Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology Commons^™

A Monte Carlo Demographic Analysis Of The Silky Shark (Carcharhinus Falciformis): Implications Of Gear Selectivity, Lawrence R. Beerkircher, Mahmood S. Shivji, Enric Cortes

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

No abstract provided.

Histidine-Decarboxylase Knockout Mice Show Deficient Nonreinforced Episodic Object Memory, Improved Negatively Reinforced Water-Maze Performance, And Increased Neo- And Ventro-Striatal Dopamine Turnover, Ekrem Dere, Maria A. De Souza-Silva, Bianca Topic, Richard E. Spieler, Helmut L. Haas, Joseph P. Huston

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

The brain's histaminergic system has been implicated in hippocampal synaptic plasticity, learning, and memory, as well as brain reward and reinforcement. Our past pharmacological and lesion studies indicated that the brain's histamine system exerts inhibitory effects on the brain's reinforcement respective reward system reciprocal to mesolimbic dopamine systems, thereby modulating learning and memory performance. Given the close functional relationship between brain reinforcement and memory processes, the total disruption of brain histamine synthesis via genetic disruption of its synthesizing enzyme, histidine decarboxylase (HDC), in the mouse might have differential effects on learning dependent on the task-inherent reinforcement contingencies. Here, we investigated …

Assessment Of The Coral Reefs Of The Turks And Caicos Islands (Part 2: Fish Communities), Kaho Hoshino, Marilyn Brandt, Carrie Manfrino, Bernhard Riegl, Sascha C. C. Steiner

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Ecologically and commercially significant coral reef fishes were surveyed at 28 sites in the Turks and Caicos Islands during August 1999. Our results constitute the first quantitative census of these fishes and can serve as baseline information for subsequent studies. Their density and size generally were highest off West Caicos and lowest in Mouchoir Bank. Herbivore density overall showed no correlation with macroalgal index (a proxy for biomass) or live stony coral cover, but surgeonfish density was positively correlated with macroalgal index. Species richness of these select fishes was positively correlated with the species richness of stony corals that were …

Assessment Of The Coral Reefs Of The Turks And Caicos Islands (Part 1: Stony Corals And Algae), Bernhard Riegl, Carrie Manfrino, Casey Hermoyian, Marilyn Brandt, Kaho Hoshino

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Major constituents of the benthic reef community (stony corals, algae) were assessed in 28 reefs on the Caicos, Turks and Mouchoir Banks. Living stony coral cover ranged from 8-28%, averaging 18% overall. Montastraea annularis and M. faveolata of “intermediate” sizes (cm) dominated all examined reefs. Acropora palmata and A. cervicornis were scarce. The most frequently recruiting scleractinians were Porites astreoides and Agaricia agaricites; Montastraea recruits were uncommon. Old partial-colony mortality (overall mean = 23%) was greater than recent partial-colony mortality (mean = 3%). Crustose coralline algae and turf algae were generally more abundant than macroalgae. Mouchoir Bank, with the …

Holocene Paleoflood Hydrology Of The Lower Deschutes River, Oregon, Kurt J. Hosman, Lisa L. Ely, Jim E. O'Connor

Student Published Works

Flood deposits at four sites along the lower Deschutes River, Oregon, were analyzed to determine magnitude and frequency of late Holocene flooding. Deposit stratigraphy was combined with hydraulic modeling at two sites to determine ranges of likely discharges for individual deposits. Combining these results with gaged flood data provides improved flood frequency estimates at the Axford site. The completeness and age spans of preserved flood chronologies differed among the four sites, but results were consistent for the largest floods of the last 5000 years. Single floods exceeded 2860-3800 mVs -4600 cal yr BP, 1060-1810 mVs -1300 cal yr BP, and …

Ozone, Aerosol, Potential Vorticity, And Trace Gas Trends Observed At High-Latitudes Over North America From February To May 2000, Edward V. Browell, Jonathan Hair, Carolyn Butler, William B. Grant, Russell J. Deyoung, Marta Fenn, Vincent G. Brackett, Marian B. Clayton, Lorraine A. Brasseur, David B. Harper, Brian Ridley, Andrzej Klonecki, Peter Hess, L K. Emmons, Xuexi Tie, Elliot Atlas, C A. Cantrell, Anthony Wimmers, D R. Blake, Michael T. Coffey, James W. Hannigan, Jack E. Dibb, R. Talbot, F Flocke, Andrew Weinheimer, A Fried, B Wert, J Snow, Barry Lefer

