Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology Commons^™

Application Of Paleoclimatology To Coral Reef Monitoring And Management, C. Mark Eakin, Peter K. Swart, Terrence M. Quinn, Kevin P. Helmle, Jennifer M. Smith, Richard E. Dodge

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Proceedings, Presentations, Speeches, Lectures

The skeletons of reef-building corals are valuable archives of climatic and environmental information. Paleoclimatic data chiefly have been generated in areas most sensitive to global or regional climatic variability. However, these records also provide valuable information on anthropogenic influences – guidance of value to resource managers. NOAA’s Coral Reef Watch targets observations of current and past coral reef health in or near marine protected areas through satellites, in situ sensor platforms, and paleoclimatic analyses. Paleoclimatic data provide retrospective monitoring through multi-century environmental reconstructions that improve our understanding of past stress to coral reefs. Two sites in the Florida Keys National …

A Multibeam Survey Of Mid-Seneca Lake: Bathymetry, Backscatter, And Invasive Species, Thomas C. Weber, Anthony P. Lyons

Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping

No abstract provided.

Automated Generation Of Geo-Referenced Mosaics From Video Collected By Deep Submergence Vehicles: An Example From Rosebud Vent (Galapagos Rift), Stace E. Beaulieu, Tim M. Shank, Adam Soule, D J. Fornari, Yuri Rzhanov, Larry A. Mayer

Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping

No abstract provided.

Facilitating The Development Of The Strawberry Industry In Western Australia, Dennis Phillips, Aileen Reid

Horticulture research reports

Horticulture Australia Project No. BS05001 Annual report 2005/06

This is the first of three annual reports for the Horticulture Australia project BS05001 — ‘Facilitating the development of the strawberry industry in Western Australia’. This project is managed by the Strawberry Growers Association of WA Inc. and the work is being done in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture and Food WA (DAFWA). The project has been funded by voluntary contributions from the W.A. Strawberry Producers Committee, Toolangi Strawberry Runner Growers Co-operative and DAFWA with matching funding from Horticulture Australia Ltd (HAL). The project has been funded for three years, 2005, …

Cave Levels, Marine Terraces, Paleoshorelines, And The Water Table In Peninsular Florida, Lee J. Florea, H L. Vacher

Earth, Environmental, and Atmospheric Sciences Faculty Publications

Levels of passages are a common feature of many cave systems around the world. Likewise, coastal and marine terraces are common in coastal plain settings. This paper extends the discussion of cave levels from traditional research sites in the interior lowlands of the United States to the Atlantic Coastal Plains, namely peninsular Florida. Are there levels in Florida caves, and is there a link between the elevation of cave levels, marine terraces, paleoshorelines, and thus the water table, above and below present sea level in peninsular Florida?

Evaluation Of The Sustainable Grazing On Saline Lands - Wa Producer Network : Influence On Practice Change And Decision-Making Capacity, Rebecca Heath, Jamie Bowyer, T M. Lacey

Resource management technical reports

No abstract provided.

Multicriteria Decision Analysis: A Comprehensive Decision Approach For Management Of Contaminated Sediments, I Linkov, F K. Satterstrom, G Kiker, T P. Seager, T Bridges, K H. Gardener, S H. Rodgers, D A. Belluck, A Meyer

United States Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District

Contaminated sediments and other sites present a difficult challenge for environmental decision makers. They are typically slow to recover or attenuate naturally, may involve multiple regulatory agencies and stakeholder groups, and engender multiple toxicological and ecotoxicological risks. While environmental decision-making strategies over the last several decades have evolved into increasingly more sophisticated, information-intensive, and complex approaches, there remains considerable dissatisfaction among business, industry, and the public with existing management strategies. Consequently, contaminated sediments and materials are the subject of intense technology development, such as beneficial reuse or in situ treatment. However, current decision analysis approaches, such as comparative risk assessment, …

Growth And Survivorship Of Scleractinian Coral Transplants And The Effectiveness Of Plugging Core Holes In Transplant Donor Colonies, Elizabeth Glynn Fahy, Richard E. Dodge, Daniel P. Fahy, T. Patrick Quinn, David S. Gilliam, Richard E. Spieler

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Proceedings, Presentations, Speeches, Lectures

