Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology Commons^™

Navigating A Pathway Toward Colorado's Water Future: A Review And Recommendations On Colorado's Draft Water Plan, Lawrence J. Macdonnell, Colorado Water Working Group

Books, Reports, and Studies

40 pages (includes color illustrations).

Observations Of Fire-Induced Turbulence Regimes During Low-Intensity Wildland Fires In Forested Environments: Implications For Smoke Dispersion, Warren Heilman, Craig Clements, Daisuke Seto, Xindi Bian, Kenneth Clark, Nicholas Skowronski, John Hom

Faculty Publications, Meteorology and Climate Science

Low-intensity wildland fires occurring beneath forest canopies can result in particularly adverse local air-quality conditions. Ambient and fire-induced turbulent circulations play a substantial role in the transport and dispersion of smoke during these fire events. Recent in situ measurements of fire–atmosphere interactions during low-intensity wildland fires have provided new insight into the structure of fire-induced turbulence regimes and how forest overstory vegetation can affect the horizontal and vertical dispersion of smoke. In this paper, we provide a summary of the key turbulence observations made during two low-intensity wildland fire events that occurred in the New Jersey Pine Barrens.

A One Year Landsat 8 Conterminous United States Study Of Cirrus And Non-Cirrus Clouds, Valeriy Kovalskyy, David P. Roy

GSCE Faculty Publications

The first year of available Landsat 8 data over the conterminous United States (CONUS), composed of 11,296 acquisitions sensed over more than 11 thousand million 30 m pixel locations, was analyzed comparing the spatial and temporal incidence of 30 m cloud and cirrus states available in the standard Landsat 8 Level 1 product suite. This comprehensive data analysis revealed that on average over a year of CONUS observations (i) 35.9% were detected with high confidence cloud, with spatio-temporal patterns similar to those observed by previous Landsat 5 and 7 cloud analyses; (ii) 28.2% were high confidence cirrus; (iii) 20.1% were …

Ua66 Ogden College Of Science & Engineering Newsletter, Cheryl Stevens, Dean

Ogden College of Science & Engineering Publications

No abstract provided.

Ua94/6/17 Student / Alumni Personal Papers Wku Annie Reis, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Records created by and about Annie Reis during her years as a student at Western Kentucky State Normal School.

Long Island Horseshoe Crab Network Annual Inventory Report, Cercom, Molloy University, John Tanacredi Ph.D., Sixto E. Portilla

CERCOM Reports

Considerable concern regarding the abundance of the North American Horseshoe Crab (HSC), Limulus polyphemus, along the coasts of New Jersey and Delaware prompted past moratoriums on collecting HSC for bait in New Jersey. The parallel population decline in migratory shorebirds such as Red Knots, Calidris canutus, Ruddy Turnstones, Arenaria interpres, and others that seasonally feed on the copious quantities of HSC eggs laid along this shoreline resulted in reduced HSC collection permits to numbers considered sustainable. In New York State’s Marine District, which is mostly comprised of the Long Island coastline, there is no reliable or routine inventory network existing …

Great South Bay, Long Island, New York Summer Water Quality Monitoring Program, Cercom, Molloy University, John Tanacredi Ph.D., Sixto E. Portilla

CERCOM Reports

The Center for Environmental Research and Coastal Oceans Monitoring (CERCOM) visits 15 locations in Great South Bay to monitor for dissolved oxygen (DO), pH, salinity, clarity, total and fecal coliforms and temperature. This monitoring program has been conducted for the past 13 years. These parameters are critical in determining long-term water quality conditions in Long Island estuaries. Methodologies for monitoring parameters are provided by the Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater 20th Edition (1998). Criteria for determining water quality conditions in marine eco-systems are based on the type of contact (uses) people have with the water system. …

Evaluating The Assessment Methodology For The Chlorophyll-A And Secchi Transparency Criteria At Beaver Lake, Arkansas, J. Thad Scott, Brian E. Haggard

Arkansas Water Resources Center Technical Reports

No abstract provided.

