Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology Commons^™

The Atmospheric Effects On The Extratropical Transition Of Hurricane Sandy, Natalie Paone

Ocean Engineering and Marine Sciences Student Publications

• Hurricane Sandy formed in the Caribbean in late October 2012 and intensified to a Category 3 hurricane before making landfall in Cuba and later New Jersey (Blake et al., 2013). Sandy caused approximately $68.7 billion in damages and over 250 fatalities, making it one of the most impactful storms in U.S. history. 
• During extratropical transition (ET), tropical cyclones interact with midlatitude systems, leading to structural changes such as expansion of the wind field, development of frontal boundaries, and increased baroclinicity (Hart and Evans, 2001). Sandy is a key example of a hybrid cyclone where ET did not weaken impacts but …

Tiny Engineers: How Polycheateworms Can Extend Sedimentary Oxic Layers And Create Better Seagrass Habitats, Natalie Spohn

Ocean Engineering and Marine Sciences Student Publications

The Indian River Lagoon (IRL) is a shallow, well mixed estuary on the East Coast of Florida. Presently, the IRL is suffering eutrophication due to a cycle of harmful algal blooms (HABs) that deplete the water column of oxygen (2,5). Deposition of organic matter from HABs in the sediment leads to reduced sedimentary oxygen, continuing to support the cycle of eutrophication through benthic-pelagic coupling (1,5). Anaerobic sedimentary conditions can increase concentrations of ammonium and sulfide, leading to seagrass loss (3,4,6,7,10). Bioturbation by infauna can extend the oxic layer of sediments, promoting aerobic processes and helping to remove nitrogen and sulfur …

Ontogeny Of Microbial Community Structure In Shoal Grass Grown In Biochar-Amended Sediments, Sajeda Slhoub, Nicole Katz, Joey Ciocher, Jack Denvir, Jenisse Louis, Katelynn Zagami

Ocean Engineering and Marine Sciences Student Publications

The Indian River Lagoon (IRL) is one of the most biologically diverse estuaries in the United States and contributes over $55.4 billion annually to Florida’s economy. Since 2010, more than 52% of the IRL seagrass meadows have been lost, reducing both the ecological and the economic potential of this ecosystem. Biochar, a stable carbon material produced by pyrolysis, added to soil enhance organic productivity perhaps because of increased microbial activity in the soil (Lehmann et al., 2017). Our study evaluates the use of biochar to grow resilient strains of seagrass for ecosystem restoration in the IRL.

N.A.U.T.I.L.U.S.: Natural Aquaculture Using Technology In Living Underwater Systems, Joey Ciocher, Abby Vallejo, Will Marble, Martin Pham, Roger Jiang

Ocean Engineering and Marine Sciences Student Publications

Marine protected areas (MPAs) are small subsets of marine ecosystems with limited to no access to exploitation to promote sustainability and growth of healthy populations of marine organisms. Factors that affect the performance of MPAs include Size, Age, Level of Protection, Enforcement and Compliance, Isolation and Connectivity, and Habitat Quality and Diversity.

Hydrodynamic Response To Hurricane Forcing At Sebastian Inlet, Ava Russin

Ocean Engineering and Marine Sciences Student Publications

Tidal inlets are influenced by tides, wind, and atmospheric forcing, which can be significantly altered during hurricanes. Using Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler observations, this study quantifies storm-driven changes in depth averaged velocity and residual circulation at Sebastain Inlet before, during, and after Hurrican Ian and Hurricane Nicole (2022).

Era5 Vs Asos: Verifying Reanalysis Accuracy In The Fort Pierce Ef3 Tornado, Anastasia Vosinakis

Ocean Engineering and Marine Sciences Student Publications

• October 9th, 2024, Hurricane Milton made landfall in Florida (NHC, 2024). 
• Just before Milton made landfall, tornadoes were being produced on the East Coast of Florida. 
• The tornado being studied is the EF3 tornado which occurred in Fort Pierce, Florida. 
• Six people tragically lost their lives. 
• Focus of project: to see the correlation of wind reanalysis data when studying tornadoes.

Growing Pains: A Genetic Comparison Of Nurse Sharks (Ginglymostoma Cirratum) With Differing Growth Rates, Michelle Gargiulo

Ocean Engineering and Marine Sciences Student Publications

Nurse sharks, Ginglymostoma cirratum, range throughout the tropical and subtropical Atlantic, and are commonly found in coastal ecosystems in Southern Florida and the Keys. Nurse sharks like all Elasmobranchs (sharks, skates, and rays) are slowgrowing and long lived, making them susceptible to extinction. Recently listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List1,2, nurse sharks are relatively underrepresented in scientific literature, and much research remains to be done to understand and protect this species. Growth rates and body size between fish populations of the same species can vary widely. Individuals in the tropics often grow faster and mature at a smaller …

Conservation Of Stress And Immune Gene Families Across Major Aquaculture Fish Species, Julia Pearson, Rana Alghorir, Maryam Young, Abby Briggs, Sonia Peters

Ocean Engineering and Marine Sciences Student Publications

Aquaculture environments impose thermal, oxidative, and immune stress. Successful species must maintain cellular stability under these conditions. They can do this by the relative expression of stress genes.

