Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology Commons^™

Response Of Surface And Atmospheric Parameters Associated With The Iran M 7.3 Earthquake, Feng Jing, Ramesh P. Singh

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Multiparameter observed from satellite, including microwave brightness temperature, skin temperature, air temperature, and carbon monoxide, have been analyzed to identify the anomalous signals associated with the M 7.3 Iran earthquake of November 12, 2017. Besides removing the multiyear variability of parameters as background, the effect of surface and atmosphere of a dust storm event in Middle East region during October 29–November 1 is considered to distinguish the possible anomalies associated with the earthquake. The characteristic behaviors of surface and atmospheric parameters clearly show the signals associated with the M 7.3 earthquake and the dust storm event. The multiple parameters at …

A Review Of Impact Assessments For Deep-Sea Fisheries On The High Seas, Laura Kaikkonen, Lissette Victorero, Matthew Gianni, Teresa Amaro, Sofia Graça Aranha, Peter J. Auster, David M. Bailey, James Bell, Angelika Brandt, Jeff Drazen, Malcolm R. Clark, Cherisse Du Preez, Isa Elegbede Olalekan, Elva Escobar-Briones, Eva Giacomello, Kerry L. Howell, Andrew F. Johnson, Lisa Levin, Lucien Maloueki, Rosanna J. Milligan, Tina N. Molodtsova, Stephen Oduware, Tabitha R R Pearman, Christopher K. Pham, Sofia P. Ramalho, Ashley A. Rowden, Tracey Sutton, Michelle Taylor, Les Watling, Patience Whitten

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Reports

The intensity of deep-sea fisheries on the high seas and the impacts on the marine environment call for effective measures to ensure that fishing does not compromise the commitments established for protecting biodiversity in the deep ocean by the United Nations. In order to prevent significant adverse impacts (SAIs) on vulnerable marine ecosystems (VMEs), high seas fishing nations agreed to stop fishing activities where VMEs are known or likely to occur unless the fishing can be managed to prevent SAIs on VMEs. To determine whether fishing activities can be conducted in a sustainable manner that prevents impacts on VMEs, States …

Watershed Prioritization To Reduce Nutrient Export: A Framework For The State Of Arkansas Based On Ambient Water Quality Monitoring Data, Erin Grantz, Brian E. Haggard

Arkansas Water Resources Center Technical Reports

The annual formation of the Northern Gulf of Mexico hypoxic zone is driven by nutrient loading from the Mississippi-Atchafalaya River Basin (MARB). Member States of The Mississippi River/Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia Task have developed statewide strategies to identify priorities and opportunities for nutrient export reduction in the MARB. In 2014, the State of Arkansas joined the Task Force and initiated an Arkansas Nutrient Reduction Strategy (ANRS), which currently prioritizes ten Hydrologic Unit Code 8 (HUC-8) watersheds (ANRD, 2014). These priority watersheds were not selected based on measured in-stream nutrient concentrations or trends, which impedes quantitative assessment, goal setting, and linking …

Defining Critical Or Hydrologic Conditions As Sampled During The Joint Study, Brian E. Haggard, Erin Grantz, J. T. Scott

Arkansas Water Resources Center Technical Reports

The “Joint Study” was conducted to fulfill the obligations of the second “Statement of Joint Principles and Actions” agreed to by the states of Arkansas and Oklahoma. The “Joint Study” affirmed the magnitude of Oklahoma’s Scenic River total phosphorus (TP) criteria (i.e., 0.037 mg/L), but it added the new caveat of applying the criteria to “critical conditions.” The primary purpose of this paper was to define “critical conditions” based on the range in base flow proportions (BFP) of total streamflow on days that were sampled in the “Joint Study,” where BFP is base flow discharge divided by total stream flow …

Droughtscape, Summer 2022, National Drought Mitigation Center

DroughtScape: Quarterly Newsletter of the National Drought Mitigation Center (2007–2023)

DroughtScape, Summer 2022

Contrasting Sea-Ice Algae Blooms In A Changing Arctic Documented By Autonomous Drifting Buoys, Victoria Hill, Bonnie Light, Michael Steele, Andrew Lowy Sybrandy

