Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology Commons^™

Population Dynamics Of Clausocalanus Furcatus (Copepoda, Calanoida) In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico, Hongsheng Bi

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Copepods are important components of marine ecosystems. Understanding copepod population dynamics can help interpret variations in both primary producers and higher trophic levels. Egg production, stage duration, and stage-specific mortality rates are key parameters describing copepod population dynamics. Estimation of stage-specific mortality is complicated due to a complex life history, patchiness, and sampling biases. This study was undertaken to quantify the population dynamics of the copepod Clausocalanus furcatus in the northern Gulf of Mexico and to assess the utility of available mortality estimation methods in a highly advective environment. Zooplankton samples were taken every 12h from March 18-April 6, and …

Aspects Of The Life History, Ecophysiology, Bioenergetics, And Population Dynamics Of The Cownose Ray, Rhinoptera Bonasus, In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico, Julie Ann Neer

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The cownose ray, Rhinoptera bonasus, is an elasmobranch commonly observed throughout the Gulf of Mexico. Cownose rays appear to be sensitive to water temperature. I performed laboratory experiments and collected field data to obtain basic life history information, and used the information to configure an individual-based bioenergetics model. The bioenergetics model was coupled to a matrix projection model, and the coupled models were used to predict how warmer and cooler water temperatures, compared to current conditions, would affect the growth and population dynamics of the cownose rays. The life history study determined weight at age, maturity by weight, and fecundity …

The Effects Of Aluminum Concentration On Growth Responses In Six Spartina Alterniflora Genotypes, Daniel Farrell Becker

LSU Master's Theses

Elevated soluble aluminum concentrations can adversely affect plant growth. During a drought, wetland soils may experience higher than normal soluble aluminum due to the oxidation of metal sulfides and resulting decreases in pH, which mobilizes metallic cations. Louisiana coastal salt marshes were subject to a record-setting drought in the winter and spring of 2000 which was coincident with the die-off of large expanses of salt marsh, termed " brown marsh ". Spartina alterniflora was the primary plant species affected. However, because some individuals within large areas of die-off survived the brown marsh event, they may have been the more resistant …

Belowground Productivity Of Mangrove Forests In Southwest Florida, Beatriz Eugenia Giraldo Sánchez

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Studies in belowground dynamics are limited mainly due to the difficulty of studying roots despite wide recognition of its importance. This dissertation focused on methods for analyzing mangrove roots, root responses to phosphorus and flooding, and variation in root production between forest types. Techniques to separate live and dead roots such as colorimetric, fluorescence, buoyancy, and visual assessment were compared. The traditional method of visual assessment combined with root buoyancy was accurate, fast, and applicable to larger samples. Additionally, techniques such as rhizotrons, root ingrowth cores, and root image analysis were useful to study mangrove roots. Root and litter production, …

Nutrient Interactions, Plant Productivity, Soil Accretion, And Policy Implications Of Wetland Enhancements In Coastal Louisiana, Christopher Brantley

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Ecosystem response, stakeholder interactions, and the policy implications to a wetland assimilation project are reported here for the City of Mandeville, St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana. Between September 1998 and October 2004, input of secondarily treated wastewater effluent was found to have a net positive effect on the downstream wetland receiving basin. The major hydrologic inputs to the system are the effluent, precipitation, and back water flooding from Lake Pontchartrain. Nutrient levels were generally low except in the immediate vicinity of the outfall and removal efficiencies of N and P ranged from 44% to 87% and 25% to 93%, respectively. On …

Effects Of Adding Sediment To A Fresh Water Thin Mat Floating Marsh, Kate Carpenter

LSU Master's Theses

Floating marshes are wetlands of emergent vascular vegetation which have a significant mat of live and dead roots, decomposing and dead organic material, and mineral sediments. This mat moves vertically as ambient water levels rise and fall. These marshes have unique hydrology in that overland sheet flow is reduced or eliminated leaving no inorganic sediment input, but there is extensive belowground water exchange. The effect of significant sediment introduction into wetlands with floating marshes is unknown. The purpose of this study was to observe the marsh mat response to Mississippi River sediment addition and measure species composition change and growth …

Platform Recruited Reef Fish, Phase I: Do Platforms Provide Habitat That Increase The Survival Of Juvenile Reef Fishes?, Lauren Kay Nowling

