Oceanography Commons^™

Super-Aggregations Of Krill And Humpback Whales In Wilhelmina Bay, Antarctic Peninsula, Douglas P. Nowacek, Ari S. Friedlaender, Patrick N. Halpin, Elliott L. Hazen, David W. Johnston, Andrew J. Read, Boris Espinasse, Meng Zhou, Yiwu Zhu

Environmental, Earth, and Ocean Sciences Faculty Publication Series

Ecological relationships of krill and whales have not been explored in the Western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP), and have only rarely been studied elsewhere in the Southern Ocean. In the austral autumn we observed an extremely high density (5.1 whales per km²) of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) feeding on a super-aggregation of Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) in Wilhelmina Bay. The krill biomass was approximately 2 million tons, distributed over an area of 100 km² at densities of up to 2000 individuals m⁻³; reports of such ‘super-aggregations’ of krill have been absent in …

Investigating The Potential For Nitrate-N Removal In Rhode Island Transient Headwater Streams, Molly Welsh, Kelly Addy, Art Gold, Suzanne Cox

Discovery@URI

Excess nitrogen (N) can have detrimental effects on the environment, particularly in coastal waters where inputs from septic systems and agricultural runoff can lead to algal blooms and hypoxic zones. However, transient headwater streams, which comprise a significant portion of streams in watersheds, may have the potential to remove N given their low flow rates, high surface to volume ratios, long retention times, and hydric soils. We investigated the physical characteristics and N removal capacity of transient headwater streams. Four bromide (Br) and nitrate-N slug tests were conducted in four streams in southern RI. Streams were sampled repeatedly as the …

Human Sanitary Wastes And Waste Treatment In New York City, David J. Tonjes, Christine O'Connell, Omkar Aphale, R. Lawrence Swanson

Technology & Society Faculty Publications

Henry Hudson first sailed toNew Yorkharbor 400 years ago. Since then,New York Cityhas both affected and been affected by water quality in greaterNew YorkHarbor. In this paper, we focus on sewers, sewerage, and sewage treatment inManhattanand their effects on theHudson River. It is clear that feedbacks among drinking water quality and quantity, population, public perceptions, regulations, and estuarine water quality exist, although their strength and character have varied over time. Early land uses damaged local water supplies found on ManhattanIsland. New Yorkthen began to exploit the large fresh water resources available to its north, which helped the City to expand …

Extremely Large Anthropogenic-Aerosol Contribution To Total Aerosol Load Over The Bay Of Bengal During Winter Season, Dimitris G. Kaskaoutis, Shailesh Kumar Kharol, P. R. Sinha, Ramesh P. Singh, H. D. Kambezidis, Anu Rani Sharma, K. V. S. Bardarinath

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

Ship-borne observations of spectral aerosol optical depth (AOD) have been carried out over the entire Bay of Bengal (BoB) as part of the W-ICARB cruise campaign during the period 27 December 2008-30 January 2009. The results reveal a pronounced temporal and spatial variability in the optical characteristics of aerosols mainly due to anthropogenic emissions and their dispersion controlled by local meteorology. The highest aerosol amount, with mean AOD(500)> 0.4, being even above 1.0 on specific days, is found close to the coastal regions in the western and northern parts of BoB. In these regions the Angstrom exponent is also found …

Clay Mineral Cycles Identified By Diffuse Spectral Reflectance In Quaternary Sediments From The Northwind Ridge: Implications For Glacial-Interglacial Sedimentation Patterns In The Arctic Ocean, Lyanne N. Yurco, Joseph D. Ortiz, Leonid Polyak, Dennis A. Darby, Kevin A. Crawford

