Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology Commons^™

Seasonal Warm-Water Refuge And Sanctuary Usage By The Florida Manatee (Trichechus Manatus Latirostris) In Kings Bay, Citrus County, Florida, Danielle C. Sattelberger

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

The largest Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris) aggregation at a natural warm-water refuge occurs in Kings Bay, Crystal River, FL. Over the last 32 years, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the State of Florida have created a network of manatee protection areas within Kings Bay including a year-round refuge designation and seven Federal manatee sanctuaries during the winter manatee season (November 15 – March 31). Aerial survey data collected between 1983 and 2012 was used to examine the seasonal change in manatee distribution within Kings Bay in order to assess the effectiveness of current sanctuary sizes …

Evaluation Of Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals In The Florida Coastal Pelagic Fish Complex Following The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Event, Rachel Hickey

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

Following the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill event, there was a critical need to assess the effects of the oil and dispersant chemicals on the coastal pelagic fish complex in the Gulf of Mexico and the Florida Straits. The objective of this study was to determine if spilled crude oil and dispersant chemicals have posed an ecological risk to the coastal pelagic fish complex through the detection of vitellogenesis. Crude oil containing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), dispersant chemicals and other estrogen-mimicking compounds are suspected to induce vitellogenin production in male and immature female fish, normally only produced by sexually mature …

Land-Based Coral Nurseries: A Valuable Tool For Production And Transplantation Of Acropora Cervicornis, Keri L. O'Neil

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

Coral nurseries have become a popular and successful method to produce coral fragments for reef-restocking and restoration projects worldwide. Numerous in-situ coral nurseries have been established and many studies have focused on the most effective way to produce coral fragments in offshore nurseries. In contrast, production of coral fragments in land-based nurseries is rarely studied despite a growing knowledge of coral husbandry and coral aquaculture. Little data exist on the success of tank-raised corals when transplanted back into reef environments. This thesis presents the results of a study designed to assess the use of land-based coral nurseries in production of …

The Prairie Post Quarterly Newsletter Of The High Plains Regional Climate Center- April 2015, Martha Shulski, Natalie A. Umphlett, Bill Sorensen, Crystal J. Stiles

Prairie Post: Quarterly Newsletter of the High Plains Regional Climate Center

Inside this issue:

Message from the director........................................1

Staff spotlight...........................1

Stakeholder engagement activities......................................2

Partnership spotlight.............2

AWDN information.................3

Update on regional climate conditions..................................3

Product highlight....................4

Research highlight..................4

Outreach events......................5

Recent and upcoming travel and activities.............................6

Impact Of Biogenic Volatile Organic Compounds On Peroxyacetyl Nitrate Production In The Southeast United States, Christopher John Groff

Open Access Theses

Our atmosphere is arguably the fundamental entity that has made life on Earth possible. Knowledge of the delicate nature of our atmosphere continues to spread as "green" initiatives promote awareness of human influence on the environment. However, many climate scientists fear that unless immediate mitigation occurs, the reversal of human impact on our planet will be impossible, leading to unknown consequence. Perturbations to natural processes are likely to cause drastic change to the planet as we know it and ultimately result in significant health issues. It is important to push the boundaries of our understanding of atmospheric processes with intent …

A Hydroclimatic Assessment Of The U.S. Corn Belt Across Spatial And Temporal Scales, Olivia B. Kellner

Open Access Dissertations

The term hydroclimate is used to describe the climate of a given location as determined by the incident radiant energy (temperature) and the existence of water in its various forms on Earth. Two types of climate comprise the science of hydroclimatology: the climate as established by general global circulation patterns at specific locations on Earth (large-scale climate) and the climate established at Earth's surface resulting from the daily fluxes of radiant energy and water in its various forms between the atmosphere, Earth's surface, and the subsurface (local-scale climate) (Shelton 2009). This dissertation investigates different spatial and temporal scales of the …

