17, 7.44, 43.80, and 8.85 µg/L, respectively. …

Parametric Analyses Of The Dynamic Response And Fatigue Life Of A Compliant Vertical Access Riser With Internal Flow, Fuheng Li, Haiyan Guo, Xiaomin Li, Zhen Liu, Honglu Gu, Peng Cui

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

Subsea interventions on wellheads can be directly performed from a platform using a compliant vertical access riser (CVAR), thereby incurring tremendous economic benefits. The dynamic response and the fatigue damage of a CVAR subjected to regular waves are important for assessing its application feasibility. Therefore, a reasonable numerical model is presented for assessing the damage to a CVAR considering the internal flow using the slender rod theory. The finite element method combined with a Newmark-β scheme is employed to discretize the equations and update the time integration. The Palmgren-Miner rule is applied for fatigue life prediction, focusing on the wave-induced …

Using The Inverse Method To Investigate Flow Models For Mixed Convection Of Annular Finned Tube Heat Exchanger, Han-Taw Chen, Cheng-Hui You, Wei-Lun Hsu, Jiang-Ren Chang

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

The inverse heat conduction method (IHCM) and three-dimensional (3D) computational fluid dynamic (CFD) in combination with are used to select the appropriate flow model and near-wall treatment for the mixed convection of the annular finned tube heat exchanger. Thus, the numerical results obtained by all k-ε models and near-wall treatments are yielded for 4 m/s ≤ Va ≤ 5 m/s. First, IHCM combined with is applied to estimate and Q values. The obtained estimates of and Q are used as reference values for CFD. The results show that the Tk and results obtained by the standard (STD) k-ε model with …

Prediction Of Remaining Useful Life Of Wind Turbine Shaft Bearings Using Machine Learning, Jinsiang Shaw, Bingjie Wu

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

Wind turbines are a major trend in the current green energy market. Wind energy is abundant, and if utilized properly, can result in significant reductions in carbon emissions. Therefore, the development of wind power systems is urgently required. However, wind turbines are mainly built in unmanned areas. Regular inspections require substantial manpower and material resources, and doubts regarding the accuracy of the inspected data may occur. Therefore, it is necessary to establish an automatic diagnostic method for determining the remaining useful life (RUL) of a wind turbine to facilitate predictive maintenance. In this study, a multi-class support vector machine (SVM) …

Supply Chain Management For Superyacht Construction In Taiwan, Chun Pong Wong

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

In the last 20 years, Taiwan’s superyacht construction industry has performed well in the global market; however, numerous yacht builders still practice traditional supply chain management (SCM), which is often inefficient and regularly leads to time and cost overruns. This study aimed to answer two research questions: 1) what SCM challenges does the superyacht construction industry face? and 2) what SCM strategies and practices should be adopted to improve the efficacy and profitability of superyacht construction companies?

Numerous studies have explored supply chains (SCs) and SCM, but few have focused on the superyacht construction industry. Superyacht construction projects are highly …

The Impact Of Variable Curing Conditions On The Properties And Microstructures Of Mixtures Of Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag And Circulating Q1 Fluidized Bed Combustion Ash, Shao-Heng Hsieh, Wei-Chung Yeih, Ran Huang

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

The use of Portland cement, an important construction material, is encountering growing challenges because of its adverse environmental impacts. In this study, a new hydration system without Portland cement, which blends ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) and circulating fluidized bed combustion (CFBC) ash, was developed and tested. The variables included the effect of different types of CFBC ash, the mass ratios between CFBC ash and GGBFS, and different curing temperatures. The mortar properties were determined through the compressive strength test, absorption test, shrinkage test, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The main results were as follows: …

A Marine Gis-Based Alert System To Prevent Vessels Collision With Offshore Platforms, Sheng-Long Kao, Ki-Yin Chang, Tai-Wen Hsu

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

How to effectively use an intelligent aid-to-navigation (AtoN) to prevent ships from accidentally colliding with offshore marine platforms (OMPs) is an important issue for maritime environment. This study proposes a novel collision alert system with three components to process Automatic Identification System (AIS) data in the cloud and broadcast AtoNs to ships in order to avoid collision with OMPs. The first component receives as input fuzzy linguistic variables (vessel size, relative speed, and approach distance) from the AIS data and calculates the radius of the guarding ring. The second component serves a Marine GIS (MGIS), where the system simulates the …

