Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology Commons^™

Design And Evaluation Of An Esa-Based Method Of Ensemble Subsetting For A Wofs (Warn On Forecast-Like System), Daniel J. Butler

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Forecasting severe thunderstorm environments in the southeastern United States can be challenging due to mesoscale heterogeneities such as shortwave troughs, pre-existing airmass boundaries, cold fronts aloft, low-level jets, dry air intrusions, and mesoscale lows. To combat these challenges, ensemble sensitivity analysis (ESA) may be applied to a Warn-on-Forecast (WOF)-like ensemble to improve forecasts of severe convection through ensemble weighting and subsetting. Ensemble-based weighting and subsetting uses ensemble members that most accurately represent the thunderstorm environment in areas of mesoscale heterogeneity. This study creates and evaluates the ensemble-based weighting and subsetting in four cases of severe thunderstorm occurrence. The open parameter …

Hybridization Between The Rare Gray-Headed Chickadee And The Abundant Boreal Chickadee In The Midst Of Shifting Climate, Matthew R. Armstrong

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

As species respond to changing climate, distributions and abundances may shift and alter species interactions. Hybridization, a relatively widespread phenomenon becoming more common with climate change, can have beneficial and detrimental effects on population growth rates and genetic integrity. Beneficial effects due to the introduction of advantageous alleles and increased genetic diversity may result from hybridization. Species may also accrue fitness costs associated with changing climates if mismatches occur between environmental variables and phenotypes. The gray-headed chickadee, Poecile cinctus lathami, is an extremely rare songbird that has experienced marked declines in recent decades within its restricted distribution in Alaska …

Phylogeny And Disparity Of Ammonoid Family Acanthoceratidae Over Ocean Anoxic Event 2, Lindsey Howard

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The widespread use of genera as proxies for species in paleobiological studies might affect the results of these studies. Although most attention has been given to taxonomic diversity studies, this could also be true of disparity and phylogenetic studies. In particular, the assumption that particular character states truly diagnose all members of a genus might distort results. This study examines the disparity of Acanthoceratid ammonoids at both the generic and species level. 149 species from 42 genera were examined with 52 characters measured. Following the measurements, an inverse modeling simulation was run 100 times to generate a simulated phylogeny with …

Hydrogen Sulfide As A Strong Ligand Affecting Trace Metal Cycling In The Pacific And Southern Oceans, Nicole R. Buckley

OES Theses and Dissertations

Historically, hydrogen sulfide was considered unimportant in the open ocean since it has primarily been associated with anoxic environments. Yet, in the late 1980s it was suggested that this sulfur gas is also being produced in the oxic, surface ocean through the hydrolysis of carbonyl sulfide (OCS). Since then, several studies have demonstrated that hydrogen sulfide is indeed found in oxic seawater at pico- to nanomolar concentrations due not only to carbonyl sulfide hydrolysis, but also assimilatory sulfate reduction by phytoplankton. Hydrogen sulfide’s importance in seawater is largely due to its high metal-ligand stability constants allowing it to affect the …

Deciphering Water Quality And Algal Dynamics In Clear Lake Through Hyperspectral Analysis Using Emit Data, Wenzhao Li, Shahryar Fazli, Surendra Maharjan, Hesham El-Askary

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

This study evaluates the potential application of hyperspectral Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation (EMIT) remote sensing for monitoring harmful algal blooms (HABs) and water quality in Clear Lake, California. The research focuses on correlating the chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) concentrations with EMIT spectral signatures, using waterbody-wide statistical analysis of Chl-a and EMIT data sampling at various lake locations. Results demonstrate distinct spectral signatures associated with varying Chl-a levels, highlighting the potential of hyperspectral imaging in differentiating algae levels and assessing water quality variables. It also indicates the EMIT’s utility in filling data gaps and offering high-resolution monitoring. This study underscores the …

Linkages Of The 2022 Unprecedented Global Heatwave Events To Triple-Dip La Niña, Sachi Perera, Joshua B. Fisher, Mohamed Allali, Hesham El-Askary

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

Heatwaves are influenced significantly by El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), which alters temperature and precipitation patterns throughout the world. Since 2020, we have witnessed a "triple dip" La Niña conditions persisting for three consecutive years resulting in severe weather and climate driven events globally. In this study, we identified the dominant frequency of Niño 3.4 Sea Surface Temperature (SST) signals and correlated them with regions experiencing unprecedented heat waves in 2022, namely, the Indian Ocean, the North Atlantic around England and Spain, and the Mediterranean Sea. The signal's power spectrum and its three highest power components are determined based on the …

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

Theses and Dissertations

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

Enhancing Water Sustainability In North Africa: Literature Review And Synthesis Of Current Knowledge Gaps In Sudan, Osman M. A. Adam, Aaron R. Mittelstet, Derek M. Heeren, Troy E. Gilmore

