Oceanography Commons^™

Effects Of Epiphyte Load On Optical Properties And Photosynthetic Potential Of The Seagrasses Thalassia Testudinum Banks Ex König And Zostera Marina L, Lisa A. Drake, Fred C. Dobbs, Richard C. Zimmerman

OES Faculty Publications

The biomass and optical properties of seagrass leaf epiphytes were measured to evaluate their potential impact on the photosynthetic performance of the seagrasses Thalassia testudinum Banks ex König (turtlegrass) and Zostera marina L. (eelgrass). Turtlegrass was obtained from oligotrophic waters near Lee Stocking Island, Bahamas; eelgrass was collected from a eutrophic environment in Monterey Bay, California. Leaf–epiphyte loads were characterized visually and quantified using measurements of their phospholipid biomass. Light absorption and reflectance of the intact epiphyte layer were determined spectrophotometrically. Turtlegrass epiphytes from the oligotrophic site absorbed a maximum of 36% of incident light in peak chlorophyll absorption …

A Biooptical Model Of Irradiance Distribution And Photosynthesis In Seagrass Canopies, Richard C. Zimmerman

OES Faculty Publications

Although extremely vulnerable to coastal eutrophication, seagrasses represent important structuring elements and sources of primary production in shallow waters. They also generate an optical signature that can be tracked remotely. Accurate knowledge of light absorption and scattering by submerged plant canopies permits the calculation of important plant- and ecosystem-level properties, including rates of photosynthesis, vegetation abundance, and distribution. The objectives of this study were to develop a realistic, yet simply parameterized two-flow model of plane irradiance distribution through a seagrass canopy submerged in an optically active water column, to evaluate its performance against in situ measurements, and to explore the …

Extracellular Enzyme Activity And Uptake Of Carbon And Nitrogen Along An Estuarine Salinity And Nutrient Gradient, Margaret R. Mulholland, Cindy Lee, Patricia M. Gilbert

OES Faculty Publications

Amino acid oxidation (AAO) and peptide hydrolysis (PH) are processes affecting the recycling of organic material and nutrients. We compared extracellular AAO and PH rates to C and N uptake rates along estuarine gradients of salinity, nutrients and productivity in the Pocomoke River, a subestuary of the Chesapeake Bay. This estuary is seasonally depleted in inorganic N, and rich in dissolved organic material (DOM) throughout the year. AAO, PH, and N uptake rates measured in 1999 and 2000 were not limited to particular size fractions measured, or to auto- or heterotrophic groups of organisms. At a station near the turbidity …

Fisheries Research Report No. 134, Vol 1 - Towards An Assessment Of The Natural And Human Use Impacts On The Marine Environment Of The Abrolhos Islands, F J. Webster, C J. Dibden, C F. Chubb

Fisheries Research Reports

The State Territorial Waters surrounding the Abrolhos Islands are gazetted as a Fish Habitat Protection Area and vested with the Minister for Fisheries under the Fish Resources Management Act 1994. Three Fisheries Management Papers have identified management priorities for the marine environment at the Abrolhos Islands:

• Management of the Houtman Abrolhos System
• Aquaculture Plan for the Houtman Abrolhos Islands
• Sustainable Tourism Plan for the Houtman Abrolhos Islands.

These plans and other national and international obligations to examine the effect of extractive and non-extractive anthropogenic activities on marine habitats (eg. Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999) led to …

The Transformation Of Iodate To Iodide In Marine Phytoplankton Cultures, George T. F. Wong, Ajcharaporn U. Piumsomboon, William M. Dunstan

OES Faculty Publications

Six species of phytoplankton, representing 6 major phylogenetic groups (2 oceanic species: a cyanobacteria, Synechococcus sp., and a coccolithophorid, Emiliania huxleyi; and 4 coastal species: a prasinophyte, Tetraselmis sp., the green algae Dunaliella tertiolecta, the diatom Skeletonema costatum and a dinoflagellate Amphidinium carterae) were tested for their ability to reduce iodate to iodide in batch cultures. They all did so to varying degrees. Thus, the reduction of iodate to iodide by phytoplankton may be a general phenomenon in the marine environment. At ambient concentrations of iodate, the rates of depletion of iodate and appearance of …

Ocean: An Integrated Curriculum Unit, Institute For The Development Of Gifted Education, Ricks Center For Gifted Children, University Of Denver

