Oceanography Commons^™

Soapbox: The Academic Research Fleet: An Exciting Time For Renewal, Larry Atkinson

CCPO Publications

(First Paragraph) Academic research ships in the United States are the envy of many scientists around the world. A great strength of our system is the diversity of ships and operators: users have a choice, the system can change. A weakness of the system is that very diversity: sometimes it is hard for us to act together. Nevertheless, we now must act together. The vitality of the academic fleet in the coming decades is at stake. The reason is simply because many of our ships, especially in the intermediate size range, will soon reach the end of their useful life.

Blending Hf Radar And Model Velocities In Monterey Bay Through Normal Mode Analysis, B. L. Lipphardt Jr., A. D. Kirwan Jr., C. E. Grosch, J. K. Lewis, J. D. Paduan

CCPO Publications

Nowcasts of the surface velocity field in Monterey Bay are made for the period August 1-9, 1994, using HF radar observations blended with results from a primitive equation model. A spectral method called normal mode analysis was used. Objective spatial and temporal filtering were performed, and stream function, velocity potential, relative vorticity, and horizontal divergence were calculated over the domain. This type of nowcasting permits global spectral analysis of mode amplitudes, calculation of enstrophy, and additional analyses using tools like empirical orthogonal functions. The nowcasts reported here include open boundary flow information from the numerical model. Nowcasts using no open …

On The Seasonal Mixed Layer Simulated By A Basin-Scale Ocean Model And The Mellor-Yamada Turbulence Scheme, Tal Ezer

CCPO Publications

Seasonal changes and vertical mixing processes in the upper layers of the North Atlantic Ocean are simulated with a basin-scale sigma coordinate ocean model that uses the Mellor-Yamada turbulence closure scheme. The cause of insufficient surface mixing and a too shallow summertime thermocline, common problems of ocean models of this type, is investigated in detail by performing a series of sensitivity experiments with different surface forcing conditions and different turbulence parameterizations. A recent improvement in the parameterization of the dissipation term in the Mellor-Yamada turbulence scheme, which has shown a significant improvement in one-dimensional calculations, had a positive but relatively …

Can An Optical Plankton Counter Produce Reasonable Estimates Of Zooplankton Abundance And Biovolume In Water With High Detritus?, X. Zhang, M. Roman, A. Sanford, H. Adolf, C. Lascara, R. Burgett

CCPO Publications

The Optical Plankton Counter (OPC) has been used in oceanic and fresh waters to estimate zooplankton abundance and biovolume. However, it is not clear whether the OPC can produce accurate estimates of zooplankton abundance and biovolume in waters with high detritus. In order to test the capability of the OPC to estimate zooplankton abundance and biovolume in Chesapeake Bay, two sets of laboratory experiments were conducted using water with high detritus concentrations collected from the upper Choptank estuary of Chesapeake Bay and laboratory cultured Artemia. Our results suggest that the OPC is able to produce accurate estimates of zooplankton biovolume …

On The Sources Of Weddell Gyre Antarctic Bottom Water, Michael P. Meredith, Ricardo A. Locarnini, Kim A. Van Scoy, Andrew J. Watson, Karen J. Heywood, Brian A. King

CCPO Publications

In March-April 1995, as part of the World Ocean Circulation Experiment section A23, we completed 49 hydrographic stations across the Weddell Gyre and southern Antarctic Circumpolar Current, from the Antarctic continental shelf (72.5°S, 16.5°W) to South Georgia (55°S, 34.5°W). Chlorofiuorocarbon (CFC11, CFC-12, and CFC-113) data collected at these stations reveal that distinct sources renew the Antarctic Bottom Water (defined as waters with potential temperatures less than 0°C) of the Weddell Gyre. Weddell Sea Bottom Water (defined as waters with potential temperatures less than- 0.7°C) formed in the western Weddell Sea has CFC concentrations about 5 to 6 times higher in …

Fortnightly Variability In The Transverse Dynamics Of A Coastal Plain Estuary, Arnoldo Valle-Levinson, Kuo-Chuin Wong, Kamazima M. M. Lwiza

CCPO Publications

Current velocity and water density profiles were obtained along two crossestuary transects with the purpose of determining the fortnightly variability of the transverse dynamics in a partially stratified coastal plain estuary. The profiles were measured with a towed acoustic Doppler current profiler and a conductivity-temperaturedepth recorder in the James River estuary, Virginia. The cross-estuary transects were sampled during the spring tides of October 26-27, 1996, and the ensuing neap tides of November 2-3, 1996. The transects were-4 km long, featured a bathymetry that consisted of a channel flanked by shoals, and were sampled repeatedly during two semidiurnal tidal cycles (25 …

