Oceanography Commons^™

Regional Oceanographic Controls On Water Column Nitrogen Fixation In Northern Australian Waters, Douglas G. Capone, Ajit Subramaniam, Yubin Raut, Joseph P. Montoya, Margaret R. Mulholland, Rachel Ann Foster, Miles Furnas, Edward J. Carpenter

OES Faculty Publications

Large blooms of the diazotrophic cyanobacteria, Trichodesmium, have been re-ported along the north coast of Australia and are readily evident in remote sensing images. During a research cruise in November 1999, we sampled from Townsville to Broome, examined Trichodesmium population densities and their rates of carbon and N₂ fixation alongside microscopy-based cell counts of them and other cyanobacte-rial diazotrophs. Additionally, we also enumerated the picophytoplankton community using flow-cytometry, measured bulk chlorophyll concentrations, carbon and N₂ fixation rates, and water column hydrography, enabling comparison of diazotrophic and picophytoplankton functional groups across the system. Agglomerative hierarchical clustering analysis of physicochemical oceanographic …

Electronic Bills Of Lading And Blockchain Technology: A Regulatory Perspective, Hsin-Hua Tsai

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

Information and communications technology (ICT) systems are increasingly relevant to the maritime sector. Regarding the revolution of the bill of lading, many shipping lines and other technology startups have been looking into developing viable electronic transport documents that have the same functions as paper bills of lading to reduce supply chain risks. The limitations of the paper-based process have become increasingly visible in the COVID-19 crisis. The main purpose of the article is to analyze the application of blockchain bills of lading, which utilizes computational logic to create the digital ledger, and users can set up algorithms and rules to …

Intelligent Formation Control Using Orfbls And Adaptive Backstepping Sliding-Mode Control To Address Uncertain Tilting In Multi-Quadrotors During Wind Gusts, Ching-Chih Tsai, Chun-Fu Mao, Kumail Hussain

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

In terms of aerial robotics, stable and precise formation control is a significant challenge for tilting multi-quadrotors during disturbances. This paper proposes a fixed-time formation control strategy for tilting multi-quadrotors to address the effect of external wind gusts. The observer accurately predicts environmental disturbances and an adaptive backstepping sliding-mode control (ABSMC) method with an output recurrent fuzzy broad learning system (ORFBLS) addresses these disturbances within a finite time. ORFBLS dynamically adjusts its structure through a growing ORFBLS structure to allow nodes to be added as needed. The method's stability is validated using Lyapunov stability theory and ensures the convergence of …

Visually Guided Landing System On Ship Deck For Multicopter, Dong-Lin Li, Shih-Kai Lee, Tzu-Hsiang Chou

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

Traditionally, high-value fish have been located at sea using helicopters. However, with advancements in technology, maritime drones have become increasingly important in recent years. Compared to traditional helicopter-based methods, drones offer significantly lower operational costs, making them cost-effective. However, the challenging sea conditions, including strong winds and the swaying motion of vessels, pose significant challenges for drone landings.

This paper proposes a stable approach for multicopter landing on ships at sea, incorporating improved marker detection, enhanced wind resistance control, and more accurate deck motion prediction. In the marker detection phase, we introduce a method to improve the accuracy of ArUco …

Typology And Spatiotemporal Patterns Of Illegal Fishing Activities In The Philippines: Implications For Fisheries Management, Marlowe O. Acevedo, Tzu-Yun Ching, Chih-Shin Chen

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

Illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing activity is a global threat and continues to undermine the effectiveness of fisheries regulations and management measures. However, the extent of illegal fishing in Philippine waters remains unclear. This study aims to identify the types of illegal fishing in Philippine waters and analyzed their temporal and spatial patterns. Data were obtained from the records of the Philippine Coast Guards (PCG) and Maritime Law Enforcement Agencies from 2015 to 2020. A total of 602 apprehensions were recorded, resulting in 813 violations, of which 630 cases were fishery violations. Most of the watercrafts involved in the …

The Critical Role Of Near-Surface Dynamics In Identifying Spawning Areas Of Atlantic Bluefin Tuna In The Gulf Of Mexico, Donald R. Johnson, William J. Teague, Harriet Perry, James S. Franks