Replicate scleractinian coral transplants were obtained from the species Meandrina meandrites and Montastrea cavernosa on a natural reef, off Dania Beach, Florida, using a hydraulic drill fitted with a 4 in. (~10 cm) 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. Control corals, of comparable size to both donor colonies and transplant corals, were monitored for comparison. Transplant corals, donor corals, and controls on the natural reef were monitored for growth and survivorship. Core holes were monitored for tissue regrowth …

Spatial Patterns In Arabian Gulf Coral Assemblages (Jebel Ali, Dubai, U.A.E.) In Response To Temperature-Forcing, Bernhard Riegl, Samuel J. Purkis, Kevin E. Kohler, Richard E. Dodge

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Proceedings, Presentations, Speeches, Lectures

We evaluated spatial and temporal patterns using maps from Ikonos satellite imagery in combination with 8 years of line transects and photosquares and the HadISST1 sea-surface temperature data set to explain why coral assemblages in the southern Arabian Gulf (Dubai) are impoverished and mostly do not build framework reefs. Analysis of archive sea surface temperature (SST) data confirms that the area is subjected to recurrent temperature anomalies. Frequencies of anomalies might suggest at least a partial link to the El Niño Southern Oscillation possibly via the Indian Ocean Zonal Mode. The dominant driver of local temperature was oscillations in the …

An Experimental Histopathological Rating Scale Of Sedimentation Stress In The Caribbean Coral Montastraea Cavernosa, Bernardo Vargas-Ángel, Bernhard Riegl, David S. Gilliam, Richard E. Dodge

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Proceedings, Presentations, Speeches, Lectures

Colonies of Montastraea cavernosa were exposed to daily applications of approx. 200–225 mg cm– 2 sediments, during a four-week period, in order to investigate coral responses to increased sedimentation. Effects were assessed based on the histopathological condition of specimen tissues. Mild stress responses were noted as early as week one, including tissue swelling and polyp retraction, as well as changes in size and appearance of mucous secretory cells. As stress progressed, further inflammation of the mucous secretory cells was observed. Severe effects were observed in weeks 3 and 4, including atrophy of the outer epidermis, increased granularity and debris in …

Visual_Hea: Habitat Equivalency Analysis Software To Calculate Compensatory Restoration Following Natural Resource Injury, Kevin E. Kohler, Richard E. Dodge

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Proceedings, Presentations, Speeches, Lectures

Habitat Equivalency Analysis (HEA) is a means to determine the amount of compensatory restoration required to provide services that are equivalent to the interim loss of natural resource services following an injury. HEA includes a discounting procedure to account for asset valuation in that the total asset value is equal to the discounted value of the future stream of all services from the natural resource or the compensatory resource. Discounting is used to include the relative valuation of loss and gain of ecological services of the resources over time. Visual_HEA is a computer program developed to calculate the amount of …

Coral Of Opportunity Survivorship And The Use Of Coral Nurseries In Coral Reef Restoration, Jamie A. Monty, David S. Gilliam, Kenneth Banks, David K. Stout, Richard E. Dodge

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Proceedings, Presentations, Speeches, Lectures

Coral reef damage is unfortunately becoming a common occurrence off southeast Florida, U.S.A. Reattachment of the dislodged scleractinian corals usually initiates damage site restoration. Because mortality of dislodged colonies is typically high and natural recovery in southeast Florida is typically slow, transplantation of additional scleractinian corals into a damaged area has been used to accelerate reef recovery. Donor colonies available for transplantation have been grown in situ, grown in laboratories, and taken from nondamaged reef areas. An alternative source of donor colonies for transplantation into damaged sites is “corals of opportunity,” which we define as scleractinian corals that have been …

Implications Of Natural Variation Of Fish Assemblages To Coral Reef Management, Lance K. B. Jordan, Richard E. Spieler

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Proceedings, Presentations, Speeches, Lectures