Microburst Day Potential Index: Improving Launch And Public Safety, Zachary Kopel

Ocean Engineering and Marine Sciences Student Publications

Microbursts

•  A common convective wind event 
• Capable of causing damage from wind exceeding 30kts (NWS) 
• Cape Canaveral is a prime microburst environment 
• Can affect launch ops and daily activities by exceeding safety standards

Influence Of Sediment Composition On Seagrass Growth, Hattie Lechner, Joshua Ahrens

Ocean Engineering and Marine Sciences Student Publications

Seagrass Beds are a vital component of the Indian River Lagoon (IRL). They support biodiversity and improve water quality, yet they have experienced significant declines in recent years. Multiple restoration efforts have attempted to replant seagrass in the lagoon and have experienced varying levels of success. Sediment characteristics such as grain size, pH, and nutrient/sulfide concentrations can influence seagrass health and growth, but the relative importance is unclear. This study investigated the relationship between sediment characteristics and the performance of the seagrass Halodule wrightii across multiple different types of sediments found within the IRL in order to identify ideal sediments/locations …

The Carbon Dioxide Utilization Potential Of Marine Algae, Declan O'Leary, Giovanni Williams, Joey Ciocher, Aidan Yeilding, Eddie Wawrzycki-Stein, Melvin Jarrett, William Marple, Olivia Mullenski, Abby Tickett, Connor Burnand, David Kulcsar

Ocean Engineering and Marine Sciences Student Publications

Excessive atmospheric CO₂ drives ocean acidification, lowering seawater pH and carbonate ion availability, which impairs calcification in corals, mollusks, and many plankton—threatening reef structure, biodiversity, and food webs (1, 2).

The goal of this research is to explore the potential of marine algae or seaweeds in reducing carbon dioxide in the oceans.

Finding Jaws: Dna Barcoding Shark Cartilage To Identify Species, Kenna Peters

Ocean Engineering and Marine Sciences Student Publications

Elasmobranchs (sharks and rays) are vital keystone predators that help regulate the health of marine ecosystems, and some of the largest and most wide-ranging fishes in the ocean1. Elasmobranch identification is difficult due to morphological similarities between species, and the high risk of encountering cryptics. These are evolutionarily distinct, but physically identical to more common taxa, and can only be identified using genetics. Misidentification is a major obstacle to shark science, especially considering new data showing that >70% of all elasmobranchs have been lost in the past 50 years, and many sharks are now shifting ranges in response to global …

Growth And Nutrient Uptake Of Ulva Lactuca: Theoretical Nutrient Removal And Fertilizer Reuse Potential, Audrey Crawford

Ocean Engineering and Marine Sciences Student Publications

• Eutrophication is a major problem in the Indian River Lagoon (IRL)  
• One natural response to eutrophication is increased algal growth
• Previous studies identified Ulva lactuca as one of the fastest-growing macroalgal species in the lagoon (Whitehouse and Lapointe, 2015) 
• Ulva lactuca also has potential use as a fertilizer, creating a link between nutrient removal and beneficial reuse
• This study aimed to quantify nutrient uptake rates of Ulva lactuca in order to estimate how much nutrient load could theoretically be reduced through large-scale cultivation

Does Information Loss Bias Our Estimates Of Predation In The Fossil Record?, Ashcon Davachi

Ocean Engineering and Marine Sciences Student Publications

• Predation in fossil marine-ecosystems is generally estimated through analysis of time-averaged prey assemblages.
• Do time-averaged assemblages reflect predation on smaller ecological time scales?
• In this project I compared estimates of predation-related damage to snail shells derived on two ecological time scales to determine whether information loss biases our estimates of predation in the fossil record

Thermoelectric Migraine Cooling Cap, Emily Ralston

Ocean Engineering and Marine Sciences Student Publications

Migraines affect millions of people and can cause serious pain and discomfort. Many people use ice packs or cooling wraps to try to reduce the pain, but these only stay cold for a short amount of time. Because of this, there is a need for a cooling system that can provide longer and more controlled cooling. This project focuses on designing and building a wearable cooling cap that uses thermoelectric cooling technology. The goal is to create a system that can cool the head while moving heat away toward the neck area and help reduce migraine discomfort.