OES Faculty Publications

Novel observations of the seasonal evolution of an ice algal bloom on the Chukchi shelf were collected by two autonomous buoys deployed 180 km apart in first-year drifting sea ice. High attenuation of blue light in the bottom of the ice indicated considerable accumulation of ice algae biomass with derived Chlorophyll-a concentrations (Chl a) up to 184 mg m⁻². Differences in the magnitude and persistence of ice algae biomass under each buoy appear to have been driven by differences in snow thickness, as ice thickness was similar between the sites. Minimal snow cover (0.02 m) around …

Ocean Eddies And Frontal Zones In The Gulf Of Mexico And Straits Of Florida, Yingjun Zhang

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Ocean eddies and fronts in the Gulf of Mexico (GoM) and the Straits of Florida (SoF) play important roles in ocean physics, biology, and ecology. These two ubiquitous physical features have been studied worldwide for decades, yet many questions remain unanswered or poorly studied for the GoM and SoF. This study aims to improve the understanding of ocean eddies and frontal zones in the GoM and SoF using satellite remote sensing, in situ observations and model outputs, as well as state-of-the-art algorithms, with the following objectives: 1) analyze the three-dimensional (3-D) statistical characteristics and thermohaline structure of mesoscale eddies in …

Radar Simulator Output Used For Tracking Isolated Convections, Mariko Oue, Mariko Oue

SoMAS Research Data

No abstract provided.

Water Quality Correlations With Phytoplankton Community Composition In A Polluted Shallow Subtropical Estuary, Connor Joseph Wong

Theses and Dissertations

The Indian River Lagoon (IRL) estuary has experienced eutrophication and degraded water quality due to high nutrient input, urbanization, and anthropogenic stressors. High nutrient input and restricted estuarine hydrology promotes algal blooms. Algal blooms or harmful algal blooms (HABs) are a global concern as they can cause negative ecological and economic impacts. The frequency and range of HABs is expected to be exacerbated by climate change and altered oceanic and estuarine conditions. Research on the formation and frequency of HABs is an ongoing global effort, but algal blooms are often dynamic and patchy making them difficult to study. This study …

Effects Of Nutrient Enrichment On Mangrove And Saltmarsh Habitats, Elena A. Flores

Theses and Dissertations

Nutrient over-enrichment is a global threat to coastal and marine environments. Yet, system-specific attributes of estuarine and coastal ecosystems may result in large differences in their sensitivity and susceptibility to such threat. In tropical latitudes, plant species adapted to low-nutrient habitats generally have nutrient-conservation mechanisms that acquire, use, and internally recycle nutrients efficiently. Thus, a major challenge for managers and decision makers is to develop a predictive and holistic understanding of how nutrient loading alters ecosystem functions and therefore ecosystem services. The objective of the present research is to document short and long-term effects of persistent nutrient …

Institute For Global Health And Development : Issue 4 - July - Sept 2022, Institute For Global Health And Development

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2022 July - Tennessee Monthly Climate Report, Tennessee Climate Office, East Tennessee State University

Tennessee Climate Office Monthly Reports

No abstract provided.

Zooplankton Biodiversity In The Northeast Gulf Of Mexico And On The West Florida Shelf From 2005 - 2014, Megan Ferguson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Zooplankton abundance and biodiversity was measured in the northeast Gulf of Mexico (NEGoM) and on the West Florida Shelf. Bongo net samples were collected between May 2005 to September 2009 through the SEAMAP program, and between July 2010 to August 2014 through the C-IMAGE program. Calanoid copepods were the most abundant zooplankton group in most of the samples collected, but ostracods, larvaceans, and chaetognaths were also abundant. Shannon and Inverse Simpson indices were calculated for all zooplankton samples and generally showed similar trends, but only Shannon indices were used for statistical analyses. In the winter and spring there were significant …

Elucidating The Sources Supplying Aerosol Iron, Zinc, And Cadmium To The Surface Of The North Pacific Ocean With Stable Isotopes, Zach B. Bunnell

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Transition metals, such as iron (Fe), zinc (Zn) and cadmium (Cd), are found at just trace amounts within the global oceans yet are vital for many biological functions of phytoplankton. As a result, these metals influence the ocean’s efficacy for carbon sequestration. Atmospheric dust is the primary input of Fe to various surface waters and may also supply Zn and Cd to oligotrophic surface waters. Here, I present Fe, Zn, and Cd isotope data from the US North Pacific GEOTRACES Section GP15 (Alaska-Tahiti) from the low-dust season (Sept. – Nov. 2018). Using this data and aerosol enrichment factors, I show …