A Combined Dynamical And Statistical Downscaling Technique To Reduce Biases In Climate Projections: An Example For Winter Precipitation And Snowpack In The Western United States, R. Li, Shih-Yu (Simon) Wang, R. R. Gillies

Plants, Soils, and Climate Faculty Publications

Large biases associated with climate projections are problematic when it comes to their regional application in the assessment of water resources and ecosystems. Here, we demonstrate a method that can reduce systematic biases in regional climate projections. The global and regional climate models employed to demonstrate the technique are the Community Climate System Model (CCSM)and the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model. The method first utilized a statistical regression technique and a global reanalysis dataset to correct biases in the CCSM-simulated variables (e.g., temperature, geopotential height, specific humidity, and winds) that are subsequently used to drive the WRF model. …

Decadal Oscillation Of Autumn Precipitation In Central Vietnam Modulated By The East Pacific-North Pacific (Ep-Np), R. Li, Shih-Yu (Simon) Wang, R. R. Gillies, B. Buckley, L. H. Troung, C. Cho

Plants, Soils, and Climate Faculty Publications

Autumn precipitation over Central Vietnam is associated with an increase in the occurrence of tropical cyclones that lead to frequent flooding and pose a significant threat to lives and property. The present analyses reveal a pronounced decadal oscillation of autumn precipitation in Central Vietnam within the 8-11 year frequency band that is modulated by the East Pacific-North Pacific (EP-NP) teleconnection. The negative phase of the EP-NP pattern is associated with a positive sea surface temperature (SST) anomaly in the South China Sea (SCS) that induces low-level convergence, enhances convection, and increases precipitation over Central Vietnam and adjacent islands including Hainan …

Cold Smoke: Smoke-Induced Density Currents Cause Unexpected Smoke Transport Near Large Wildfires, Neil Lareau, Craig Clements

Faculty Publications, Meteorology and Climate Science

The first observations of smoke-induced density currents originating from large wildfires are presented. Using a novel mobile Doppler lidar and additional in situ measurements, we document a deep (~ 2 km) smoke-filled density current that propagates more than 25 km at speeds up to 4.5 m s−1 near a large forest fire in northern California. Based on these observations we show that the dynamics governing the spread of the smoke layer result from differential solar heating between the smoke-filled and smoke-free portions of the atmospheric boundary layer. A calculation of the theoretical density current speed agrees well with the observed …

Haverstraw Bay Benthic Mapping Project Gis Data, Robert M. Cerrato

SoMAS Research Data

High-resolution backscatter and bathymetric maps created by multibeam and sidescan sonar surveys were used to identify five different seafloor bottom types within Haverstraw Bay. Grab samples were collected within these areas to characterize sediment properties and macrofauna. Selected sampling locations were revisited and seafloor images were obtained with an HD underwater camera. Multivariate analysis was used to identify the most important factors explaining variations in community structure. Results indicated that categorical variables defining bottom types, grain size, and water depth can explain about 42% of community structure variation. In addition, shell length data collected for Rangia cuneata, an introduced species, …

Ua1c11/74 Charles Patterson Photo Collection, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Photographs removed from Charles Patterson's scrapbook.

Perspectivas Culturais Na Comunicação Climática (Cultural Perspectives On Climate Communication), Karen E. Pennesi

Anthropology Publications

Este artigo considera que a previsão climática deve ser interpretada dentro de contextos sociais, culturais e linguísticos. Dentro de uma perspectiva antropológica baseada em entrevistas, observações e um questionário, será investigado como mudanças no meio-ambiente são entendidas por diferentes indivíduos, e transformadas em previsões que são comunicadas a diversos públicos. A linguagem utilizada e a maneira como a previsão é comunicada depende da experiência e dos objetivos do previsor, enquanto que a interpretação e a avaliação da previsão por outros são influenciadas por seus diferentes objetivos, atitudes, conhecimento e práticas. Esta etnografia da comunicação enfatiza o processo da comunicação das …

Training Conservation Practitioners To Be Better Decision Makers, Fred Johnson, Mitchell J. Eaton, James H. Williams, Gitte H. Jensen, Jesper Madsen