Ricks Curriculum Units Series

An integrated curriculum is an instructional approach that connects the disciplines to an underlying theme or topic. Immersing students in an integrated-thematic unit provides the backdrop for experiences to occur across the disciplines. Shaping coursework around integrated themes is especially appropriate for gifted students, however using an integrated-thematic curriculum is appropriate for all learners as it develops students' abilities to make connections, to solve problems by looking at multiple perspectives, and to integrate information from different fields of experience. An integrated-thematic curriculum permits students to be active participants in their own learning as they design their own explorations and take …

Department Of Fisheries Annual Report To Parliament 2000 - 2001, Department Of Fisheries, Western Australia

Department of Fisheries Annual Reports

In accordance with Section 62 of the Financial Administration and audit Act 1985 and Section 263 of the Fish Resources Management Act 1994, I submit for your information the Annual report to Parliament of Fisheries WA for the financial year ending 30 June 2001.

The annual report has been prepared in accordance with the provisions of the Financial Administration and audit Act 1985 and Section 263 of the Fish Resources Management Act 1994.

2000/2001 was a year for Fisheries WA marked by the challenges of managing change. The year saw a change of government and, as with all new governments, …

Fisheries Research Report No. 119 - Final Report, Frdc Project 95/037: The Biology And Stock Assessment Of The Tropical Sardine, Sardinella Lemuru, Off The Mid-West Coast Of Western Australia, Daniel J. Gaughan, Ronald W. Mitchell

Fisheries Research Reports

Exploratory fishing for the tropical sardine, Sardinella lemuru, offshore of Geraldton on the midwest coast of Western Australia in the early 1990s, led to the establishment of a developmental purse seine fishery in this region. This fishery showed potential for substantial expansion, but as there was no information on S. lemuru in WA there was a need to undertake research during the developmental period. The biology and fishery for S. lemuru in WA were therefore investigated over a three year period between July 1995 and June 1998 with the aim of providing stock assessment advice.

The biology of S. lemuru …

Department Of Fisheries Annual Report Highlights 1999 - 2000, Department Of Fisheries, Western Australia

Department of Fisheries Annual Reports

1999/2000 has marked a 'sea change' in fisheries management throughout Australia towards the principles of Ecologically Sustainable Development (ESD). This is a dynamic concept with an evolving framework that requires a balancing of social, economic and environmental considerations.

The principles of ESD - of using, conserving and enhancing the community's resources so that ecological processes, on which life depends, are maintained, and the total quality of fisheries, now and in the future, can be increased - are vital in a state, national and international context for Fisheries WA and its clients. Having fisheries that are governed under ESD principles is …

Fisheries Research Report No. 111 - Sea Temperature Variability Off Western Australia 1990 To 1994, Alan Pearce, Mark Rossbach, Marion Tait, Rhys Brown

Fisheries Research Reports

Analysis of temperature data from coastal waters between Shark Bay and Cape Mentelle has shown the main features of temporal and spatial variability in temperature along the Western Australian coastline. Three distinct periods of variability emerge: the annual cycle (peak temperatures generally in January-February and troughs in July-August), a few-day (weatherrelated) cycle, and the diurnal pattern.

Summer temperatures range from 24° C (South Passage) to 19° C (Cape Mentelle), and winter temperatures from 21° C (South Passage) to 16° C (Marmion). Mean annual temperature ranges (winter minimum to summer maximum) are between 3° C (South Passage) and 7° C (Alkimos), …

Benthic Community Analysis Of Hog Island Bay, Virginia, David James Lewis

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

The benthic infaunal macroinvertebrate communities of Hog Island Bay of the Virginia Eastern Shore were quantitatively sampled at 30 locations on August 31 and September 1, 1995. The primary objectives of this study were: (1) to characterize the subtidal macroinfaunal benthic communities of Hog Island Bay, (2) to examine relationships between abiotic factors and the macroinfaunal communities and (3) to characterize the environmental condition of the system using the Benthic Index of Biotic Integrity (B-IBI) (Weisburg et al. 1997) and the EMAP Benthic Index for the Virginian Province (Strobel et al. 1995).

