Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology Commons^™

Spatiotemporal Evolution Of Surface Water Quality And Driving Factors Across Varying Levels Of Human Interference In A Major Subbasin Of The Yellow River Basin, China, Longmei Xie, Ruizhong Gao, Xixi Wang, Limin Duan, Lijing Fang, Hui Tong, Chang Yue, Tingxi Liu

Civil & Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Study region

The Dahei River Basin, a sub-basin of the Yellow River Basin, was selected for this study. Encompassing population centers and villages in Inner Mongolia, it supports vital ecosystems and underscores the need to address its unique challenges in water management and protection.

Study focus

This study examines surface water quality dynamics in the Dahei River Basin, a key aspect of sustainable water management. Predicting spatiotemporal variations and driving factors remains challenging. Using 2013–2023 datasets on water quality, hydrology, and meteorology, the composite pollution index (CPI), ANOVA, and generalized additive models were applied to provide insights for effective management. …

The First Iucn Red List Of Cold-Water Corals Highlights Global Declines, Julia D. Sigwart, A. Louise Allcock, Renata Carolina Mikosz Arantes, Kelsey Archer Barnhill, Narissa Bax, Julia S. Beneti, Saskia Brix, Gudmundur Gudmundsson, Catherine S. Mcfadden, Severin A. Korfhage, Christi Linardich, Declan Morrissey, Pedro De Oliveira Nascimento, Bárbara De Moura Neves, Steinunn H. Ólafsdóttir, Stefán Ragnarsson, Kaveh Samimi-Namin, Íris Sampaio, Mark E. De Wilt

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The most well-known species-based conservation tool is the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. The current coverage of species in the Red List is known to under-represent benthic marine species. Cold-water corals (CWCs) are increasingly recognised as key to deep-water biodiversity and integral to protected vulnerable marine ecosystems (VMEs), but no deep-sea coral species were previously included in the Red List. We selected 22 cold-water coral species in the Northeast Atlantic, including 4 reef-forming stony corals and 18 octocorals including sea pens and gorgonians, and completed the first IUCN Red List global assessments …

A Blueprint To Greener Shorelines: Advancing The Effectiveness, Sustainability, And Widespread Adoption Of Coastal Nature-Based Solutions Through Transdisciplinary Research, Taylor M. Sloey, Sierra Hildebrandt, Rebecca L. Morris, Matthew V. Bilskie, Aaron Bland, David Bushek, Gabriella Dipetto, Daniel Elefant, Vincent Encomio, Ramin Familkhalili, Christine Hladik, Danielle Kreeger, Avery B. Paxton, Cindy M. Palinkas, Latina Steele, Andrew Scheld, Daisuke Taira, Jason D. Toft, Armando J. Ubeda, Christine Whitcraft, Donna Marie Bilkovic

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Coastal nature-based solutions (NbS) have emerged as powerful tools to enhance sustainable development and ecological restoration goals. As a rapidly growing field spanning across social, political, ecological, economic, and engineering disciplines, it is critical that researchers working in coastal NbS regularly attempt to identify emerging focal areas for scientific inquiry. Following the 27th Biennial meeting of the Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation, we provide a transdisciplinary perspective (including biologists, engineers, oceanographers, geoscientists, economists, and facilitators of workforce training programs) of pertinent research questions that, if answered, will advance the effectiveness, sustainability, and widespread adoption of coastal NbS. These suggestions for …

Thermal Tolerance Limits Of Mesophotic Corals In American Samoa, Daniel Barshis, Veronica Z. Radice, Katherine E. Parker, Nicholas Evensen

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

We analyzed the thermal tolerances of multiple coral species from an upper mesophotic (38–40m) and a shallow reef (5–10m) with our portable Coral Bleaching Automated Stress System (CBASS). Depth generalist Montipora grisea (deep and shallow) and depth specialists Pachyseris speciosa and Leptoseris sp. (deep only) were assayed from Leone, located on the western coast of Tutuila in American Samoa. Fragments from 10 genotypes of each species were exposed to a 17-hour thermal stress assay reaching four maximum temperatures ranging from 30–38°C under in situ light conditions (150 μmol photons m⁻² s⁻¹ under a Lee Filters “deep …

Integrated Valuation Of The Ecological, Social And Economic Benefits Provided By A Multifunctional Nature-Based Solution, Laura Costadone, Shan Zhang