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Traditional conservation curricula and training typically emphasizes only one part of systematic decision making (i.e., the science), at the expense of preparing conservation practitioners with critical skills in values-setting, working with decision makers and stakeholders, and effective problem framing. In this article we describe how the application of decision science is relevant to conservation problems and suggest how current and future conservation practitioners can be trained to be better decision makers. Though decision-analytic approaches vary considerably, they all involve: (1) properly formulating the decision problem; (2) specifying feasible alternative actions; and (3) selecting criteria for evaluating potential outcomes. Two approaches …

Phosphorus Retention In A Lowland Neotropical Stream Following An Eight-Year Enrichment Experiment, Gaston E. Small, Marcelo Ardón, John H. Duff, Alan P. Jackman, Alonso Ramírez, Frank J. Triska, Catherine M. Pringle

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Human alteration of the global P cycle has led to widespread P loading in freshwater ecosystems. Much research has been devoted to the capacity of wetlands and lakes to serve as long-term sinks for P inputs from the watershed, but we know much less about the potential of headwater streams to serve in this role. We assessed storage and retention of P in biotic and abiotic compartments after an 8-y experimental P addition to a 1st-order stream in a Neotropical wet forest. Sediment P extractions indicated that nearly all P storage was in the form of Fe- and Al-bound P …

Aquatic Pollution Increases Use Of Terrestrial Prey Subsidies By Stream Fish, Johanna M. Kraus, Justin F. Pomeranz, Andrew S. Todd, David M. Walters, Travis S. Schmidt, Richard B. Wanty

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

1. Stream food webs are connected with their riparian zones through cross-ecosystem movements of energy and nutrients. The use and impact of terrestrial subsidies on aquatic consumers is often determined by in situ biomass of aquatic prey. Thus, stressors such as aquatic pollutants that greatly reduce aquatic secondary production could increase the need for and reliance of stream consumers on terrestrial resource subsidies.

2. To test this hypothesis, we surveyed stream fish, their diets, and resource availability in 16 subalpine streams over a regional gradient of trace metals known to strongly impact aquatic insect communities (i.e. fish prey) in …

Sediment And Discharge Yields Within A Minimally Disturbed, Headwater Watershed In North Central Pennsylvania, Usa, With An Emphasis On Superstorm Sandy, Kelly O. Maloney, Dustin R. Shull

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

We estimated discharge and suspended sediment (SS) yield in a minimally disturbed watershed in North Central Pennsylvania, USA, and compared a typical storm (September storm, 4.80 cm) to a large storm (Superstorm Sandy, 7.47 cm rainfall). Depending on branch, Sandy contributed 9.7–19.9 times more discharge and 11.5–37.4 times more SS than the September storm. During the September storm, the upper two branches accounted for 60.6% of discharge and 88.8% of SS at Lower Branch; during Sandy these percentages dropped to 36.1% for discharge and 30.1% for SS. The branch with close proximity roads had over two-three times per area SS …

Uranium-Series Ages Of Fossil Corals From Mallorca, Spain: The “Neotyrrhenian” High Stand Of The Mediterranean Sea Revisited, Daniel R. Muhs, Kathleen R. Simmons, Joaquín Meco, Naomi Porat

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

The emergent marine deposits of the Mediterranean basin have been recognized as an important record of Quaternary sea level history for more than a century. Previous workers identified what have been interpreted to be two separate high stands of sea in the late Quaternary, namely the “Eutyrrhenian” (thought to be ~120 ka) and the “Neotyrrhenian” (thought to be either ~100 ka or ~80 ka). On Mallorca, Spain, both of these named deposits lie close to present sea level, implying paleo-sea levels slightly above present during both marine isotope stages (MIS) 5.5/5e and either 5.3/5c or 5.1/5a. If these interpretations are …

Investigating Endocrine And Physiological Parameters Of Captive American Kestrels Exposed By Diet To Selected Organophosphate Flame Retardants, Kimberly J. Fernie, Vince Palace, Lisa E. Peters, Nil Basu, Robert J. Letcher, Natalie K. Karouna-Renier, Sandra L. Schultz, Rebecca S. Lazarus, Barnett A. Rattner