Current Capture, Maggie Palmer, Colin Stefan, Ricky Gay, Sofia Scarpa, Hayden Linkel

Ocean Engineering and Marine Sciences Student Publications

Current Capture aimed to design, develop, and test a prototype of a hydropower turbine that is scalable and deployable. The design considers the harsh ocean environment, corrosion in the material selection, efficiency in the blade choice, and structural positioning in the housing extremities. Two NACA foil composite blades were designed and manufactured to perform an experiment and analyze the velocities and RPMs.

Reefstarter Deployment System, Dylan Alvarez, Jacob Elston, Alex Ketchen, Jaidyn Lodens

Ocean Engineering and Marine Sciences Student Publications

• Threats from coastal erosion drive the need for effective and sustainable protection methods. 
• Interlocking concrete reef blocks dissipate wave energy while also supporting habitat restoration.
• Current deployment methods are inefficient and require significant human interaction.
• A compact hydraulic lifting system should enable increased safety, control, and efficiency

The September 17th, 2025, Gigantic Jet Off The Puerto Rican Coast: A Case Study, Jaedon Benbow

Ocean Engineering and Marine Sciences Student Publications

Gigantic jets (GJs) are an electrical discharge that propagates upward from the top of a thunderstorm, reaching altitudes between 70 and 90 km, terminating in the lower ionosphere (Lazarus et al., 2021). This GJ event occurred on 5:33:53 UTC on September 17th, 2025. Despite the rarity of gigantic jets, tropical regions like Puerto Rico have a higher likelihood of occurrence due to more available convection. This GJ event was caught on radar. This provides additional data helpful for analyzing this case.

The Forecasting Challenge Of Snow Cover Induced Temperature Depressions, Lucas Silva

Ocean Engineering and Marine Sciences Student Publications

• Snow cover can keep the surface layer cool in the day and amplify cooling at night
• Unexpected SCITDs can cause sudden freezes, deteriorating travel conditions
• To what extent is the forecast accuracy of the NWS affected during SCITDs?

Midwest Extremes: Quantifying 26 Years Of Excessive Heat Events And Demographic Risk, Nasir Grant

Ocean Engineering and Marine Sciences Student Publications

• According to Vose et al. (2017), the Midwest experienced the largest increase in average minimum temperature among all regions of the United States which is a noticeable risk to the Midwest population.
• The climatology of the Midwest is majority hot summer humid continental and includes warm summer humid continental and cold semi-arid.
• This study investigated cities that have experienced high counts of (EHEs) and positive population growths in between 2000 and 2020 while plotting the cities into a risk map.

Factors Contributing To The Intensity Of Two 2022 Lake Effect Snowstorms At Lake Erie, Johnny Murray

Ocean Engineering and Marine Sciences Student Publications

• Lake effect snow (LES) is a weather phenomenon in which cold mass air passes over relatively warm waters, forming localized bands of snowfall. (Niziol, 1987) 
• LES events are common during the winter months in Buffalo, NY due to the city’s location along the northeastern edge of Lake Erie.
• November 17-20 and December 23-27 in 2022 were two prominent LES events.
• Total maximum snowfall for the events were 81.2” in Nov and 51.9” in Dec. 
• High snowfall totals were in part due to the length of these events, being ~60 hours in Nov, and ~120 hours in Dec.

Correlation Between Particulate Matter And Aerosol Optical Depth Following The 2023 Wildfire Smoke Event In Nyc, Trinity Abraham

Ocean Engineering and Marine Sciences Student Publications

• In June 2023, Canadian wildfires transported smoke into NE U.S., impacting air quality in places such as NYC (Figure 1)
• Climate change increases wildfire frequency and intensity, raising the likelihood of future longrange smoke transport events (NASA, 2025) 
• PM₂.₅ and PM₁₀ refers to the mixture of solid particles and liquid droplets in the air that can penetrate the respiratory system (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2025)
• AOD measures how light is affected by aerosols, with higher AOD indicating greater aerosol concentrations (NASA Earth Data)
• Investigating the relationship between AOD and surface PM concentrations can improve early warning systems to support preparedness …

Microgravity Simulator, Aruna Dookeran, Alexander Montano, Elias Orellana, Aiden Smart

Ocean Engineering and Marine Sciences Student Publications

Microgravity significantly affects biological growth, but space-based experiments are costly and difficult to access. Ground-based systems provide an alternative; however, many require continuous manual supervision to maintain operating conditions.