The ecological condition of Hog Island Bay appears …

Lead Isotopes And Selected Metals In Ice From Law Dome, Antarctica, K. J. R. Rosman, W. Chisholm, C. F. Boutron, S. Hong, R. Edwards, Vin Morgan, Peter N. Sedwick

OES Faculty Publications

The isotopic composition. of Pb and the concentrations of Pb, Ba and Bi were measured in selected ice-core samples from Law Dome, East Antarctica, to a depth of 1196 m. The range of concentrations found in decontaminated ice was 0.03-1.5 pg g^-1 for Pb, 0.9-6.1 pg g^-1 for Ba and 0.4-17 fg g^-1 for Bi, excluding the deepest sample which contained ∼1 ppm of rock dust. The abundances of all four stable lead isotopes were measured and gave ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁷Pb ratios ≤ ∼1.23. A value of ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁷Pb = 2.78 was measured in …

Microzooplankton Dynamics In Lower Chesapeake Bay And Its Major Tributaries, Gyung Soo Park

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

This study identified the temporal and spatial variability of microzooplankton density and biomass at 14 stations located within Chesapeake Bay and four rivers. Microzooplankton are defined as those heterotrophic organisms which range from 20 to 200 $\mu$m in size, and in this study were mainly composed of copepod nauplii, rotifers, and ciliates. Ciliates were the most abundant microzooplankton, comprising more than 90% of the total density, with copepod nauplii representing approximately 50% of the total microzooplankton biomass (carbon content). Rotifers contributed less than 5% for both density and biomass of the total microzooplankton.

Maximum ciliate abundance occurred from spring to …

Time To Metamorphosis Of Blue Crab Callinectes Sapidus Megalopae: Effects Of Benthic Macroalgae, Robert D. Brumbaugh, John R. Mcconaugha

OES Faculty Publications

There is growing evidence that postlarvae (megalopae) of the blue crab Callinectes sapidus can slow the progression through the molt cycle while in offshore nursery grounds, and delay metamorphosis until reinvasion of coastal habitat occurs. However, the cues that trigger metamorphosis of megalopae are not well known. This study tested the hypothesis that the time to metamorphosis (TTM) from the postlarval megalops stage to the first crab stage is shortened in the presence of 2 potential macroalgal settlement substrates, Ulva lactuca (Chlorophyta), and Gracilaria spp. (Rhodophyta). Megalopae and test water were collected from 3 locations (offshore, at a coastal inlet, …

Modeling Daily Production Of Aquatic Macrophytes From Irradiance Measurements: A Comparative Analysis, Richard C. Zimmerman, Alejandro C. Pasini, Randall S. Alberte

OES Faculty Publications

The importance of submerged aquatic macrophytes to coastal ecosystems has generated a need for knowledge of minimum light levels that will support the maintenance and restoration of healthy populations. Our goals were (1) to evaluate the sensitivity to natural, non-sinusoidal fluctuations in irradiance I of analytical integration techniques for calculating daily carbon gain, (2) to evaluate the H_sat (the daily period of I-saturated photosynthesis) model of daily production relative to models based on instantaneous photosynthesis vs irradiance (P vs I) and (3) to provide some guidance for the temporal density of irradiance data required for accurate estimation of …

Benthic Microalgal Production At Stellwagen Bank, Massachusetts Bay, Usa, Lawrence B. Cahoon, Guy R. Beretich Jr., Carrie J. Thomas, Amy M. Mcdonald

OES Faculty Publications

Benthic microalgal chlorophyll a and production were measured at 3 sites at Stellwagen Bank, a cold temperate continental shelf habitat in Massachusetts Bay, USA, during August 1991. Benthic microalgal chlorophyll a averaged 39.8 Mg M^-2, vs average integrated phytoplankton chlorophyll a of 25.9 mg m^-2. Gross benthic microalgal production, measured by oxygen exchange in clear and opaque benthic chambers, averaged 20.9 mg C m^-2 h^-1. This production was supported by average daily light fluxes to the bottom that never exceeded 1 % of surface incident radiation and were as low as 4.7 μE …

Changes In The Sea-Ice Brine Community During The Spring-Summer Transition, Mcmurdo Sound, Antarctica .2. Phagotrophic Protists, Diane K. Stoecker, Kurt R. Buck, Mary Putt

OES Faculty Publications

The land-fast sea-ice brine contains a diverse phagotrophic protist assemblage consisting of < 5 mum heterotrophic flagellates, Cryothecomonas spp., heterotrophic dinoflagellates, and heterotrophic and mixotrophic ciliates. Fine-scale horizontal spatial variability is a feature of this assemblage; samples taken within 1 m of each other can be dominated by different heterotrophic protists. Many of the larger heterotrophic protists found in the brine are also found in the water column. The photosynthetic ciliate Mesodinium rubrum is also common. In mid to late austral spring, the heterotrophic assemblage accounts for ca 10% of the total protist biomass in the brine and is dominated by Cryothecomonas spp. This flagellate …

