Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology Commons^™

Instability Waves In The Gulf Stream Front And Its Thermocline Layer, Sang-Ki Lee

OES Theses and Dissertations

Linear instability calculations were carried out on a three layer Gulf Stream front model in an attempt to elucidate the interaction of the thermocline layer with surface slopewater shoreward of the front. The basic state is geostrophic balance and constant potential vorticity in the two active layers, but the perturbations are ageostrophic. The flow is found to be unstable to long wave perturbations, the wavelength of the most unstable wave to be of order 10 radii of deformation. The instability is mainly baroclinic, 75-85% of the energy supply to the growing perturbation coming from basic flow potential energy. Calculated wavelengths …

Heat Storage And Transport Processes In The Tropical Atlantic Ocean, Andras Kapolnai

OES Theses and Dissertations

Heat storage and transport processes of the tropical Atlantic play an important role in the climate of three continents. The exploration of how the warm water mass maintenance in the equatorial basin depends on various external factors is therefore an important task. This study examines the annual cycle of the warm water mass formation and its transport in the equatorial Atlantic through the interaction of the atmospheric and oceanic boundary layers. Key features of the model are the sea level wind field, equatorial upwelling rate and escape transport of the formed warm water out of the equatorial basin.

The model …

Spatial And Temporal Occurrence Of Spanish Mackerel Scomberomorus Maculatus In Chesapeake Bay, Mark E. Chittenden Jr., Luiz R. Barbieri, Cynthia M. Jones

OES Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Metalloids In Wet Deposition On Bermuda: Concentrations, Sources, And Fluxes, Gregory A. Cutter

OES Faculty Publications

The concentrations of antimony, arsenic, and selenium were determined in wet deposition samples collected on a daily (event) basis from 1988 to 1990 on Bermuda as a part of the Atmosphere/Ocean Chemistry Experiment (AEROCE). Isentropic back trajectories were used to identify air masses that passed over North America (59% of the events), Europe or North Africa (8%), or were largely marine in origin (33% of the events). The North American trajectories had the highest volume-weighted average (VWA) concentrations and crustal enrichment factors for the three metalloids; the As/Se ratio and good correlations with acidity suggest inputs from fossil fuel combustion. …

Benthic Microalgal Production At Stellwagen Bank, Massachusetts Bay, Usa, Lawrence B. Cahoon, Guy R. Beretich Jr., Carrie J. Thomas, Amy M. Mcdonald

OES Faculty Publications

Benthic microalgal chlorophyll a and production were measured at 3 sites at Stellwagen Bank, a cold temperate continental shelf habitat in Massachusetts Bay, USA, during August 1991. Benthic microalgal chlorophyll a averaged 39.8 Mg M^-2, vs average integrated phytoplankton chlorophyll a of 25.9 mg m^-2. Gross benthic microalgal production, measured by oxygen exchange in clear and opaque benthic chambers, averaged 20.9 mg C m^-2 h^-1. This production was supported by average daily light fluxes to the bottom that never exceeded 1 % of surface incident radiation and were as low as 4.7 μE …

Changes In The Sea-Ice Brine Community During The Spring-Summer Transition, Mcmurdo Sound, Antarctica .2. Phagotrophic Protists, Diane K. Stoecker, Kurt R. Buck, Mary Putt

OES Faculty Publications

The land-fast sea-ice brine contains a diverse phagotrophic protist assemblage consisting of < 5 mum heterotrophic flagellates, Cryothecomonas spp., heterotrophic dinoflagellates, and heterotrophic and mixotrophic ciliates. Fine-scale horizontal spatial variability is a feature of this assemblage; samples taken within 1 m of each other can be dominated by different heterotrophic protists. Many of the larger heterotrophic protists found in the brine are also found in the water column. The photosynthetic ciliate Mesodinium rubrum is also common. In mid to late austral spring, the heterotrophic assemblage accounts for ca 10% of the total protist biomass in the brine and is dominated by Cryothecomonas spp. This flagellate …

A Reproductive-Resting Stage In An Harpacticoid Copepod, And The Significance Of Genetically Based Differences Among Populations, D. J. Lonsdale, P. Weissman, Fred C. Dobbs

OES Faculty Publications

Dormancy is an important life-history strategy which allows copepods to increase their fitness by delaying growth and reproduction until harsh environmental conditions have ameliorated. For marine species, the primary strategies identified to date include the production of dormant eggs by shallow-water species, and copepodite overwintering in deep-water species. Herein, we describe a third strategy in which fertilized adult females enter a “reproductive-resting” stage during the late fall that allows them to overwinter and provide a first source of spring naupliar recruitment. This strategy has been observed in the estuarine copepod Coullana canadensis, but may also occur in other species. …