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Atlantic Bluefin Tuna, Thunnus thynnus (ABFT), migrate long distances to broadcast spawn in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) basin, the Mediterranean Sea and the Slope Sea (NW Atlantic). These areas have commonalities including a highly dynamic upper ocean eddy environment that draws nutrients from shallow thermoclines and adjacent continental shelves and can provide temporal sanctuaries from some larval predators. In the GOM basin, the Loop Current (LC) and its energetic spin—off eddies sweep weak swimming predators such as jellyfish (Pelagia noctiluca) into lines and aggregations, leaving relatively open areas as temporal sanctuaries for ABFT larvae during the vulnerable …

A Quantitative Analysis Of Burrowing And Subterranean Locomotion In The Sand Lance Using A Transparent Sediment, Issei Fujita, Makoto Tomiyasu, Jun Yamamoto, Yasuzumi Fujimori

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

Sand lances (Ammodytes spp.) rely on rapid burrowing into sediment for predator avoidance. Although their sediment grain-size preferences are well documented, the biomechanics underlying burrowing success remain unclear because natural substrates are opaque. Using a transparent-sediment system, we directly visualized and quantified burrowing kinematics to: (1) test the effect of body size (total length, TL) on burrowing success; (2) examine entry mechanisms (e.g., swimming speed, entry angle); and (3) describe locomotion within sediment. Logistic regression on the full dataset (N = 28 fish) identified TL as the primary determinant of success, with larger individuals exhibiting significantly higher success …

Cruise Network Design Under Sequential Duopolistic Entry, Ta-Hui Yang, Ching-Hui Tang, Wan-Tien O

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

This study addresses the network design for international cruise services in a duopolistic market, where carriers enter and make decisions sequentially. The leader, who makes the first move, makes decisions as there is no competitor in the market. The follower, who makes decisions later, has to design their network considering the existing leader’s network. The leader’s model is a mixed integer linear problem while the follower’s model is a mixed integer nonlinear problem. Therefore, a heuristic is proposed to solve the problem. The commercially available general algebraic modeling system is used in conjunction with its different solvers to solve the …

Effect Of Heat Treatment On The Corrosion And Wear Behavior Of 17-4 Ph Stainless Steel For Marine Applications, Syuan Tai, I-Kon Lee, Ming-Yuan Lin, Kang-Yu Liao, Chin-Chun Chang, Hung-Bin Lee

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

This study explores the tribocorrosion behavior of conventionally cast 17-4 PH stainless steel under real seawater conditions, focusing on the effects of three heat treatments (Solution, H900, H1100). Electrochemical tests, tribocorrosion experiments, SEM, XPS, and quantitative analysis were used to establish a three-stage tribocorrosion mechanism. Results show that H900 exhibits superior corrosion and wear resistance, while H1100 suffers increased material loss and surface cracking at high potentials. Elemental analysis revealed NbC migration forming third-body particles, which, although briefly reducing friction, induced local stress concentration and crack initiation. The findings highlight the critical influence of microstructure, passive film stability, and third-body …

Enhancing Underwater Imagery And Organism Detection Using Reinforcement Learning, K. Arul Deepa, P. Ramya, Karpaga Vinodha, Dharmaraja C

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

Underwater environments pose significant challenges in assessing image quality and organism detection due to light scattering and absorption, which limits visibility and color fidelity. Existing solutions often fail to effectively address these challenges, resulting in suboptimal image quality and hindering organism identification. This paper examines the problem through a dual-focused approach: enhancing underwater images and detecting organisms using the Underwater Image Enhancement Benchmark (UIEB) dataset. The first step introduces a state-of-the-art method for image enhancement by applying reinforcement learning (RL) principles. By formulating the enhancement process as a Markov Decision Process (MDP)—where states are represented by image features and actions …

A Preliminary Investigation Of Research Collaboration Through Scientific Paper Co-Authorship In The Gulf Of Mexico, Juliet Vallejo, Evelyn Roozee, Dongkyu Kim, Andrew M. Song, Christopher A. Gabler, Jasper R. De Vries, Antonia Sohns, Gordon M. Hickey, Owen Temby