Fully Electronic Method Of Measuring Post-Release Gap And Gradient/Residual Stress Of A Mems Cantilever, Andrew Stephen Kovacs

Open Access Dissertations

Smartphones and other wireless devices have become ubiquitous over the past decade, and the RF front-end inside of them has become more complex and disproportionately consumes more power compared to other components. Micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) have a huge potential to reduce these problems while simultaneously offering superior performance compared to current leading-edge technology. However, MEMS technology has difficulty transitioning from the lab to large-scale manufacturing due to the unpredictability of device lifetime and manufacturability issues. This can be mitigated by investigating how critical material or physical parameters (gap, stress, Young's modulus, material thickness, etc.) vary from manufacturing uncertainties and how …

Studies Of The Interaction Of Biogenic Volatile Organic Compounds And Nox In Forest Environments, Kevin M. Mcavey

Open Access Dissertations

Ozone is a pollutant that causes crop damage, adverse health effects, and is a contributor to global climate change. Ozone concentrations are predicted to rise over the next half-century along with global temperature. Ozone production is controlled by the chemistry between biogenic volatile organic compounds and NO_x (NO + NO₂), and therefore, a greater understanding of NO_x + BVOC chemistry along with their sources and sinks is needed. One large uncertainty in understanding NO_x + BVOC chemistry is the production of organic nitrates (RONO₂), which act as a radical termination step in the …

Spectroscopic Characterization And Photochemistry Of Nitrogen-Containing Molecules Relevant To Titan's Atmosphere, Deepali N. Mehta-Hurt

Open Access Dissertations

Titan's atmospheric chemistry has been the source of intrigue since the planetary body's discovery. Though there is a growing understanding of the atmospheric chemistry of small molecules on Titan, much less is known about larger molecule formation, and particularly about nitrile chemistry. This dissertation characterizes nitrile/isonitrile intermediates that are postulated to be important in Titan's atmosphere, adding to the necessary foundation for understanding Titan's atmospheric chemistry. The vibronic spectroscopy of para-diisocyanobenzene (pDIB, C≡N-Ph-N≡C) has been characterized as a first step towards photochemical studies that can test the transformation of the isonitrile group to other nitrogen-based functionalities.p …

Histology And Ultrastructure Of Montastraea Cavernosa And Porites Astreiodes During Regeneration And Recruitment: Anthropogenic Stressors And Transplant Success, Dorothy-Ellen A. Renegar

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

Corals combine photosynthesis and calcification in an intricate and delicately balanced relationship to form large biomineralized structures that are dominant features of tropical coastlines worldwide. Coral reefs have great scientific and economic importance but have recently experienced widespread decline attributed to increasing anthropogenic pressure on reef systems. Physical damage events, such as ship groundings, when coupled with existing nutrient stress and changing global climate present a poor outlook for successful natural recovery of reef communities. The main goal of the proposed research is to better understand how environmental factors, both local and global, affect the coral holobiont and influence overall …

Drougthscape, Spring 2015, Kelly Smith

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

Contents

Director’s column.

South Plains ranch workshops 3

First quarter drought summary

First quarter impacts summary

Gary’s favorite pond, D1-4

NDMC’s Haigh leads U2U pubs

SW Montana watersheds convene

Wind River monitors drought

Morocco’s new drought index

Northeast Brazil drought monitoring

EU’s drought initiative

U.S. Drought Monitor Forum

How Colorado tourism coped in 2012

Doppler Shifted Internal Waves In A Shallow Water Region, William D. Boll

OES Theses and Dissertations

Measurements of velocity fields from a high frequency ( 1.2 MHz) vertical acoustic doppler current profiler (V ADCP) along with density and temperature profiles were taken in coastal waters on the New Jersey shelf. Time series span six consecutive months from May through October 2003, capturing the transition of the water column from a highly stratified summer into a fully mixed winter season. Barotropic tides interact with variations in local bathymetry causing disturbances within the fluid medium which govern internal wave characteristics. During the months of June, July, and August, a high number of internal wave signals were observed. Spectra …