In order to evaluate the impact of a planned beach renourishment project we obtained baseline data on hardbottom coral reef fish assemblages adjacent to the beach. During the summers of 2001 and 2003 we conducted 92 and 89 visual transect-counts, respectively, each 30x2x1m. Fish were recorded by species, abundance, and size class. Fish exhibited a 62.8% decrease in abundance between the 2001 and 2003 surveys. Juvenile Haemulon spp. (<5cm total length, TL) alone decreased 72.8% in abundance and, due to their predominance, primarily drove the decrease seen for total abundance. The second most abundant species Halichoeres bivittatus, also primarily juveniles (<5cm TL), contributed 8% of the total abundance and also showed a significant decrease between the 2001 and 2003 surveys. Even after removal of the two most abundant taxa, total abundance remained significantly lower the second survey year, suggesting the possibility of a community-wide decrease in abundance. However, the decrease between years was mainly due to a decrease in juveniles. When fish less than 5cm TL were removed from the dataset, no significant difference in abundance between years was detected. Species richness also declined significantly with fewer species noted in 2003 and eight fewer total species between years. Nonetheless, multivariate examination of assemblage structure did not indicate a difference between years. These results have important implications for determining potential anthropogenic change in fish assemblages (e.g. caused by beach renourishment).

Differential Expression Of Immune Response Genes In Steller Sea Lions (Eumetopias Jubatus): An Indicator Of Ecosystem Health?, Lizabeth Bowen, Brian Aldridge, Kimberlee Beckmen, Tom Gelatt, Lorrie Rea, Kathy Burek, Ken Pitcher, Jeffrey L. Stott

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

Characterization of the polygenic and polymorphic features of the Steller sea lion major histocompatibility complex (MHC) provides an ideal window for evaluating immunologic vigor of the population and identifying emergence of new genotypes that reflect ecosystem pressures. MHC genotyping can be used to measure the potential immunologic vigor of a population. However, since ecosystem-induced changes to MHC genotype can be slow to emerge, measurement of differential expression of these genes can potentially provide real-time evidence of immunologic perturbations. MHC DRB genes were cloned and sequenced using peripheral blood mononuclear leukocytes derived from 10 Steller sea lions from southeast Alaska, Prince …

Taxonomic Considerations In Listing Subspecies Under The U.S. Endangered Species Act, Susan M. Haig, Erik A. Beever, Steven M. Chambers, Hope M. Draheim, Bruce D. Dugger, Susie M. Dunham, Elise Elliott-Smith, Joseph B. Fontaine, Dylan C. Kesler, Brian J. Knaus, Iara F. Lopes, Pete Loschl, Thomas D. Mullins, Lisa M. Sheffield

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

The U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA) allows listing of subspecies and other groupings below the rank of species. This provides the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service with a means to target the most critical unit in need of conservation. Although roughly one-quarter of listed taxa are subspecies, these management agencies are hindered by uncertainties about taxonomic standards during listing or delisting activities. In a review of taxonomic publications and societies, we found few subspecies lists and none that stated standardized criteria for determining subspecific taxa. Lack of criteria is attributed to a centuries-old debate …

Conserving Biodiversity In Human-Dominated Landscapes, Dale D. Goble, J. Michael Scott, Frank W. Davis

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

The two volumes of The Endangered Species Act at Thirty look backward to evaluate the effectiveness of the act over its first three decades (Wilcove and McMillan 2006; Scott et al. 2006, chap. 2; Goble, this volume; Svancara, this volume; Callicott, this volume; Norton, this volume) and also forward to suggest how it can be used as a cornerstone for conserving biological diversity in increasingly human-dominated landscapes (Davis et al. 2006; Bean 2006). The chapters in part 2 of this volume, for example, appraise the science of the 1990s and 2000s at both the large scale (Lomolino, this volume; Naeem …

Endangered Species Time Line, Leona K. Svancara, J. Michael Scott, Dale D. Goble, Frank W. Davis, Donna Brewer

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

The Endangered Species Act (ESA) is embedded in a web of statutes designed to regulate relationships between humans and other species that stretch back nearly a millennium (Goble, this volume; Goble and Freyfogle 2002). This chapter presents a time line of federal actions taken to protect wildlife beginning with passage of the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act in 1963 (Act of May 28, 1963). Earlier laws to protect wildlife are discussed elsewhere (Goble, this volume). The time line emphasizes federal actions that conserve species at risk of extinction and significant events in the course of implementing the Endangered Species …