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Organophosphate triesters are high production volume

additive flame retardants (OPFRs) and plasticizers. Shown to accumulate

in abiotic and biotic environmental compartments, little is known about the

risks they pose. Captive adult male American kestrels (Falco sparverius) were

fed the same dose (22 ng OPFR/g kestrel/d) daily (21 d) of tris(2-

butoxyethyl) phosphate (TBOEP), tris(2-chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP),

tris(2-chloroisopropyl) phosphate (TCIPP), or tris(1,2-dichloro-2-propyl)

phosphate (TDCIPP). Concentrations were undetected in tissues (renal,

hepatic), suggesting rapid metabolism. There were no changes in glutathione

status, indicators of hepatic oxidative status, or the cholinergic system (i.e.,

cerebrum, plasma cholinesterases; cerebrum muscarinic, nicotinic receptors).

Modest …

Use Of Terrestrial Field Studies In The Derivation Of Bioaccumulation Potential Of Chemicals, Nico W. Van Den Brink, Jennifer A. Arblaster, Sarah R. Bowman, Jason M. Conder, John E. Elliott, Mark S. Johnson, Derek C.G. Muir, Tiago Natal-Da-Luz, Barnett A. Rattner, Bradley E. Sample, Richard F. Shore

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Field-based studies are an essential component of research addressing the behavior of organic chemicals, and a unique line of evidence that can be used to assess bioaccumulation potential in chemical registration programs and aid in development of associated laboratory and modeling efforts. To aid scientific and regulatory discourse on the application of terrestrial field data in this manner, this article provides practical recommendations regarding the generation and interpretation of terrestrial field data. Currently, biota-to-soil-accumulation factors (BSAFs), biomagnification factors (BMFs), and bioaccumulation factors (BAFs) are the most suitable bioaccumulation metrics that are applicable to bioaccumulation assessment evaluations and able to be …

Estimating Relative Sea-Level Rise And Submergence Potential At A Coastal Wetland, Donald R. Cahoon

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

A tide gauge records a combined signal of the vertical change (positive or negative) in the level of both the sea and the land to which the gauge is affixed; or relative sealevel change, which is typically referred to as relative sea-level rise (RSLR). Complicating this situation, coastal wetlands exhibit dynamic surface elevation change (both positive and negative), as revealed by surface elevation table (SET) measurements, that is not recorded at tide gauges. Because the usefulness of RSLR is in the ability to tie the change in sea level to the local topography, it is important that RSLR be calculated …

Legal Primer, Hampton Roads Sea Level Rise Preparedness And Resilience Intergovernmental Pilot Project, Legal Working Goup

Hampton Roads Intergovernmental Pilot Project: Reports

A legal primer developed by the Legal Working Group of the Hampton Roads Sea Level Rise Preparedness and Resilience Intergovernmental Pilot Project. Includes a memo from Roy A. Hoagland, Chair of the IPP Legal Working Group and Director of the Virginia Coastal Policy Clinic at William & Mary Law School to Jim Redick, Chair of the IPP Steering Committee, dated August 13, 2015.

Life In Hampton Roads Survey Press Release #5" Sea Level Rise Rise And Flooding, Social Science Research Center, Old Dominion University

Life in Hampton Roads Survey Report

This report examines regional and sub-regional measures of environmental risk perceptions from the 2015 Life In Hampton Roads survey (LIHR 2015) conducted by the Old Dominion University Social Science Research Center. Data from prior years is also provided when available to show comparisons in responses over time. Responses were weighted by city population, race, age, gender, and phone usage (cell versus land-line) to be representative of the Hampton Roads region.