Analyzing The Impact Of Governance Strategies On Trust And Risk In The Salish Sea Transboundary Fishery Context, Evelyn Roozee

Theses and Dissertations

The Salish Sea is the site of a transboundary fishery whose coastal jurisdiction includes British Columbia, Washington State, the two federal governments, and many Indigenous tribes with sovereign rights. Fishery management becomes increasingly complex when transboundary cooperation is needed. Furthermore, while the Salish Sea region has attempted to facilitate better transboundary collaborative governance, these have generally failed to institutionalize the principles of adaptive management. This research seeks to assess current trust and risk perceptions and analyze the effects of control mechanisms used in the transboundary fishery management network. The data consists of a survey measuring collaborative precursors, barriers, and outcomes …

Weathering The Storm: Community Socio-Economic And Physical Vulnerability Assessment Of Informal Settlements To Disasters In Arusha City, Tanzania, Herbert Hambati

Tanzania Journal of Science

Urban population growth has demonstrated a synergetic relationship with the growth of informal settlements and vulnerability to disasters in urban areas. This study employed Community Participatory Vulnerability Assessment (CPVA) to analyse vulnerability in informal settlements in Arusha City, Tanzania. The results show that a plethora of factors, including socio-economic and physical realities interact in complex non-linear ways to shape vulnerability to disasters in informal settlements in the city. The study shows that coping strategies of some individuals in informal settlements reinforce their risks to disasters. This is particularly demonstrated by the stones that are positioned on weak roof structures for …

Effects Of Temperature And Salinity On Incubation Time, Hatching Success, And Larvae Survival Of The Giant Tiger Prawn Penaeus Monodon Under Experimental Conditions, Sawadi Ndunguru, Marcelian Njau, Blandina Robert Lugendo

Tanzania Journal of Science

Prawns are commercially one of the most important marine resources. However, in their early developmental stages, they face challenges related to physico-chemical and environmental changes. This study aimed at investigating the effects of temperature and salinity on egg incubation time, hatching success, larval and postlarval survival of the giant tiger prawn, Penaeus monodon (Fabricius 1798) obtained from the coastal waters of Tanzania. The adult females P. monodon collected off Rufiji delta were left to acclimatize and spawn at 28.5 ± 0.5 °C and 32 ppt in the hatchery. Spawned eggs were incubated at experimental temperatures of 27 °C, 31 °C …

Effects Of Feed Moisture Content, Soybean Ratio And Barrel Temperature On Physical And Functional Properties Of Extruded Maize-Soybean Flour Blends, Robert Mugabi, Stellah Byakika, Ivan Muzira Mukisa

Tanzania Journal of Science

The effects moisture content, temperature and soybean ratio on expanded product characteristics of extruded maize-soybean blends were studied. Response surface methodology was used to study the effects of extrusion conditions on extrudate properties taking barrel temperature (BT), feed moisture content (FM) and soybean flour ratio (SR) as factors. Expansion ratio (ER), water absorption index (WAI), water solubility index (WSI), hardness and colour (b* - (+) yellowness) of the extrudates were determined. BT and FM had significant effects on ER (p < 0.05). At low FM levels, ER increased with BT. It was observed that both FM and BT significantly affected WAI and WSI. WAI increased as FM increased. Increasing FM to 20% resulted in a decrease in WSI, beyond which an increase was observed. Hardness increased significantly as feed moisture content increased. High SR content significantly increased the extrudate hardness. FM had no significant effect on colour. Colour increased as the SR and BT increased. Significant regression models explained the effects of SR, FM, and BT on all response variables. All of the response variables' R2, were higher than 0.89. Keywords: Maize, Soybean, moisture content, extrusion

Language And Social Justice In Us Climate Movements: Barriers And Ways Forward, Julia Coombs Fine

Environmental Studies Faculty Publications

Climate movements increasingly conceptualize the climate crisis as an issue of social injustice, both in terms of its root causes and its present and future effects. Climate justice calls for participatory decision-making within climate movements, which, as communication scholars have pointed out, necessitates inclusive and accessible communicative practices. Within sociocultural linguistics, a growing body of research has explored sociolinguistic justice, or marginalized groups' struggle for self-determined language use. This analysis interweaves these two research areas, applying the theory of sociolinguistic justice to climate communication in organizing contexts. Drawing on 67 semi-structured interviews and 112 online surveys with climate activists from …