Isotope Sourcing Of Prehistoric Willow And Tule Textiles Recovered From Western Great Basin Rock Shelters And Caves: Proof Of Concept, Larry V. Benson, E. M. Hattori, H. E. Taylor, S. R. Poulson, E. A. Jolie

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Isotope and trace-metal analyses were used to determine the origin of plants used to manufacture prehistoric textiles (basketry and matting) from archaeological sites in the western Great Basin. Research focused on strontium (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr) and oxygen (¹⁸O/¹⁶O) isotope ratios of willow (Salix sp.) and tule (Schoenoplectus sp.), the dominant raw materials in Great Basin textiles. The oxygen-isotope data indicated that the willow and tule used to produce the textiles were harvested from the banks of rivers or in marshes characterized by flowing water and not from lakes or sinks. The strontium-isotope …

The Agricultural Productivity Of Chaco Canyon And The Source(S) Of Pre-Hispanic Maize Found In Pueblo Bonito, Larry Benson, John Stein, Howard Taylor, Richard Friedman, Thomas C. Windes

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Agricultural productivity estimates suggest that the core area of Chaco Canyon could have sustained only a few hundred individuals. Modern analogues of existing Pueblo populations and their domestic habitations with Chaco structures suggest that Chaco at times had a resident population exceeding 2000 people. These data suggest that maize would have had to be imported to feed permanent residents and those visiting Chaco during ritual–political gatherings and those who participated in the accelerated construction and modification of great houses between AD 1030 and 1130. Comparison of strontium-isotope and trace-element ratios of synthetic soil and natural waters from sites within the …

Circulation, Vol. 13, No. 1, Center For Coastal Physical Oceanography, Old Dominion University, John M. Klinck

CCPO Circulation

Winter 2006 issue of CCPO Circulation featuring article "Biological Processes in Bivalves as Revealed by Numerical Models" by Dr. John Klinck

Natural Resource Management Issues In The Avon River Basin, Paul Galloway

Resource management technical reports

Analyses the risk of soil, land and water degradation within the Avon River Basin of Western Australia. Information is based on the interpretation of the characteristics of soils and landscapes within the Avon River basin. This report deals with 15 natural resource management issues and describes the extent of each issue, the impacts that each issue will have, management options that can be used to deal with each issue, and the effectiveness of each management option in dealing with the issues.

Oxygen Depletion In The Gulf Of Mexico Adjacent To The Mississippi River, Nancy N. Rabalais, R. Eugene Turner

Faculty Publications

The seasonal formation of a bottom water layer severely depleted in dissolved oxygen has become a perennial occurrence on the Louisiana continental shelf adjacent to the Mississippi River system. Dramatic changes have occurred in this coastal ecosystem in the last half of the 20th century as the loads of dissolved inorganic nitrogen tripled. There are increases in primary production, shifts in phytoplankton community composition, changes in trophic interactions, and worsening severity of hypoxia. The hypoxic conditions (dissolved oxygen less than 2 mg l-1) cover up to 22,000 km2 of the seabed in mid-summer. Dissolved oxygen concentrations seldom decrease to anoxia, …

Sponges Of Navassa, Janie L. Wulff, Timothy D. Swain

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Reports

This photographic guide was compiled from data collected during the 2004 NOAA survey of the coral reefs of Navassa and does not represent a comprehensive list of all Porifera in Navassa. Specifically missing are taxa that inhabit caves, overhangs, vertical walls; species that live in the interstices of the reef framework; and species found at depths greater than 50 meters. Specimens were identified by Janie Wulff and Timothy Swain of Florida State University using a combination of digital photography, field observations, and microscopic examination of siliceous spicules. Genera are organized into higher taxa according to Systema Porifera, Hooper & van …

Effects Associated With Dredging For Beach Renourishments On Reef Fish Communities Offshore Of Miami-Dade County, Florida:, Christian L. Avila

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

Beach erosion is an ongoing problem in South Florida. Beach replenishment has been the primary means of maintaining these economically important beaches, and dredging offshore sand deposits, adjacent to reef tracts, has been the pervasive method since the 1970's. Over the past ten years, greater attention has been paid to potential impacts dredging can have on adjacent reef communities, which has led to increased monitoring efforts. With the increase in monitoring efforts, scope has expanded from a strict focus on the benthic community to include the fish communities. This study evaluates the effects of dredging on reef fish communities associated …

Sea Turtle Conservation Program, Broward County, Fl 2006 Report, Curtis M. Burney, Stefanie Ouellette

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Reports

Since 1978, the Broward County Environmental Protection Department (BCEPD) has provided for the conservation of endangered and threatened sea turtle species within its area of responsibility. Broward County is within the normal nesting areas of three species of sea turtles: the loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta), the green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) and the leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea). The loggerhead is listed as a threatened species, while the green and leatherback are listed as endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, 1973, and Chapter 370, F.S.