Earth Sciences

Ozone (O₃) and aerosol scattering ratio profiles were obtained from airborne lidar measurements on thirty-eight flights over seven deployments covering the latitudes of 40°–85°N between 4 February and 23 May 2000 as part of the Tropospheric Ozone Production about the Spring Equinox (TOPSE) field experiment. Each deployment started from Broomfield, Colorado, with bases in Churchill, Canada, and on most deployments, Thule Air Base, Greenland. Nadir and zenith lidar O₃ measurements were combined with in situ O₃measurements to produce vertically continuous O₃ profiles from near the surface to above the tropopause. Potential vorticity (PV) distributions …

The State Of Coral Reef Ecosystems Of The United States And Pacific Freely Associated States: 2002, Donna D. Turgeon, Rebecca G. Asch, Billy Causey, Richard E. Dodge, Walter Jaap, Kenneth Banks, Joanne Delaney, Brian Keller, Richard E. Spieler, Cruz A. Matos, Jorge R. Garcia, Ernesto Diaz, Don Catanzaro, Caroline Rogers, Zandy Hillis-Starr, Richard Nemeth, Herman Taylor, Marcia Taylor, George P. Schmahl, Margaret W. Miller, David A. Gulko, James E. Maragos, Alan Friedlander, Cynthia L. Hunter, Russell E. Brainard, Peter Craig, Robert H. Richmond, Gerry W. Davis, John Starmer, Michael Trianni, Peter Houk, Charles E. Birkeland, Ahser Edward, Yimnang Golbuu, Jay Gutierrez, Noah Idechong, James E. Maragos, Gustav Paulay, Andrew Tafileichig, Nancy Vander Velde

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Reports

Called for by the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force’s (USCRTF) National Action Plan to Conserve Coral Reefs, this is the first biennial report on the condition of coral reefs. It is the scientific baseline for subsequent reports on the health of U.S. coral reef ecosystems that are to be used by NOAA and others to evaluate the efficacy of coral reef conservation and management practices. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Ocean Service led the development of this report. It was authored by 38 experts and supported by 79 contributors from government agencies and non-governmental organizations across the nation …

Habitat Standardization Of Cpue Indices: Research Needs, C. Phillip Goodyear, David Die, David W. Kerstetter, Donald Olson, Eric Prince, Gerald P. Scott

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Reports

Habitat standardization for billfish CPUE offers a potentially useful alternative to the statistical procedures used in the past. However, most of the assumptions of the current habitatstandardization methodology remain untested and some are not consistent with current knowledge about the behavior of billfish. This paper outlines research required to ensure the methods for habitat standardization produce robust estimates of CPUE.

Habitat Preferences Of Istiophorid Billfishes In The Western North Atlantic: Applicability Of Archival Tag Data To Habitat-Based Stock Assessment Methodologies, John E. Graves, David W. Kerstetter, Brian E. Luckhurst, Eric D. Prince

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Reports

The Japanese pelagic longline fishery, which has a broad temporal and spatial coverage in the Atlantic Ocean, provides an important time series used in assessments of istiophorid billfishes. Past assessments of Atlantic blue marlin and white marlin by the ICCAT SCRS indicate a pronounced decrease in stock abundance of both species over the past fifty years. The current biomass of the white marlin is estimated to be 15% of that necessary for maximum sustainable yield (BMSY), while blue marlin are estimated to be at 0.4 BMSY. Over the past fifty years Japanese pelagic longline fishing operations have moved from shallow …

Sea Turtle Conservation Program, Broward County, Fl 2003 Report, Curtis M. Burney, Stefanie Ouellette

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Reports

No abstract provided.

Status Of Coral Reefs Of Little Cayman, Grand Cayman And Cayman Brac, British West Indies, In 1999 And 2000 (Part 1: Stony Corals And Algae), Carrie Manfrino, Bernhard Riegl, Jerome L. Hall, Robert Graifman

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

A benthic assessment of the isolated Cayman Islands was completed at 42 sites. Major changes in the reef community structure were documented by comparison with earlier studies. Acropora palmata and A. cervicornis, once abundant as shallow framework builders, were uncommon. Diseased stony corals were seen in >90% of the study sites, with the highest averages in Little Cayman, especially at Bloody Bay which is one of the most highly regulated marine parks in the Cayman Islands. The Montastraea annularis species complex accounted for two-thirds of the diseased corals which, along with other massive species, were affected largely by white-plague …