OES Faculty Publications

A Quaternary record of fine-grained sediment composition is used to investigate Arctic Ocean climate variability on glacial-interglacial time scales. Diffuse spectral reflectance data from sediment core P1-92AR-P25 from the Northwind Ridge, north of Alaska, demonstrates cyclic variations in mineralogy. Varimax-rotated R-mode factor analysis of down-core data revealed three major mineralogical assemblages, which were then compared with the content of manganese, a proxy for basin ventilation, and thus glacial-interglacial cycles. Results indicate that factor 1, a smectite + chlorite clay assemblage, was delivered to the core site during interglacials, either by fluvial discharge or sea-ice drift from Siberian rivers or inflow …

Oxygen Isotopes As A Tracer Of Dom Processes In River-Estuary Systems, Joy Ashley Matthews

OES Theses and Dissertations

In the biogeochemical study of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in natural waters, stable isotopes are used to provide insight into both the sources of DOM and the processes affecting its alteration. Through the research presented here, oxygen isotopes are incorporated into the study of DOM through the adaptation of a pyrolysis elemental analysis isotope ratio mass spectrometer method, and sample preparation using two-stage ultrafiltration.

The application of oxygen isotopes to the study of DOM is demonstrated in two studies. First, natural abundance of δ¹⁸O in DOM is explored in the Delaware estuary. Using a two end-member mixing model, …

Marine Bioinvasions And Climate Change, James T. Carlton, Sandra C. Lindstrom, Celia M. Smith, Jennifer E. Smith

National Invasive Species Council

BACKGROUND

Invasive species are second only to habitat destruction as the greatest cause of species endangerment and global biodiversity loss. Invasive species can cause severe and permanent damage to the ecosystems they invade. Consequences of invasion include competition with or predation upon native species, hybridization, carrying or supporting harmful pathogens and parasites that may affect wildlife and human health, disturbing ecosystem function through alteration of food webs and nutrient recycling rates, acting as ecosystem engineers and altering habitat structure, and degradation of the aesthetic quality of our natural resources. In many cases we may not fully know the native animals …

Measurement And Interpolation Of Sea Surface Temperature And Salinity In The Tropical Pacific: A 9,000 Nautical Mile Research Odyssey, Amber Brooks

Earth and Soil Sciences

The purpose of this project was to compare spline and inverse distance weighting interpolation tools on data collected in the tropical Pacific Ocean by ship and data from a global network of CTD floats, known as Argo floats (fig.1), to provide evidence that technological advancement and integration is aiding our understanding of the ocean-atmosphere system of planet Earth. Thirty-one sea surface temperature and salinity samples were manually taken across a 9,000 nautical mile trek of the Pacific Ocean for the months of April, May and June 2008. Argo ASCII globally gridded monthly averaged sea surface temperature and salinity data, from …

New Bedford/Fairhaven Municipal Harbor Plan, Fort Point Associates, Inc., Apex Companies, Llc, Urban Harbors Institute, University Of Massachusetts Boston, Fxm Associates

Urban Harbors Institute Publications

The historic harbor lying between the City of New Bedford and Town of Fairhaven has shaped the identities and economies of these two municipalities for centuries. Today, the Harbor is one of nation’s preeminent fishing ports, ranked #1 nationally in 2007 in dollar value ($268 million) of fish landings with an estimated total economic regional impact of nearly $1 billion. The New Bedford’s seafood processing industry has grown in size and sophistication in recent years and is an internationally established center for this industry. Marine service and vessel repair industries, centered in Fairhaven, have an excellent reputation with commercial fleets …

Sustainable Portland: Implementation Series 3, New England Environmental Finance Center

Climate Change

This report is the third in a series of efforts by students at the Muskie School of Public Service, Community Planning and Development Master’s program, in a core class called “Sustainable Communities.” In this course students seek to understand principles of sustainability and how efforts to implement Sustainability programs can become more successful. The report assembles term papers students completed on particular efforts by municipalities, universities, and other groups to achieve sustainability goals. Students worked on each project in a service learning format with real world clients. They were asked to fashion their papers around lessons learned by other organizations …

