Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology Commons^™

Trace Metals And Pyrite In Sediments Of Chesapeake Bay, Robert S. Kluckhohn

OES Theses and Dissertations

The formation and cycling of iron sulfides within anoxic sediments can affect the cycling of trace metals. The sediments at station CB-27 (near Annapolis, Maryland) in Chesapeake Bay were rich in FeS (39% of TS), low in greigite (3.6% of TS), and has a relatively constant pyrite concentration (50 - 60% of TS) with depth. The percent composition of total metals in pyrite were 25.7% cu, 11.8% Zn, 15.8% Fe, and non-detectable to 2.1% Cd. At Station CB- 28 (near the Choptank River), the sediments were low in FeS (1.7% of TS), richer in greigite (up to 14% of TS), …

The Role Of Longshore Sediment Transport In The Loss Of Fill Material From An Estuarine Groin System, R. Neville Reynolds

OES Theses and Dissertations

The influence of shoreline structures on longshore sediment transport and the evolution of a stable beach planform was investigated at Willoughby Spit, Virginia following the placement of 410,590 cubic meters of beach fill within a groin system. Shoreline changes and wave conditions in a single groin compartment, and the growth rate of a downdrift terminal spit were monitored during 1985 and 1986. Short term fluctuations in the shoreline position within the groin compartment suggested an episodic westerly movement of sediment through the groin system. Primary sediment moving events were associated with northerly winds which produced waves up to 50 cm …

Seasonal And Diel Patterns Of Abundance And Productivity Of Phototrophic Picoplankton In The Lower Chesapeake Bay, Lewis Francis Affronti Jr.

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

This study was performed to evaluate phototrophic pico-plankton (0.2 to 2.0 μm) dynamics within the lower Chesapeake Bay. A 15 month study of phototrophic picoplankton abundance and productivity was made from June 1988 to October 1989. Annual picoplankton abundance using epifluorescence microscopy ranged from 7.26 x 10⁶ cells/1 in the winter to 9.28 x 10⁸ cells/1 during late summer.

In situ incubations of natural picoplankton populations over the 15 month study were used to test the applicability of the frequency of dividing cells technique in estimating phototrophic picoplankton growth rates. The regression equation o fμ = 2.37 x …

A Numerical Study Of The Interaction Between A Deep Cold Jet And The Bottom Boundary Layer Of The Ocean, Tal Ezer, Georges L. Weatherly

CCPO Publications

Abstract A two-dimensional (x-z) primitive equation model is used to study the interaction between a deep cold jet on a sloping bottom and the bottom boundary layer (BBL) of the deep ocean. Two closure schemes are used: a standard second order turbulence closure (SOTC) scheme (the level 2 1/2 model of Mellor and Yamada), and a new eddy viscosity closure scheme (K-model). The latter is a computationally simple model that produces very similar eddy viscosity and velocity fields as the more complicated SOTC-model while saving about 20% of the computational time. The results of the numerical simulations compare favorably to …

A Comparison Of Metals In Several Ahermatypic Corals And Surficial Sediments: Mobile Pinnacles And Hoffa Reef, Northcentral Gulf Of Mexico, Kathryn M. Conko

OES Theses and Dissertations

Metal concentrations in marine sediment and carbonate secreting invertebrates are representative of surrounding environmental chemistry. Aluminum, Ba Ca, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sr, and Zn were measured in carbonate and terrigenous phases of the $<$63 um fraction of sediment samples from two locations in the northcentral Gulf of Mexico. Enrichment factors indicate that Al, Ba, Cu, Cr, Mg, Mn, and Ni are all slightly depleted in these sediments relative to crustal abundances. Discriminant function analyses shows that the concentrations of five elements differ between locations.

Ahermatypic coral (106 specimens) from five genera collected from the study sites were analyzed for Cd, Cu, Cr, Pb, Zn, Mn, Sr, Ba, Fe, Ca and Mg. Eight elements vary between some genera, Al and Ba also vary in concentration in corals between either location. All elements except Sr are significantly depleted in the coral with respect to Ca in the …

Estuarine Studies : An Activities Text For Maine Schools, Education Division - Department Of Marine Resources

Maine Collection

Estuarine Studies : An Activities Text for Maine Schools

Fisheries Education Unit #16 - Produced by The Education Division, Department of Marine Resources, State House Station 21, Augusta, Maine 04333-0021.