Marine Biological Monitoring In Broward County, Florida: Year 3 Annual Report, David S. Gilliam, Richard Dodge, Richard E. Spieler, Lance K. B. Jordan, Jamie A. Vernacchio

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Reports

A study has been undertaken to monitor Broward County, Florida (southeast Florida) coral communities, reef fish assemblages and sedimentation rates in relation to possible effects from a proposed extensive beach renourishment (restoration) project. Coral communities and reef fish assemblages will be monitored at a total of 23 stations distributed offshore Broward County. This monitoring effort will characterize and quantify populations of scleractinian (stony) corals, octocorallian (gorgonian) corals, sponges, and reef fishes. In addition, sediment traps located at each station will be sampled and analyzed.

This document reports the data collected during the third year of this project. Coral communities and …

A World Class Ecdis Laboratory, Darrell H. Smith, Lee Alexander

Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping

No abstract provided.

Growth And Survivorship Of Meandrina Meandrites And Montastrea Cavernosa Transplants To An Artificial Reef Environment, And The Effectiveness Of Plugging Core Holes In Transplant Donor Colonies, Elizabeth Glynn Fahy

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

The growth and survivorship of two species of scleractinian coral transplants, Meandrina meandrites and Montastrea cavernosa, were investigated. Identically sized replicate transplants were obtained from the second reef, off Dania Beach, using a hydraulic drill fitted with a 4” core barrel. The transplants were fixed to Reef Ball™ substrates using an adhesive marine epoxy. Drill holes in the donor corals (core holes) were filled with concrete plugs to prevent the detrimental effects of bioeroders. Control corals, of comparable size to both the donor colonies and the transplant corals, were selected for comparison. The transplant corals, donor corals, and controls …

Near-Real-Time Measurement Of Sea-Salt Aerosol During The Seas Campaign: Comparison Of Emission-Based Sodium Detection With An Aerosol Volatility Technique, P. Campuzano-Jost, Catherine D. Clark, H. Maring, D. S. Covert, S. Howell, V. Kapustin, K. A. Clarke, E. S. Saltzman, A. J. Hynes

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

The first deployment of an emission-based aerosol sodium detector (ASD), designed to chemically characterize marine aerosols on a near-real-time basis, is reported. Deployment occurred as part of the Shoreline Environment Aerosol Study ( SEAS) from 16 April to 1 May 2000 at Bellows Air Force Base on the east side of Oahu, where the University of Hawaii's Department of Oceanography maintains a tower for aerosol measurements. The instrument was operated in size-unsegregated mode and measurements were made that included two extended continuous sampling periods, each of which lasted for 24 h. During this time, the ASD was compared with measurements …

Diurnal Variation In The Basal Emission Rate Of Isoprene, Jennifer L. Funk, Clive G. Jones, Christine J. Baker, Heather M. Fuller, Christian P. Giardina, Manuel T. Lerdau

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Isoprene is emitted from numerous plant species and profoundly influences tropospheric chemistry. Due to the short lifetime of isoprene in the atmosphere, developing an understanding of emission patterns at small time scales is essential for modeling regional atmospheric chemistry processes. Previous studies suggest that diurnal fluctuations in isoprene emission may be substantial, leading to inaccuracies in emission estimates at larger scales. We examined diurnal patterns in the basal emission rate of isoprene in red oak (Quercus rubra), eastern cottonwood (Populus deltoides), and eucalyptus (Eucalyptus saligna) and the influence of light and temperature on the magnitude of these diurnal patterns. Maximum …

Fishes Of The Red River In Arkansas, Thomas M. Buchanan, Drew Wilson, L. G. Claybrook, William G. Layher

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Fishes were collected from Red River mainstem habitats in Arkansas with seines, rotenone, hoop nets, gill nets, and trotlines from 1995 through 2001. Seventy-two species were identified distributed among 17 families, and 15 species were new records for the Red River in Arkansas. Eighty-three species are now historically known from the Arkansas segment of the Red River. Approximately 67% of the fishes known from the entire Red River have been found in the Arkansas segment, which is only 11% of the entire river length. Baseline data on the fish fauna of the Red River is critical for the analysis of …

Computer Modeling Of Tornado Forces On A Cubic Building Using Large Eddy Simulation, R. Panneer Selvam, Paul C. Millett

