Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology Commons^™

Could The 2012 Drought In Central U. S. Have Been Anticipated?, Shih-Yu (Simon) Wang, Danny Barandiaran, Kyle Hilburn, Paul Houser

Plants, Soils, and Climate Faculty Publications

This paper summarizes research related to the 2012 record drought in the central United States conducted by members of the NEWS (NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) Energy and Water cycle Study) Working Group. Past drought patterns were analyzed for signal coherency with latest drought and the contribution of long-term trends in the Great Plains low-level jet, an important regional circulation feature of the spring rainy season in the Great Plains. Long-term changes in the seasonal transition from rainy spring into dry summer were also examined. Potential external forcing from radiative processes, soil-air interactions, and ocean teleconnections were assessed as …

Global Nightly Oh And O2 Mesospheric Airglow: Examining A Decade Of Measurements Using The Nasa Saber Satellite Sensor, Jonathan Price, Jordan C. Rozum, Gene Ware, Doran Baker

Browse All Undergraduate research

The SABER instrument aboard the TIMED satellite is a multichannel radiometer and has been continuously measuring the altitude distribution of infrared airglow intensity in the mesosphere on a global basis since 2002. While the majority of these altitude distributions are Gaussian-like, a significant portion exhibit two or more local maxima, suggesting multiple airglow layers. To better understand the cause of this phenomenon, the global and temporal distributions of infrared OH andO2 scans resulting in multiple peak altitude profiles are being examined.

Significant Impacts Of Radiation Physics In The Wrf Model On The Precipitation And Dynamics Of The West African Monsoon, R. Li, J. Jin, Shih-Yu (Simon) Wang, R. R. Gillies

Plants, Soils, and Climate Faculty Publications

Precipitation from the West African Monsoon (WAM) provides food security and supports the economy in the region. As a consequence of the intrinsic complexities of the WAM’s evolution, accurate simulations of the WAM and its precipitation regime, through the application of regional climate models, are challenging. We used the coupled Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) and Community Land Model (CLM) to explore impacts of radiation physics on the precipitation and dynamics of the WAM. Our results indicate that the radiation physics schemes not only produce biases in radiation fluxes impacting radiative forcing, but more importantly, result in large bias in …

Water Quality During Two High-Flow Years On The Lower Missouri River: The Effects Of Reservoir And Tributary Contributions, D M. Morris, T R. Gemeinhardt, N.J C. Gosch, D E. Jensen

United States Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District

Complex socioeconomic and ecological issues, ranging from impaired streams to Gulf of Mexico hypoxia, have made nutrient management an increasingly important issue across the USA. High flows during 2010 and 2011 provided a unique opportunity to investigate trends in discharge, total nitrogen, nitrate/nitrite, total phosphorus, orthophosphorus, suspended sediment and total suspended solids during two distinct high-flow years on the Missouri River. We compared collections taken during 2010 and 2011 at 12 lower Missouri River locations (river kilometers 1212 to 71) and 22 Missouri River tributary locations. During 2011, average concentrations for all sampled parameters were significantly lower, despite significantly higher …

An Advanced Mesospheric Temperature Mapper For High-Latitude Airglow Studies, Pierre-Dominique Pautet, Michael J. Taylor, William R. Pendleton Jr., Yucheng Zhao, Tao Yuan, R. Esplin, D. Mclain

Publications

Over the past 60 years, ground-based remote sensing measurements of the Earth’s mesospheric temperature have been performed using the nighttime hydroxyl (OH) emission, which originates at an altitude of ∼87  km∼87  km. Several types of instruments have been employed to date: spectrometers, Fabry–Perot or Michelson interferometers, scanning-radiometers, and more recently temperature mappers. Most of them measure the mesospheric temperature in a few sample directions and/or with a limited temporal resolution, restricting their research capabilities to the investigation of larger-scale perturbations such as inertial waves, tides, or planetary waves. The Advanced Mesospheric Temperature Mapper (AMTM) is a novel infrared digital imaging …

The Noaa Nrda Gulf Of Mexico Offshore Fish And Nekton Program: Rationale, Design And Sampling/Sensing Synopsis, Tracey Sutton, K. M. Boswell