ODU Articles

Nature-based Solutions (NbS) offer multifunctional approaches to address climate change and environmental challenges, providing a sustainable alternative to traditional gray infrastructure. Despite their promise, widespread adoption remains limited, in part due to an incomplete understanding of their full costs and benefits relative to conventional infrastructure. Traditional benefit–cost analyses often overlook non-monetized benefits and the interconnected ecosystem services provided by NbS. This study introduces a methodological approach to quantify both the physical and monetary value of ecosystem services and co-benefits delivered by an NbS project. We applied an integrated valuation framework to a case study in Virginia Beach, VA, USA, where …

High-Resolution Modeling Of Extreme Heat Events With Socioeconomic Consideration: A Real-Case Wrf-Les Approach, Maryam Golbazi, Frank Liu, Yin-Hsuen Chen, Timothy W. Juliano, Heather Richter

ODU Articles

The overarching goals of this work is to explore best practices for micro-scale modeling of a real case, identify relevant phenomena by using high-resolution modeling, and to explore their implications for public health, and climate resilience strategies in Hampton Roads, VA, USA. This project employs the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model to conduct a comprehensive study of Hampton Roads, utilizing a coupled mesoscale to microscale modeling capable of resolving boundary layer turbulence. This study has three primary objectives: (1) to establish the optimal mesoscale to Large-Eddy Simulation (LES) configurations for complex geographical regions such as the Hampton Roads (HR) …

Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment (Ace) Winds, Matthew Wyatt, Peter F. Bernath, Chris Boone, Léo Lavy, Ryan Johnson

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

The Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment Fourier Transform Spectrometer (ACE-FTS) uses limb geometry to measure transmittance spectra of Earth's atmosphere by solar occultation. Line-of-sight wind speeds can be derived via Doppler shifts of molecular lines in infrared spectra. The wind look direction angles relative to geodetic North are derived from geometry. We validate the new ACE version 5.3 (v.5.3) line-of-sight winds with MIGHTI and meteor radar vector wind observations and find a ±15 m/s sunrise/sunset shift above 80 km. We also compare line-of-sight winds from ACE-FTS v.5.2 and v.5.3 with vector winds from the MERRA-2, HWM14, and WACCM-X models. A ±15 m/s …

Sustainable Management Of Erosive Shores: An Interdisciplinary Approach Integrating Engineering And Social Sciences At A Tide-Dominant Beach Area, Jun Ik Sohn, Hyun Dong Kim, Kiran Adhithya Ramakrishnan

Civil & Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

This study investigates the causes and consequences of shoreline erosion at Kkotji Beach, a prominent tourist destination on the west coast of South Korea, where the degradation of the coastal environment has increasingly threatened the local tourism industry and economy, by employing a mixed-methods approach that combines field observations with MIKE 21 hydrodynamic simulations and by integrating perspectives from coastal engineering and the social sciences to develop practical, site-specific strategies for mitigating erosion, enhancing public awareness, and promoting sustainable coastal planning and development that support long-term environmental resilience and economic stability. The results show that dominant ebb currents drive southward …

Low Salinities Impair Heat Tolerance And Alter Reproductive Traits With No Implications For Survival In A Marine Annelid From Coastal Habitats, Gabrielle Newton, Gloria Massamba-N'Siala

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Climate change is expected to intensify salinity and temperature fluctuations in estuarine and coastal habitats. However, the impact of salinity variation on ectotherms’ thermal tolerance remains underexplored, limiting our understanding of the interplay between these stressors. This study investigated salinity-dependent changes in life history traits (survival, growth rate, fecundity, and egg size) over a 33-day exposure to a salinity gradient (12, 17, 22, 27, 32, 35, 40, 45, 50) in the marine annelid Ophryotrocha labronica. Individuals that survived the salinity treatments were assessed for their upper and lower thermal tolerance limits. Female individuals, the target of the study, exhibited …

Cellular Responses Of Astrangia Poculata (Ellis And Solander, 1786) And Its Symbiont To Experimental Heat Stress, Tyler E. Harman, Daniel Barshis, Briana Hauff Salas, Kevin B. Strychar

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Climate change has had devastating effects on tropical coral reefs; however, much less is known regarding how heat stress affects temperate coral. This research focuses on Astrangia poculata (Ellis and Solander, 1786) collected from Narragansett Bay, RI, during the summer and winter seasons and understanding the effect of experimental thermal extremes (i.e., 26 °C) on seasonally different populations. Photosynthetic efficiency (Fv/Fm), symbiont density (via an inverse relationship with pixel intensity), and oxidative stress via reactive oxygen species (ROS) concentrations were measured on symbiotic and aposymbiotic A. poculata. Higher Fv/Fm rates were observed in summer- vs. winter-collected corals (p ≤ …

