Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology Commons^™

Understanding The Impacts Of Topobathymetric Data On Storm Surge Model Predictions, Sydni Crain

Master's Theses

The topobathymetric characteristics of a region are regularly altered by natural and anthropogenic causes. This directly impacts the resulting storm surge during a hurricane. The primary goal of this research was to gain a better understanding of the impact that topography and bathymetry have on storm surge models, particularly the Advanced Circulation (ADCIRC) Model. Hurricane Zeta (2020) and Hurricane Ida (2021) were chosen as case studies; therefore, the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) was chosen as the study site. This research was completed by comparing ADCIRC storm surge results which were based on older, lower-resolution data with results derived from more …

Feasibility Analysis Of Aeronet Lunar Aod For Nighttime Particulate Matter Estimation, Kwang Nyun Kim, Seung Hee Kim, Sang Seo Park, Yun Gon Lee

Institute for ECHO Articles and Research

Several studies have attempted to estimate particulate matter (PM) concentrations using aerosol optical depth (AOD), based on AOD and PM relationships. Owing to the limited availability of nighttime AOD data, PM estimation studies using AOD have focused on daytime. Recently, the Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) produced nighttime AOD, called lunar AOD, providing an opportunity to estimate nighttime PM. Nighttime AOD measurements are particularly important as they help fill gaps in our understanding of aerosol variability and its impact on the atmosphere, as there are significant variations in AOD between day and night. In this study, the relationship between lunar AOD …

Evaluating The Relationship Between Methane Seeps And Seafloor Geomorphology On The Northern Us Atlantic Margin, Gabriel Hernandez

Theses and Dissertations

Methane seeps are a transport pathway for carbon from seafloor sediments to the marine environment with important implications for global biogeochemical cycling. Accordingly, there is substantial interest in better understanding the processes that control seep location and predicting the distribution of seeps with existing seafloor datasets. Visual evaluation of methane seeps, in multibeam sonar water column data, suggests a spatial relationship between seeps and specific seafloor morphologic features such as ridge crests. In this thesis, seafloor geomorphology at 1996 seep detection sites on the US Atlantic margin was quantitatively characterized by geomorphologic phonotype, bathymetric position index, slope, rugosity, and aspect …

Verification Of The Localized Aviation Mos Program (Lamp) At Major Us Airports For Ifr Conditions, Mackenzie O'Rourke

Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this research is to quantify the LAMP’s performance when forecasting for IFR conditions at specific major airports for forecast hours one, three, six, and twelve, and further determine how the LAMP performs seasonally at those specific airports and forecast hours. Two by two contingency tables were used to calculate the Probability of Detection (POD), False Alarm Ratio (FAR), Critical Success Index (CSI), Heidke Skill Score (HSS), and Bias score. The results show that the LAMP performs relatively better in the cool season compared to the warm season consistently at each chosen airport, and that the LAMP performs …

Tornado Outbreak False Alarm Probabilistic Forecasts With Machine Learning, Kirsten Reed Snodgrass

Theses and Dissertations

Tornadic outbreaks occur annually, causing fatalities and millions of dollars in damage. By improving forecasts, the public can be better equipped to act prior to an event. False alarms (FAs) can hinder the public’s ability (or willingness) to act. As such, a probabilistic FA forecasting scheme would be beneficial to improving public response to outbreaks.

Here, a machine learning approach is employed to predict FA likelihood from Storm Prediction Center (SPC) tornado outbreak forecasts. A database of hit and FA outbreak forecasts spanning 2010 – 2020 was developed using historical SPC convective outlooks and the SPC Storm Reports database. Weather …

Atmospheric Impacts From The 2010 Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, Charles Philip Johnson

LSU Master's Theses

Although the ecological devastations induced by an oil spill are well studied, the hydrometeorological impacts from a long-term slick have gone unnoticed. The ocean-surface alterations stemming from the lasting oil footprint increase solar radiation absorption which in turn alters the surface pressure and moisture gradients and wind speeds thereby influencing precipitation surrounding the oil spill. Revealing the potential impacts from these could better aid in the safety of crews cleaning spills and provide a better understanding of how humans alter the landscape. This thesis examines the changes in local hydrometeorology brought on by the 2010 summer Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil …

Paleotemperature Estimates From Diatom Morphometrics In The Amundsen Sea For Marine Isotope Stage 5, Cesar Lopez

Honors Capstones

Because of ever rising temperatures driven by anthropogenic climate change, much attention has been given to the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) by the scientific community. This is due to its sensitivity to global climate change and vulnerability for collapse as evidenced by Pleistocene interglacial events. Paleotemperature estimates from the Amundsen Sea are crucial for understanding how global temperature changes impacted WAIS throughout the Pleistocene. Marine Isotope Stage 5 (MIS 5) is of particular interest as it contains different substages and intervals of fluctuating temperatures. This period also is estimated to have had temperatures equal to, or slightly higher than …