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

The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill was not only unique for its material volume but also for its depth, ~1500 m, necessitating a wholewater- column approach for assessment. Given the absence of data regarding the pelagic fauna at these depths, a large-scale program was developed that included at-sea sampling/sensing, sample analysis, and database management. A four-cruise survey aboard the NOAA ship Pisces was conducted to provide data on the pelagic nekton from the surface to 1600 m, with emphasis between 800-1400 m (subsurface plume depth). Multi-frequency acoustic data were collected simultaneously to further characterize the horizontal and vertical distribution of pelagic …

A Review Of Passive Sampling Systems For Ambient Air Mercury Measurements, Jiaoyan Huang, Seth N. Lyman, Jelena Stamenkovic Hartman, Mae Sexauer Gustin

USU Uintah Basin Faculty Publications

Atmospheric mercury (Hg) temporal and spatial patterns must be measured accurately in order to adequately understand the role of this pathway as it relates to Hg toxicity and exposure of humans and wildlife to Hg. It is also important to understand the distribution of the different chemical forms (elemental, oxidized, or particle bound) and specific compounds in air (e.g., HgCl2, HgBr2, HgO, Hg(NO3)2, and HgSO4). However, the current automated and passive sampling methods of measurement have limitations and artifacts impacting our ability to achieve this task. Both abiotic and biotic systems have been developed to measure the total gaseous Hg …

Investigating The Effect Of The ‘‘Land Between The Lakes’’ On Storm Patterns, Joshua D. Durkee, Ahmed M. Degu, Faisal Hossain, Rezaul Mahmood, Jesse Winchester, Themis Chronis

High Plains Regional Climate Center: Staff Publications

The artificially created region around the ‘‘Land between the Lakes’’ (LBL) in Kentucky represents unique land use and land cover (LULC) heterogeneities. Over a distance of 100 km, the LULC comprises artificially created open water bodies (i.e., two parallel large run-on-river dams separated by the LBL), mountainous terrain, forest cover, and extensive agricultural land. Such heterogeneities increase (decrease) moisture supply and sensible heat, resulting in a differential air mass boundary that helps to initiate (inhibit) convection. Hence, the LBL can potentially modify precipitation formation. Historical anecdotes reveal a tendency for storms to dissipate or reintensify near the LBL. The specific …

A Comparison Of The Mm5 And The Regional Atmospheric Modeling System Simulations For Land--Atmosphere Interactions Under Varying Soil Moisture, Astrid Suarez, Rezaul Mamood, Arturo I. Quintanar, Adriana Beltran-Prezekurat, Roger Pielke Sr.

High Plains Regional Climate Center: Staff Publications

A comparison between two mesoscale models, Colorado State University Regional Atmospheric Modeling System (RAMS) version 4.4 coupled with the Land-Ecosystem--Atmosphere Feedback Model (LEAF2) and Penn State/NCAR’s Mesoscale Model (MM5) coupled with NOAH Land Surface Model, was conducted in order to assess the sensitivity of forecasted planetary boundary layer (PBL) variables to anomalous initial volumetric soil moisture conditions. The experiments were conducted using three synoptic events: June 11, 17 and 22, 2006. For each event, one control run and six additional simulations were completed using RAMS and MM5. In each of the events, initial volumetric soil moisture was increased and decreased …

The Inky Story Of The Dinky Oak Gall, Ken Sulak

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Maybe you have noticed these little spheres before – but did not give them much thought. Or maybe, you puzzled: What are these wooden pearls? How did they get there? Well, a tiny wasp, called the pea galler wasp or gallfly, Belonocnema treatae, is the culprit. The diminutive female gallfly (one of nearly a thousand species in the gall wasp family Cynipidae), about the size of a fire ant, lays eggs on a freshly budded live oak leaf in spring. When the larva hatches, it produces a chemical that induces the oak to enclose it in a protective and …

Integrating Land Cover Modeling And Adaptive Management To Conserve Endangered Species And Reduce Catastrophic Fire Risk, David Breininger, Brean Duncan, Mitchell J. Eaton, Fred Johnson, James Nichols

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Land cover modeling is used to inform land management, but most often via a two-step process, where science informs how management alternatives can influence resources, and then, decision makers can use this information to make decisions. A more efficient process is to directly integrate science and decision-making, where science allows us to learn in order to better accomplish management objectives and is developed to address specific decisions. Co-development of management and science is especially productive when decisions are complicated by multiple objectives and impeded by uncertainty. Multiple objectives can be met by the specification of tradeoffs, and relevant uncertainty can …