Molecular And Physiological Responses Of Diatoms To Variable Levels Of Irradiance And Nitrogen Availability: Growth Of Skeletonema Costatum In Simulated Upwelling Conditions, G. Jason Smith, Richard C. Zimmerman, Randall S. Alberte

OES Faculty Publications

Molecular mechanisms that drive metabolic acclimation to environmental shifts have been poorly characterized in phytoplankton. In this laboratory study. the response of light- and N-limited Skeletonema costatum cells to an increase in light and NO₃ availability was examined. C assimilation was depressed relative to N assimilation early in enrichment, and the photosynthetic quotient (O₂: CO₂) increased, consistent with the shunting of reducing equivalents from CO₂ fixation to NO₃- reduction. The concomitant increase in dark respiration was consistent with the increased energetic demand associated with macromolecular synthesis. The accelerations of N-specific rates of …

Development And Standardization Of A Short-Term Assay For Evaluating Polluted Estuarine And Coastal Environments: The Medaka Embryo-Larval Assay, Michael Frederick Helmstetter

OES Theses and Dissertations

The eggs of the Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes) were employed in a number of studies to develop a routine, standardized assay which can assess the acute and sublethal impacts of individual toxicants and complex mixtures. The eggs of this Cyprinodont minnow were topically treated with each toxicant or mixture dissolved in membrane permeable dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) solvent. Nine chemicals were initially evaluated with two, pentachlorophenol (PCP) and tributyltin chloride (TBTCl), subsequently selected for extensive evaluations of salinity tolerance and the accuracy of the topical exposure method for representing a typical immersion exposure. The amount of material actually penetrating the eggs was …

Barrier Islands, Felicia West Ed.D., David Wallace

Environmental Education Resources

Edited by Joan Bray and Teri Rosen.

This booklet is an overview on the formation, structure, and role that barrier islands, dunes, barrier flats, and salt marshes play in the environment and water ecosystems. In addition, it explains the need to protect them and conserve these features.

The Effects Of Two Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons Benzo[A]Pyrene And Naphthalene On Reproductive Success Embryological Development Larval Physiology And Mortality Of The Mud Crab Rhithropanopeus Harisii (Gould), Gregory V. White

OES Theses and Dissertations

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) such as naphthalene (Nap) and benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) are common in the water column and sediments of estuarine and coastal areas. The mud crab Rhithropanopeus harrisii was exposed to varying concentrations of Nap or B[a]P to determine the effects on reproductive success, embryological development, larval physiology and mortality. Nap and B[a]P decreased hatching success and prolonged embryological development. Both pollutants produced high abnormality frequencies for egg exposed larvae. Molt frequency and respiratory rates of larvae from non-exposed eggs were more chronically affected by these pollutants than were egg exposed larvae. The EC₅₀ concentrations were determined for …

Fisheries Research Report No. 84 - The Marine Open Shelf Environment: Review Of Human Influences, D. A. Hancock

Fisheries Research Reports

For the purpose of this review, the marine environment has been classified into three physical zones - the littoral zone, the open-shelf environment and the coral reef. Since the boundaries are arbitrary, there will inevitably be some overlap, but for this review the subject matter will be related to the area between low water of ordinary spring tides and the edge of the continental shelf; i.e., to a depth varying to 200 metres.

Human influences may have a dual role in affecting the marine environment, firstly in a causative manner and secondly in providing a remedy, in which case the …

Acceleration Of Nutrient Uptake By Phytoplankton In A Coastal Upwelling Ecosystem: A Modeling Analysis, Richard C. Zimmerman, James N. Kremer, Richard C. Dugdale

OES Faculty Publications

Studies of upwelling centers in the eastern Pacific suggest that maximum rates of nitrate uptake (light and nutrient saturated) increase, or shift-up, as newly upwelled water moves downstream. The rate of shift-up appears to be related to irradiance and the ambient concentration of limiting nutrient at the time of upwelling. A mathematical model was developed to evaluate effects of irradiance and initial nitrate concentration on temporal patterns of shift-up and subsequent time scales of nutrient utilization over a range of simulated upwelling conditions. When rates consistent with field studies were used, complete shift-up was possible only under certain conditions, and …

Disease Incidence Of Demersal Finfishes From The Southern And Western Branches Of The Elizabeth River, Virginia, Randal D. Owen

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Fishes from the industrialized environs of the Elizabeth River, Virginia were surveyed for external evidence of disease during June through October 1984. A highly significant (p < 0.001) incidence of disease was found in demersal fishes collected by otter trawl from a site in the industrially contaminated Southern Branch compared to a less contaminated Western Branch site. Cataracts, fin erosion and dermal lesions were the most commonly occurring anomalies in the Southern Branch finfish.