A Comparison Of Gulf Stream Sea Surface Height Fields Derived From Geosat Altimeter Data And Those Derived From Sea Surface Temperature Data, Tal Ezer, George L. Mellor, Dong-Shan Ko, Ziv Sirkes

CCPO Publications

Two types of satellite data, Geosat altimeter data and sea surface temperature data (SST), are compared and evaluated for their usefulness in assimilation into a numerical model of the Gulf Stream region. Synoptic sea surface height (SSH) fields are derived from the SST data in the following way: first three-dimensional temperature and salinity analysis fields are obtained through the Optimum Thermal Interpolation System (OTIS), and then SSH fields are calculated using a primitive equation, free-surface, numerical model running in a diagnostic mode. The aforementioned SSH fields are compared with SSH fields obtained from the Geosat altimeter data. Use of Geosat …

Microzooplankton In The Lower Chesapeake Bay, And The Tidal Elizabeth, James, And York Rivers, Gyung-Soo Park, Harold G. Marshall

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Results of a one year study in the lower Chesapeake Bay and three tidal rivers indicate an abundant microzooplankton population, with a mean concentration of 4,231.1/Liter. The most abundant components are the non-loricate ciliates (2,518.2L, 59.5% of the annual total) and tintinnids (1,400.1/L 33.1%). In lesser abundance were the rotifers (191.4/L) and nauplii larvae (121.7/L). Seasonal abundance maxima were highest in summer, followed by fall, spring and winter.

Age, Growth, And Reproduction Of Tautog Tautoga Onitis (Labridae: Perciformes) From Coastal Waters Of Virginia, E. Brian Hostetter, Thomas A. Munroe

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Tautog Tautoga onitis are gaining popularity in Virginia's coastal waters as a recreational and food fish. Adult tautog are seasonally abundant on inshore hard-bottom habitats (1-10 m) and inhabit offshore areas (10-75 m) year-round. Juveniles, especially newly-settled recruits, inhabit vegetated areas in shallow water (usually < 1 m). From March 1979 to July 1986, tautog were collected in lower Chesapeake Bay and nearby coastal waters to examine age, growth, and sexual maturation. Age estimates were determined from annular marks on opercle bones: 82% of the fish were age-10 or younger, 18% exceeded age-10, and 1% were age-20 or older. Marginal increment analysis revealed that annuli formed concurrent with a protracted spawning season (April-July). The von Bertalanffy growth equation, derived from back-calculated mean lengths-at-age, was l(t) = 742 [1-e-0.085 (t-1.816)]. Tautog are long-lived (25+ yr) and attain relatively large sizes (672 mm TL) slowly (K for sexes combined = 0.085). Growth rates of both sexes are similar, although males grow slightly faster (K = 0.090 vs. 0.085 for females). Maturity occurs at age-3 in both sexes. Growth rates for tautog from Virginia are similar to those reported nearly 25 years ago for tautog in Rhode Island. Growth rates for tautog are similar to those of other reef fishes, such as snappers and groupers. Habitat restriction, slow growth, great longevity, and increasing popularity by user groups may contribute to over-exploitation of this species in Virginia waters.

Seasonal Relationships Between Phytoplankton Composition, Abundance, And Primary Productivity In Three Tidal Rivers Of The Lower Chesapeake Bay, Harold G. Marshall, Kneeland K. Nesius

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The seasonal abundance and successional patterns of phytoplankton, including autotrophic picoplankton, are compared to spring, summer, and fall primary production maxima that occurred in three tidal rivers. The tidal freshwaters were dominated by diatoms, chlorophytes, and cyanobacteria during a late spring through early fall period of maximum growth. In contrast, downstream assemblages were dominated by estuarine diatoms, dinoflagellates, and cryptomonads which developed spring pulses and a protracted summer-fall maximum. Autotrophic picoplankton produced a major summer pulse at all river stations with reduced abundance during other seasons. The mean annual productivity rates for the tidal James, Rappahannock, and York rivers were …

Phytoplankton Relationships To Water Quality In Lake Drummond And Two Drainage Ditches, Christine G. Phillips, Harold G. Marshall

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

A twelve-month phytoplankton study was conducted in Lake Drummond and Washington and Jericho Ditches from December 1988 to November 1989. Four dominant phytoplankton groups were identified at these sites. These were the Bacillariophyceae, Cyanophyceae, Cryptophyceae and an autotrophic picoplankton component. Over the past 20 years there has been a decrease in the mean pH levels of Lake Drummond and the replacement of one its former major components, the Chlorophyceae, by the Cyanophyceae. Based on water quality analysis results and species diversity indices, Lake Drummond is classified as in an early eutrophic stage of development.