LSU Master's Theses

There are currently over 4000 functioning oil and gas platforms in the northern Gulf of Mexico (Gulf). Platform operations, and their prior drilling operations, produce trace amounts of lead, barium, vanadium, and lanthanum residues that are leached into the surrounding waters and are deposited on the sea floor. These residues have isotopic ratios different from those typical of the Gulf seafloor and can be used as harmless ‘fingerprints’ if they become incorporated into hard-parts or tissues in fishes associated with oil and gas platforms. From 2002 to 2004, 115 red snapper were collected from oil and gas platforms and artificial …

Nekton Utilization Of Black Mangrove (Avicennia Germinans) And Smooth Cordgrass (Spartina Alterniflora) Sites In Southwestern Caminada Bay, Louisiana, Melanie Christine Caudill

LSU Master's Theses

This is the first study to compare nekton use and habitat value among Spartina alterniflora (Spartina), Avicennia germinans (black mangrove), and transition (S. alterniflora and A. germinans) sites within Louisiana's salt marsh-mangrove ecotone. Fishes and crustaceans were collected in Caminada Bay during fall 2003 and spring 2004 using 4 m2, bottomless lift nets. Although analyses were unable to demonstrate significant differences in fish (p=0.0753) and crustacean (p=0.1457) densities and species composition (p=0.8801) across sites, habitat-specific trends in nekton use were evident. Fishes, including gulf killifish and sheepshead minnows, showed affinities for the Spartina site, while crustaceans, especially white shrimp, were …

Restoration Success Of Backfilling Canals In Coastal Louisiana Marshes, Joseph Baustian

LSU Master's Theses

The need for effective marsh restoration techniques in Louisiana is a pressing issue as the state continues to lose coastal wetlands. Returning spoil banks to canals, known as "backfilling", is an attractive restoration option because it restores marsh, prevents future wetland loss, and is cost effective. The direct conversion of marsh to canals and spoil banks accounted for over 22% of Louisiana's wetland loss from 1930 to 1990, and the indirect losses associated with canal dredging are even larger. The restoration success of 30 canals, backfilled twenty years ago, was examined in this study and compared to restoration success shortly …

Denitrification And Greenhouse Gas Emissions From Cultivated And Wetland Alluvial Soils, Sami Ullah

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Agricultural development in the Mississippi River Basin has contributed to an 3-fold increase in NO3 loading of the river. Increased NO3 loading is a primary cause of eutrophication in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Identification of best management practices (BMPs) to reduce NO3 loss and wetlands restoration to remove NO3 through denitrification are critically needed. The objectives of this research were to determine factors controlling denitrification potential of different landscape units in an agricultural watershed and quantify the effects of BMPs and organic C amendments on denitrification rates of cultivated lands and restored forested wetlands. N2O, CH4 and CO2 emissions …

Offshore Oil And Gas Platforms As Stepping Stones For Expansion Of Coral Communities: A Molecular Genetic Analysis, Amy D. Atchison

LSU Master's Theses

The northern Gulf of Mexico (GOM) is one of the most productive oil and gas exploration areas in the world, currently containing approximately 3,800 offshore platforms. These platforms serve as artificial reefs in shallow water, which until their introduction was nearly devoid of shallow hard substrata. The question is raised whether this newly available substrate could help expand coral populations in the GOM. In this study, I examined adult scleractinian corals on oil and gas platforms in the northern GOM, in the vicinity of the Flower Garden Banks (FGB; approximately 180 km SE of Galveston, Texas) and attempted to determine …

Geologic Variability And Holocene Sedimentary Record On The Northern Gulf Of Mexico Inner To Mid-Continental Shelf, Triniti A. Dufrene

LSU Master's Theses

Sidescan Sonar, chirp sonar sub-bottom profiles, and grab samples were collected on the north-central Gulf of Mexico continental shelf as part of an interdisciplinary study mapping juvenile red snapper habitat. Demarcation of essential fish habitat for juvenile red snapper (Lutjanus campechansis) in the Gulf of Mexico is considered critical for effective management of this valuable species. The first goal of this study was to map and describe the geology of this region. The second goal was to attempt to relate variations in geology to juvenile red snapper abundance and distribution. Sidescan mosaics were created for ten polygons, ranging in size …

Spotted Sea Trout (Cynoscion Nebulosus) And Pinfish (Lagodon Rhomboides) Dietary Analysis According To Habitat Type, Micah Russell