Comparison Of Fish Assemblages In Restored And Natural Mangrove Habitats Along An Urban Shoreline, Joseph R. Peters, Lauren A. Yeager, Craig A. Layman

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

The installation of living shorelines is one strategy used to ameliorate habitat degradation along developed coastlines. In this process, existing hard structures, such as sea walls and riprap revetments, are supplemented with habitat forming species, e.g., oysters and mangrove trees, to improve habitat quality and function. Shoreline restorations in Biscayne Bay, Florida, USA, often utilize red mangroves, Rhizophora mangle (Linneaus, 1753), in addition to riprap revetments, to help stabilize the shoreline. This riprap-mangrove habitat provides structure for marine organisms to utilize and is believed to improve shoreline habitats in areas previously cleared of mangroves. We examined whether habitat provisioning was …

Comparing Different Methods For Estimating Total Open Heliospheric Magnetic Flux, Samantha J. Wallace

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

There are extended periods over the solar cycle where significant discrepancies occur between the observed open magnetic flux (i.e., those based on spacecraft observations) and that determined from coronal models. One explanation for the source of these discrepancies is the magnetic fields in CMEs, which have yet to magnetically disconnect from the Sun. These “closed” flux sources can be included in open flux estimates, because open and closed magnetic field lines are not easily distinguished in spacecraft data. Another possibility is that a portion of the open flux measured by in situ spacecraft originates from the time-dependent evolution of solar …

Assessing The Impacts Of Nutrient Load Reduction Scenarios On The Extent And Severity Of Hypoxia In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico, David Fertitta

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

A Survey Of Aquatic Organisms For The Cyanotoxin Beta-Methylamino-L-Alanine (Bmaa), Ian M. Sammler

OES Theses and Dissertations

Cyanobacteria blooms are increasing globally as a result of eutrophication. Many cyanobacteria are potentially harmful, not only because of the oxygen depleted zones created when they decay, but also because of the toxins they produce. β- Methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA), reportedly produced by many species of cyanobacteria, is a non-proteinogenic amino acid that has been linked to the development of neurodegenerative diseases (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and Alzheimer's) in humans. This study presents results from an assessment of BMAA in cyanobacteria and their grazers from the lower Chesapeake Bay and Lake Erie regions. BMAA was analyzed in samples prepared with the EZ:Faast™ …

Marine Sequestration Of Carbon In Bacterial Metabolites, Oliver J. Lechtenfeld, Norbert Hertkorn, Yuan Shen, Matthias Witt, Ronald Benner

Faculty Publications

Linking microbial metabolomics and carbon sequestration in the ocean via refractory organic molecules has been hampered by the chemical complexity of dissolved organic matter (DOM). Here, using bioassay experiments and ultra-high resolution metabolic profiling, we demonstrate that marine bacteria rapidly utilize simple organic molecules and produce exometabolites of remarkable molecular and structural diversity. Bacterial DOM is similar in chemical composition and structural complexity to naturally occurring DOM in sea water. An appreciable fraction of bacterial DOM has molecular and structural properties that are consistent with those of refractory molecules in the ocean, indicating a dominant role for bacteria in shaping …

A Study Of Thunderstorm Microphysical Properties And Lightning Flash Counts Associated With Terrestrial Gamma-Ray Flashes, D. E. Barnes, M. E. Splitt, J. R. Dwyer, S. Lazarus, D. M. Smith, H. K. Rassoul

Aerospace, Physics, and Space Science Faculty Publications

The terrestrial gamma ray flash (TGF) is an emission of highly energetic radiation produced by or at least in close association with lightning. Previous investigations attempted to isolate the production mechanisms and production altitude(s) of TGFs as well as macrophysical characteristics, while thunderstorm microphysical characteristics were largely ignored. This investigation into thunderstorms and their hydrometeor and flash characteristics utilize temporal and spatial coincident satellite passes between the Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager and the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission to determine the bulk (or footprint) microphysical properties of two types of study events, the thunderstorm complexes which are associated …