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

It is well known that publications with collaborators from external institutions increase citations. This effect scales with spatial distance. There are also many barriers to long-distance collaborations, including linguistic differences, funding constraints, and the incremental costs of remote collaboration. This paper uses the Gulf of Mexico as a case study to examine long-distance research collaboration because it consists of three countries with diverse development levels and two prominent diplomatic languages, within a singular regional ecosystem of tremendous natural and economic value. This paper uses bibliometric network analysis to examine scientific research article co-authorship in the Gulf of Mexico from 2000 …

Differential Growth Dynamics Of Common Salt Marsh Species Spartina Alterniflora And Juncus Roemerianus Under Varied Sediment Amendments, Caitlin Hemphill, Richard P. Hale, Erik S. Yando

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Introduction

Many coastal wetlands are at high risk of degradation or loss due to sea‐level rise. Restoration techniques for maintaining coastal marshes are paramount, with thin‐layer placement (TLP) emerging as one feasible solution. Despite TLP's utilization, additional research is needed on species‐ and sediment‐specific responses.

Objectives

Our research combines greenhouse and field experimentation to test species and sediment composition responses aimed at maximizing vegetation while maintaining increased elevation.

Methods

The greenhouse experiment used two common marsh plants, Spartina alterniflora and Juncus roemarianus. Five centimeters of sediment (mud, sand, and sand/mud mix) was added, and subsequent sediment and vegetation metrics …

Evaluation Of Ocean Lidar Enhancement Through Miniaturization And Gated Pmt-Based Range Extension, Chandler Austin Slater

OES Theses and Dissertations

Oceanographic lidar systems remotely characterize the vertical structure of the upper ocean by recording the light backscattered from a laser pulse as it propagates through the water column. Historically these systems have been constrained by limited detection ranges, often capturing only a portion of the illuminated water column, typically fading to noise around the 10% isolume. A primary constraint has been the limited dynamic range of digitizers, which inhibits the ability to resolve both intense near-field and faint far-field backscatter signals within a single acquisition. To address this, we developed a novel optical lidar system incorporating gated photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) …

Isolation Of The 2019 Bonnet Carré Spillway Effects On The Habitat Suitability Of Brown Shrimp (Farfantepenaeus Aztecus) And Blue Crab (Callinectes Sapidus) Using A Modeling Approach, Mallory Dyson

Master's Theses

In 2019, an unprecedented flood year, the Bonnet Carré Spillway (BCS) was opened on two separate occasions (February 27^th to April 11^th, and May 10^th through July 27^th) diverting a volume 6 times the volume of Lake Pontchartrain into the surrounding coastal waters of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. The goal of this research was to determine the spatio-temporal influence of these freshwater releases on two economically and ecologically important species (Farfantepenaeus aztecus and Callinectes sapidus) with variable responses to salinity and temperature depending on the age class. The Habitat Suitability Index (HSI) …

Margalefidinium Polykrikoides Group Iii Va, Usa Strain Growth And Sac-Like Pellicle Cyst Dynamics, Eduardo Pérez Vega

OES Theses and Dissertations

Margalefidinium polykrikoides is a harmful cosmopolitan dinoflagellate that blooms in coastal waters. The effect of temperature and salinity on the growth of M. polykrikoides VA strain was examined using microscopy and growth models. M. polykrikoides Group III VA strain grew better at warmer temperatures and lower salinities than M. polykrikoides Group III NY strain, Group I Korea strain, and Japan strain (unknown group). Modelers need to use the temperature and salinity growth responses from M. polykrikoides Group III VA strain to better simulate and predict M. polykrikoides blooms in the Chesapeake Bay.