Alternative Splicing In A Coral During Heat Stress Acclimation And Recovery, Nitin Baliga, Kathryn Stanklewicz, Jacob Valenzuela, Serdar Turkarsian, Wei-Ju Wu, Kelly Gomez-Campo, Nicolas Locatelli, Trinity Conn, Veronica Radice, Katherine Parker, Rachel Alderdice, Line Bay, Christian Voolstra, Daniel Barshis, Iliana Baums

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Climate change has caused drastic declines in corals. As sessile organisms, corals acclimate to environmental shifts through genome-wide changes in gene expression, epigenetic modifications, and alterations in microbiome composition. However, alternative splicing (AS), a conserved mechanism of stress response in many organisms, has been under-explored in corals. Using short-term acute thermal stress assays, we investigated patterns of AS in the scleractinian coral Acropora cervicornis during response to low (33°C), medium (35°C), and high (37°C) heat stress and subsequent overnight recovery. Our findings demonstrate reproducible dynamic shifts in AS of at least 40 percent of all genes during response to heat …

Analyzing Microbial Communities In Porites Astreoides, Sanaa Caldwell, Katie Parker, Daniel Barshis

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Coral reefs are vital marine ecosystems that support many different species and ecosystem services through protecting coastlines from storms and erosion, providing raw materials for medication, and facilitating diversity amongst marine species. Anthropogenic climate change is causing ocean temperatures to exceed the range of coral thermal tolerance resulting in more coral bleaching events globally. However, some corals have the capacity to withstand high temperatures through different thermal tolerance strategies. A balanced microbial community plays a critical role in coral health and recent studies have indicated that a balanced microbiome is associated with temperature-stress tolerant corals. Yet, there is a severe …

Summer Temperature Maxima Already Challenge Thermal Capacities Of Coral In The Southern Persian/Arabian Gulf, Rachel Alderdice, Gabriela Perna, Hannah Manns, Anna Fiesinger, Luigi Colin, Kathryn Stankiewicz, Kelly Gomez-Campo, Samantha Goyen, Line Bayse, Nitin Baliga, Jake Valenzuela, Iliana B. Baums, Daniel J. Barshis, John A. Burt, Christian R. Voolstra

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The future of coral reefs remains uncertain as intensifying ocean warming continues to drive coral decline and demise worldwide. Corals occurring in extreme environments such as the Persian/Arabian Gulf (PAG), the world’s warmest sea, represent a promising resource to study the genetic architecture of thermal tolerance. However, their thermal capacities remain unresolved. We applied short-term heat stress assays using the Coral Bleaching Automated Stress System (CBASS) to determine signatures of thermal tolerance from three common species (Porites harrisoni, Platygyra daedalea, and Cyphastrea microphthalma) across three sites (two in the extreme southern PAG and a more benign …

Selective Nutrient Incorporation May Underestimate Heterotrophy Of A Mixotrophic Reef-Building Coral, Connor R. Love, Marleen Stuhr, Michael D. Fox, Veronica Z. Radice, Maoz Fine, Kelton W. Mcmahon, David L. Valentine

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Mixotrophic reef-building corals acquire nutrition via photosynthate translocation from endosymbiotic microalgae and by heterotrophic prey/particle capture. Heterotrophy promotes resistance to, and recovery from, environmental stress, but quantifying coral heterotrophy remains difficult due to complex resource exchanges within the coral holobiont. We interrogated the response of multiple biomarkers to coral heterotrophy using fatty acid profiling and stable isotope analysis of Stylophora pistillata grown along a controlled feeding gradient from pure autotrophy to pure heterotrophy. We found that fatty acids and nitrogen were effectively incorporated into both coral host and symbiont tissues, while carbon, which is the primary target for conventional heterotrophy …

Predictive Maintenance In Naval Vessel Propulsion Systems For Enhanced Marine Operations Using A Bigmm-Hmm Framework With Divergence-Based Clustering, Farshid Javadnejad, Hyoshin John Park, Samuel Kovacic, Andres Sousa-Poza