Description And Dynamics Of 50-Day Oscillations In The Western Tropical Region Of The Cme Model, Julie Lorraine Mcclean

OES Theses and Dissertations

The WOCE Community Modelling Effort (CME) general circulation model of the north Atlantic was used to investigate the behavior, nature and dynamics of 50-day oscillations seen in the meridional component of velocity between 35° and 55°W and between 5° and 11°N. Validation studies showed that the model reproduced the surface circulation in this area with a reasonable degree of accuracy, in particular, the characteristic seasonal variability. From June to December, the North Brazil Current (NBC) retroflects to form the western arm of the North Equatorial Countercurrent (NECC). Associated with the NECC is a standing meander pattern which extends from the …

Plankton Transport Patterns And Residence Times Around A Tall Seamount: Simulation Results, Dorlisa Louise Hommel

OES Theses and Dissertations

A semi-spectral primitive equation circulation model was used to simulate flow over an isolated gaussian seamount. Model configuration was such that a Taylor Cap was generated in the flow over the seamount. Arrays of 100 drifters were released in the simulated flow fields at several depths (50, 100, 200, and 400 m) both upstream and over the seamount. For several experiments vertical behaviors were imposed on the drifters to simulate zooplankton migration patterns. The drifter simulations extended for three months. Drifter transport patterns were determined by the initial release position of the drifter relative to the Taylor Cap as well …

Mat Movement In Coastal Louisiana Marshes: Effect Of Salinity And Inundation On Vegetation And Nutrient Levels, Christopher Martin Swarzenski

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

The present research compared and contrasted the physical structure of floating and rooted marshes, their differing responses to open-water salinities and inundation, as well as the nutrient distribution in the porewaters and sediment. The effects of the physical differences in the two marsh types on the ocurrence of the dominant emergent vegetation was discussed.

The main difference in physical structure of the two marsh types was the presence of a mineral, non-buoyant layer at 25-45 cm depth in the rooted marsh, which could serve as an anchor for the overlying highly organic mat layer found in both marsh types. Porewater …

Ring Dynamics In The Western Gulf Of Mexico, Adolphe W. Indest

OES Theses and Dissertations

The interaction of a recently-formed Loop Current ring and a fossil ring is studied using observations and a two-layered eddy-resolving general circulation model of the Gulf of Mexico. This interaction is investigated by following the evolution of volume, energy, potential vorticity, angular momentum and enstrophy within a model ring as it moves westward and encounters a fossil ring along the continental slope of the Gulf of Mexico. By comparing the model results with drifter and hydrographic data several new insights into ring/ring and ring/slope interactions are seen. A Loop Current ring may merge with a fossil ring along the slope. …

Factors Affecting The Kinetics Of Light Intensity Adaptation In Marine Phytoplankton, Chunzhi Guo

OES Theses and Dissertations

It has been suggested that the recent light history of phytoplankton and the kinetics of photoadaptation can be used to provide information about the vertical mixing processes in the upper mixed layer. To be useful as a parameter in a model of photoadaptation and vertical mixing, the response of a photoadaptive variable to changes in growth irradiance must be monotonic, significant, and comparable in time rate scale to mixing processes. Previous studies of photoadaptation kinetics have focused on the response of phytoplankton to changes in light intensity under continuous illumination. This dissertation attempts to elucidate the effects of light:dark cycle, …

The Growth And Bioenergetics Of Callinectes Sapidus Larvae And The Effects Of Diet Quality On Larval Physiology, James J. Pletl

OES Theses and Dissertations

Food quality, especially ω3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), can affect the physiology and metabolic efficiency of larvae of the blue crab, Callinectes sapidus. These affects may correlate with success in development and juvenile recruitment.