Modeling Studies Of Gravity Wave Dynamics In Highly Structured Environments: Reflection, Trapping, Instability, Momentum Transport, Secondary Gravity Waves, And Induced Flow Responses, Wenjun Dong, David C. Fritts, Michael P. Hickey, Alan Z. Liu, Thomas S. Lund, Shaodong Zhang, Yanying Yan, Fan Yang

Publications

A compressible numerical model is applied for three-dimensional (3-D) gravity wave (GW) packets undergoing momentum deposition, self-acceleration (SA), breaking, and secondary GW (SGW) generation in the presence of highly-structured environments enabling thermal and/or Doppler ducts, such as a mesospheric inversion layer (MIL), tidal wind (TW), or combination of MIL and TW. Simulations reveal that ducts can strongly modulate GW dynamics. Responses modeled here include reflection, trapping, suppressed transmission, strong local instabilities, reduced SGW generations, higher altitude SGW responses, and induced large-scale flows. Instabilities that arise in ducts experience strong dissipation after they emerge, while trapped smaller-amplitude and smaller-scale GWs can …

Nitrogen Fixation Rates In Forested Mountain Streams: Are Sediment Microbes More Important Than Previously Thought?, Erica A. H. Bakker, Carmella Vizza, Clay Arango, Sarah S. Roley

Biology Faculty Scholarship

1. Biological nitrogen (N) fixation, the microbial conversion of N₂ gas to ammonia, makes N available to food webs. Low-N streams often have a high relative abundance of N-fixing taxa, suggesting that N fixation is an important N source in these systems. Despite this potential, stream N fixation has not been well-characterised, particularly compared to lakes and marine environments. One unknown is the relative contributions of various N-fixing organisms, particularly heterotrophic microbes.
2. In low-N streams in the Cascade Mountains (Washington, USA), three groups of N-fixers predominate: cyanobacteria (Nostoc paramelioides) colonies that house a midge symbiont (Cricotopus spp.), …

‘Bunkering Down’: How One Community Is Tightening Social-Ecological Network Structures In The Face Of Global Change, Michele L. Barnes, Lorien Jasny, Andrew Bauman, Jon Ben, Ramiro Berardo, Örjan Bodin, Josh Eli Cinner, David A. Feary, Angela M. Guerrero, Fraser A. Januchowski-Hartley, John T. Kuange, Jacqueline D. Lau, Peng Wang, Jessica Zamborain-Mason

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

1. Complex networks of relationships among and between people and nature (social-ecological networks) play an important role in sustainability; yet, we have limited empirical understanding of their temporal dynamics.
2. We empirically examine the evolution of a social-ecological network in a common-pool resource system faced with escalating social and environmental change over the past two decades.
3. We first draw on quantitative and qualitative data collected between 2002 and 2018 in a Papua New Guinean reef fishing community to provide contextual evidence regarding the extent of social and environmental change being experienced. We then develop a temporal multilevel exponential random graph model using …

Multi-Sectoral Impact Assessment Of An Extreme African Dust Episode In The Eastern Mediterranean In March 2018, Alexandra Monteiro, Sara Basart, Stelios Kazadzis, Antonis Gkikas, Sophie Vandenbussche, Aurelio Tobias, Carla Gama, Carlos Pérez García-Pando, Enric Tarradellas, George Notas, Nick Middleton, Jonilda Kushta, Vassilis Amiridis, Kostas Lagouvardos, Panagiotis G. Kosmopoulos, Vasiliki Kotroni, Maria Kanakidou, Nikos Mihalopoulos, Nikos Kalivitis, Pavla Daggson-Waldhauserová, Hesham El-Askary, Klaus Sievers, T. Giannaros, Lucia Mona, Marcus Hirtl, Paul Skomorowski, Slobodan Nickovic, Athanasios Votsis, Timo H. Virtanen, Theodoros Christoudias, Biagio Di Mauro, Serena Trippetta, Stanislav Kutuzov, Outi Meinander

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

In late March 2018, a large part of the Eastern Mediterranean experienced an extraordinary episode of African dust, one of the most intense in recent years, here referred to as the “Minoan Red” event. The episode mainly affected the Greek island of Crete, where the highest aerosol concentrations over the past 15 yeas were recorded, although impacts were also felt well beyond this core area. Our study fills a gap in dust research by assessing the multi-sectoral impacts of sand and dust storms and their socioeconomic implications. Specifically, we provide a multi-sectoral impact assessment of Crete during the occurrence of …