Convergence Of Lateral Flow Along A Coastal Plain Estuary, Arnoldo Valle-Levinson, Chunyan Li, Kuo-Chuin Wong, Kamazima M. M. Lwiza

CCPO Publications

A set of velocity profiles obtained in the James River estuary with an acoustic Doppler current profiler was used in combination with the results of an analytic tidal model to depict the appearance of surface lateral flow convergences (δv/δy) during both flood and ebb stages of the tidal cycle. The bathymetry of the estuary was characterized by a main channel and a secondary channel separated by relatively narrow shoals. Lateral surface flow convergences appeared over the edges of the channels and were produced by the phase lag of the flow in the channel relative to the …

Measurements Of Salinity In The Coastal Ocean: A Review Of Requirements And Technologies, Catherine Woody, Eddie Shih, Jerry Miller, Thomas Royer, Larry P. Atkinson, Richard S. Moody

CCPO Publications

Salinity, a measure of the dissolved salts in seawater, is a fundamental property of seawater and basic to understanding biological and physical processes in coastal waters. In the open ocean long term salinity measurements are identified as necessary to understand global climate studies, hydrological cycle, and circulation. In the coastal oceans, information on salinity is critical to understanding biological effects on ecosystem function such as disease, nursery grounds, or harmful algal blooms and on physical processes such as freshwater runoff estuarine mixing, and coastal currents. While the importance of salinity is recognized, little attention has been given to making routine …

Estuarine Relationships Between Zooplankton Community Structure And Trophic Gradients, Gyung Soo Park, Harold G. Marshall

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Zooplankton and water quality parameters were investigated at eight mesohaline stations in the lower Chesapeake Bay and Elizabeth River from January through December 1994 to identify the changes of zooplankton community structure with increased eutrophication. The total micro- and mesozooplankton biomass decreased with the increase of eutrophication. However, the relative proportion of microzooplankton increased with increased eutrophication. Within highly eutrophied waters, the small oligotrichs (m) and rotifers dominated the total zooplankton biomass (as carbon). However, tintinnids, copepod nauplii and mesozooplankton significantly decreased with the increase of eutrophication. These patterns were consistent throughout the seasons and had significant relationships statistically. These …

Nitrate Reductase Activity, Nitrate Uptake And Iodine Speciation In The Marine Environment, Chin-Chang Hung

OES Theses and Dissertations

The present method for the determination of new production (NP) by measuring the uptake of added ¹⁵NO₃^– suffers from a number of limitations. In an attempt to improve this situation, this research examined the possibility of estimating ¹⁵NO₃– uptake by measuring the activity of nitrate reductase (NRA). In addition, because it has long been suspected that the biological reduction of IO₃^– to I^– may be mediated by nitrate reductase (NR), this research investigated the ability of NR to catalyze the reduction of iodate to iodide.

An improved method for the determination …

Production Of Copper-Complexing Ligands In Response To Elevated Concentrations Of Copper In Marine Synechococcus Spp., Arunsri Chatkaeomorakot Brown

Theses and Dissertations in Biomedical Sciences

Synechococcus spp. (marine cyanobacteria) are extremely sensitive to copper toxicity and can produce high-affinity ligands of unknown structure which form complexes with free cupric ion. These ligands may contribute to the biological control of the levels of free cupric ions in surface seawater. Synechococcus spp. are known to produce metallothioneins (MT) in response to cadmium and zinc stress. In the present study the hypothesis that marine Synechococcus produce MT in response to copper was tested. Three marine Synechococcus spp. i.e., PCC 7001, PCC 73109, and PCC 7003, were exposed to different concentrations of CUSO 4 for various time periods. Size …

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 …

Physical Control Of Biological Processes In The Central Equatorial Pacific: A Data Assimilative Modeling Study, Marjorie Anne Macwhorter Friedrichs

OES Theses and Dissertations

A five-component data assimilative ecosystem model is developed in order to investigate the effects of physical processes encompassing a wide range of space and time scales, on the lower trophic levels of the highly dynamic central equatorial Pacific (140°W). Many of the biological processes included in the ecosystem model respond to environmental fluctuations with time scales between one and ten days, which are not typically resolved by basin to global scale circulation models. Therefore, the ecosystem model is forced using daily observations from the TAO mooring array. Model simulations successfully reproduce data collected both during and after the 1991–92 El …