Dinoflagellates produce cysts as a strategy to withstand …

What Environmental Circumstances Generate Hazardous Wave Overtopping Conditions For Infrastructure Disruption: Dawlish (United Kingdom) Case Study, Zbigniew Tomasz Zielonka

The Plymouth Student Scientist

Coastal infrastructure faces increasing threats from wave overtopping due to climate change, rising sea levels, and intensifying storms. This research investigates the environmental conditions that drive hazardous wave overtopping using Dawlish, a vulnerable section of the UK’s railway, as a case study. Understanding these conditions is essential for improving knowledge, developing effective mitigation strategies, and enhancing the resilience of shoreline defences against future challenges. Using one-year observations from WireWall instruments, offshore wave buoy, and meteorological data, the research applies a Random Forest model to assess the influence of metocean conditions on overtopping. The results indicate that wave height, tidal level, …

Benthic Infaunal Responses To Shoreline Restoration, Jessica Lauren Cline

Theses and Dissertations

In the age of increasing urban coastal sprawl, natural shorelines are being replaced by hard armoring structures, which result in the loss of valuable ecosystem services. Hybrid living shorelines, areas that include limited and less intensive armoring strategies paired with the integration of plants and other natural materials, present an opportunity to marry the need for more aggressive stabilization with the continued preservation of ecosystem functions and biological communities. This project uses benthic infauna to evaluate the success of a living shoreline installation in Palm Bay, Florida. The deployment features experimental treatments of breakwaters and red mangroves to explore how …

Seagrass Persistence In The Indian River Lagoon And Lake Worth Lagoon, Florida, Kelly Kibler, Melinda Donnelly, Vincent Encomio, Madison Giuntoli, Manisha Thenuwara, Brice Bennett, Laura Andrade Barron, Mariam Sonbol, Wynter Raine Seppala, Namritha Ramakrishnan, Jennifer Jordan Báez, Beth Orlando, Irene Arpayoglou, Melissa Meisenburg

Indian River Lagoon Shorelines

The spatial dataset: UCF_seagrasspersistence_IRL_LWL.shp was created with support from the Indian River Lagoon National Estuaries Program and Florida Sea Grant. These projects cumulatively led to creation of a living shoreline restoration prioritization model and hydrodynamic habitat suitability models for 1,550 km (963 miles) of estuarine shorelines in Indian River Lagoon (IRL) and Lake Worth Lagoon (LWL). The dataset presented herein represents persistence of seagrass throughout waters of the IRL and LWL.

Living Shoreline Prioritization And Hydrodynamic Habitat Suitability Models For Restoration In The Indian River Lagoon And Lake Worth Lagoon, Florida, Kelly M. Kibler, Melinda J. Donnelly, Vincent Encomio, Madison Giuntoli, Manisha Thenuwara, Brice Bennett, Laura Andrade Barron, Mariam Sonbol, Wynter Raine Seppala, Namritha Ramakrishnan, Jennifer Jordan Báez, Beth Orlando, Irene Arpayoglou, Melissa Meisenburg

Indian River Lagoon Shorelines

The spatial dataset: UCF_shorelinemodel_IRL_LWL.shp, was created with support from the Indian River Lagoon National Estuaries Program and Florida Sea Grant. These projects cumulatively led to creation of a living shoreline restoration prioritization model and hydrodynamic habitat suitability models for 1,550 km (963 miles) of estuarine shorelines in Indian River Lagoon and Lake Worth Lagoon.

The dataset presented herein includes:

1. shoreline data from >15,000 transects collected in the field,
2. shoreline wave climate data created through hydrodynamic modeling and frequency analysis of historic data,
3. categorization of potential risk for shoreline boat wake impact,
4. persistence of seagrass within 210 m of the shoreline, …

A 12,800-Year-Old Layer With Cometary Dust, Microspherules, And Platinum Anomaly Recorded In Multiple Cores From Baffin Bay, Christopher R. Moore, Vladimir A. Tselmovich, Malcolm A. Lecompte, Allen West, Stephen J. Culver, David J. Mallinson, Mohammed Baalousha M.Sc, Ph.D., James P. Kennett, William M. Napier, Michael Bizimis, Victor Adedeji, Seth R. Sutton, Gunther Kleteschka, Kurt A. Langworthy, Jesus P. Perez, Timothy Witwer, Marc D. Young, Jordan Jeffreys, Richard C. Greenwood, James A. Malley