Population Genetics Reveals Bidirectional Fish Movement Across The Continental Divide Via An Interbasin Water Transfer, Audrey C. Harris, Sara J. Oyler-Mccance, Jennifer A. Fike, Matthew P. Fairchild, Christopher M. Kennedy, Harry J. Crockett, Dana L. Winkelman, Yoichiro Kanno

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Interbasin water transfers are becoming an increasingly common tool to satisfy municipal and agricultural water demand, but their impacts on movement and gene flow of aquatic organisms are poorly understood. The Grand Ditch is an interbasin water transfer that diverts water from tributaries of the upper Colorado River on the west side of the Continental Divide to the upper Cache la Poudre River on the east side of the Continental Divide. We used single nucleotide polymorphisms to characterize population genetic structure in cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii) and determine if fish utilize the Grand Ditch as a movement corridor. …

Chronological Accumulation Of Microplastics In The Gulf Of Mexico And Their Acute Effects On Coral Bleaching, Martina M. Plafcan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Microplastics have accumulated in the environment since plastic production began. They have spread to all areas of the globe from marine trenches to mountains and they can be harmful to organisms. However, research on microplastics has only recently begun so it is unclear how they have changed over time in many regions of the ocean and how current oceanic concentrations might affect marine life. Additionally, organisms such as corals are under stress and have been declining due to climate change, so it is not yet known if microplastics exacerbate these threats. My thesis addressed these gaps in the literature by …

Equitable, Affordable And Climate-Cognizant Housing Construction, Shelby D. Green

Arkansas Law Review

In this Article, I recount some of the history of unwise and improvident land use policy and practices that have led to gross inequities and to the climate-exposed state, not only in terms of where people were assigned spaces to live, but how. I go on to suggest that communities should be designed with intent, with regard for the threats of climate change as well as accessibility to those historically excluded.

Foraging Habitat Selection Of Shrubland Bird Community In Tropical Dry Forest, Anant Deshwal, Steven L. Stephenson, Pooja Panwar, Brett A. Degregorio, Ragupathy Kannan, John D. Willson

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Habitat loss due to increasing anthropogenic disturbance is the major driver for bird population declines across the globe. Within the Eastern Ghats of India, shrubland bird communities are threatened by shrinking of suitable habitats due to increased anthropogenic disturbance and climate change. The development of an effective habitat management strategy is hampered by the absence of data for this bird community. To address this knowledge gap, we examined foraging sites for 14 shrubland bird species, including three declining species, in three study areas representing the shrubland type of forest community in the Eastern Ghats. We recorded microhabitat features within an …

Improving On Atmospheric Turbulence Profiles Derived From Dual Beacon Hartmann Turbulence Sensor Measurements, Alexander S. Boeckenstedt, Jack E. Mccrae, Santasri Bose-Pillai, Benjamin Wilson

Faculty Publications

Atmospheric turbulence is an inevitable source of wavefront distortion in all fields of long range laser propagation and sensing. However, the distorting effects of turbulence can be corrected using wavefront sensors contained in adaptive optics systems. Such systems also provide deeper insight into surface layer turbulence, which is not well understood. A unique method of profile generation by a dual source Hartmann Turbulence Sensor (HTS) technique is introduced here. Measurements of optical turbulence along a horizontal path were taken to create C2n profiles. Two helium-neon laser beams were directed over an inhomogeneous horizontal path and captured by the HTS. The …

The Tails Of Two Avian Schistosomes: Paired Exposure Study Demonstrates Trichobilharzia Stagnicolae Penetrates Human Skin More Readily Than A Novel Avian Schistosome From Planorbella, Nathaniel J. Anderson, Curtis L. Blankespoor, Randall J. Dejong

University Faculty Publications and Creative Works

A novel schistosome from Planorbella snails currently known as avian schistosomatid sp. C (ASC) was recently described as being capable of causing the papules associated with swimmer’s itch. We conducted a paired study with 24 human volunteers, exposing each of their forearms to five drops of water containing cercariae of ASC or Trichobilharzia stagnicolae, and examined the skin for papules 1–3 days later. A mixed effects model showed that only the parasite species significantly affected the number of papules, while prior experimental exposure, swimming history, and swimmer’s itch experience did not. The total number of papules produced by the two …

A Raft To Coastal Resilience: Odu Researchers Collaborate To Help Rural Communities Combat Flooding Impacts, News @ Odu

News Items

No abstract provided.