A Test Of The Area Of Refuge Hypothesis In Indo-Pacific Marine Biogeography, Jonnell C. Sanciangco

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Many hypotheses have been proposed to explain the marine biogeographic patterns of species richness of the Indo-Pacific. One of these hypotheses suggests that available habitat area is the main predictor of species richness. This is the basis for the area of refuge hypothesis that attempts to explain the global maxima of species richness found in the Coral Triangle, the area encompassing mostly the Philippines, Indonesia, and Malaysia. This species-area effect also has habitat heterogeneity as a potential component. The purpose of this study is to test the effects of habitat availability predictors, such as shallow water area and coastline length …

Differential Damages Sustained From Hurricane Ike On Varying Growth Forms Of Coral At Distinct Locations Off The Coast Of South Caicos, Turks And Caicos Islands, Caitlyn A. Kenny

Pell Scholars and Senior Theses

In September 2008, Hurricane Ike hit South Caicos, Turks and Caicos Islands as a Category 4 hurricane. This study examines the differential damages caused to varying common growth forms, size, locations, and depths of coral by Hurricane Ike on South Caicos reefs. Belt transect techniques as well as line intercept techniques were conducted at nine sites, looking at 14 common species of coral, representing four different growth forms. A total of 9,011 coral colonies were surveyed. 2,832 colonies (31.4%) were found to have at least one type of damage. It was expected that branching and digitate growth forms as well …

On The Fractional Solubillity Of Copper In Marine Aerosols: Toxicity Of Aeolian Copper Revisited, Edward R. Sholkovitz, Peter N. Sedwick, Thomas M. Church

OES Faculty Publications

Paytan et al. (2009) argue that the atmospheric deposition of aerosols lead to copper concentrations that are potentially toxic to marine phytoplankton in a large area of tropical and subtropical North Atlantic Ocean. A key assumption in their model is that all marine aerosols (mineral dust and anthropogenic particles) have a high (40%) fractional solubility of copper. Our data show that the fractional solubility of copper for Saharan dust over the Sargasso Sea and Bermuda is significantly lower (1-7%). In contrast, anthropogenic aerosols with non-Saharan sources have significantly higher values (10-100%). Hence, the potential Cu toxicity in the tropical and …

Developing Performance Indicators To Evaluate The Management Effectiveness Of The Massachusetts Ocean Management Plan, Jack Wiggin, Dan Hellin, Kristin Uiterwyk, Robert E. Bowen, Prassede Vella, John Weber, Stephanie Moura, Nicholas Napoli, Kim Starbuck, Howard Krum

Urban Harbors Institute Publications

In June 2009, the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) released its draft Massachusetts Ocean Management Plan (draft plan) for public comment. The plan is required by the Oceans Act of 2008 to, among other things, be adaptive to evolving knowledge and understanding of the ocean environment. The plan’s Science Framework establishes a blueprint for future research and data acquisition and ensuring that the plan evolves and its management measures adapt to this new and enhanced information. As stated in Chapter 5 of the draft plan, an important part of the science framework is the development and …

Spatial And Temporal Variation In Otolith Chemistry For Tautog (Tautoga Onitis) In Narragansett Bay And Rhode Island Coastal Ponds, Ivan Mateo, Edward G. Durbin, David A. Bengtson, Richard Kingsley, Peter K. Swart, Daisy Durant

Fisheries, Animal and Veterinary Sciences Faculty Publications

The elemental composition of otoliths may provide valuable information for establishing connectivity between fish nursery grounds and adult fish populations. Concentrations of Rb, Mg, Ca, Mn, Sr, Na, K, Sr, Pb, and Ba were determined by using solution-based inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry in otoliths of young-of-the year tautog (Tautoga onitis) captured in nursery areas along the Rhode Island coast during two consecutive years. Stable oxygen (δ¹⁸O) and carbon (δ¹³C) isotopic ratios in young-of-the year otoliths were also analyzed with isotope ratio mass spectrometry. Chemical signatures differed significantly among the distinct nurseries within Narragansett …