Utilizing Four Dimensional Lightning And Dual-Polarization Radar To Develop Lightning Initiation Forecast Guidance, Andrew J. Travis

Theses and Dissertations

Lightning initiation is a major forecast challenge faced by Air Force's 45th Weather Squadron (45 WS), which provides weather support to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and Kennedy Space Center (KSC). Prior studies by Thurmond (2014) and Woodard (2011) have shown that dual-polarization (DP) radar can be used to identify the presence of hydrometeors indicative of cloud charging, leading to improved lightning initiation forecasts. The 45 WS currently employs empirical lightning initiation forecast rules which state that in-cloud lightning is likely when radar reflectivity meets or exceeds 37.0 dBZ above the -10°C height. This study examined 249 convective cells from …

Housatonic Organic Contaminants: Physical Data Archive, Michael M. Whitney

Department of Marine Sciences

This archive includes physical data from a Connecticut Sea Grant Project on organic contaminants in the Housatonic River estuary and Long Island Sound. The data included are water: temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, pH, and current velocities. Observations were collected in 2012 and 2013 from the R/V Weicker.

Performance Metrics For Depth-Based Signal Separation Using Deep Vertical Line Arrays, John K. Boyle

Dissertations and Theses

Vertical line arrays (VLAs) deployed below the critical depth in the deep ocean can exploit reliable acoustic path (RAP) propagation, which provides low transmission loss (TL) for targets at moderate ranges, and increased TL for distant interferers. However, sound from nearby surface interferers also undergoes RAP propagation, and without horizontal aperture, a VLA cannot separate these interferers from submerged targets. A recent publication by McCargar and Zurk (2013) addressed this issue, presenting a transform-based method for passive, depth-based separation of signals received on deep VLAs based on the depth-dependent modulation caused by the interference between the direct and surface-reflected acoustic …

Growth Of A Deep-Water, Predatory Fish Is Influenced By The Productivity Of A Boundary Current System, Hoang Minh Nguyen, Adam N. Rountrey, Jessica J. Meeuwig, Peter G. Coulson, Ming Feng, Stephen J. Newman, Anya M. Waite, Corey B. Wakefield, Mark G. Meekan

Fisheries Research Articles

The effects of climate change on predatory fishes in deep shelf areas are difficult to predict because complex processes may govern food availability and temperature at depth. We characterised the net impact of recent environmental changes on hapuku (Polyprion oxygeneios), an apex predator found in continental slope habitats (>200 m depth) by using dendrochronology techniques to develop a multi-decadal record of growth from otoliths. Fish were sampled off temperate south-western Australia, a region strongly influenced by the Leeuwin Current, a poleward-flowing, eastern boundary current. The common variance among individual growth records was relatively low (3.4%), but the …

Odu Hosts Fema Listening Session On New Flood Protection Standards, Public Affairs & News Bureau, Old Dominion University

News Items

No abstract provided.

Winter Weather Services And Forecasting Options For Local Agencies, Michael Baldwin

Purdue Road School

Students majoring in atmospheric science at Purdue's Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences have organized a "forecasting club" to provide weather forecasting services to a wide range of customers. During the winter months, these students provide a detailed forecast of conditions across the state of Indiana that are expected to impact road maintenance operations. These forecasts are available via a web page as well as direct email. Other information regarding winter weather observations and predictions is rapidly increasing in availability. This presentation will discuss these freely available sources of winter weather information that can be used by local agencies …

Assessment Of The Consistency Among Global Microwave Land Surface Emissivity Products, Hamidreza Norouzi, M. Temimi, C. Prigent, J. Turk, Reza Khanbilvardi, Y. Tian, F. A. Furuzawa, H. Masunaga