Making Agriculture Carbon Neutral Amid A Changing Climate: The Case Of South-Western Australia, Ross Kingwell

Climate Science Research Articles

Making Australian agriculture carbon neutral by 2050 is a goal espoused by several agricultural organisations in Australia. How costly might it be to attain that goal, especially when adverse climate change projections apply to agriculture in southern Australia? This study uses scenario analysis to examine agricultural emissions and their abatement via reforestation in south-western Australia under projected climate change. Most scenarios include the likelihood of agricultural emissions being reduced in the coming decades. However, the impact of projected adverse climate change on tree growth and tree survival means that the cost of achieving agricultural carbon neutrality via reforestation is forecast …

Peruvian Fur Seals As Archivists Of El Niño Southern Oscillation Effects, Mickie Rae Edwards, Susana Cardenas-Alayza, Michael Adkesson, Mya Daniels-Abdulahad, Amy Hirons

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Peru’s coastal waters are characterized by significant environmental fluctuation due to periodic El Niño- La Niña- Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events. This variability results in ecosystem-wide food web changes which are reflected in the tissues of the Peruvian fur seal (Arctocephalus australis). Stable isotope ratios (δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N) in Peruvian fur seal vibrissae (whiskers) are used to infer temporal primary production and dietary variations in individuals. Sea surface temperature anomaly (SSTA) recordings from the Niño 1+2 Index region captured corresponding ENSO conditions. Fluctuations in δ¹⁵N values were correlated to SSTA records, indicating that …

Nutrient Cycling In Tropical And Temperate Coastal Waters: Is Latitude Making A Difference?, Christian Lønborg, Moritz Müller, Edward C. V. Butler, Shan Jiang, Seng Keat Ooi, Dieu Huong Trinh, Pui Yee Wong, Suryati M. Ali, Chun Cui, Wee Boon Siong, Erik S. Yando, Daniel A. Friess, Judith A. Rosentreter, Bradley D. Eyre, Patrick Martin

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Tropical coastal waters are highly dynamic and amongst the most biogeochemically active zones in the ocean. This review compares nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) cycles in temperate and tropical coastal waters. We review the literature to identify major similarities and differences between these two regions, specifically with regards to the impact of environmental factors (temperature, sunlight), riverine inputs, groundwater, lateral fluxes, atmospheric deposition, nitrogen fixation, organic nutrient cycling, primary production, respiration, sedimentary burial, denitrification and anammox. Overall, there are some similarities but also key differences in nutrient cycling, with differences relating mainly to temperature, sunlight, and precipitation amounts and patterns. …

Climate-Assisted Persistence Of Tropical Fish Vagrants In Temperate Marine Ecosystems, Laura Gajdzik, Thomas M. Decarlo, Adam Koziol, Mahsa Mousavi-Derazmahalleh, Megan Coghlan, Matthew W. Power, Michael Bunce, David Fairclough, Michael J. Travers, Glenn I. Moore, Joseph D. Dibattista

Fisheries Research Articles

Rising temperatures and extreme climate events are propelling tropical species into temperate marine ecosystems, but not all species can persist. Here, we used the heatwave-driven expatriation of tropical Black Rabbitfish (Siganus fuscescens) to the temperate environments of Western Australia to assess the ecological and evolutionary mechanisms that may entail their persistence. Population genomic assays for this rabbitfish indicated little genetic differentiation between tropical residents and vagrants to temperate environments due to high migration rates, which were likely enhanced by the marine heatwave. DNA metabarcoding revealed a diverse diet for this species based on phytoplankton and algae, as well …

Climate Process Team: Improvement Of Ocean Component Of Noaa Climate Forecast System Relevant To Madden-Julian Oscillation Simulations, Toshiaki Shinoda, Suyang Pei, Wanqiu Wang, Joshua X. Fu, Ren-Chieh Lien, Hyodae Seo, Alexander Soloviev