The 2009-2010 El Nino: Hydrologic Relief To U.S. Regions, Glenn A. Tootle, Thomas C. Piechota, Oubeidillah Aziz, William Paul Miller, Venkat Lakshmi, John A. Dracup, Carly Jerla

Civil and Environmental Engineering and Construction Faculty Research

Current forecasts by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) are that the Pacific Ocean will experience El Niño conditions in late 2009 and into 2010. These forecasts are similar to past El Niño events in 1972–1973, 1982–1983, 1986–1987, and 2002–2003.

Evaluating the hydrologic conditions for these past El Niño events reveals that during these times, surface water supply conditions improved in many parts of the United States, including the Southeast, Midwest, and Southwest. At the same time, the Pacific Northwest and other specific regions of the United States experienced below-average water supply conditions. This is consistent with the …

Fisheries Research Report No. 197 - Coastal And Marine Resource Condition Monitoring - Scoping Project, Brett A. Human, Justin I. Mcdonald

Fisheries Research Reports

Final NRM Report – Project 073007

Part 1– Knowledge review and gap analysis: Resource condition monitoring in the Pilbara and Kimberley regions of Western Australia

This report details extensive literature searches for both research and monitoring programs that have been undertaken in the marine and coastal environments of the Pilbara and Kimberley region of northern Western Australia. The Pilbara and Kimberley region is remote and difficult to access, resulting in very little monitoring effort of the marine and coastal environments in that region.

We currently know very little of the condition of marine and coastal natural resources in the Pilbara …

Rainsford Island Shoreline Evolution Study (Rises), Christopher V. Maio

Graduate Masters Theses

RISES conducted a shoreline change study in order to accurately map, quantify, and predict trends in shoreline evolution on Rainsford Island occurring from 1890-2008. It employed geographic information systems (GIS) and analytical statistical techniques to identify coastal hazard zones vulnerable to coastal erosion, rising sea-levels, and storm surges. The 11-acre Rainsford Island, located in Boston Harbor, Massachusetts, consists of two eroded drumlins connected by a low-lying spit. Settled by Europeans in 1636, the Island was later used as the Harbor’s main quarantine station. Previous archeological surveys have identified numerous historically sensitive sites dating to before the Revolutionary War period, including …

Compatibility Determination: Considerations For Siting Coastal And Ocean Uses (Draft), Jack Wiggin, Kristin Uiterwyk, Steve Bliven, Dan Hellin, Fara Courtney, Rich Delaney, Pat Hughes, Tracey Morin Dalton, Stephanie Moura, Nicholas Napoli, Kim Starbuck

Urban Harbors Institute Publications

This draft report is one of several prepared under contract to the Massachusetts Ocean Partnership (MOP) to support the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) in its development of the integrated coastal ocean management plan mandated by the MA Oceans Act of 2008. Among other requirements, the Oceans Act states that the plan shall “identify appropriate locations and performance standards for activities, uses and facilities allowed under sections 15 and 16 of chapter 132A.” To fulfill this requirement, the EOEEA planning team wanted to utilize compatibility determinations as a tool for considering the appropriate locations for activities, …

City Of Gloucester Harbor Plan & Designated Port Area Master Plan, July 2009, Sarah Buck, Greg Ketchen, Urban Harbors Institute, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Urban Harbors Institute Publications

A harbor plan is a waterfront land and water use plan intended to establish the community’s objectives, standards, and policies for guiding public and private utilization of land and of water within and adjacent to the commonwealth’s jurisdiction. The 1999 Gloucester Harbor Plan was chiefly focused on infrastructure improvements for both maritime and visitor oriented industries along the waterfront as a central means of recharging the harbor’s economic engine. Many of the improvements have been completed in the wake of this plan. However, it largely ignored the confusing web of land use regulations that has since emerged as the central …