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

A tornado changes its wind speed and direction rapidly; therefore, it is difficult to study the effects of a tornado on buildings in a wind tunnel. The status of the tornado-structure interaction and various models of the tornado wind field found in literature are surveyed. Three dimensional computer modeling work using the turbulence model based on large eddy simulation is presented. The effect of a tornado on a cubic building is considered for this study. The Navier-Stokes (NS) equations are approximated by the finite difference method and solved by an implicit procedure. The force coefficients are plotted in time to …

The Effect On Water Quality Of Riverine Input Into Coastal Wetlands, Robert Raymond Lane

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation focuses on impact on water quality of two freshwater diversions, the Bonnet Carre Spillway and the Caernarvon freshwater diversion, as well as the Atchafalaya River Estuarine Complex. As water passed through the Bonnet Carre Spillway, there were reductions in total suspended sediment concentrations of 82-83%, in nitrite+nitrate of 28-42%, in total nitrogen (TN) of 26-30%, and in total phosphorus (TP) of 50-59%. The Si:N ratio generally increased and the N:P ratio decreased from the river to the plume edge in Lake Pontchartrain. At the Caernarvon diversion, there were reductions in concentrations of dissolved inorganic Si, N, and P …

Experimental Investigation Of Elemental Incorporation In The Otoliths Of Larval And Juvenile Fish: Implications For Use As Environmental Recorders, Gretchen Bath Martin

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Innovative techniques for discerning fish stocks, identifying nursery habitats, locating spawning sites, tracing larval transport pathways, and quantifying the degree of population connectivity are required to meet the goals of sustainable management of marine capture fisheries. One of the most promising techniques is the use of elemental signatures in fish otoliths (ear stones), which record valuable life history data and serve as the link between fish and their environment. To validate the assumption that otolith elemental composition is a function of water elemental concentrations, and to address the possible effects of external variables such as temperature and salinity, the composition …

Effects Of Epiphyte Load On Optical Properties And Photosynthetic Potential Of The Seagrasses Thalassia Testudinum Banks Ex König And Zostera Marina L, Lisa A. Drake, Fred C. Dobbs, Richard C. Zimmerman

OES Faculty Publications

The biomass and optical properties of seagrass leaf epiphytes were measured to evaluate their potential impact on the photosynthetic performance of the seagrasses Thalassia testudinum Banks ex König (turtlegrass) and Zostera marina L. (eelgrass). Turtlegrass was obtained from oligotrophic waters near Lee Stocking Island, Bahamas; eelgrass was collected from a eutrophic environment in Monterey Bay, California. Leaf–epiphyte loads were characterized visually and quantified using measurements of their phospholipid biomass. Light absorption and reflectance of the intact epiphyte layer were determined spectrophotometrically. Turtlegrass epiphytes from the oligotrophic site absorbed a maximum of 36% of incident light in peak chlorophyll absorption …

A Biooptical Model Of Irradiance Distribution And Photosynthesis In Seagrass Canopies, Richard C. Zimmerman

OES Faculty Publications

Although extremely vulnerable to coastal eutrophication, seagrasses represent important structuring elements and sources of primary production in shallow waters. They also generate an optical signature that can be tracked remotely. Accurate knowledge of light absorption and scattering by submerged plant canopies permits the calculation of important plant- and ecosystem-level properties, including rates of photosynthesis, vegetation abundance, and distribution. The objectives of this study were to develop a realistic, yet simply parameterized two-flow model of plane irradiance distribution through a seagrass canopy submerged in an optically active water column, to evaluate its performance against in situ measurements, and to explore the …

Extracellular Enzyme Activity And Uptake Of Carbon And Nitrogen Along An Estuarine Salinity And Nutrient Gradient, Margaret R. Mulholland, Cindy Lee, Patricia M. Gilbert

OES Faculty Publications

Amino acid oxidation (AAO) and peptide hydrolysis (PH) are processes affecting the recycling of organic material and nutrients. We compared extracellular AAO and PH rates to C and N uptake rates along estuarine gradients of salinity, nutrients and productivity in the Pocomoke River, a subestuary of the Chesapeake Bay. This estuary is seasonally depleted in inorganic N, and rich in dissolved organic material (DOM) throughout the year. AAO, PH, and N uptake rates measured in 1999 and 2000 were not limited to particular size fractions measured, or to auto- or heterotrophic groups of organisms. At a station near the turbidity …

Sources Of Sediment Found In Sea Ice From The Western Arctic Ocean, New Insights Into Processes Of Entrainment And Drift Patterns, Dennis A. Darby