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Given the increasing attention in forecasting weather and climate on the subseasonal time scale in recent years, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced to support Climate Process Teams (CPTs) which aim to improve the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) prediction by NOAA’s global forecasting models. Our team supported by this CPT program focuses primarily on the improvement of upper ocean mixing parameterization and air-sea fluxes in the NOAA Climate Forecast System (CFS). Major improvement includes the increase of the vertical resolution in the upper ocean and the implementation of General Ocean Turbulence Model (GOTM) in CFS. In addition to existing mixing …

2022 Western Australian Crop Sowing Guide, B. Shackley, B. Paynter, J. Bucat, M. Seymour, S. Power

Bulletins 4000 -

Welcome to the 2022 edition of the Crop Sowing Guide for WA, which introduces 27 new variety releases: three wheat, nine barley (three recently accredited for malt and six currently under malt evaluation), twelve canola, two field pea and a lentil.

The Crop Sowing Guide for WA has been compiled by officers in the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development. It provides information to support variety decisions for each of the major crops for the upcoming season.

In this edition, lupin agzones have been reduced from 8 agzones to 6 so that all varieties for each of the major …

Investigating The Impact Of Land Use On Avian Diversity And Abundance In Areas Surrounding Mabamba Swamp, Uganda, Sydney Marie Jones

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The primary objective of this study was to investigate the impact of wetland-adjacent land use on avian species richness and abundance areas surrounding Mabamba Swamp, Uganda. Four types of land use were investigated: Eucalyptus plantations, wetland-edge agricultural fields, residential areas, and mature secondary forests. A total of 40-morning point counts were conducted for ten days in late November and late December of 2021. One-way ANOVA tests and Tukey’s HSD tests revealed significant differences in mean avian richness and abundance between all sites except residential areas and Nkima Forest. Additionally, Nkima Forest was found to contain the most number of specialist …

A Biological Assessment Of Water Quality In El Placer, Ecuador: The Effect Of Agriculture On Stream Health And The Quality Of Historical Versus Current Drinking Water Sources, Danielle Kleinberg

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Although fresh water is one of Ecuador’s most abundant resources, high quality drinking water for its inhabitants is scarce (Wingfield et al., 2021). The most prevalent sources of water pollution in Ecuador are domestic waste, silver and gold mining, oil production, and agricultural chemicals (Buckalew et al., 1997). El Placer, a village located in Tungurahua, Ecuador, is highly dependent on agriculture as a source of income. The first objective of this study was to determine the effect of agriculture on the El Placer’s Tía Anita Stream through comparing the water quality at three sites with varying agricultural influence. The second …

Public Perception Of Forest And Fire Management Policy In Portugal, Jensen Rocha

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The impacts of forest fires are growing as climate change creates more frequent ideal temperature conditions for extreme wildfires. With the devastating fires it experienced in 2017, Portugal stands as an example of the impacts of dangerous wildfires and is working on developing a plan to protect its country from this rising threat. Important in the plan development is the opinion of the many stakeholders involved and the public whom the fires impact. Using an interview and survey approach, this study gathers public and stakeholder opinion on the forest and fire management policy in Portugal to understand what issues in …

Beach Suitability For Nesting Olive Ridley Sea Turtles (Lepidochelys Olivacea), Playa Malena, Azuero Peninsula, Panama, Soleil Foy

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Sea turtle species all over the world are facing continuous declines in their populations partly due to diminished viable nesting habitat. Understanding sea turtle nesting preferences and the suitability of beaches for reproductive success is necessary in order to sustain their populations and ensure their conservation. Olive ridley sea turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea) are one of the species experiencing this trend, especially in the Eastern Pacific. This study examined the beach suitability of a site known as Playa Malena in the Azuero Peninsula in Panama for Olive ridley nesting. This site was compared to the suitability of 7 other …

Abundance, Foraging Levels, And Dietary Preferences Of Chaetodon Capistratus On Reefs Surrounding Porvenir Island In The Guna Yala Comarca Of Panamá, Eleanor Ann Casement

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Reef fish are a physically and functionally diverse group of organisms that live in close association with coral reef habitats. Chaetodontidae represents the most species rich family of corallivorous fish, and their reliance on corals as food resources has led to their designation as indicator species of coral cover and health. However, the majority of research on the foraging ecology of Caribbean Chaetodontids dates back several decades, and therefore does not account for recent changes in coral community composition as the result of disease, climate change, and other stressors. As the novel and deadly stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) …