LSU Master's Theses

The diets of a transitory fish (spotted sea trout, Cynoscion nebulosus) and a fish with presumed greater site-fidelity (pinfish, Lagodon rhomboides) were analyzed with respect to habitat. Sampling occurred in Barataria Bay, Louisiana between May 2003 and May 2004. Spotted sea trout were caught using gillnets, and pinfish were caught using baited fish traps. Each gear was used on three habitats: mud bottom, oyster shell, and marsh edge. In addition, sampling for spotted sea trout was repeated at three locations along a salinity gradient. A total of 175 spotted sea trout stomachs and 137 pinfish stomachs were examined. Seventeen prey …

Benthic Communities In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico Hypoxic Area: Potential Prey For Demersal Fish, Melissa Millman Baustian

LSU Master's Theses

Bottom-water hypoxia (≤2 mg O₂ l^-1) usually occurs on an annual basis on the Louisiana/Texas continental shelf from mid-May through mid-September over a large area (up to 20,000 km² in mid-summer). The effects of hypoxia on the benthic infauna (potential prey) for demersal fish were examined, because changes in optimal diet can lead to negative impacts on growth and reproduction. Benthic samples were taken in three areas (inshore and offshore out of hypoxia and in the hypoxic area) during August 2003. Samples were also taken monthly from September 2003 to October 2004 at a fixed station …

Onset Conditions For Equatorial Spread F Determined During Equis Ii, D. L. Hysell, M. F. Larsen, C. M. Swenson, Aroh Barjatya, T. F. Wheeler, M. F. Sarango, Et.Al

Publications

An investigation into the dynamics and layer structure of the postsunset ionosphere prior to the onset of equatorial spread F (ESF) took place during the NASA EQUIS II campaign on Kwajalein Atoll on August 7 and 15, 2004. On both nights, an instrumented rocket measured plasma number density and vector electric fields to an apogee of about 450 km. Two chemical release rockets were launched both nights to measure lower thermospheric wind profiles. The Altair UHF/VHF radar was used to monitor coherent and incoherent scatter. In both experiments, strong plasma shear flow was detected. Periodic, patchy bottom-type scattering layers were …

Summertime Ozone At Mount Washington: Meteorological Controls At The Highest Peak In The Northeast, E V. Fischer, R. Talbot, Jack E. Dibb

Earth Sciences

This study examined the synoptic and regional-scale meteorological controls on summertime O₃ at Mount Washington, the highest peak (1910 m) in the northeastern United States. Analysis of air mass transport to Mount Washington was conducted for the summers of 1998–2003 using backward trajectories. Distinct patterns in air mass history were revealed using this approach that helped explain extreme variations in O₃ mixing ratios. Most enhanced (≥90th percentile) and depleted (≤10th percentile) O₃ events were short-lived and spread out over the summer months. Enhanced O₃ events at Mount Washington were generally associated with westerly transport, while depleted …

Snow Accumulation, Surface Height Change, And Firn Densification At Summit, Greenland: Insights From 2 Years Of In Situ Observation, Jack E. Dibb, Mark Fahnestock

Earth Sciences

Weekly measurements of surface height change were made at an accumulation forest of 100 stakes at Summit, Greenland, over a 2-year period (17 August 2000 to 8 August 2002). On average, the surface height relative to the stakes increased 64 (±4.8) cm in the first year and 65 (±5.3) cm in the second, identical to the average (65 ± 4.5 cm yr⁻¹) previously reported for the period 1991–1995 in a similar forest 28 km to the southwest. The continuous 2-year data set indicates that the rate of surface rise was not constant, with the summers of 2001 and …

Coral Reef Ecosystem Restoration Off Southeast Florida, David S. Gilliam, Walter Jaap, Richard E. Dodge, Elizabeth Glynn Fahy, Jamie A. Monty, Brian K. Walker, Lauren F. Shuman, B. D. Ettinger, Daniel P. Fahy, Shaun M. Gill, Richard Shaul

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

Significant coral reef community development along the eastern shelf of the United States continues northward of the Florida Keys through Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, and Martin Counties, Florida (to Latitude 27° N). These Southeast Florida high-latitude coral communities have approximately 30 species of stony corals, stony coral coverage of 2-3%, and a diverse assemblage of reef gorgonians, sponges, and fishes.