OES Faculty Publications

The geochemical fingerprint of entrained Fe oxide mineral grains in Arctic Ocean sea ice is used to determine precise sources of this sediment. This approach substantiates the importance of the Laptev Sea as a source of sea ice and even the presence of Russian ice in the Beaufort Sea off Alaska. Fe oxide grains from the Laptev Sea were found in floes in the Beaufort Sea, Chukchi Borderland, and central Arctic Ocean, demonstrating the importance of sea ice in distributing itself throughout the Arctic Ocean and the potential of transporting sediment from Russian rivers to North American shelves. Banks Island …

New Evidence For Enhanced Ocean Primary Production Triggered By Tropical Cyclone, I. Lin, W. Timothy Liu, Chun-Chieh Wu, George T. F. Wong, Chuanmin Hu, Zhiqiang Chen, Wen-Der Liang, Yih Yang, Kon-Kee Liu

OES Faculty Publications

[1] New evidence based on recent satellite data is presented to provide a rare opportunity in quantifying the long-speculated contribution of tropical cyclones to enhance ocean primary production. In July 2000, moderate cyclone Kai-Tak passed over the South China Sea (SCS). During its short 3-day stay, Kai-Tak triggered an average 30-fold increase in surface chlorophyll-a concentration. The estimated carbon fixation resulting from this event alone is 0.8 Mt, or 2-4% of SCS's annual new production. Given an average of 14 cyclones passing over the SCS annually, we suggest the long-neglected contribution of tropical cyclones to SCS's annual new production may …

Anthropogenic-Induced Changes To Weather And Climate: An Overview, Robert Cataneo

Masters Theses

Human activities, since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, have caused measurable and significant changes to local and regional weather and climate, as well as to global climate.

There is substantial evidence to show that anthropogenic influences have caused statistically significant changes to local and regional weather and climate, and have played a major role in the 0.6°C increase in global, low level temperature observed in the last 100 years. There is also an abundance of data that establishes a causal relationship between the 32% increase in atmospheric CO₂ concentration that has occurred since the beginning of the Industrial …

Methods And Models For Estimating Advective Pore Water Exchange In Tidal Flats, Timothy J. Shaw

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Late-Holocene Climate And Ecosystem History From Chesapeake Bay Sediment Cores, Usa, Debra A. Willard, Thomas M. Cronin, Stacey Verardo

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Palaeoclimate records from late-Holocene sediments in Chesapeake Bay, the largest estuary in the USA, provide evidence that both decadal to centennial climate variability and European colonization had severe impacts on the watershed and estuary. Using pollen and dinoflagellate cysts as proxies for mid-Atlantic regional precipitation, estuarine salinity and dissolved oxygen (DO) during the last 2300 years, we identified four dry intervals, centred on ad 50 (P1/D1), ad 1000 (P2/D2), ad 1400 (P3) and ad 1600 (P4). Two centennial-scale events, P1/D1 and P2/D2, altered forest composition and led to increased salinity and DO levels in the estuary. Intervals P3 and P4 …

Natural Disasters: An Integrated Curriculum Unit, Grades 3-5, Institute For The Development Of Gifted Education, Ricks Center For Gifted Children, University Of Denver

Ricks Curriculum Units Series

An integrated curriculum is an instructional approach that connects the disciplines to an underlying theme or topic. Immersing students in an integrated-thematic unit provides the backdrop for experiences to occur across the disciplines. Shaping coursework around integrated themes is especially appropriate for gifted students, however using an integrated-thematic curriculum is appropriate for all learners as it develops students' abilities to make connections, to solve problems by looking at multiple perspectives, and to integrate information from different fields of experience. An integrated-thematic curriculum permits students to be active participants in their own learning as they design their own explorations and take …

Watershed-Scale Agricultural Land-Use Impact On Instream Physicochemical Parameters, William Dillahunty, Indrajeet Chaubey, Marty Matlock

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

Nonpoint source (NPS) pollution is often the result of runoff losses from agricultural or urban areas. Even though the watershed approach to controlling NPS pollution is identified as the most efficient approach, data linking watershed scale land use and specific water quality implications are very limited. The objective of this study was to quantify the impact of agricultural land use on stream physico-chemical properties. The upper reach of Flint Creek was monitored at two sampling points draining an agricultural land. At each of these points, continuous measurement of stream characteristics such as temperature, dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration, depth, pH, and …