Revised 1990. Printed Under Appropriation No. 3140.3260.

Fisheries Research Report No. 84 - The Marine Open Shelf Environment: Review Of Human Influences, D. A. Hancock

Fisheries Research Reports

For the purpose of this review, the marine environment has been classified into three physical zones - the littoral zone, the open-shelf environment and the coral reef. Since the boundaries are arbitrary, there will inevitably be some overlap, but for this review the subject matter will be related to the area between low water of ordinary spring tides and the edge of the continental shelf; i.e., to a depth varying to 200 metres.

Human influences may have a dual role in affecting the marine environment, firstly in a causative manner and secondly in providing a remedy, in which case the …

Fecundity Of Blue Crab, Callinectes Sapidus, In Chesapeake Bay: Biological, Statistical And Management Considerations, Michael H. Prager, John R. Mcconaugha, Cynthia M. Jones, Patrick J. Geer

OES Faculty Publications

Ovigerous blue crabs were collected from the mouth of Chesapeake Bay during the 1986 and 1987 spawning seasons. Mean carapace width was 14.7 cm; mean fecundity was 3.2×106 eggs. Fecundity was significantly related to carapace width, and did not vary significantly with developmental stage of the eggs. Mean fecundities were 2.6×106 eggs in 1986, and 4.0×106 eggs in 1987. An additive model with year and size effects described the observed fecundities reasonably well, was compact, and was easier to interpret than a multiplicative model. To fit a more general model without year effects, the authors took the mean of 1986 …

Estimates Of Spawning Stock Size Of Blue Crab, Callinectes Sapidus, In Chesapeake Bay, 1986-1987, Cynthia M. Jones, John R. Mcconaugha, Patrick J. Geer, Michael H. Prager

OES Faculty Publications

The 1986 spawning stock exhibited a single abundance peak, increasing from 1.0×105 individuals in early July to 9.3×106 in late July, maintaining high levels throughout the summer, and declining in the fall to 7.4×105 individuals. The 1987 spawning stock showed 2 peaks of abundance. The population reached the lesser peak, 1.0×106 individuals, in late July; the greater peak, 1.5×106, in late August. By late September, the population had declined to 6.5×105 individuals. The peak abundance of the 1987 female spawning stock was only 16% as great as the peak abundance in 1986; the 1987 spawning stock size in 1986. Variability …

Middle Eocene Foraminifera From The Piney Point Formation Of The Virginia And Maryland Coastal Plain, Megan S. Jones

OES Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the foraminiferal fauna, both benthic and planktonic, of the outcropping (45 samples) and subsurface (31 samples) middle Eocene Piney Point Formation in Virginia and Maryland. The primary objective of this study is to further refine the depositional history of the Salisbury Embayment which is represented by the middle Eocene Piney Point Formation. Ninety-six species of benthic and planktonic foraminifera were identified in this study. Of these, several are characteristic of the middle Eocene: Asterigerina texana, Hanzawaia danvillensis, Ceratobulimina exima, Cibicides westi, Chiloguembelitria columbiana, C. stavensis, Testacarinata inconspicua and Pseudohastigerina wilcoxensislmicra. While these were relatively abundant, diagnostic middle …

The Effects Of Variable Parameters On The Behavior Of Initial Wind Waves, Glen Harvey Wheless

OES Theses and Dissertations

The generation mechanism of short wind waves is generally thought to be a viscous instability at the air-sea interface. The short, regular waves arising from a sudden wind on a still water surface have a dispersion relation which is characteristic of gravity-capillary waves. The effects of variable surface tension, viscosity and shear flow parameters on the behavior of these waves were studied.

A numerical hydrodynamic stability analysis of a coupled laminar shear flow was accomplished by integrating a transformed version of the Orr-Sommerfeld equation, subject to the boundary conditions at a two-fluid interface. Unbounded growth problems usually encountered in a …

Nonlinear Solutions To A Two-Layer Quasi-Geostrophic Model Of The Gulf Stream, Eiichi Oka

OES Theses and Dissertations

The Gulf Stream shows a large meander off Cape Hatteras. This is driven by an energy conversion process known as baroclinic instability and observations suggest that nonlinearity is an important part in this process. In order to understand the fundamental role of nonlinearity in baroclinic instability, an inviscid 2-layer quasi-geostrophic model is studied.