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

This study introduces a BiGMM-HMM Integration Framework designed to improve predictive maintenance strategies for naval vessel propulsion systems, addressing the need for efficient and reliable operation in marine engineering applications. The framework effectively manages multimodal sensor data by leveraging a unique combination of Gaussian Mixture Models (GMMs) and Hidden Markov Models (HMMs) in a bidirectional architecture. It analyses the dynamic interactions between sensors and subsystems. Two preprocessing methods are evaluated: Method 1 focuses on subsystem interactions, employing divergence-based root cause analysis to identify key sensor variables by clustering of sensors and subsystems. In contrast, Method 2 processes the entire dataset …

Suntan (And Other Solar Tigonometric Functions), John Adam

Mathematics & Statistics Faculty Publications

Question 1: If I₀ is the solar irradiance (power per unit area, W/m²) reaching my head, express the intensity on the side of my face (I_s) in terms of θ. Assume for now that the irradiance is independent of path length through the atmosphere and that my face is normal to the direction θ = 90°.

Using the 1962 U.S. Standard Atmosphere,² Hottel (1976)³ expressed the solar irradiance using the formula

I = I₀(a₀ + a₁e^{−k sec θ}), where A is the elevation in kilometers and

a₀ = 0.4237 − 0.00821(6 − A)²; a₁ = 0.5055 …

A Question Of Transparency, John Adam

Mathematics & Statistics Faculty Publications

Question 1: Why is it easier to see through rain than fog?

Start thinking about this by imagining a fixed volume (V) of water being dispersed into, say, N identical droplets of diameter d. Surface area and volume considerations should lead to the answer in terms of V and d.

Question 2: (a) How "long" (in meters) might such a rain shower or fog bank be?

Hint: Suppose you are looking along a linear stack of S cubes with 1-m sides (through the rain or fog). Each cube contains N drops. If p is the visibility (i.e., the fraction of …

A Multispecies, Multisite Assessment Of Coral Thermal Tolerances In American Samoa, Using Acute Heat Stress Assays, Ponchanok Weeriyanun, Nicolas R. Evensen, Katherine E. Parker, Veronica Z. Radice, Daniel J. Barshis

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Reef-building corals are being impacted by increasing seawater temperatures, with marine heatwaves leading to mass bleaching events and extensive mortality. However, corals can display variation in thermal tolerance, both within and among species. In this study, we sampled four coral species (Acropora hyacinthus, Montipora grisea, Pocillopora verrucosa, and Porites lobata) from two sites on Tutuila, American Samoa, with contrasting environmental regimes but similar Maximum Monthly Means (MMM). Coral fragments were subjected to short-term acute heat stress experiments using the Coral Bleaching Automated Stress System (CBASS). PAM Fluorometry was used to measure the symbiont’s effective quantum yield (Fv/Fm) following heat stress …

Moderate Heating Renders 7.8-Million-Year-Old Sedimentary Organic Matter Bioavailable, Shuchai Gan, Verena B. Heuer, Frauke Schmidt, Lars Wormer, Faming Wang, Rishi R. Adhikari, Patrick Hatcher, Ann Pearson, Kai-Uwe Hinrichs

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Marine sediments are a large reservoir of recalcitrant organic matter and host microbes at subsurface depths exceeding 2.4 kilometers and temperatures up to 120°C, yet the mechanisms supplying bioavailable substrates remain unclear. Here, we investigated 7.8-million-year-old sediment from IODP Site C0012 off the Nankai Trough, Japan, through incubations at 20°, 35°, 55°, and 85°C to simulate burial temperatures. Using 3D fluorescence spectroscopy and ultrahigh-resolution mass spectrometry, we tracked changes in dissolved organic matter (DOM). At 35°C, humic-like DOM was released alongside metal ions, exhibiting low bioavailability. At 55°C, abiotic decomposition of humic compounds generated smaller, more bioavailable DOM, promoting fermentation. …

Co₂ Isotopologues From The Ace Satellite, D. English, P. Bernath, C. Boone

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Carbon dioxide isotopologues have been studied thoroughly in the troposphere. In the stratosphere, the minor oxygen CO₂ isotopologues have anomalous abundances due to their exchange reactions with isotopically fractionated ozone, differentiating them from tropospheric CO₂. Previously a model predicted that this anomalous isotopic abundance continues into the mesosphere but lacked verification from experimental observations. Here we use the Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment Fourier Transform Spectrometer which records infrared transmittance spectra of the Earth's limb from low Earth orbit using solar occultation. These infrared spectra provide measurements of global CO₂ isotopologue volume mixing ratios (VMRs) from the upper troposphere to the lower …