Impact Of Bryozoans On The Psii Efficiency Of Sargassum, Maxwell Ronan Stanfield

Ocean Engineering and Marine Sciences Student Publications

Sargassum species such as s. fluitans and s. natans support epiphytic organisms on its surface, such as diatoms, hydrozoans, and encrusting bryozoans. Evidence previous studies suggests that marine epiphytic organisms have a negative effect on the photosynthetic pathways of the algae they live on (Khan, Du, Khan, Che, and Khurshid 2021; Cancino, Mufioz, Mufioz, and Orellana 1987). Interestingly, some evidence shows that even when epiphytic encrusting bryozoans limit the light reaching red algae, the algae was able to produce more photosynthetic pigments to compensate for the lowered light intensity (Muñoz, Cancino, and Molina 1991). No data is currently available on …

Plant Growth Promoting Phenotypes Of Fungal Isolates From The International Space Station, Shane Doyle, Frances A. Edmonson

Ocean Engineering and Marine Sciences Student Publications

• In situ (on site) space crop production is vital for sustainability and dietary health of astronauts. 
• We hypothesize that International Space Station (ISS) derived fungal isolates will stimulate plant growth and express PGP phenotypes.
• Eleven space-viable fungi were screened via phenotypic testing to identify plant growthpromoting (PGP) activity.
• Prior research has been conducted solely with ISS derived bacteria, while ISS fungi are unexplored, which could reveal new or improved symbiotic relationships and growth factors.

Benthic Infaunal Responses To Shoreline Restoration, Jessica Lauren Cline

Theses and Dissertations

In the age of increasing urban coastal sprawl, natural shorelines are being replaced by hard armoring structures, which result in the loss of valuable ecosystem services. Hybrid living shorelines, areas that include limited and less intensive armoring strategies paired with the integration of plants and other natural materials, present an opportunity to marry the need for more aggressive stabilization with the continued preservation of ecosystem functions and biological communities. This project uses benthic infauna to evaluate the success of a living shoreline installation in Palm Bay, Florida. The deployment features experimental treatments of breakwaters and red mangroves to explore how …

Geomorphic Evolution Of St. Augustine Inlet, St. Johns County, Florida, Kristen Becker

Theses and Dissertations

Tidal inlets interrupt longshore sediment transport, influencing adjacent beach morphology and allowing the exchange of water and sediment between the open oceans and protected back barrier bay. Inlets evolve through a combination of natural processes and are highly dynamic zones where sediment exchanges cause shifting shoreline positions nearby and create new morphological features. Barrier islands/beaches that are close in proximity to inlets evolve and are an important natural feature that dissipates wave energy and protects inland areas. Both natural and anthropogenic processes that affect barrier islands will be investigated during this study, including storm activity, waves, wind, water level, and …

Assessing The Gut Content Of Styela Plicata: A Benthic Filter Feeder In The Indian River Lagoon, Honor Lily Triumph Edmands

Theses and Dissertations

The Indian River Lagoon (IRL) has experienced declining water quality due to human activities involving nutrient input, leading to Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs). The Living Docks program affixes oyster mats to dock pilings to promote the settlement and recruitment of benthic filter feeders for water quality improvement. However, questions remain about filtering efficiencies of organisms that make up the mat communities, and whether organisms remove harmful species from the IRL. The pleated sea squirt, Styela plicata, is a common oyster mat resident. The goal of this thesis was to investigate what phytoplankton and bacteria S. plicata consumes, and if …

A Statistical Fetch Model For Water Wave Glint Correction Using Worldview-3 Imagery, Amanda Jade Quintanilla

Theses and Dissertations

Sun glint in satellite imagery of the water surface contaminates the upwelling signal received by a detector. Many models exist that attempt to correct for this wave facet effect and phenomena. In this work a model for sun glint correction is created using the comparison of image transects between two nearly simultaneously collected images of the same area, although with differing sensor geometry. One image utilized in this research is almost entirely glint free while the other is contaminated by water wave facet glint. Although many models for removing sun glint exist based on various techniques, none are completely accurate, …

The Relationship Between Biofouling Adhesion And Frequency Of Mechanical Cleaning To Control The Recruitment To Clear Coatings, Dylan Thomas Eggers

Theses and Dissertations

There is a need to control biofouling on sensors and transparent windows in the marine environment. Clear silicone coatings offer a method to reduce the adhesion strength of marine organisms to the surface, however, these also require mechanical cleaning to maintain the surfaces free of fouling. This research evaluated the performance of eighty seven formulations and took the top two candidates to investigate a) the frequencies of wiping required by a brush to maintain two coatings and uncoated glass surfaces free of fouling and b) the effects of clear silicone coatings fouling release properties on required frequencies. The panels were …