The linear solution is obtained by methods of normal mode and Fourier-Laplace transforms. It is found that the set corresponding to the continuous spectrum is null and the set corresponding to the discrete spectrum is complete.

The nonlinear solution is expanded in terms of the complete set …

The Temporal And Spatial Distribution Of Blue Crab Larvae On The Mid-Atlantic Bight Adjacent To The Chesapeake Bay, 1982-1983, Lyle Michael Varnell

OES Theses and Dissertations

Recruitment processes are important information for the management of commercially and recreationally exploited marine species. Recruitment processes of the Chesapeake Bay's most important commercial and recreational species, the blue crab, are unknown, due in part to the lack of knowledge of the processes directly preceeding recruitment.

The present study was undertaken to investigate and explain the movement and developmental patterns of blue crab larvae while offshore. Interannual and intraseasonal variations of these patterns were also examined.

Sampling occurred from May to November during 1982 and 1983. Larvae were collected at three depths (neuston layer (upper 10 cm), one meter and …

Picoplankton/Phytoplankton Dynamics In Hampton Roads, Virginia, Leslie E. Dorworth

OES Theses and Dissertations

The biomass distribution of the three main size components of the phytoplankton (net, nano, and picoplankton) was examined in the lower Chesapeake Bay. Work was done at two stations during the spring and neap tidal cycles when freshwater flow into the bay was at its seasonal minimum and maximum. Emphasis was placed on how the picoplankton ( < 2.0 μm, > 0.2 μm) reacted during the sampling period.

Picoplankton made up approximately 13% of the total biomass, during the observed time period, at the more oceanic station. The picoplankton fraction contributed up to 16% of the total biomass at the estuarine station. From this …

The Remipedia (Crustacea): A Study Of Their Reproduction And Ecology, Jill Yager

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Remipedes are an unusual group of troglobitic crustaceans that live exclusively in anchialine caves. Since their discovery in 1979, nine species have been described, seven of which are found in caves in the West Indies, one from the Yucatan peninsula of Mexico and one from the Canary Islands. Most of what is known about these animals has come mainly from taxonomic descriptions. Little has been published about their reproductive biology or ecology. The objectives of this dissertation were to investigate the reproductive biology and ecology of the remipedes inhabiting Sagittarius Cave on Grand Bahama Island, Bahamas.

Sagittarius Cave was chosen …

Population Variation In The Mitochondrial-Dna Of Two Marine Organisms: The Hard Shell Clam Mercenaria Spp. And The Killifish, Fundulus Heteroclitus, Bonnie Lynn Brown

OES Theses and Dissertations

The two major topics are covered in this dissertation: the integration of molecular genetic tools with applied aquacultural research and short-term evolutionary dynamics. The first study investigated the extent of geographic differentiation of native clam stocks along the U.S. east and Gulf coasts. Clam mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) demonstrated size polymorphism (16.5-19.0 kb) and restriction site heteroplasmy. Size heteroplasmic individuals occurred at a frequencies of 0-89% in clam populations. Restriction site heteroplasmy occurred in 12% of the 317 individuals assayed. Results of the study indicated that although harbouring a wealth of genetic variation, clams from northern regions were similar and lacked …

Hydrographic Variability Of Southeastern United States Shelf And Slope Waters During The Genesis Of Atlantic Lows Experiment: Winter 1986, Larry P. Atkinson, Eiichi Oka, Sunny Y. Wu, Thomas J. Berger, Jackson O. Blanton, Thomas N. Lee

CCPO Publications

Continental shelf waters are particularly responsive to winter storm events mainly because of their shallow depths. Those of the southeastern United States (the South Atlantic Bight (SAB)) are especially responsive because they are broad and shallow. Also, the Gulf Stream serves as a continual source of warm water at the outer boundary. Thus the SAB receives strong meteorological (wind stress and heat loss) and oceanographic (advective) forcing. During the Genesis of Atlantic Lows Experiment (GALE) the response of shelf waters to winter storm events and Gulf Stream forcing was observed. The mean conditions showed a mixed water column with areas …