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Presentations and White Papers

This study delves into the critical role of groundwater in addressing global water challenges, with a focus on the Nubian Sandstone Aquifer System (NSAS) in North Africa. Groundwater constitutes a source of potable water, irrigation, and industrial use, especially in arid regions where surface water is limited. We analyzed the status of water quantity, withdrawals, recharge, and geological characteristics in the NSAS, specifically in Sudan, Egypt, Libya, and Chad. Though the NSAS is largely an untapped resource, we evaluated various scenarios to determine the quantity of cropland that can be sustainably irrigated. The NSAS is located in an arid region, …

Enhancing Sustainable Development Goals Through Future Vapor Pressure Deficit Analysis In The Nile River Basin, Surendra Maharjan, Wenzhao Li, Shahryar Fazli, Hani Sewilam, Hesham El-Askary

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

Vapor Pressure Deficit (VPD) is crucial in meteorology and agriculture for understanding plant-environment interactions. Its application as an indicator in agricultural practices notably advances Sustainable Development Goals such as Zero Hunger (SDG 2) and Climate Action (SDG 13). This research focuses on the impact of climate change on agricultural productivity and food security in the Nile River Basin (NRB), emphasizing the role of VPD, temperature, and precipitation. Utilizing Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) datasets from NEX-GDDP-CMIP6, the study analyzes key climatic variables that influence agricultural conditions. The study applies the Mann-Kendall test to evaluate VPD trends from 2000 …

2024 July - Tennessee Monthly Climate Report, Tennessee Climate Office, East Tennessee State University

Tennessee Climate Office Monthly Reports

No abstract provided.

Calibration And Use Of The Transparency Tube As An Estimate Of Turbidity: An Analysis Of Factors Controlling Light Attenuation In Estuarine Waters, Makenna Leigh Thompson

Theses and Dissertations

The transparency tube is low-cost, portable, and easy to use to measure the transparency or clarity of the water. Filling the tube with water creates a small-scale water column where water will be slowly drained out of the bottom until the Secchi disk at the bottom of the tube is visible from the top opening, and the depth of the remaining water in the tube is recorded in centimeters. Unlike traditional Secchi disk measurements, the advantage of this instrument is that sampling depth in highly turbid waters is possible with a centimeter scale resolution. Transparency tube measurement, through careful calibrations, …

Heat Stress Changes The Bovine Methylome And Transcriptome And Investigation Of Two Novel Genetic Defects In Cattle, Rachel Renae Reith

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Heat stress is a major concern for livestock producers due to its negative impact on animal health and productivity. Heat stress does so by altering expression of genes through different regulatory mechanisms such as DNA methylation. Understanding how heat stress alters gene expression will help elucidate the genetic basis of physiological changes as well as identify targets for possible heat stress mitigation. The purpose of the first study was to understand how heat stress alters the adipose and skeletal muscle transcriptomes in zilpaterol-fed Brahman, as zilpaterol improves muscle growth and may mitigate the effects of heat stress. Differential expression and …

Radio Propagation Through Density Irregularities In The Auroral Ionosphere, Pralay Raj Vaggu

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

A radio wave propagating through a structured or turbulent ionosphere undergoes multiple effects, such as refraction, diffraction, etc., that distort the incident radio wave by inducing phase and amplitude fluctuations. These fluctuations are called ionospheric scintillation. Scintillation effects can be detrimental to Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) such as Global Positioning System (GPS), but the observed effects can be used as a tool to study the underlying plasma process that causes scintillation. Scintillation is commonly seen in equatorial and high-latitude regions. This study centers around the scintillation and its causative plasma processes that dominantly happen in the high-latitude ionosphere …

Spatio-Temporal Analysis Of The Roadside Transportation-Related Air Quality (Startraq 2022): Data-Driven Exposure Analysis By Transportation Modes, Jaymin Kwon, Yushin Ahn, Steve Chung

Mineta Transportation Institute

Particulate matter (PM) pollution poses significant health risks, influenced by various meteorological factors and seasonal variations. This study investigates the impact of temperature and other meteorological variables on PM10 and PM2.5 levels in Fresno County, known for high air pollution. Multiple linear regression (MLR) and generalized additive models (GAMs) assess the significance of these relationships. Analyzing data from Fresno County, we examine PM10 and PM2.5 levels across "hot" (June to August) and "cool" (September to May) seasons. Findings indicate PM10, both MLR and GAM models identify statistically significant variables, excluding temperature and wind direction in each season. However, during the …

2024 June 27 - Tennessee Weekly Drought Summary, Tennessee Climate Office, East Tennessee State University

Tennessee Climate Office Weekly Drought Summaries

No abstract provided.