Planning Framework Options For The Massachusetts Ocean Plan (Draft), Jack Wiggin, Kristin Uiterwyk, Steve Bliven, Dan Hellin, John Duff, David Terkla, Robert E. Bowen, Andrew A. Rosenberg, Jennie Harrington, Jill H. Swasey, Suzanne Iudicello, Robert O’Boyle, Porter Hoagland, Hauke L. Kite-Powell, Di Jin, Fara Courtney, Rich Delaney, Pat Hughes, Tracey Morin Dalton, Suzanne Goulet Orenstein, Charles N. Ehler, Fannie Douvere, Les Kaufman, Charles T. Mccaffrey Jr., Nicholas Napoli, Stephanie Moura, Kim Starbuck

Urban Harbors Institute Publications

The Massachusetts Ocean Partnership (MOP) Planning Frameworks Team, in consultation with the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA), and based on collective experience and a review of ocean, coastal and resource management programs from the US and other countries, suggests that nine elements are essential components of the framework for the Massachusetts Ocean Plan and its implementation. While management plans and programs generally have these elements in common, there are a range of options for carrying out each program component. These options were presented to structure and inform the development of the Massachusetts Ocean Plan. For the …

Anthropogenic Osmium In Rain And Snow Reveals Global-Scale Atmospheric Contamination, Cynthia Chen, Peter N. Sedwick, Mukul Sharma

Dartmouth Scholarship

Osmium is one of the rarer elements in seawater, with typical concentration of approximately 10 x 10(-15) g g(-1) (5.3 x 10(-14) mol kg(-1)). The osmium isotope composition ((187)Os/(188)Os ratio) of deep oceans is 1.05, reflecting a balance between inputs from continental crust (approximately 1.3) and mantle/cosmic dust (approximately 0.13). Here, we show that the (187)Os/(188)Os ratios measured in rain and snow collected around the world range from 0.16 to 0.48, much lower than expected (>1), but similar to the isotope composition of ores (approximately 0.2) that are processed to extract platinum and other metals to be used primarily …

Nantucket & Madaket Harbors Action Plan, Urban Harbors Institute, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Urban Harbors Institute Publications

The Nantucket and Madaket Harbors Action Plan presents the community’s goals, objectives and recommendations for guiding public and private use of the land and water of its harbor areas and establishes an implementation program to achieve the desired outcomes. The plan was prepared under the auspices of the Nantucket Board of Selectmen and guided by the Nantucket and Madaket Harbors Plan Review Committee.

The 2007 plan is an update of the first action plan, which was prepared in 1993, and as such is meant to complement the original plan. The 1993 plan contained extensive background material, much of which is …

Constraints On The Utility Of Mno2 Cartridge Method For The Extraction Of Radionuclides: A Case Study Using 234Th, M. Baskaran, P. W. Swarzenski, B. A. Biddanda

Environmental Science and Geology Faculty Research Publications

Large volume (10²–10³ L) seawater samples are routinely processed to investigate the partitioning of particle reactive radionuclides and Ra between solution and size-fractionated suspended particulate matter. One of the most frequently used methods to preconcentrate these nuclides from such large volumes involves extraction onto three filter cartridges (a prefilter for particulate species and two MnO₂-coated filters for dissolved species) connected in series. This method assumes that the extraction efficiency is uniform for both MnO₂-coated cartridges, that no dissolved species are removed by the prefilter, and that any adsorbed radionuclides are not desorbed from …

Diagnostique Sur La Santé Des Récifs Coralliens À Nosy Tanikely Et La Baie D’Ambanoro, Chelsea Nahill

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Pendant mon étude, les récifs coralliens à Nosy Tanikely et à la Baie d’Ambanoro étaient examinées avec le but de déterminer la condition de chaque récif et la biomasse des poissons. La durée de cette étude est de trois semaines et j’ai plongé en apnée quatre fois du 10 avril 2009 au 23 avril 2009, pour examiner les trois sites. Il y avait six stations au total, quatre pour examiner le premier site à Nosy Tanikely et deux dans la Baie d’Ambanoro, où sont le deuxième et troisième site. Utilisant les données collectées au long du transect de cent mètres, …