This system lays within 3 km of the coast offshore a highly urbanized area comprising a population of over 5 million people (the population of Broward County alone exceeds 1.7 million). These reefs are important economic assets: a 2001 economic …

Agenda: Introduction To The Legal Foundation Of Federal Land Management, University Of Colorado Boulder. Natural Resources Law Center

Introduction to the Legal Foundation of Federal Land Management (December 1-3)

Materials prepared for the course held at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado on December 1-3, 2004

Course instructors: Charles Wilkinson; Sarah Krakoff; Kathryn Mutz; Ann Morgan; Maggie Fox

Contents:

Introduction -- Agenda -- Summaries of laws -- Case studies. Travel management; Oil and gas development; Timber/fuels reduction -- How to influence agency decision makers -- Natural resource related legal and policy resources for the non-legal professional

Introduction To The Legal Foundation Of Federal Land Management, University Of Colorado Boulder. Natural Resources Law Center

Introduction to the Legal Foundation of Federal Land Management (December 1-3)

1 v. (various pagings) : ill., maps ; 28 cm

Materials prepared for the course held at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado on December 1-3, 2004

Course instructors: Charles Wilkinson; Sarah Krakoff; Kathryn Mutz; Ann Morgan; Maggie Fox

Contents:

Introduction -- Agenda -- Summaries of laws -- Case studies. Travel management; Oil and gas development; Timber/fuels reduction -- How to influence agency decision makers -- Natural resource related legal and policy resources for the non-legal professional

Orographic Midlatitude Cyclone Modification: An Appalachian Study, Andrew Douglas Augustine

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Forecasting weather within cyclonic systems is increasingly complicated and problematic when the cyclone is modified as it passes over a mountain range. Although much study has been devoted to orographic effects, the degree of influence exerted upon midlatitude cyclones by the undersized Appalachian Mountains has not been fully established. The fundamental goal of this research was to investigate the relationships between the orography of the Appalachian region and three inherent properties exhibited by midlatitude cyclones traversing the region including intensity, movement speed, and heading. The methodology used in this study integrates GIS within a climatological analysis. Initially, a midlatitude surface …

Rayleigh-Lidar Observations Of Mesospheric Mid-Latitude Density Climatology Above Utah State University, Eric M. Lundell, Vincent B. Wickwar

Posters

Data from Rayleigh lidars have been used extensively to derive temperatures in the mesospheric region of the atmosphere. However, these data have not been used extensively in a similar way to derive neutral densities. We report on one such mid-latitude, density climatology between 45 and ~90 km, based on nearly 600 good nights of observations carried out since 1993 at the Atmospheric Lidar Observatory (ALO) at Utah State University (41.7°N 111.8°W). They produce relative density profiles that are then normalized at 45 km to an empirical model, in this case the MSISe00 model. Despite this normalization, significant differences are found …

Techniques For Restoring Gorgonians To Coral Reef Injury Areas, Lauren F. Shuman, David S. Gilliam, Richard E. Dodge, B. D. Ettinger, Daniel P. Fahy, Elizabeth Glynn Fahy, Shaun M. Gill, Jamie A. Monty, Brian K. Walker

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

Great attention and energy has been spent investigating reattachment techniques for dislodged and fragmented scleractinian corals; however there has been a lack of controlled experimentation on how to restore dislodged gorgonians following a disturbance event, such as a ship grounding. Unfortunately, reef damage events occur frequently off southeast Florida. As an example, since 1998 at least five freighters have grounded on the reefs near Ft. Lauderdale, Broward County. These freighters dislodged many scleractinian and gorgonian corals and often destroyed thousands of square feet of reef habitat. After these events, restoration efforts concentrated on stabilizing loose debris and rubble, and reattaching …

U.S. Law Of The Sea Cruise To Map The Foot Of The Slope And 2500-M Isobath Of The Northeast Us Atlantic Continental Margin: Legs 1, 2 And 3. Cruise Report, James V. Gardner

Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping

U.S. Law of the Sea cruise to map the foot of the slope and 2500-m isobath of the Northeast US Atlantic continental margin: Legs 1,2 and 3

CRUISES H04-1, 2 and 3

August 23, to November 30, 2004

Gulfport, MS to Norfolk, VA

A Watershed-Based Classification System For Lakes In Agriculturally-Dominated Ecosystems: A Case Study Of Nebraska Reservoirs, Henry N. N. Bulley