The Influence Of Bottom Type And Water Column Stratification On Reef Fish Community Structure At Gray’S Reef National Marine Sanctuary, Bridget Campbell

Honors Theses

Understanding the physical and oceanographic differences across reef habitats can help researchers assess how those differences influence fish distribution and community structure, which leads to a better understanding of what a healthy reef system looks like. The traditional methods used to assess fish communities on temperate reefs are limited and often focus solely on either the reef structure or water column conditions alone. An assessment of both data sets yields a more complete understanding of the ecosystem as a whole. In this study, Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary (GRNMS) was surveyed both inside and outside a Marine Protected Area (MPA) …

Land Use As A Predictor Of Water Hyacinth (Eichhornia Crassipes) Presence On The Entebbe Coast Of Lake Victoria, Uganda, Zachary Hoffman

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Lake Victoria is shared amongst Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda and has tremendous ecological, economical, and cultural significance. Within the lake system, there are several problems, including the proliferation of an invasive weed, water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes). Therefore, this study aims to assess several factors that may correlate with water hyacinth proliferation. The specific objectives are (1) to identify possible correlations of water hyacinth density and land use around Entebbe, Uganda, and (2) to identify annual trends in water hyacinth coverage, to better inform policy and conservation efforts. Entebbe has a coastline of six land cover types: flooded vegetation, trees, grasses, …

An Eventful Past Predicting A Bizarre Future: Assessing The Influence Of Ocean Circulation On Key Fish Species In Icelandic Waters. An Analysis Of Past Circulation Records In Order To Predict The State Of Demersal Fish Stocks In Future Climate Scenarios, Matthew Engfer

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Feedback-driven changes in North Atlantic Ocean circulation are affecting marine ecosystems off the coast of Iceland and are predicted to have differing outcomes by 2100. In this study, data reflecting Icelandic fish stock distributions was compiled on a map with oceanographic temperature and depth in order to observe patterns of population changes with changes in ocean currents. After evaluating past temperature effects on demersal fish stocks, future habitat predictions were estimated in weaker ocean circulation scenarios. A number of assumptions were made in order to pinpoint a correlation between ocean temperature and fish habitat. Iceland’s unique location and climate offers …

Using Ecological Diversity Analyses To Characterize The Availability Of Healthy Food And Socio-Economic Food Deserts, Annie Goyanes, J. Matthew Hoch

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

“Food deserts” are usually defined as geographic areas without local access to fresh, healthy food. We used community ecology statistics in supermarkets to quantify the availability of healthy food and to potentially identify food deserts as areas without a diverse selection of food, rather than a binary as to whether fresh food is present or not. We test whether produce diversity is correlated with neighborhood income or demographics. Abundance and diversity of fresh produce was quantified in supermarkets in Broward County, Florida, USA. Neighborhood income level and racial/ethnic makeup were retrieved from the U.S. Census and American Community Survey. Although …

Megafauna Of The German Exploration Licence Area For Seafloor Massive Sulphides Along The Central And South East Indian Ridge (Indian Ocean), Klaas Gerdes, Terue Cristina Kihara, Pedro Martínez Arbizu, Thomas Kuhn, Ulrich Schwarz-Schampera, Christopher L. Mah, Jon L. Norenburg, Thomas D. Linley, Kate Shalaeva, Enrique Macpherson, Dennis Gordon, Sabine Stöhr, Charles G. Messing, Simon Bober, Theresa Guggolz, Magdalini Christodoulou, Andrey Gebruk, Antonina Kremenetskaia, Andreas Kroh, Karen Sanamyan, Kathrin Bolstad, Leon Hoffman, Andrew J. Gooday, Tina Molodtsova

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Background

The growing interest in mineral resources of the deep sea, such as seafloor massive sulphide deposits, has led to an increasing number of exploration licences issued by the International Seabed Authority. In the Indian Ocean, four licence areas exist, resulting in an increasing number of new hydrothermal vent fields and the discovery of new species. Most studies focus on active venting areas including their ecology, but the non-vent megafauna of the Central Indian Ridge and South East Indian Ridge remains poorly known.

In the framework of the Indian Ocean Exploration project in the German license area for seafloor massive …