Larvae were exposed to two diets differing quantitatively in ω3 PUFA and respiration, excretion, growth, and feeding rates were measured for each larval stage and the megalopal stage. The energy partitioned to molts and specific dynamic action was also measured. T

he ω3 PUFA enriched diet resulted in a lower respiration rate when compared to the unsupplemented diet, but there was little differences in excretion …

Some Solutions To A Lens Model With Applications To Warm-Core Eddies, Juping Liu

OES Theses and Dissertations

A model of lens-shaped anticyclonic eddies based on nonlinear shallow water equations is developed. The model is a three-layer fluid and allows for one asymmetric mode as well as specified environmental flows. The solution scheme is a polynomial expansion of the field variables. When inserted into the hydrographic equations, the expansion yields eight first-order differential equations for the time dependent amplitudes. This system of ordinary differential equations is numerically tractable. As long as the initial values meet the requirement of elliptical structure and the prescribed external force is tolerable for the initial values, the numerical solutions are stable. Numerical solutions …

Diapycnal Mixing And Mass Transfer In Western Boundary Currents, Jose Luis Pelegri Llopart

OES Theses and Dissertations

The distribution of nutrient flux in five sections across the Gulf Stream (from the Florida Straits of 35°W) is characterized by an intense core, centered at the depth of the 26.8 σ_t isopycnal surface. This 'Nutrient Stream' transports nutrients of O(10³ kmol s^-1} of nitrate and proportional amounts of other nutrients. Water mass and nutrient balances of nine isopycnal layers reveal significant diapycnal mixing between upper-thermocline and surface waters in the sector of the Stream between the Florida Straits and the Mid-Atlantic Bight. A two-box model of the nutrient-depleted surface layers (σ_t < 26.8) and the nutrient-rich thermocline layers (26.8< σ_t < 27.5) shows upward one-way transfer and two-way exchange, both at a a rate at about 1.m²s …

Distribution Of Foraminifera And Pollen In Coastal Depositional Environments Of The Southern Delmarva Peninsula, Virginia, U.S.A., Han Jun Woo

OES Theses and Dissertations

The coastal zone of the southern Delmarva Peninsula exhibits a wide variety of barrier island system subenvironments. This study investigates whether 20 a priori subenvironments can be distinguished from each other on the basis of abiotic environmental variables, pollen assemblages, living foraminiferal populations, and total (living plus dead) foraminiferal assemblages.

The physical data collected from the coastal zone were subjected to canonical variate analysis which discriminated 83% of the stations in 19 groups. These groups were clustered into two internally overlapping sets which represented the inside and outside of the inlet.

Twenty-two pollen types were found in low-energy marsh and …

Molecular And Physiological Responses Of Diatoms To Variable Levels Of Irradiance And Nitrogen Availability: Growth Of Skeletonema Costatum In Simulated Upwelling Conditions, G. Jason Smith, Richard C. Zimmerman, Randall S. Alberte

OES Faculty Publications

Molecular mechanisms that drive metabolic acclimation to environmental shifts have been poorly characterized in phytoplankton. In this laboratory study. the response of light- and N-limited Skeletonema costatum cells to an increase in light and NO₃ availability was examined. C assimilation was depressed relative to N assimilation early in enrichment, and the photosynthetic quotient (O₂: CO₂) increased, consistent with the shunting of reducing equivalents from CO₂ fixation to NO₃- reduction. The concomitant increase in dark respiration was consistent with the increased energetic demand associated with macromolecular synthesis. The accelerations of N-specific rates of …

The Role Of Benthic Fluxes Of Dissolved Organic Carbon In Oceanic And Sedimentary Carbon Cycling, Davd J. Burdige, Marc J. Alperin, Juliana Homstead, Christopher S. Martens

OES Faculty Publications

Benthic fluxes (sediment-water exchange) of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) represent a poorly quantified component of sedimentary and oceanic carbon cycling. In this paper we use pore water DOC data and direct DOC benthic flux measurements to begin to quantitatively examine this problem. These results suggest that marine sediments represent a significant source of DOC to the oceans, as a lower limit of the globally-integrated benthic DOC flux is comparable in magnitude to riverine inputs of organic carbon to the oceans. Benthic fluxes of DOC also appear to be similar in magnitude to other sedimentary processes such as organic carbon oxidation …

A Numerical Study Of The Variability And The Separation Of The Gulf Stream, Induced By Surface Atmospheric Forcing And Lateral Boundary Flows, Tal Ezer, George L. Mellor

CCPO Publications

A primitive equation model is used to study the effects of surface and lateral forcing on the variability and the climatology of the Gulf Stream system. The model is an eddy-resolving, coastal ocean model that includes thermohaline dynamics and a second-order turbulence closure scheme to provide vertical mixing. The surface forcing consists of wind stress and heat fluxes obtained from the Comprehensive Ocean-Atmosphere Data Set (COADS). Sensitivity studies are performed by driving the model with different forcing (e.g., annual versus zero surface forcing or monthly versus annual forcing). The model climatology, obtained from a five-year simulation of each case, is …