Department of Geography: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

In recent decades substantial progress has been made in improving the quality of surface waters in the United States (Hawkins et al., 2000; EPA, 2000; EPA, 2001); nevertheless, much work remains to be done in assessing the state of impairment of lake waters. Impairment implies that the existing water quality of a lake, as measured by selected criteria (e.g., nitrogen, phosphorus, chlorophyll-a, Secchi depth), exceeds a threshold value or standard that presumably reflects optimal attainable lake water quality conditions (or "reference" conditions) (Hughes, 1995; EPA, 2000; EPA, 2001). Such impaired waters are not suitable for designated uses such as drinking, …

Deep-Sea Image Processing, Yuri Rzhanov, Larry A. Mayer, D J. Fornari

Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping

High-resolution seafloor mapping often requires optical methods of sensing, to confirm interpretations made from sonar data. Optical digital imagery of seafloor sites can now provide very high resolution and also provides additional cues, such as color information for sediments, biota and divers rock types. During the cruise AT11-7 of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) vessel R/V Atlantis (February 2004, East Pacific Rise) visual imagery was acquired from three sources: (1) a digital still down-looking camera mounted on the submersible Alvin, (2) observer-operated 1-and 3-chip video cameras with tilt and pan capabilities mounted on the front of Alvin, and (3) …

Variable Bandwidth Filter For Multibeam Echo-Sounding Bottom Detection, Barbara J. Kraft, Christian De Moustier

Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping

The accuracy of a seafloor map derived from multibeam swath bathymetry depends first and foremost on the quality of the bottom detection process that yields estimates of the arrival time and angle of bottom echoes received in each beam. Filtering of each beam with a fixed bandwidth filter, with the bandwidth based on the length of the transmitted pulse, reduces the error associated with the time-angle estimates. However, filters of this type can not be optimal over the wide range of operational environments encountered. Better results are obtained with a processing scheme that varies the filter bandwidth across the swath …

The Next Edition Of Iho-S-57 (4.0): A Primer, Lee Alexander

Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping

The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) is an intergovernmental consultative and technical organization that was established in 1921 to support the safety of navigation and the protection of the marine environment. IHO Special Publication 57 (IHO S-57) is the IHO Transfer Standard for Digital Hydrographic Data. It is the standard to be used for the exchange of digital hydrographic data between hydrographic offices (HOs), and for the distribution of hydrographic data to manufacturers, mariners and other data users (e.g., GIS). It was developed so that the transfer all forms of hydrographic data would take place in a consistent and uniform manner. …

Ship-Based Nitric Acid Measurements In The Gulf Of Maine During New England Air Quality Study 2002, Jack E. Dibb, Eric Scheuer, Sallie I. Whitlow, Marcy Vozzella, Eric Williams, Brian M. Lerner

Earth Sciences

Gas phase nitric acid (HNO₃) was measured at 5-min resolution on board the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) research vessel Ronald H. Brown during the second leg (29 July to 10 August) of the New England Air Quality Study (NEAQS) 2002 cruise. A primary objective of the cruise was to improve understanding of the oxidation of NO_x in, and removal of the oxidation products from, the polluted marine boundary layer east of northeastern North America. For the first 9 days of this leg the ship remained north of Cape Cod, and the cruise track did not …

Three-Dimensional Simulations Of Inorganic Aerosol Distributions In East Asia During Spring 2001, Youhua Tang, Gregory R. Carmichael, John H. Seinfeld, Donald Dabdub, Rodney J. Weber, B J. Huebert, A D. Clarke, Sergio A. Guazzotti, David A. Sodeman, Kimberly A. Prather, Itsushi Uno, Jung -Hun Woo, James J. Yienger, David G. Streets, Patricia K. Quinn, James E. Johnson, Chul-Han Song, Vicki H. Grassian, Adrian Sandu, R. Talbot, Jack E. Dibb

Earth Sciences

In this paper, aerosol composition and size distributions in east Asia are simulated using a comprehensive chemical transport model. Three-dimensional aerosol simulations for the TRACE-P and ACE-Asia periods are performed and used to help interpret actual observations. The regional chemical transport model, STEM-2K3, which includes the on-line gas-aerosol thermodynamic module SCAPE II, and explicitly considers chemical aging of dust, is used in the analysis. The model is found to represent many of the important observed features. The Asian outflow during March and April of 2001 is heavily polluted with high aerosol loadings. Under conditions of low dust loading, SO_{2 …}