Anthropogenic Osmium In Rain And Snow Reveals Global-Scale Atmospheric Contamination, Cynthia Chen, Peter N. Sedwick, Mukul Sharma

OES Faculty Publications

Osmium is one of the rarer elements in seawater, with typical concentration of ≈10 x 10^-15 g g^-1 ( 5.3 x 10^-14 mol kg^-1. The osmium isotope composition (¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os ratio) of deep oceans is 1.05, reflecting a balance between inputs from continental crust (≈ 1.3) and mantle/cosmic dust (≈ 0.13). Here, we show that the ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os ratios measured in rain and snow collected around the world range from 0.16 to 0.48, much lower than expected (>1), but similar to the isotope composition of ores (approximate to 0.2) …

Enso And Variability Of The Antarctic Peninsula Pelagic Marine Ecosystem, Valerie J. Loeb, Eileen E. Hofmann, John M. Klinck, Osmund Holm-Hansen, Warren B. White

CCPO Publications

The West Antarctic Peninsula region is an important source of Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) in the Southern Ocean. From 1980-2004 abundance and concentration of phytoplankton and zooplankton, krill reproductive and recruitment success and seasonal sea ice extent here were significantly correlated with the atmospheric Southern Oscillation Index and exhibited three- to five-year frequencies characteristic of El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) variability. This linkage was associated with movements of the Southern Antarctic Circumpolar Current Front and Boundary, a changing influence of Antarctic Circumpolar Current and Weddell Sea waters, and eastward versus westward flow and mixing processes that are consistent with forcing by …

Southern Ocean Globec Research And The Future, Eileen Hofmann

CCPO Publications

(First paragraph) The International Global Ocean Ecosystems Dynamics (GLOBEC) Programme will end in early 2010, after almost 20 years. GLOBEC science has provided fundamental changes in our understanding of the scales of interactions in marine ecosystems, alternative views of marine food webs, and the influence of humans in marine ecosystem processes. Since Southern Ocean GLOBEC (SO GLOBEC) was one of the regional research programmes it is appropriate to reflect on i) its specific contributions, ii) how these might guide future Southern Ocean research, and iii) the key gaps for our future understanding of Southern Ocean ecosystems and the impact that …

On The Movement Of Beluga Whales In Cook Inlet, Alaska: Simulations Of Tidal And Environmental Impacts Using A Hydrodynamic Inundation Model, Tal Ezer, Roderick Hobbs, Lie-Yauw Oey

CCPO Publications

The population of beluga whales in Cook Inlet, Alaska, is in decline, and since 2000 these whales have been under consideration for designation as "endangered" under the Endangered Species Act (and were placed on the list in October 2008, just before this article went to press). In order to study environmental and hydrodynamic impacts on the belugas' movements and survival in the unique habitat of the inlet, a three-dimensional ocean circulation and inundation model is combined with satellite-tracked beluga whale data. Model-wale data comparisons from two whale paths during a five-day period (september 17-21, 2000) covering 10 tidal cycles suggest …

Town Of Salisbury Harbor Plan -- Phase 1, Urban Harbors Institute, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Urban Harbors Institute Publications

This document presents information developed during the first phase of the planning process to develop a Harbor Plan for the Town of Salisbury, Massachusetts. The initial phase consists of compiling and mapping existing information on natural resources, uses of the waterways and shoreline, relevant government regulatory programs and jurisdictions, identifying issues, and conducting some analyses of recreational boating-related needs. A mooring plan and mooring field delineation plan are required by the Harbor Management Plan and will be periodically updated as needed. This phase concludes with a preliminary identification of long-term goals and the development of recommendations for next steps in …