Faculty Publications

The Younger Dryas Impact Hypothesis (YDIH) posits that ~12,800 years ago Earth encountered the debris stream of a disintegrating comet, triggering hemisphere-wide airbursts, atmospheric dust loading, and the deposition of a distinctive suite of extraterrestrial (ET) impact proxies at the Younger Dryas Boundary (YDB). Until now, evidence supporting this hypothesis has come only from terrestrial sediment and ice-core records. Here we report the first discovery of similar impact-related proxies in ocean sediments from four marine cores in Baffin Bay that span the YDB layer at water depths of 0.5–2.4 km, minimizing the potential for modern contamination. Using scanning electron microscopy …

Using Radium Isotopes To Compare Nutrient Inputs Via Submarine Groundwater Discharge To Offshore Export On The West Florida Shelf, Andrew L. Lindgren

OES Theses and Dissertations

Radium isotopes have been used to trace submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) and associated nutrient and metal inputs into the coastal ocean. They have also been used to estimate rates of diffusive mixing and export fluxes of dissolved constituents offshore. However, use of both approaches in tandem to determine the fate of groundwater inputs after they enter the coastal ocean is still relatively unexplored. Radium isotopes and nutrients were measured in two cross-shelf cruises on the West Florida Shelf in different seasons and in quarterly sampling of offshore wells. Through 226Ra mass balance and 223Ra-derived diffusive mixing rates, inputs of nutrients …

Marine Heat Waves Effects On Rocky Intertidal Ecosystem Functioning, Skyler Peterson, S. Schneider, C.L. Webb, A. Leighton

Undergraduate Research Symposium Posters

Severe heat waves may cause long-term changes in marine ecosystems and are expected to increase in magnitude and frequency. Here we use surveys from six localities across a six-year interval (2013-2019) to investigate the effects of heat waves on the functional diversity of rocky intertidal ecosystems (Vancouver Island, Canada).

Functional diversity, the number and types of functions performed by organisms, influences ecosystem stability and health. To assess changes in functional diversity we used analyses of biological traits. Biological traits are measurable properties of organisms that describe their morphology, physiology, and behavior. We quantitatively assessed changes in functional diversity in response …

Western Australia’S Marine Heatwave Update - 9th May 2025, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Marine Heatwave Notification Reports

Category 1 – Moderate marine heatwave (MHW) conditions continue for the Gascoyne and South Coast Bioregions. Marine heatwave conditions in the North Coast Bioregion have abated and the West Coast Bioregion remains warm but neither are categorised as experiencing MHW conditions.

Marine Heatwave Conditions In Western Australia Marine Waters - 26th March 2025, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Marine Heatwave Notification Reports

Marine heatwave (MHW) conditions across the state have persisted. Category 1 – Moderate conditions continue for the Gascoyne and South Coast Bioregions. The North Coast Bioregion has returned to Category 1 – Moderate conditions. The West Coast Bioregion remains warm but is not categorised as experiencing MHW conditions.

Raising Awareness About Hydrographic Careers Through Sea-Going Opportunities, Juliet Kinney, Rochelle Wigley, Sara Cardigos, Fahima Bellabad, Larissa Marques Freguette

Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping

There is a worldwide shortage of hydrographic personnel (van Wegen, 2021, Hydro International 2008).  Calls for action to address this issue include the IHO’s Hydrography at Sea opportunities, while intiatiative such as Seabed 2030 are bringing broader attention to the field and helping to catalyze new discussions and partnerships in hydrography (IHO, 2024).  The global sea floor mapping community needs to develop a broader workforce pipeline.  We would like to highlight the importance of providing time at sea and leadership opportunities in developing a robust workforce.  We start with an overview of a selection of current exchange and training programs …

Transcriptional Profiles Reveal Physiological Mechanisms For Compensation During A Simulated Marine Heatwave In Yellowtail Kingfish (Seriola Lalandi), Sharon E. Hook, Ryan J. Farr, Jenny Su, Alistair J. Hobday, Catherine Wingate, Lindsey Woolley, Luke Pilmer