Lithologic Influences On Groundwater Recharge Through Incised Glacial Till From Profile To Regional Scales: Evidence From Glaciated Eastern Nebraska, John L. Gates, Gregory V. Steele, Paolo Nasta, Jozsef Szilagyi

United States Geological Survey: Water Reports and Publications

[1] Variability in sediment hydraulic properties associated with landscape depositional and erosional features can influence groundwater recharge processes by affecting soil-water storage and transmission. This study considers recharge to aquifers underlying river-incised glaciated terrain where the distribution of clay-rich till is largely intact in upland locations but has been removed by alluvial erosion in stream valleys. In a stream-dissected glacial region in eastern Nebraska (Great Plains region of the United States), recharge estimates were developed for nested profile, aquifer, and regional scales using unsaturated zone profile measurements (matric potentials, Cl⁻ and ³H), groundwater tracers (CFC-12 and SF_{6 …}

Hydrographic Survey Of Chaktomuk, The Confluence Of The Mekong, Tonlé Sap, And Bassac Rivers Near Phnom Penh, Cambodia, 2012, Benjamin J. Dietsch, Brenda K. Densmore, Richard C. Wilson

United States Geological Survey: Water Reports and Publications

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of State, Mekong River Commission, Phnom Penh Autonomous Port, and the Cambodian Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology, completed a hydrographic survey of Chaktomuk, which is the confluence of the Mekong, Tonlé Sap (also spelled Tônlé Sab), and Bassac Rivers near Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The hydrographic survey used a high-resolution multibeam echosounder mapping system to map the riverbed during April 21–May 2, 2012.

The multibeam echosounder mapping system was made up of several components: A RESON Seabat™ 7125 multibeam echosounder, an inertial measurement unit and navigation unit, data collection computers, …

Monitoring Conterminous United States (Conus) Land Cover Change With Web-Enabled Landsat Data (Weld), M C. Hansen, A. Egorov, P V. Potapov, S V. Stehman, A Tyukavina, S A. Turubanova, D. P. Roy, S J. Goetz, T R. Loveland, J Ju, A. Kommareddy, V. Kovalskyy, C Forsyth, T Bents

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Forest cover loss and bare ground gain from 2006 to 2010 for the conterminous United States (CONUS) were quantified at a 30 m spatial resolution using Web-Enabled Landsat Data available from the USGS Center for Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) (http://landsat.usgs.gov/WELD.php). The approach related multi-temporal WELD metrics and expert-derived training data for forest cover loss and bare ground gain through a decision tree classification algorithm. Forest cover loss was reported at state and ecoregional scales, and the identification of core forests' absent of change was made and verified using LiDAR data from the GLAS (Geoscience Laser Altimetry System) instrument. …

Coastal Tectonics On The Eastern Margin Of The Pacific Rim: Late Quaternary Sea-Level History And Uplift Rates, Channel Islands National Park, California, Usa, Daniel R. Muhs, Kathleen R. Simmons, R. Randall Schumann, Lindsey T. Groves, Stephen B. Devogel, Scott A. Minor, Deanna Laurel

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

The Pacific Rim is a region where tectonic processes play a significant role in coastal landscape evolution. Coastal California, on the eastern margin of the Pacific Rim, is very active tectonically and geomorphic expressions of this include uplifted marine terraces. There have been, however, conflicting estimates of the rate of late Quaternary uplift of marine terraces in coastal California, particularly for the northern Channel Islands. In the present study, the terraces on San Miguel Island and Santa Rosa Island were mapped and new age estimates were generated using uranium-series dating of fossil corals and amino acid geochronology of fossil mollusks. …

Exposure And Food Web Transfer Of Pharmaceuticals In Ospreys (Pandion Haliaetus): Predictive Model And Empirical Data, Rebecca S. Lazarus, Barnett A. Rattner, Bryan W. Brooks, Bowen Du, Peter C. Mcgowan, Vicki S. Blazer, Mary Ann Ottinger