The Impacts Of External Nutrient Sources On Marine Phytoplankton In An Eastern Shore Sea-Side Estuary, Claudette Lajoie Jenkins

OES Theses and Dissertations

The Eastern Shore of Virginia (Greens Creek) as well as a large portion of the North Atlantic coastline is characterized by estuarine systems not dominated by large river systems. Instead, small freshwater creeks influence many coastal systems yet little information has been documented on their ecological significance. The focus of this research is to identify the biogeochemical and physical interactions within an estuarine water-column and understand the importance of freshwater sources in governing phytoplankton production. The hypothesis of this research is that increases in external nutrient loading into Greens Creek will not result in an increase in primary production. The …

A Coupled Bio-Optical And Mixed Layer Model For The Equatorial Pacific, James Vincent Koziana

OES Theses and Dissertations

A one dimensional coupled bio-optical and mixed layer model is developed and applied to problems involving the role of phytoplankton-induced turbidity (PIT) on the vertical structure and heating of the upper ocean in the Equatorial Pacific Ocean. The bio-optical and mixed layer model for optically pure sea water was forced with climatological environmental conditions to provide a reference simulation for 140°W in the eastern Equatorial Pacific Ocean. This reference simulation was used for comparison to other simulations which considered the effects of variations in wind stress and solar input for a homogeneous chlorophyll a profile and variations in the magnitude …

Resource Allocation And Sucrose Mobilization In Light Limited Eelgrass Zostera Marina, Teresa Alcoverro, Richard C. Zimmerman, Donald G. Kohrs, Randall S. Alberte

OES Faculty Publications

This study evaluated the ability of Zostera marina L. (eelgrass) to balance the daily photosynthetic deficit by mobilization of carbon reserves stored in below-ground tissues during a period of extreme winter light limitation. A quantitative understanding of the mobilization process and its limitations is essential to the development of robust models predicting minimum light levels required to maintain healthy seagrass populations. Plants were grown in running seawater tanks under 2 light regimes. One treatment was provided with 2 h irradiance-saturated photosynthesis (H_sat) to produce severe Light Limitation, while control plants were grown under 7 h H_sat, …

Comparative Study Of Selenium Requirements Of Three Phytoplankton Species: Gymnodinium Catenatum, Alexandrium Minutum (Dinophyta) And Chaetoceros Cf. Tenuissimus (Bacillariophyta, Martina A. Doblin, Susan I. Blackburn, Gustaaf M. Hallegraeff

OES Faculty Publications

This study investigated the selenium (Se) requirements of three phytoplankton species which commonly bloom in southern Australian estuaries. The present study showed that the toxic dinoflagellate Gymnodinium catenatum Graham had an obligate requirement for Se (IV) in culture. After two transfers (~ 4 weeks ≈ 7 generations) in Se-deficient seawater medium, this phytoplankton species exhibited a decline in growth rate (25%) and biomass yield (90%), while complete cessation of cell division occurred under prolonged (8 weeks ≈ 12 generations) Se starvation. Addition of 10^-9-10^-7 M H₂SeO₃ to nutrient-enriched seawater medium resulted in increased G.catenatum …

Limitation Of Algal Growth By Iron Deficiency In The Australian Subantarctic Region, Peter N. Sedwick, Giacomo R. Ditullio, David A. Hutchins, Philip W. Boyd, F. Brian Griffiths, A. Clive Crossley, Thomas W. Trull, Bernard Queguiner

OES Faculty Publications

In March 1998 we measured iron in the upper water column and conducted iron- and nutrient-enrichment bottle-incubation experiments in the open-ocean Subantarctic region southwest of Tasmania, Australia. In the Subtropical Convergence Zone (∼42°S, 142°E), silicic acid concentrations were low (< 1.5μM) in the upper water column, whereas pronounced vertical gradients in dissolved iron concentration (0.12-0.84 nM) were observed., presumably reflecting the interleaving of Subtropical and Subantarctic waters, and mineral aerosol input. Results of a bottle-incubation experiment performed at this location indicate that phytoplankton growth rates were limited by iron deficiency within the iron-poor layer of the euphotic zone. In the Subantarctic water mass (∼46.8°S, 142°E), low concentrations of dissolved iron (0.05-0.11nM) and silicic acid (< 1μM) were measured throughout the upper water column, and our experimental results indicate that algal growth was limited by iron deficiency. These observations suggest that availability of dissolved iron is a primary factor limiting phytoplankton growth over much of the Subantarctic Southern Ocean in the late summer and autumn.