Effects Of Wind, Density, And Bathymetry On A One-Layer Southern Ocean Model, John M. Klinck

CCPO Publications

Steady solutions from a one-layer, wind-driven, primitive equation model are analyzed to determine the importance of wind forcing, pressure gradient force due to the climatological density distribution and bottom form drag on circulation in the Southern Ocean. Five simulations are discussed: three wind-forced simulations, with differing bathymetry (flat bottom, 15% bathymetry, and full bathymetry), one case with full bathymetry forced with the density-induced pressure force, and one case with full bathymetry forced by both wind and density-induced pressure gradients. The simulations presented here confirm the previous speculation (Munk and Palmen, 1951) that form drag is effective in balancing the driving …

Seasonal Phytoplankton Development Within Three Rivers In The Lower Chesapeake Bay Region, Harold G. Marshall, Lewis F. Affronti

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The seasonal and inter-annual concentrations of phytoplankton were studied over a 50 month period in the lower James, York and Rappahannock Rivers (USA). Differences in the onset, duration and magnitude of major seasonal growth periods varied from year to year. There was a tendency for spring, summer and fall maxima, with a winter period of reduced abundance. An additional study of picoplankton over a 12 month period indicated greatest abundance during summer and fall, with least development in winter.

Spiny Lobster Recruitment In South Florida: Quantitative Experiments And Management Implications, Mark J. Butler Iv, William F. Herrnkind

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Understanding recruitment and identifying factors critical to that process are imperative if adult spiny lobster Panulirus argus stocks are to be conserved and properly managed. The goal of our research has been to obtain ecological information linking inshore postlarval spiny lobster recruitment to later life stages, thereby providing the basic framework for assessing and predicting adult stock. Since 1983, we have investigated various aspects of spiny lobster recruitment including: postlarval time-to-metamorphosis, postlarval/juvenile habitat selection and selection cues, postlarval/juvenile crypticity and susceptibility to predation, juvenile food preference and emigration, juvenile sociality, and the effect of habitat degradation (i.e., siltration) on postlarval/juvenile …

Development And Standardization Of A Short-Term Assay For Evaluating Polluted Estuarine And Coastal Environments: The Medaka Embryo-Larval Assay, Michael Frederick Helmstetter

OES Theses and Dissertations

The eggs of the Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes) were employed in a number of studies to develop a routine, standardized assay which can assess the acute and sublethal impacts of individual toxicants and complex mixtures. The eggs of this Cyprinodont minnow were topically treated with each toxicant or mixture dissolved in membrane permeable dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) solvent. Nine chemicals were initially evaluated with two, pentachlorophenol (PCP) and tributyltin chloride (TBTCl), subsequently selected for extensive evaluations of salinity tolerance and the accuracy of the topical exposure method for representing a typical immersion exposure. The amount of material actually penetrating the eggs was …

Vorticity Dynamics Of Seasonal Variations Of The Antarctic Circumpolar Current From A Modeling Study, John M. Klinck

CCPO Publications

A one-layer numerical model was developed to analyze the vorticity dynamics of the seasonal variations of currents in the Southern Ocean. The model includes the continental geometry and bathymetry of the Southern Ocean and is forced by monthly climatological wind stress. Five cases are considered that compare (i) circulation over a flat bottom to that with bathymetry, (ii) effects of zonally averaged wind stress forcing versus the climatological forcing and (iii) anomaly wind stress (winds with the annual mean removed) versus the full stress. The individual terms in the vorticity conservation equation are calculated from the model solution along two …

Processes Affecting The Behavior Of Redox-Sensitive Elements In Chesapeake Bay, Maria Lourdes San Diego-Mcglone

OES Theses and Dissertations

Several processes can affect variations in the chemical composition of an estuary, including (1) biogeochemical reactions in the water column, (2) advective transport, and (3) diffusion from underlying sediments.

The purpose of the study was to establish whether estuarine redox reactions are controlled by a complex interaction of processes 1 to 3. Short-term and long-term studies were conducted in Chesapeake Bay. Redox species involved in redox cycling include oxygen, iron, manganese, hydrogen sulfide, nitrogen species, arsenic and antimony species, while phosphate is indirectly involved in redox cycles. Silicate was used as a non-redox tracer.

For the short-term study, a Lagrangian …