Static, solid-phase toxicity tests employing sediment collected from the Southern Branch site resulted in an immediate toxic stress in the spot, Leiostomus xanthurus, which resulted in 100% mortality within 24 hours, compared with no mortalities in control systems. Spot exposed to control, i.e., pollution free, and diluted Southern Branch sediments innoculated with the pathogenic bacterial species, Vibrio anguillarium, developed significant (p ≤ 0.020) cases of fin erosion at a mean total bacterial community density …

Leachate Monitoring In Naturally Saline Groundwater Chesapeake Landfill Chesapeake Virginia, T. Britt Mcmillan

OES Theses and Dissertations

Groundwater chemistry around the Chesapeake municipal landfill was monitored over a one year period. Ten sample sites as well as two surface water sites were used to monitor water quality. Two wells, one at 3 m and the other at 10 m were located at each site. Surface water samples were taken from the Elizabeth River, north of the landfill, and a tidal channel, west of the landfill. Seven groundwater sites were downgradient of the landfill and three sites were upgradient (control sites).

The landfill overlies a tidal marsh, approximately 100 m south of the intracoastal waterway (Elizabeth River). Dredge …

Effects Of El Nino On Local Hydrography And Growth Of The Giant Kelp, Macrocystis Pyrifera, At Santa Catalina Island, California, Richard C. Zimmerman, Deborah L. Robertson

OES Faculty Publications

Deepened isotherms associated with El Niño resulted in severe nutrient limitation and very low kelp productivity during the last half of 1983. Frond growth rates were so low that terminal blades formed before reaching the surface, eliminating the canopy. Frond initiation rates were also extremely low, resulting in significant reductions in mean plant size. Plants growing above 10m were more severely affected than plants at 20m. Nutrient pulses associated with internal waves are thus critical for survival of Macrocystis pyrifera in nutritionally marginal habitats in Southern California.

Fundy Tidal Power Development : Preliminary Evaluation Of Its Environmental Consequences To The Resources Of The State Of Maine, Bigelow Laboratory For Ocean Sciences

Maine Collection

Fundy Tidal Power Development : Preliminary Evaluation of Its Environmental Consequences to the Resources of the State of Maine

A Report to the Maine State Planning Office by the Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, April, 1984.

"Technical Report No. 35 - Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, West Boothbay Harbor, Maine - A Division of Northeastern Research Foundation, Inc."

Contents: Executive Summary / Introduction / Methods / Physical and Biological Consequences / Socio-Economic Consequences / Research Needs / Bibliography / Appendix I. Written Comments on Greenberg Model

Algal Problems Of The Estuary, E. P. Hodgkin, P. B. Birch

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

The Peel-Harvey esturine system study began in 1976 because people living near Peel Inlet complained about the accumulation of water weeds and algae on the shores and the smell of hydrogen sulphide (rotton egg gas) that resulted from their decomposition. From 1974 efforts had been made to control this 'algal problem' by raking up the weed with tractors and carting it away. This 'cosmetic activity had little impact on the problem.

The immediate cause was obvious: a carpet of green algae covering about 20square kilometres of the bottom of Peel Inlet. From time to time this 'goat weed' floated to …

Changes In The Lower Chesapeake Bay Food-Chain In Presence Of The Sea Nettle Chrysaora-Quinquecirrha (Scyphomedusa), David Feigenbaum, Michael Kelly

OES Faculty Publications

The abundance of 4 levels of the lower Chesapeake Bay food chain (Chlorophyll a, herbivores, ctenophore Mnemiopsis leidyi, and Scyphomedusa Chrysaora quinquecirrha) were moni­tored twice weekly at 4 stations from May 10 through Sep 30, 1982 in the Lafayette and Elizabeth Rivers (Virginia). The herbivore standing stock, largely copepods, declined sharply in late May when M. Jeidyi appeared, but rebounded a month later when C. quinquecirrha medusae reduced the ctenophore population. Despite the additional presence of Aurelia aurita (Scyphomedusa) from Jul onward, herbivore abundance remained at moderate levels until the end of the study period. Phytoplankton abundance fluctuated …

Volume 7, Number 7 (July 1983), The Solar Ocean Energy Liaison

The OTEC Liaison

No abstract provided.