Fisheries Research Articles

Background

Changing ocean temperatures are already causing declines in populations of marine organisms. Predicting the capacity of organisms to adjust to the pressures posed by climate change is a topic of much current research effort, particularly for species we farm or harvest. To explore one measure of phenotypic plasticity, the physiological compensations in response to heat stress as might be experienced in a marine heatwave, we exposed Yellowtail Kingfish (Seriola lalandi) to sublethal heat stress, and used the transcriptome in gill and muscle, benchmarked against heat shock proteins and oxidative stress indicators, to characterise the acute heat stress …

Exploring Single Cell Microbial Protein As A Sustainable Fishmeal Alternative In Yellowtail Kingfish (Seriola Lalandi) Diets: Impacts On Health And Gut Microbiome, Luke Pilmer, Lindsey Woolley, Alan Lymbery, Chinh Dam, Abigail Elizur, Md Javed Foysal, Gavin Partridge

Fisheries Research Articles

Background

With the global expansion of aquaculture and the increasing demand for fish meal, identifying appropriate and sustainable alternative protein sources for aquafeeds has become essential. Single-cell protein (SCP), derived from methanotrophic bacteria, presents a promising alternative by converting methane into protein, potentially addressing both the need for alternative protein sources and reducing industrial greenhouse gas emissions. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of different levels of SCP inclusion (0%, 25%, 50%, and 75% fish meal replacement) on the health, gene expression, and gut microbiome of yellowtail kingfish (YTK, Seriola lalandi) following a 35-day growth trial.

Results

The …

Study On Motion Prediction Analysis Of Large Vessels Entering Kaohsiung Port Second Harbor, Li-Heng Cheng, Hsing-Yu Wang

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

Pilotage is a primary service offered by ports, ensuring the safe passage of entering and exiting vessels. This study applied motion prediction analysis to large vessels navigating the constrained waterways of Kaohsiung Port’s second harbor. To address the needs of pilots and port operators, a simplified planar motion equation was developed that incorporated speed over ground and rate of turn (ROT) as primary variables. The model relied on inputs of limited navigational data, enabling pilots to predict changes in heading and position over time and determine the conditions for safe harbor entry. Vessel paths and turning angles were analyzed to …

A Century Of Sediment Metal Contamination Of Mar Menor, Europe's Largest Saltwater Lagoon, Irene Alorda-Montiel, Valentí Rodellas, Ariane Arias-Ortiz, Albert Palanques, Andrea G. Bravo, Júlia Rodriguez-Puig, Aaron Alorda-Kleinglass, Carlos Green-Ruiz, Marc Diego-Feliu, Pere Masqué, Javier Gilabert, Jordi Garcia-Orellana

OES Faculty Publications

Coastal enclosed ecosystems, such as lagoons, are vulnerable to anthropogenic impacts because they favor the accumulation of contaminants from the surrounding watersheds, particularly in their sediments. Europe's largest saltwater lagoon, the Mar Menor (SE, Iberian Peninsula), is a highly impacted ecosystem and the first in the continent to be granted personhood rights. Based on a high-resolution spatial and temporal dataset, we present the historical reconstruction of metal contamination in this ecosystem during the last century. Our results highlight that sediment metal contamination has been mainly driven by the development of the mining industry in the nearby Sierra Minera de Cartagena-La …

The Effect Of Temperature And Salinity On Margalefidinium Polykrikoides Group Iii Va, Usa Strain Growth, Eduardo Pérez-Vega, Margaret R. Mulholland, Katherine E. Crider, Kimberly E. Powell, P. Dreux Chappell, Alexander Bochdansky

OES Faculty Publications

Margalefidinium polykrikoides is a cosmopolitan dinoflagellate that blooms in coastal waters. Despite genomic evidence that it belongs to Group III and so closely related to isolates from Puerto Rico, Malaysia, North America, and Central America, M. polykrikoides blooms in the Chesapeake Bay at warmer temperatures and lower salinities than in coastal ecosystems occupied by its closest relatives. In this study, the effect of temperature and salinity on the growth rate and total cell yield of an M. polykrikoides VA culture isolate were examined and compared with environmental observations made during M. polykrikoides blooms in the Chesapeake Bay. M. polykrikoides group …