Since these statutes strictly forbid any disturbance …

Identifying Potential Conflict Associated With Oil And Gas Exploration In Texas State Coastal Waters: A Multi-Criteria Spatial Analysis, Samuel Brody, Himanshu Grover, Sarah Bernhardt, Zhenghong Tang, Bianca Whitaker, Colin Spence

Community and Regional Planning Program: Faculty Scholarly and Creative Activity

Recent interest in expanding offshore oil production within waters of the United States has been met with opposition by groups concerned with recreational, environmental, and aesthetic values associated with the coastal zone. Although the proposition of new oil platforms off the coast has generated conflict over how coastal resources should be utilized, little research has been conducted on where these user conflicts might be most intense and which sites might be most suitable for locating oil production facilities in light of the multiple, and often times, competing interests. In this article, we develop a multiple-criteria spatial decision support tool that …

Spatial Analyses Of Trophic Linkages Between Basins In The Great Salt Lake, Wayne A. Wurtsbaugh, David Naftz, Shane Bradt

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

Although the Great Salt Lake is frequently treated as if it were a single body of water, the natural bays and transportation causeways have divided it into a system of four bays. The bays, however, do not function independently because water, nutrients and other contaminants flow between them. The purpose of our study was to analyze the water quality in three of the bays (Farmington, Bear River and Gilbert), to determine fluxes of nutrients between them, and to determine how this was influencing brine shrimp populations in the lake. Discharge and nutrient concentrations were measured at constrictions separating the three …

Aquatic Macroinvertebrates Of The Strawberry River System In North-Central Arkansas, George L. Harp, Henry W. Robison

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

The Strav/berry River has been designated an Extraordinary Resource Water, an Ecologically Sensitive Water Body, and a Natural and Scenic Waterway. As such, it is particularly important that the biodiversity of this river system be documented thoroughly. The purpose of this research was to develop a comprehensive list of the aquatic macroinvertebrates of the Strawberry River and its major tributaries. The information was developed from a thorough literature review and by examining specimens housed in various collections of the Arkansas State University Museum of Zoology and collections of the authors. The latter included 9 collections at 4 sites along the …

Ichthyofaunal Assemblages In Three Approximate But Ecologically Diverse Streams In Clark County, Arkansas, C. Renn Tumlison, Scott Jordan, Lesley Self, Henry W. Robison

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Three tributaries to the Ouachita River in eastern Clark County, Arkansas, empty into the river within a collective distance of about 9 km. The streams drain basins derived from the Wilcox formation, partially overlain by terrace and alluvial deposits. Despite their proximity, the streams are very different: L'Eau Frais has a gravel substrate and was recognized by the French as a cool water stream, Tupelo Creek is a bottomland stream from which numerous Water Tupelo (Nyssa aquatica) emerge, and Saline Bayou was named due to its marked salinity. We studied the assemblages of fishes in these 3 very different drainages …

Age Validation And Reproductive Biology Of Bluefish, Pomatomus Saltatrix, Along The East Coast Of United States, Eric Robillard

OES Theses and Dissertations

I describe a new preparation technique that increases readability of otoliths, along with criteria for the interpretation of otolith microstructure of bluefish, Pomatomus saltatrix, collected from Florida to New York during 2001-2003 (n = 2652). I validated annulus formation in otoliths for ages 1 to 8 using marginal increment analysis and thus extended validation by four years to include the preponderance of age classes in the catch. Although otoliths are typically superior for ageing, bluefish are routinely aged with scales; thus a side-by-side comparison of otoliths versus scales is necessary before otoliths can supplant scales. When compared, precision …