An Iron-Based Ecosystem Model Of The Central Equatorial Pacific, Carrie L. Leonard, Charles R. Mcclain, Ragu Murtugudde, Eileen E. Hofmann, Lawrence W. Harding Jr.

CCPO Publications

The central and eastern equatorial Pacific region is characterized by lower than expected phytoplankton biomass and primary production given the relatively high ambient nitrate concentrations. These unusual conditions have spawned several field programs and laboratory experiments to determine why this high nitrate-low chlorophyll pattern persists in this region. To synthesize the results from these field programs, as well as providing additional evidence in support of the iron hypothesis, we developed a one-dimensional, nine-component ecosystem model of 0 degrees N 140 degrees W. The model components include two phytoplankton size fractions, two zooplankton size fractions, two detrital size fractions, dissolved iron, …

Frontogenesis In The North Pacific Oceanic Frontal Zones--A Numerical Simulation, Michael S. Dinniman, Michele M. Rienecker

CCPO Publications

A primitive equation model [Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory's (GFDL's) MOM 2] with one degree horizontal resolution is used to simulate the seasonal cycle of frontogenesis in the subarctic frontal zone (SAFZ) and the subtropical frontal zone (STFZ) of the North Pacific Ocean. The SAFZ in the model contains deep (greater than 500 m in some places) regions with seasonally varying high gradients in temperature and salinity. The gradients generally weaken toward the east. The STFZ consists of a relatively shallow (less than 200 m in most places) region of high gradient in temperature that disappears in the summer/fall. The high …

Decadal Variabilities Of The Upper Layers Of The Subtropical North Atlantic: An Ocean Model Study, Tal Ezer

CCPO Publications

Numerical simulations of the Atlantic Ocean during the period 1950 to 1989, using a sigma coordinate, free surface numerical model, show long-term variabilities in the upper ocean subtropical gyre similar to those obtained from observations. The simulations show how westward propagating planetary waves, originated in the eastern North Atlantic, affect interdecadal variabilities of ocean properties such as the Bermuda sea level, the Gulf Stream position and strength, and subsurface temperature anomalies in the western North Atlantic. Special attention is given to the dramatic sea level drop at Bermuda in the early 1970s, which is accompanied by cooling of subsurface layers …

Analyzing Mean Transport Equations Of Turbulence And Linear Disturbances In Decaying Flows, W. D. Thacker, T. B. Gatski, C. E. Grosch

CCPO Publications

The decay of laminar disturbances and turbulence in mean shear-free flows is studied. In laminar flows, such disturbances are linear superpositions of modes governed by the Orr-Sommerfeld equation. In turbulent flows, disturbances are described through transport equations for representative mean quantities. The link between a description based on a deterministic evolution equation and a probability-based mean transport equation is established. Because an uncertainty in initial conditions exists in the laminar as well as the turbulent regime, a probability distribution must be defined even in the laminar case. Using this probability distribution, it is shown that the exponential decay of the …

Modification Of No, Po, And No/Po During Flow Across The Bering And Chukchi Shelves: Implications For Use As Arctic Water Mass Tracers, Lee W. Cooper, Glenn F. Cota, Lawrence R. Pomeroy, Jacqueline M. Grebmeier, Terry E. Whitledge

CCPO Publications

The NO and PO tracers (9[NO₃-] + 02 and 135[PO₄-] + 02, respectively,) and their derivative NO/PO have found increasing use in Arctic water mass analyses for identifying the specific basin or shelf areas from which surface waters originate, based upon assumed differences in Pacific- and Atlantic-derived content and basin-to-basin differences within the Arctic. Following shipboard sampling in June-September 1993 and May-June 1994, both north and south of Bering Strait, we have found evidence that Pacific-derived waters flowing north to Bering Strait do not necessarily have any unique NO, PO, or NO/PO identity that would permit …

A Two-Dimensional Analytic Tidal Model For A Narrow Estuary Of Arbitrary Lateral Depth Variation: The Intratidal Motion, Chunyan Li, Arnoldo Valle-Levinson

CCPO Publications

An innovative method is introduced to solve a two-dimensional, depth-averaged analytic model for narrow estuaries or tidal channels with arbitrary lateral depth variations. The solution is valid if the lateral variation of the amplitude of tidal elevation (\Delta a\) is small, i.e., \Delta a\ much less than a, where a is the amplitude of the tidal elevation. This assumption is supported by a 60-day observation of elevation in the James River Estuary using pressure sensors at both sides of a cross section of the estuary. The error introduced by the solution is of the order of \Delta a\/a, which has …

Warm Water Formation And Escape In The Upper Tropical Atlantic Ocean - 1. A Literature Review, Sang-Ki Lee, G. T. Csanady

CCPO Publications

We review current understanding of the warm water formation and escape process in the tropical Atlantic Ocean and point out the physical aspects of the process not yet fully explored. From this review, we found a need for a simple model capable of describing the first-order heat and mass balance in the tropical Atlantic Ocean. This line of work is continued in part 2 [Lee and Csanady, this issue]. Copyright 1999 by the American Geophysical Union.