Small Community Water Systems Have The Highest Prevalence Of Mn In Drinking Water In California, Usa, Miranda Aiken, Samantha C. Ying

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Manganese (Mn) is currently regulated as a secondary contaminant in California, USA; however, recent revisions of the World Health Organization drinking water guidelines have increased regulatory attention of Mn in drinking water due to increasing reports of neurotoxic effects in infants and children. In this study, Mn concentrations reported to California’s Safe Drinking Water Information System were used to estimate the potentially exposed population within California based on system size. We estimate that between 2011 and 2021, over 525,000 users in areas with reported Mn data are potentially exposed to Mn concentrations exceeding the WHO health-based guideline (80 μg L …

Radar Signatures In Tropical Cyclone Tornadic And Nontornadic Supercells, Michaela Wood

Dissertations & Theses in Earth and Atmospheric Sciences

Tropical cyclones (TCs) contain highly-sheared environments that are conducive for supercell thunderstorms. These TC supercells sometimes produce tornadoes, often with little warning. Given the often-close proximity of tornadic and nontornadic TC supercells, environments may not be well-distinguished, pointing to the potential value of radar observations. In this study, dual-polarimetric radar signatures of a sample of TC supercells are examined in the context of known supercell structure and microphysics. Tornadic and nontornadic TC supercells are compared with their midlatitude counterparts, and the environments and characteristic structure of these storms are shown to be notably different. An attempt is made to distinguish …

From Mountain Streams To Urban Rivers: An Assessment Of Microplastic Sources And Characteristics, Macy Gustavus

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Plastic products are produced and discarded at an alarming rate. Bottles, bags, toys, and clothing break down into tiny plastic pieces called microplastics, ranging in size from an eraser on the top of a pencil to smaller in size than a red blood cell. Microplastics are becoming so common in the environment that they travel in the atmosphere, rivers, and ocean currents in ways that are similar to other types of Earth Systems Cycles (i.e., the water cycle). In this study, we explored microplastic sources and sinks in a freshwater river system and how seasonal changes in discharge affect how …

Evapotranspiration And Energy Balance Of Irrigated Urban Turfgrass, Matthew D. Miksch

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Water usage for irrigation is a big consumer of water resources in urban areas in Utah and other parts of the Intermountain Region of the Western United States. As populations continue to increase in these states, it is important to understand how much water is being used by urban landscapes in order to plan and manage future water resources. Evapotranspiration (ET), or the amount of water leaving a surface over a certain timeframe due to both transpiration from plants and evaporation from the soil, is a key variable in understanding how much water urban landscapes are really using to grow …

Hydroclimate Effects On Great Salt Lake Decline Since 1980, Siiri Joy Bigalke

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports

As a terminal basin lake, the Great Salt Lake (GSL) is known to act as a barometer for low frequency climate variability for the Western United States. As thus, there are naturally occurring large changes to GSL elevation levels that vary on time scales from years to decades. However, amongst these naturally occurring interannual changes there has been a significant declining trend in the elevation levels since a string of anomalous pluvial years in the early 1980s. In the summer of 2022, the Great Salt Lake reached its lowest levels in recorded history, which coincided with a two-decades long regional …

The Last Drought Frontier: Building A Drought Index For The State Of Alaska, Olivia Campbell

Dissertations & Theses in Natural Resources

Drought is characterized by periods of below average precipitation. There are five major types of drought recognized in the literature: meteorological, hydrological, agricultural, socioeconomic, and ecological. A relatively new concept in the drought literature is “snow drought.” A key part of the definition of drought is that it is not always accompanied by extreme heat. This means drought can occur even in cold climates, cold seasons, and higher latitudes and altitudes, like Alaska. Drought is a natural part of climate variability, but Alaska’s climate is changing faster than any other state in the United States. Alaska is no stranger to …

Fecal Pellet Production By North Atlantic Zooplankton, Michael Gibson

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Fecal pellet carbon (FPC) production by zooplankton is a significant component of the ocean’s biological carbon pump: the suite of biological processes that mediate export of carbon to the deep ocean, ultimately leading to the sequestration of atmospheric carbon dioxide in the ocean. In this study, mesozooplankton (zooplankton 0.2 mm to ~2 cm) were collected from the epipelagic zone in the temperate North Atlantic Ocean during day and night in May 2021. Zooplankton were live separated into five size fractions and incubated on board ship in natural surface seawater to measure fecal pellet production rate of the mixed mesozooplankton community. …

An Overview Of Serial Depletions Of Global Marine Fisheries 1950 To 2019, Alison Follmer