Permanganate Colorimetric Rapid Method For Chemical Oxygen Demand In Seawater, Myung Zoon Czae, Taekee Hong, Myung Hoon Kim

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Are Artificial "Witham" Surface Collectors Adequate Indicators Of Caribbean Spiny Lobster, Panulirus Argus, Recruitment?, Mark J. Butler Iv, William F. Herrnkind

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Understanding the local dynamics of Caribbean spiny lobster (Panulirus argus) postlarval influx, settlement, and recruitment may be essential for the responsible management of this important and heavily exploited resource. Most lobster recruitment research programs in the Caribbean employ derivations of the "Witham"-type surface collector to monitor postlarval (puerulus) lobster influx. However, the relevance of data obtained from surface collectors with respect to the estimation of actual puerulus influx, settlement, or recruitment to subsequent benthic juvenile stages remains untested. We investigated that relevance on regional (i.e., tens of kilometers) and local (i.e., tens of meters) scales by examining the …

Sulfide In Surface Waters Of The Western Atlantic Ocean, Gregory A. Cutter, Christian F. Krahforst

OES Faculty Publications

Using newly developed techniques, some preliminary data on hydrogen sulfide in surface waters of the western Atlantic have been obtained. Concentrations of total sulfide range from <0.1 to 1.1 nmol/L, and vary on a diel basis. At these concentrations, sulfide may affect the cycling of several trace metals via the formation of stable complexes. Production of sulfide in oxygenated seawater may occur through the hydrolysis of carbonyl sulfide or by sulfate reduction within macroscopic particles in the water column. Removal mechanisms can include oxidation, complexation with particulate trace metals, and metal sulfide precipitation. However, the temporal and spatial distributions suggest a complex set of processes governing the behavior of sulfide in the surface ocean.

Dynamics Of Intermediate-Size Stream Outlets, Northern Oregon Coast, Ellen Eberhardt

Dissertations and Theses

This study measured and evaluated the relation of coastal foredune morphology to stream beach outlets, and investigated the processes associated with the stream outlet. Intermediate-size streams were studied, and defined as those that flow across the beach most of the year but have no tidal influence. Fifty-four of these streams were found along the northern Oregon coast between the Columbia River and Yaquina Bay. Crescent Lake Outlet, Saltair Creek and Daley Lake Outlet were chosen as study streams for further investigation.

Survival And Reproduction Of The Freshwater Grass Shrimp Palaemonetes Paludosus (Gibbes 1850) (Decapoda:Palaemonidae), In Saline Water, Brian Thomas Lowe

OES Theses and Dissertations

To determine the effects of salinity on adult and larval survival, egg deposition, egg hatching and metamorphosis, shrimp were held in the laboratory and exposed to treatment salinities ranging from O to 35 ppt. Tests on adult survival indicate a 96 hour LC-50 between 30 and 35 ppt. Longer term tests on adult survival showed high mortality in salinities greater than 15 ppt. Shrimp became ovigerous in salinities of O - 20 ppt with egg hatching and metamorphosis limited to O - 5 ppt. Starved- larvae hatched from field captured ovigerous females in O ppt were able to metamorphose in …

Nutrient Cycling In Bordenstake Bay Sediments: A Backbarrier Lagoon, Mark J. Herrenkohl

OES Theses and Dissertations

Six sets of sediment cores were collected over a one year period (June 1986 to July 1987) to examine nutrient cycling in Bordenstake Bay, a back barrier lagoon on Virginia's Eastern Shore Peninsula. The sampling times were chosen to examine any seasonal effects (e.g., temperature changes) which may affect the rates of metabolism in these sediments.

The sedimentation rate in Bordenstake Bay is 0.76 ± 0.21 cm/yr, leading to the annual deposition of 7. 05 moles of carbon, 0.46 moles of nitrogen, and 0.15 moles of phosphorus, per square meter of the sediment surface. The remineralization of organic matter in …

Distribution Of Suspended Particulate Matter, Patuxent River Estuary, Maryland, Christopher W. Frye

OES Theses and Dissertations

Physical processes which may affect estuarine circulation in a coastal plain estuary were monitored to determine their relative importance on temporal and spatial variability of the concentration, composition, and particle-size of suspended particulate matter (SPM) in Patuxent River estuary, MD, during 1985-86. Discharge rates from Patuxent River determined the character of fresh and estuarine water mixing, and magnitude of SPM concentration in the upper estuary. The mixing zone between fresh and estuarine water, defined as 0 - 1.5 °‰, and turbidity maximum were geographically separated during most of the study period. This suggests that two-layer circulation may be less important …