Publications and Research

The goal of this work is to intercompare four global land surface emissivity products over various landcover conditions to assess their consistency. The intercompared land emissivity products were generated over a 5year period (2003–2007) using observations from the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer – Earth Observing System (AMSR-E), the Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I), the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) Microwave Imager (TMI), and WindSat. First, all products were reprocessed in the same projection and spatial resolution as they were generated from sensors with various configurations. Then, the mean value and standard deviations of monthly emissivity values were calculated for each …

Ship-Induced Solitary Riemann Waves Of Depression In Venice Lagoon, Kevin E. Parnall, Tarmo Soomere, Luca Zaggia, Artem Rodin, Giuliano Lorenzetti, John Rapaglia, Gian Marco Scarpaf

Biology Faculty Publications

We demonstrate that ships of moderate size, sailing at low depth Froude numbers (0.37–0.5) in a navigation channel surrounded by shallow banks, produce depressions with depths up to 2.5 m. These depressions (Bernoulli wakes) propagate as long-living strongly nonlinear solitary Riemann waves of depression substantial distances into Venice Lagoon. They gradually become strongly asymmetric with the rear of the depression becoming extremely steep, similar to a bore. As they are dynamically similar, air pressure fluctuations moving over variable-depth coastal areas could generate meteorological tsunamis with a leading depression wave followed by a devastating bore-like feature.

Dynamics Of Marine Bacterial Community Diversity Of The Coastal Waters Of The Reefs, Inlets, And Wastewater Outfalls Of Southeast Florida, Alexandra Mandina Campbell, Jay Fleisher, Christopher D. Sinigalliano, James R. White, Jose V. Lopez

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Coastal waters adjacent to populated southeast Florida possess different habitats (reefs, oceanic inlets, sewage outfalls) that may affect the composition of their inherent microbiomes. To determine variation according to site, season, and depth, over the course of 1 year, we characterized the bacterioplankton communities within 38 nearshore seawater samples derived from the Florida Area Coastal Environment (FACE) water quality survey. Six distinct coastal locales were profiled – the Port Everglades and Hillsboro Inlets, Hollywood and Broward wastewater outfalls, and associated reef sites using culture-independent, high-throughput pyrosequencing of the 16S rRNA V4 region. More than 227,000 sequences helped describe longitudinal taxonomic …

Signed Peer Reviews As A Means To Improve Scholarly Publishing, Linwood H. Pendleton

Journal of Ocean and Coastal Economics

Peer review is a necessary process with a long history of complaints, including over-solicitation of a small number of reviewers, delays, inadequate numbers of reviewers, and a lack of incentives to provide strong reviews or avoid reviews with little helpful information for the author. In the era of Web-based distribution of research, through working paper or project reports, anonymous peer reviews are much less likely. The Journal of Ocean and Coastal Economics will use signed peer reviews and an open communication process among authors, reviewers, and editors. This approach, to be developed over time, should lead to stronger communication of …

Hydrographic Surveys At Seven Chutes And Three Backwaters On The Missouri River In Nebraska, Iowa, And Missouri, 2011-13, Justin R. Krahulik, Brenda K. Densmore, Kayla J. Anderson, Cory L. Kavan

United States Geological Survey: Water Reports and Publications

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) cooperated with the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Omaha District, to complete hydrographic surveys of seven chutes and three backwaters on the Missouri River yearly during 2011–13. These chutes and backwaters were constructed by the USACE to increase the amount of available shallow water habitat (SWH) to support threatened and endangered species, as required by the amended “2000 Biological Opinion” on the operation of the Missouri River main-stem reservoir system. Chutes surveyed included Council chute, Plattsmouth chute, Tobacco chute, Upper Hamburg chute, Lower Hamburg chute, Kansas chute, and Deroin chute. Backwaters surveyed …

Sfa Weather Station-March 2015, Arthur Temple College Of Forestry And Agriculture, Stephen F. Austin State University

Weather Station Data

No abstract provided.