Analysis Of Aerosols In The Asian Monsoon Anticyclone As Observed By The Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment, M. Lecours, R. Dodangodage, C. D. Boone, P. F. Bernath

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

During the Asian summer monsoon season, pollutants from the lower troposphere are transported through deep convection to the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere. Surface pollutants such as CO are transported upward and trapped in the anticyclone during this unique atmospheric phenomenon. Associated with the anticyclone is a layer of enhanced aerosols located near the tropopause often referred to as the Asian tropopause aerosol layer (ATAL). The chemical and physical properties of aerosols in the ATAL are not yet fully understood as direct observations of the aerosols are limited. The Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment (ACE) is a satellite mission that provides high-resolution …

Building Heat-Resilient Caribbean Reefs: Integrating Thermal Thresholds And Coral Colonies Selection In Restoration, Macarena Blanco Pimentel, Johanna Calle-Triviño, Daniel J. Barshis, Sancia E. T. Van Der Meij, Megan K. Morikawa

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Caribbean reefs face increasingly frequent and intense bleaching events, adding to the numerous other threats impacting these ecosystems. Addressing these challenges requires global action to reduce climate drivers, along with local efforts like reef restoration. Active restoration using thermotolerant coral colonies offers a potential strategy to alleviate these impacts; however, gaps remain in identifying context-specific temperature thresholds to guide colony selection and standardize thermotolerance assessment methods. This study addressed these gaps in two phases. First, by determining practical thresholds to differentiate species responses to heat stress; and second, by developing a framework to identify and prioritize resilient colonies for restoration. …

Future-Oriented Coastal Protection: The Utility Of Living Shorelines Under Changing Climatic Conditions, Gabriella R. Dipetto, Donna Marie Bilkovic, Taylor M. Sloey, Erik S. Yando, Erik L. Walters

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

An accumulation of novel nature-based shoreline management techniques have developed over the past two decades out of the continued need to protect waterfront land combined with an awareness of the relationship between healthy coastal ecosystems and human societies. Shoreline protection strategies such as living shorelines incorporate these nature-based approaches to simultaneously enhance ecosystem functioning while providing shoreline stabilization benefits. The continued role of these approaches into the future, however, will be challenged by a rapidly changing coastal environment. While living shorelines have received global attention and integration into climate policy and governance frameworks, the ability of shoreline systems to withstand …

The Pluralistic Natural Capital Values Of A Tropical City, Adrienne Grêt-Regamey, Justine Saunders, Peter Edwards, Daniel Richards, Jahson I. Alemu, Natasha Bhatia, Roman Carrasco, Zuzana Drillet, Tze Kwan Fung, Yan Feng Leon Gaw, Wanggi Jaung, Andrea Law, Rachel Ai Ting Leong, Aikeen Youu Ming Lim, Mahyar Masoudi, Yudhishthra Nathan, Rachel Rui Ying Oh, Wen Ting Ooi, Fairul Edros Ahmad Shaikh Shaikh, Xiao Ping Song, Claudia L.Y. Tan, Puay Yok Tan, Sergio Wicki, Lynn-Wei Wong, Yanyun Yan, Erik Yando, Alex Thiam Koon Yee, Jingyuan Zhang, Daniel A. Friess

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Nature in cities is essential for human well-being. Quantifying and valuing the goods and services provided by nature to city dwellers is missing in tropical contexts. Yet, as cities worldwide face similar challenges, understanding the services provided by tropical urban ecosystems becomes imperative for effective management. Here, we present the first Natural Capital Assessment of a tropical city, unveiling three critical insights. Firstly, we demonstrate the vital reliance of a developed tropical city on nature, particularly for climate change mitigation through regulating services. Secondly, we identify intact natural areas as Singapore’s most valuable assets, stressing the significance of the quality …

Drone-Based Medication Delivery For Rural, Flood-Prone Coastal Cities, Yin-Hsuen Chen, Amro M. El-Adle, Kevin J. O'Brien, Taylor Wentworth, Heather G. Richter

Center for Geospatial Science, Education & Analytics Faculty Publications

Access to healthcare remains a critical challenge for rural populations, particularly in flood-prone coastal communities where transportation barriers limit access to essential medical services. This study evaluates the effectiveness of drone-based medication delivery in improving healthcare accessibility for vulnerable populations on Virginia’s Eastern Shore. Compared to traditional personal vehicle travel, drone delivery reduced trip times from up to 50 minutes to under 10 minutes for more than 80% of the population, including elderly patients. Using publicly available datasets, we developed two transportation vulnerability indices that incorporate age, travel time, and flood risk to prioritize patients for drone-based pharmaceutical delivery. These …