Economic Considerations For Artificial Reef Development In Coastal Virginia, Dean Thomas Devereaux

OES Theses and Dissertations

The contingent valuation method, recommended by the U. S. Water Resources Council, was used to estimate the economic value of sport fishing and diving at the Chesapeake Light Tower Artificial Reef. The study is based on a random sample of 170 anglers and 33 divers who participated in telephone, personell and mail-in surveys in 1985 and 1986.

The average user value (consumer surplus) was $21.13, $110,75, and $13.30 for head boat anglers, private boat anglers and sport divers, respectively, who claimed to have used the reef in 1985. Variation in consumer surplus was statistically affected by trip expense, distance from …

Consequences Of Thymidine Catabolism For Estimates Of Bacterial Production: An Example From A Coastal Marine Sediment, Kevin R. Carman, Fred C. Dobbs, James B. Guckert

OES Faculty Publications

Radioactively labeled thymidine (TdR) has been used extensively to measure bacterial production in aquatic environments, but critical assumptions of the TdR technique often have gone untested. In this study of a coastal marine sediment, the metabolic fate of methyl [³H]TdR and methyl [¹⁴C]TdR was at variance with the assumptions necessary for determining bacterial production. Only 2% of incorporated radioactivity was recovered in the DNA fraction of TCA-insoluble material following time-course incubations of l-300 min. At least the methyl group of TdR was extensively catabolized, as shown by copious production of ¹⁴C0₂. The temporal …

Hydrothermal Fluids And Petroleum In Surface Sediments Of Guaymas Basin, Gulf Of California: A Case Study, J. M. Gieskes, B. R. Simoneit, T. Brown, Timothy J. Shaw, Y. C. Wang, A. Magenheim

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Siltation On Recruitment Of Spiny Lobsters, Panulirus Argus, William F. Herrnkind, Mark J. Butler, Richard A. Tankersley

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Fewer juvenile pinry lobsters were found in areas of the Florida Keys where their primary habitat was heavily silted as compared with similar, less silted habitat. Several hypotheses explaining this relationship were tested, and the time-to-metamorphosis was compared for settling pueruli within silted and nonsilted algae stands. Limited postlarval settlement and avoidance of silted algal habitats by juveniles, probably accounts for the paucity of young lobsters in heavily silted sites. In addition, although juvenile lobsters are nonselective predators, lower prey availability in silted algae probably promotes transciency which, in turn, causes increased mortality by predation while juveniles are exposed.

Variability Of Surface Pigment Concentrations In The South Atlantic Bight, Charles R. Mcclain, James A. Yoder, L. P. Atkinson, J. O. Blanton, T. N. Lee, J. J. Singer, Frank Muller-Karger

CCPO Publications

A 1‐year time sequence (November 1978 through October 1979) of surface pigment images from the South Atlantic Bight (SAB) was derived from the Nimbus 7 coastal zone color scanner. This data set is augmented with in situ observations of hydrographic parameters, freshwater discharge, sea level, coastal winds, and currents for the purpose of examining the coupling between physical processes and the spatial and temporal variability of the surface pigment fields. The SAB is divided into three regions: the east Florida shelf, the Georgia‐South Carolina shelf and the Carolina Capes. Six‐month "seasonal" mean pigment fields and time series of mean values …

Evaluation Of Possible Reproductively Mediated Character Displacement In The Crayfishes, Orconectes Rusticus And O. Sanbornii, Mark J. Butler Iv

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Orconectes rusticus is replacing several species of crayfishes in north-central and northeastern North America, including O. sanbornii in Ohio. Recent evidence suggests that the species replacements may be driven by asymmetrical reproductive success favoring O. rusticus. Nonetheless, some sympatric associations appear locally persistent. Because crayfish demonstrate size assortative mating and there is a disparity in the sizes of the species, further divergence in the sizes of the species in sympatry could enhance reproductive isolation, ultimately providing a mechanism for character displacement. To test this hypothesis the size differentials between crayfish collected from allopatric and sympatric populations in east-central Ohio …