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

The osprey (Pandion haliaetus) is a well‐known sentinel of environmental contamination, yet no studies have traced pharmaceuticals through the water–fish–osprey food web. A screening‐level exposure assessment was used to evaluate the bioaccumulation potential of 113 pharmaceuticals and metabolites, and an artificial sweetener in this food web. Hypothetical concentrations in water reflecting “wastewater effluent dominated” or “dilution dominated” scenarios were combined with pH‐specific bioconcentration factors (BCFs) to predict uptake in fish. Residues in fish and osprey food intake rate were used to calculate the daily intake (DI) of compounds by an adult female osprey. Fourteen pharmaceuticals and a drug …

Building Community Resilience And Developing Adaptive Capabilities To Cope With Sea Level Rise In Hampton Roads And Beyond, Hans-Peter Plag, Ray Toll

Presentations, Lectures, Posters, Reports

No abstract provided.

Life In Hampton Roads Survey Press Release #5: Under Water? Sea Level Rise And Environmental Risks, 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 2014 Life In Hampton Roads survey (LIHR 2014) conducted by the Old Dominion University Social Science Research Center.

Fall 2014, Nsu Oceanographic Center

Currents

No abstract provided.

Spring 2014, Nsu Oceanographic Center

Currents

No abstract provided.

Editorial Overview: Environmental Change Issues: Coral Reefs Sustainability And Its Challenges, Bernhard Riegl, Georgios Tsounis

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

No abstract provided.

Regional Dust Storm Modeling For Health Services: The Case Of Valley Fever, William A. Sprigg, Slobodan Nickovic, John N. Galgiani, Goran Pejanovic, Slavo Petkovic, Mirjam Vujadinovic, Ana Vukovic, Milan Dacic, Scott Dibiase, Anup K. Prasad, Hesham El-Askary

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

On 5 July 2011, a massive dust storm struck Phoenix, Arizona (USA), raising concerns for increased cases of valley fever (coccidioidomycosis, or, cocci). A quasi-operational experimental airborne dust forecast system predicted the event and provides model output for continuing analysis in collaboration with public health and air quality communities. An objective of this collaboration was to see if a signal in cases of valley fever in the region could be detected and traced to the storm - an American haboob. To better understand the atmospheric life cycle of cocci spores, the DREAM dust model (also herein, NMME-DREAM) was modified to …

Global And Regional Impacts Of Hono On The Chemical Composition Of Clouds And Aerosols, Yasin F. Elshorbany, P. J. Crutzen, B. Steil, A. Pozzer, H. Tost, J. Lelieveld

USF St. Petersburg Campus Faculty Publications

Recently, realistic simulation of nitrous acid (HONO) based on the HONO / NOx ratio of 0.02 was found to have a significant impact on the global budgets of HOx (OH + HO2) and gas phase oxidation products in polluted regions, especially in winter when other photolytic sources are of minor importance. It has been reported that chemistry-transport models underestimate sulphate concentrations, mostly during winter. Here we show that simulating realistic HONO levels can significantly enhance aerosol sulphate (S(VI)) due to the increased formation of H2SO4. Even though in-cloud aqueous phase oxidation of dissolved SO2 (S(IV)) is the main source of …

Extreme Value Analysis Of Rainfall Events Over The Kennedy Space Center Complex, Adam David Schnapp

Master's Theses - Daytona Beach

The use of observational datasets to determine the occurrence frequencies of extreme weather events has gained a lot of recent interest due to concerns about the potential regional impacts from global climate change. Extreme-value theory can quantify the return frequency of the most extreme events, using climatologically short data sets and the assumption that such short climatological periods are stationary. However, the resulting analyses must be used with caution since they may not accurately reflect the potential of extreme events in the future due to climate change and variability. Accurately predicting extreme-event likelihood is important for building realistic long-range planning …

Reproduction And Population Of Porites Divaricata At Rodriguez Key: The Florida Keys, Usa, John Mcdermond

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

Sexual reproduction in Porites divaricata (Le Sueur, 1820) was studied over a one year period (August, 2012 to August, 2013) in a shallow water (~2m depth) carbonate bank (also described as marginal) habitat at Rodriguez Key, a small island located 1.44 km off the east coast of Key Largo. Porites divaricata is a brooding, gonochoric species with peak reproductive output (planula release) occurring in March and at least a smaller event in May. This species showed an overall female to male sex ratio of 3.5:1. However, during peak reproduction, the sex ratio was 1.2:1. Spawning (sperm release) most likely occurred …