Resolving Antarctic Margin Paleoceanography For Two Different Timescales And Archives, Theresa M. King

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Recent decades have seen increased rates of ice mass loss from Antarctic ice sheets, through thinning of many ice shelves around the periphery of the continent. The most vulnerable are the glacial systems that are marine-terminating and grounded below sea level, a characteristic that exposes these systems to sea level rise and warming oceans. Enhanced basal melting under the influence of warm ocean water masses can lead to thinning and retreat of glaciers, and ultimately to the acceleration of grounded ice loss. To contextualize current ice mass loss and contribute to accurate model projections for future retreat scenarios, it is …

Antarctic Atmosphere-Ocean-Ice Interactions During Past Warm Climates: An Ice-Proximal Perspective, Imogen Mireille Browne

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Antarctica’s ice sheets contain 58 m of sea level equivalent ice and thus exert a fundamental control on global sea level on decadal to million-year timescales. Interactions between Antarctica’s ice sheets, regional atmospheric circulation, and the Southern Ocean influence ice sheet mass balance, sea ice formation, and deep water production, which regulate Earth’s climate. At present, Antarctica’s fringing ice shelves and outlet glaciers, particularly in West Antarctica, are losing mass as warm ocean waters move landward across the continental shelves, melting the underside of ice shelves and eroding glacial grounding lines. In East Antarctica, net ice mass gain is occurring …

Assessment And Prediction Of Meteorological Drought Using Machine Learning Algorithms And Climate Data, Khalid En-Nagre, Mourad Aqnouy, Ayoub Ouarka, Syed Ali Asad Naqvi, Ismail Bouizrou, Jamal Eddine Stitou El Messari, Aqil Tariq, Walid Soufan, Wenzhao Li, Hesham El-Askary

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

Monitoring drought in semi-arid regions due to climate change is of paramount importance. This study, conducted in Morocco’s Upper Drâa Basin (UDB), analyzed data spanning from 1980 to 2019, focusing on the calculation of drought indices, specifically the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) and the Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) at multiple timescales (1, 3, 9, 12 months). Trends were assessed using statistical methods such as the Mann-Kendall test and the Sen’s Slope estimator. Four significant machine learning (ML) algorithms, including Random Forest, Voting Regressor, AdaBoost Regressor, and K-Nearest Neighbors Regressor, were evaluated to predict the SPEI values for both three …

Science And Technology Support For Climate Change Mitigation And Adaptation Over Western China, Huijun Wang, Huopo Chen

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

In the context of accelerating global warming, the western China has experienced intensified climate extremes, with frequent occurrences of meteorological, hydrological, and ecological disasters. The unpredictability of these events has increased, posing significant challenges to disaster prevention and mitigation as well as sustainable development in these areas. In this context, this study, based on a scientific assessment of the facts and risks of climate change in the western China, has identified several fundamental, critical, and strategic scientific and technological tasks to support the development of the western China in the field of climate change. Corresponding suggestions and measures are also …

2024 June 20 - Tennessee Weekly Drought Summary, Tennessee Climate Office, East Tennessee State University

Tennessee Climate Office Weekly Drought Summaries

No abstract provided.

Risk Of Climate Damage In The Mountain West, 2024, Taylor Volk, Isabelle G. Graham, Ivan Sun, Zachary Billot, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Environment

This fact sheet examines 2024 data on the estimated annual cost per person of damage to infrastructure, agriculture, and population from climate related disasters for the five Mountain West states of Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah. The original report, “States at Greatest Risk of Climate Damage - 2024 Study,” by Jaclyn DeJohn and published by SmartAsset, includes data on climate disaster risk for all 50 states.

The Ecosystem As Super-Organ/Ism, Revisited: Scaling Hydraulics To Forests Under Climate Change, Jeffrey D. Wood, Matteo Detto, Marvin Browne, Nathan J.B. Kraft, Alexandra G. Konings, Joshua B. Fisher, Gregory R. Quetin, Anna T. Trugman, Troy S. Magney, Camila D. Medeiros, Nidhi Vinod, Thomas N. Buckley, Lawren Sack

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Classic debates in community ecology focused on the complexities of considering an ecosystem as a super-organ or organism. New consideration of such perspectives could clarify mechanisms underlying the dynamics of forest carbon dioxide (CO₂) uptake and water vapor loss, important for predicting and managing the future of Earth's ecosystems and climate system. Here, we provide a rubric for considering ecosystem traits as aggregated, systemic, or emergent, i.e., representing the ecosystem as an aggregate of its individuals, or as a metaphorical or literal super-organ or organism. We review recent approaches to scaling-up plant water relations (hydraulics) concepts developed for …

Establishment Of A Research Site At The Kennedy Mountain Campus For The Observation Of Airborne Particulate Matter, Alyssa Knaus