Drougthscape, Winter 2015, Kelly Smith

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

Contents

Director’s report

Central U.S. 2012 report

October-December drought summary

2014 drought summary

Caribbean capacity building

Drought impacts in 2014

California timeline 2014

UC Davis ranching workshop

NASA SMAP data

Global drought info system

Community Capitals

Evaluation and assessment

Indicator-impact research

NDMC on YouTube

From Too Much To Too Little: How The Central U.S. Drought Of 2012 Evolved Out Of One Of The Most Devastating Floods On Record In 2011, Brian Fuchs, Deborah Wood, Dee Ebbeka

National Drought Mitigation Center: Faculty Publications

Introduction: Brian Fuchs, National Drought Mitigation Center

Regional Drought Perspective: Natalie A. Umphlett, High Plains Regional Climate Center, Michael S. Timlin, Midwest Regional Climate Center, Brian Fuchs, National Drought Mitigation Center

State Drought Perspectives — Colorado: Wendy Ryan and Nolan Doesken, Colorado Climate Center • Illinois: Jim Angel, Illinois State Water Survey • Indiana: Olivia Kellner, Indiana State Climate Office • Iowa: Harry J. Hillaker, Iowa Dept. of Agriculture & Land Stewardship • Kansas: Mary Knapp and Xiaomao Lin, Kansas State University • Kentucky: Stu Foster, Kentucky State Climate Office • Michigan: Jeff Andresen and Aaron Pollyea, Michigan State University …

Global Change And Conservation Triage On National Wildlife Refuges, Fred Johnson, Mitchell J. Eaton, Gerard Mcmahon, Raye Nilius, Michael R. Bryant, Dave Case, Julien Martin, Nathan J. Wood, Laura Taylor

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

National Wildlife Refuges (NWRs) in the United States play an important role in the adaptation of social-ecological systems to climate change, land-use change, and other global-change processes. Coastal refuges are already experiencing threats from sea-level rise and other change processes that are largely beyond their ability to influence, while at the same time facing tighter budgets and reduced staff. We engaged in workshops with NWR managers along the U.S. Atlantic coast to understand the problems they face from global-change processes and began a multidisciplinary collaboration to use decision science to help address them. We are applying a values-focused approach to …

Studying The Effect Of Sea-Level Rise On Infrastructure And Construction, Michelle Flanagan

OUR Journal: ODU Undergraduate Research Journal

Climate Central, a nonprofit research organization that aims to provide the public with relevant and reliable information on climate change, developed an interactive application called the Risk Finder tool that launched in October of 2013. This tool collects data from several federal agencies, including NOAA, FEMA, and the EPA, and allows users to research sea-level rise and climate change in their specific state. In an effort to provide a user-friendly platform, Dan Rizza at Climate Central tasked an introductory Technical and Scientific writing course at Old Dominion University with conducting usability testing on the Risk Finder tool. Usability testing is …

Growth, Injury, And Population Dynamics In The Extant Cyrtocrinid Holopus Mikihe (Crinoidea, Echinodermata) Near Roatan, Honduras, V. J. Syverson, Charles G. Messing, Karl Stanley, Tomasz K. Baumiller

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

The crinoid order Cyrtocrinida is known mainly from Mesozoic fossils; its few surviving members, all from bathyal environments, are among the most peculiar living crinoids. Cyrtocrinids attributed to Holopus mikihe Donovan and Pawson, 2008, have been observed in large numbers via submersible off the western coast of Roatán, Honduras, on vertical and overhanging walls at depths between 430 and 640 m. Observations in 2012, 2013, and 2014 have permitted the first estimates of population structure, growth, and regeneration. Two size modes were observed; the flat barnacle-like “juvenile” stage resembles confamilial and co-occurring Cyathidium pourtalesiAméziane, 1999, whereas the larger “adults” …

Overview Of Student Projects And Articles, Padideh Ghadiri, Madeline Brenner

OUR Journal: ODU Undergraduate Research Journal

All over the globe, the negative impacts of climate change and sea level rise have garnered the attention of prominent researchers and the press alike. Previous research on sea level rise and climate change in Hampton Roads has concluded that this region is one of the most vulnerable areas of land in the United States ("Initiative for Coastal Climate Change Research"). The geographical proximity of the numerous bodies of water found in and around Hampton Roads and the low elevation leads scientists to believe that this area will experience the repercussions of climate change and sea level rise first ("Initiative …