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Overfishing is a global issue that poses a significant risk to the entire ocean ecosystem in diminishing biodiversity and ecosystem function. This thesis examined the pattern and pace of fisheries depletions due to commercial fishing during the past 70 years. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Division of Fisheries and Aquaculture maintains a database of global hauls of marine taxa (reported in metric tonnes) from 1950 – 2019. These data were queried to determine the total number and sequence of fisheries depletions documented by the historic record. Analysis of this database showed progressive, linearly-increasing exploitation of …

Cloud Microphysical Response To Entrainment And Mixing Is Locally Inhomogeneous And Globally Homogeneous: Evidence From The Lab, Jaemin Yeom, Ian Helman, Prasanth Prabhakaran, Jesse Anderson, Fan Yang, Raymond Shaw, Will Cantrell

Michigan Tech Research Data

The effects of entrainment-mixing on the cloud droplet size distribution are examined in the Pi cloud chamber that creates a turbulent supersaturated environment for cloud formation. The experiments are conducted with a temperature-controlled flange to mimic the entrainment-mixing process. The entrainment zone is created at the center of the top surface of the chamber, allowing dry air of controlled temperature (T_e) and flow rate (Q_e) to flow into the mixing cloud region. Due to the large-scale circulation, the downwind region is directly affected by entrained dry air from the flange, whereas the upwind region is representative …

Estimating Blue Carbon Stocks In Native And Non-Native Seagrass Beds Of Jobos Bay, Pr, Michael Chapman, Raven Winant, Kayla Gonzalez-Boy, Mark Mccarthy, Ángel Dieppa-Ayala

Symposium of Student Scholars

Seagrasses are keystone species that support coastal biodiversity, but not all species of seagrasses provide the same ecosystem services. Although seagrasses occupy a small area of marine habitat, they provide many ecosystem services. They stabilize sediments, remove nutrients, provide habitat and food for diverse marine life, and promote carbon storage in sediments. Jobos Bay is the second largest estuary in Puerto Rico and contains salt marshes, mangroves, and seagrass beds. The native seagrass, Thalassia testudinum, is the most abundant seagrass in the bay; however, a seagrass species from the Indian Ocean, Halophila stipulacea, began invading in recent years. The impacts …

The Compound Risk Of Heat And Covid-19 In New York City: Riskscapes, Physical And Social Factors, And Interventions, Janelle Knox-Hayes, Juan Camilo Osorio, Natasha Stamler, Maria Dombrov, Rose Winer, Mary Hannah Smith, Reginald Blake, Cynthia Rosenzweig

Publications and Research

Climate change is disrupting the fundamental conditions of human life and exacerbating existing inequity by placing further burdens on communities that are already vulnerable. Risk exposure varies by where people live and work. In this article, we examine the spatial overlap of the compound risks of COVID-19 and extreme heat in New York City. We assess the relationship between socio-demographic and natural, built and social environmental characteristics, and the spatial correspondence of COVID-19 daily case rates across three pandemic waves. We use these data to create a compound risk index combining heat, COVID-19, density and social vulnerability. Our findings demonstrate …

Accelerating Atmospheric Gravity Wave Simulations Using Machine Learning: Kelvin-Helmholtz Instability And Mountain Wave Sources Driving Gravity Wave Breaking And Secondary Gravity Wave Generation, Wenjun Dong, David Fritts, Alan Z. Liu, Hanli Liu, Jonathan Snively

Publications

Gravity waves (GWs) and their associated multi-scale dynamics are known to play fundamental roles in energy and momentum transport and deposition processes throughout the atmosphere. We describe an initial, two-dimensional (2-D), machine learning model – the Compressible Atmosphere Model Network (CAMNet) - intended as a first step toward a more general, three-dimensional, highly-efficient, model for applications to nonlinear GW dynamics description. CAMNet employs a physics-informed neural operator to dramatically accelerate GW and secondary GW (SGW) simulations applied to two GW sources to date. CAMNet is trained on high-resolution simulations by the state-of-the-art model Complex Geometry Compressible Atmosphere Model (CGCAM). Two …

The Linkage Between The Climate Change And The Cybercrimes, Min Kim

Cybersecurity Undergraduate Research Showcase

At the beginning of the new era, the rise of the Fourth Industrial Revolution has been rapidly transforming society into a new form that has never been experienced before. While previous industrial revolutions have also contributed to societal growth through phenomenal inventions and discoveries, the Fourth Industrial Revolution has the potential to break the most conventional rule, and one that has dominated social and economic activities: physical interaction. In the near future, sitting at the office, having an in-person meeting, or going on a business trip may no longer be needed as physical barriers are destroyed by cyberspace. However, two …