Undergraduate Theses, Capstones, and Recitals

This thesis explored particulate matter (PM) concentrations at two sites within the Colorado Front Range. The study utilized two models of PurpleAir PM sensors, Flex and SD-II, to provide real-time, accessible data on PM1, PM2.5, and PM10 mass concentrations with the goal of establishing the first research site at the Kennedy Mountain Campus (KMC). The first of the two sites used during this study was at a suburban location outside of Denver, CO. This period was used as an instrument intercomparison period in order to conduct instrument analysis. The initial findings from this period found significant correlations between PM concentration …

Near-Surface Thermodynamic Influences On Evaporation Duct Shape, Sarah E. Wessinger, Daniel P. Greenway, Tracy Haack, Erin E. Hackett

Marine Science

This study utilizes in situ measurements and numerical weather prediction forecasts curated during the Coupled Air–Sea Processes Electromagnetic Ducting Research (CASPER) east field campaign to assess how thermodynamic properties in the marine atmospheric surface layer influence evaporation duct shape independent of duct height. More specifically, we investigate evaporation duct shape through a duct shape parameter, a parameter known to affect the propagation of X-band radar signals and is directly related to the curvature of the duct. Relationships between this duct shape parameter and air sea temperature difference (ASTD) reveal that during unstable periods (ASTD < 0), the duct shape parameter is generally larger than in near-neutral or stable atmospheric conditions, indicating tighter curvature of the M-profile. Furthermore, for any specific duct height, a strong linear relationship between the near-surface-specific humidity gradient and the duct shape parameter is found, suggesting that it is primarily driven by near-surface humidity gradients. The results demonstrate that an a priori estimate of duct shape, for a given duct height, is possible if the near-surface humidity gradient is known.

This article was published Open Access …

Scale-Dependent Effects Of Urban Canopy Cover, Canopy Volume, And Impervious Surfaces On Near Surface Air Temperature In Portland, Or, Carson Ralls

Geography Masters Research Papers

Cities are significantly warmer than their surrounding rural environments. Known as the ‘urban heat island effect’, it can affect the health of urban residents and lead to increased energy use. Although this effect is extensively researched, less is known about how landscape characteristics within cities affect local temperature variation. With a warming climate and the need for heat mitigation strategies becoming more urgent, having a finer detailed understanding of the effects on temperature is critical to guide proper management policies. This study examined how tree canopy cover, canopy volume, and impervious surface cover affect daytime near surface air temperature, and …

Quantification And Diversity Of A Ubiquitous Ssdna Phage Group (Gokushovirinae) In The Red Sea Through The Polony Technique, Natalie A. Sawaya

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

With average concentrations of 107 virus-like particles per milliliter of seawater, viruses comprise the second largest biomass in the ocean, where they are a driving force of microbial evolution and constitute important roles in Earth’s biogeochemical cycles. Bacteriophage (phage), viruses that infect bacteria, are of particular importance in the marine ecosystem as they impact the efficiency of the microbial loop, which recycles carbon in surface waters, counteracting vertical export through the biological pump. Although double-stranded DNA phage have been researched extensively, single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) phage remain understudied, mostly due to methodological limitations.

The incorporation of rolling circle amplification (RCA) into …

2024 June 13 - Tennessee Weekly Drought Summary, Tennessee Climate Office, East Tennessee State University

Tennessee Climate Office Weekly Drought Summaries

No abstract provided.

Subtropical Estuarine Ecosystems Display Both Long-Term Stability And Change, Garrett L. Miller

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Subtropical estuaries often support abundant and diverse faunal assemblages, but it is unclear how these productive ecosystems are responding to climate change. In the eastern Gulf of Mexico, estuarine faunal assemblages have been sampled for decades as part of a fisheries-independent long-term monitoring program. I assessed trends in submerged aquatic vegetation, water temperature, and the abundance, richness, and structure of faunal assemblages over more than two decades in four estuarine systems using this dataset. I used both univariate and multivariate analyses to quantify and describe the dynamics of these habitat and faunal variables. Further, I separated my analyses for summer …

Heavy Metals Implications To Sediment Microbiome And Coral Response To Arsenic Dosing, Dimitrios G. Giarikos, Amy Hirons, Jose V. Lopez, Abigail Renegar, Jason Gershman

SECLER Data

No abstract provided.

Predicting Ph At In-Situ Temperature For Aquatic Environments, Sarah E. Bartoloni

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

pH is typically measured at a constant temperature and, as needed, converted to in-situ temperature using a system of thermodynamic equations. Using this equilibrium approach, adjustment of pH to in situ conditions requires two measured CO2 system parameters (pH, total alkalinity, dissolved inorganic carbon, or CO2 fugacity). Currently, when pH is the only measured CO2 system parameter, linear models are used to adjust the pH to in-situ temperature. Although many studies have attempted to optimize CO2 equilibrium constants (K1 and K2) for the CO2 system over a range of conditions, very little prior work has experimentally examined which CO2 system …