Age And Growth Of Three Coastal-Pelagic Tunas (Actinopterygii: Perciformes: Scombridae) In The Florida Straits, Usa: Blackfin Tuna, Thunnus Atlanticus, Little Tunny, Euthynnus Alletteratus, And Skipjack Tuna, Katsuwonus Pelamis, Jessica L. Adams, David W. Kerstetter

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Background. Understanding the life history of a species is essential for fully understanding its role within an ecosystem. However, many of the fish species of high ecological value have not been studied due to their less prominent roles in local recreational and commercial fisheries in comparison to other targeted species. These valuable fishes are also important trophic linkages between small neritic fishes and large, economically valuable apex predators. This study describes for the first time the yearly age and growth patterns of three small tuna species inhabiting South Florida (USA) waters: blackfin tuna, Thunnus atlanticus (Lesson, 1831); little tunny, …

Co-Occurrence Of The Cyanotoxins Bmaa, Daba And Anatoxin-A In Nebraska Reservoirs, Fish, And Aquatic Plants, Maitham Ahmed Al-Sammak, Kyle D. Hoagland, David A. Cassada, Daniel D. Snow

Nebraska Water Center: Faculty Publications

Several groups of microorganisms are capable of producing toxins in aquatic environments. Cyanobacteria are prevalent blue green algae in freshwater systems, and many species produce cyanotoxins which include a variety of chemical irritants, hepatotoxins and neurotoxins. Production and occurrence of potent neurotoxic cyanotoxins β-N-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA), 2,4-diaminobutyric acid dihydrochloride (DABA), and anatoxin-a are especially critical with environmental implications to public and animal health. Biomagnification, though not well understood in aquatic systems, is potentially relevant to both human and animal health effects. Because little is known regarding their presence in fresh water, we investigated the occurrence and potential for bioaccumulation of cyanotoxins …

A Principal Component Analysis Of Vertical Temperature Profiles For Tracking Movements Of Swordfish Xiphias Gladius, Kathryn G. Carmody

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

Electronic pop-up satellite archival tag (PSAT) technology has been successfully used to monitor the at-large behavior of a suite of pelagic animals, especially regarding habitat utilization. Additionally, algorithms using ambient light-level data have allowed the derivation of geolocation estimates along the duration of the deployment. However, the diel behavior of swordfish moving below the photic zone during daylight hours precludes this methodology because of the lack of ambient light-level data. To produce deployment tracks for swordfish, a mathematical model was created to analyze hydrographic temperature and pressure data recorded by PSATs. This hydrographic-based model applies Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to …

The Effects That Liquid And Solid Cattle Manure Have On The Water Quality Of Drainage Ditches In Putnam County, Ohio, Janelle Horstman

Honors Projects

Lake Erie has experienced harmful algal blooms with increased frequency since the mid-1990s due to excess nutrients from Rivers, such as the Maumee River, and largely agricultural watersheds. Nonpoint source pollution from agriculture contributes to eutrophication, algal blooms, and the degradation of water quality. This creates stress on aquatic fauna, reduced aesthetic quality, odor, and limits of the water for usage of drinking, recreation, and industry. This research paper asks what the contributions of having access to manure application records, soil records, and information about antibiotics have on what is known about manure management and antibiotic resistance, which has been …

Weekly Gridded Aquarius L-Band Radiometer/Scatterometer Observations And Salinity Retrievals Over The Polar Regions - Part 1: Product Description, L. Brucker, Emmanuel P. Dinnat, L. S. Koenig

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Passive and active observations at L band (frequency similar to 1.4 GHz) from the Aquarius/SAC-D mission offer new capabilities to study the polar regions. Due to the lack of polar-gridded products, however, applications over the cryosphere have been limited. We present three weekly polar-gridded products of Aquarius data to improve our understanding of L-band observations of ice sheets, sea ice, permafrost, and the polar oceans. Additionally, these products intend to facilitate access to L-band data, and can be used to assist in algorithm developments. Aquarius data at latitudes higher than 50 degrees are averaged and gridded into weekly products of …