Warm Water Formation And Escape In The Upper Tropical Atlantic Ocean - 2. A Numerical Model Study, Sang-Ki Lee, G. T. Csanady

CCPO Publications

We seek the simplest mass and heat balance scenario within the upper tropical Atlantic Ocean using a 2.5-layer numerical model, with the help of a newly suggested entrainment formula. The model ocean is driven by the seasonal wind and heat flux associated with the movement of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). The entrainment rate is scaled by the product of wind stress and shear at the bottom of the mixed layer. On an annual average, the northward transport of the tropical warm water is about 11 Sv, with roughly 10 Sv associated with entrainment of upper thermocline water. Out of …

Modeling The Effects Of Doliolids On The Plankton Community Structure Of The Southeastern Us Continental Shelf, A. G. Edward Haskell, Eileen E. Hofmann, Gustav-Adolf Paffenhofer, Peter G. Verity

CCPO Publications

A model of the lower trophic levels that consists of a system of coupled ordinary differential equations was developed to investigate the time-dependent behavior of doliolid populations associated with upwelling features on the outer southeastern US continental shelf. Model equations describe the interactions of doliolids with two phytoplankton size fractions, five copepod developmental stages and a detrital pool. Additional equations describe nitrate and ammonia. Model dynamics are based primarily upon data obtained from field and laboratory experiments for southeastern US continental shelf plankton populations. Variations on a reference simulation, which represents average upwelling conditions without doliolids, were carried out to …

The Cause And Consequence Of Ontogenetic Changes In Social Aggregation In New Zealand Spiny Lobsters, Mark J. Butler Iv, Alistair B. Macdiarmid, John D. Booth

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Ontogenetic changes in the behavior, spatial distribution, or habitat use of a species are presumably adaptations to ecological forces that differ in their effect on various life stages. The New Zealand rock lobster Jasus edwardsii is one of several species of spiny lobster that exhibits dramatic ontogenetic shifts in sociality and spatial distribution, and we tested whether such changes are adaptive. We first surveyed several natural populations of J. edwardsii to document size-specific differences in aggregation. To determine if chemical cues discharged by conspecifics promote aggregation of certain ontogenetic stages, we tested the responsiveness of lobsters of 3 ontogenetic stages …

Ocean Surface Maps From Blending Disparate Data Through Normal Mode Analysis, William John Schulz Jr.

OES Theses and Dissertations

Rapid environmental assessment is conducted using disparate data sources in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico. An overview of significant physical features in the Gulf highlights the complexities of the large and meso-scale circulations. Spectral analysis of high resolution current meter and drifter data reveals the significant forcing features detectable by readily available observing techniques. These observations are combined with boundary data extracted from the U.S. Navy's Modular Ocean Data Assimilation System (MODAS) through Normal Mode Analysis (NMA). The NMA blending process is described, and surface maps of velocity and convergence are produced. Using statistical and qualitative techniques, the NMA generated …

Absorption Efficiencies And Biochemical Fractionation Of Assimilated Compounds In The Cold Water Appendicularian Oikopleura Vanhoeffeni, Alexander B. Bochdansky, Don Deibel, Richard B. Rivkin

OES Faculty Publications

Using Ge-68:C-14 dual-labeling, we investigated the absorption efficiency of diatom carbon for the cold water appendicularian Oikopleura vanhoeffeni. The absorption efficiency of bulk carbon (mean = 67%) was not influenced by body size or ingestion rate. For the first time for a pelagic tunicate, food and feces were fractionated into their major biochemical constituents (i.e., low-molecular-weight compounds, lipid, protein, and polysaccharide), allowing calculation of absorption efficiencies for each fraction. Low-molecular-weight compounds and proteins were preferentially absorbed over lipids and polysaccharides. However, predicted C:N ratios of the fecal pellets of O. vanhoeffeni were in the lower range of C:N ratios …