Twenty Years Of Global Stratospheric Fluorine Inventories From Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment Fourier Transform Spectrometer (Ace-Fts) Measurements, N. Raymond, P. Bernath, C. Boone, M. Chipperfield

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

We present fluorine inventories calculated for twenty years (2004–2023) and five latitude bands (82°–60°N, 60°–30°N, 30°N–30°S, 30°–60°S, and 60°–82°S) at altitudes from the surface up to 55 km. The inventories were calculated using the Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment Fourier transform spectrometer (ACE‐FTS) version 5.2 retrievals of the volume mixing ratios (VMRs) of 15 fluorine‐containing species. Of these 15 species, 3 are product gases: HF, COF₂, COCIF, and 12 are source gases: SF₆, PFC-14 (CF₄), CFC-11 (CCl₃F), CFC-12 (CCl₂F₂), CFC-113 (CCIF₂CCl₂F), HCFC-22 (CHF₂CL), HCFC-141b(C₂H₃Cl₂F), HCFC-142b ( …

Engagement In Practice: Partnering With Communities To Address Nuisance Flooding Challenges, Carol L. Considine, Mujde Erten-Unal, Dalya Ismael, Luka Alandra Hamal-Serenity, Farzaneh Soflaei

Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

Many communities are already experiencing the impacts of climate change that disrupt their daily lives. In Coastal Virginia, these impacts take the form of nuisance and stormwater flooding caused by sea level rise and changes in precipitation. Coastal Virginia has one of the highest relative sea level rise rates on the Atlantic Coast and the regional planning district commission recommends that Atlas 14 rainfall intensity, duration, and frequency curves be increased by 20% to account for changes in rainfall. The Coastal Community Design Collaborative (CCDC), a partnership between Hampton University Architecture and Old Dominion University Engineering & Technology, has had …

Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment (Ace) V.5.3 Winds: Validation And Model Comparisons, Matthew Wyatt, Peter F. Bernath, Chris Boone, Leo Lavy, Ryan Johnson

Physics Faculty Publications

The Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment Fourier Transform Spectrometer (ACE-FTS) uses limb geometry to measure transmittance spectra of Earth's atmosphere by solar occultation. Line-of-sight wind speeds can be derived via Doppler shifts of molecular lines in infrared spectra. The wind look direction angles relative to geodetic north are derived from geometry. We validate the new ACE version 5.3 (v.5.3) line-of-sight winds with MIGHTI and meteor radar vector wind observations and find a -15 m s^-¹ (+15 m s^-¹) sunrise (sunset) shift above 80 km. We also compare line-of-sight winds from ACE-FTS v.5.2 and v.5.3 with vector winds from …

A Question Of Transparency: Solutions For Fermi Questions, March 2025, John Adam

Mathematics & Statistics Faculty Publications

Question 1: Why is it easier to see through rain than fog?

Start thinking about this by imagining a fixed volume (V) of water being dispersed into, say, N identical droplets of diameter d. Surface area and volume considerations should lead to the answer in terms of V and d.

Solution to Question 1: N = VI(πd³/6) = 6V/πd³ ≈ 2V/d³.

The cross-sectional area A of each drop is πd²/4 ≈ 3d²/4, so the total area blocked off (assuming no overlapping drops—so this is an upper bound) is NA ≈ 1.5V/d, so the area blocked off is inversely proportional to …

High Temporal Resolution Gene Expression Analysis Of Acute Heat Stress Response In Acropora Cervicornis And Porites Astreoides, Katherine Parker, Nicolas Evensen, Iliana Baums, Daniel Barshis

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Widespread coral bleaching and mortality events are becoming increasingly frequent due to rising ocean temperatures, though certain coral species and populations have displayed higher tolerance to elevated emperatures than others. As such, it is of high research priority to identify thermally tolerant coral populations for research and conservation and assess the biological mechanisms allowing these populations to survive exposure to higher temperatures. This research utilized the Coral Bleaching Automated Stress System (CBASS), a portable experimental aquaria system with precise temperature manipulation, to assess the thermal thresholds and heat stress response of two coral species from Summerland Key, FL, USA. Seven …