The Utility Of Foraminifera In Documenting Sediment Provenance For Overwash Deposits: A Case Study Using Sediments Deposited By Tropical Cyclone Pam In Vanuatu,
2017
University of Southern Mississippi
The Utility Of Foraminifera In Documenting Sediment Provenance For Overwash Deposits: A Case Study Using Sediments Deposited By Tropical Cyclone Pam In Vanuatu, Thomas Kosciuch
Master's Theses
Tropical cyclone inundation is a major threat to the highly exposed islands of the South Pacific. This vulnerability was highlighted in March 2015 when Tropical Cyclone (TC) Pam made landfall on Vanuatu as a Category 5 storm, impacting coastlines with storm surges that produced high water marks up to 7 m above MSL and deposited sediments up to 400 m inland. We examined the foraminiferal assemblages contained within TC Pam sediments at two locations in Vanuatu: a mixed-carbonate embayment (Manuro), and a volcaniclastic beach (Port Resolution Bay; PRB). At Manuro, the TC Pam sediments were up to 10 cm thick …
Ecological And Oceanographic Influences On Leatherback Turtle Behavior And Scyphozoan Jellyfish Distributions In The Gulf Of Mexico,
2017
University of Southern Mississippi
Ecological And Oceanographic Influences On Leatherback Turtle Behavior And Scyphozoan Jellyfish Distributions In The Gulf Of Mexico, Katrina Aleksa
Dissertations
Leatherback turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) are a wide-ranging, oceanic species that feed exclusively on gelatinous zooplankton. Leatherback have been spotted in the Gulf of Mexico (GoM) for several decades and consistently had a high level of interactions with longline fisheries. However, no quantitative studies have been performed to address the spatiotemporal distribution of these turtles in the GoM. This research determines 1) leatherback movements and high-use areas in the GoM, 2) their association with oceanographic features, 3) the distribution and density of two abundant medusae in the northern GoM and any association with biophysical parameters, and 4) the body …
3d Seismic Interpretation Of A Plio-Pleistocene Mass Transport Deposit In The Deepwater Taranaki Basin Of New Zealand,
2017
University of Arkansas, Fayetteville
3d Seismic Interpretation Of A Plio-Pleistocene Mass Transport Deposit In The Deepwater Taranaki Basin Of New Zealand, Francisco Jose Rusconi
Graduate Theses and Dissertations
A series of Plio-Pleistocene mass transport deposits (MTD) have been identified in the deepwater Taranaki Basin, in New Zealand, using the Romney 3D seismic survey, which covers an area of approximately 2000 km2. One of these MTDs has been chosen for description and interpretation based on high confidence mapping of its boundary surfaces. The deposit exhibits an array of interesting features similar to those documented by researchers elsewhere plus a unique basal feature unlike those previously observed. The basal shear surface exhibits erosional features such as grooves, “monkey fingers”, and glide tracks. Internally, the MTD is typically characterized by low …
St. Lucie Shoal Complex: Regional Sediment Resource Or Submerged Storm Breakwater,
2017
Florida Institute of Technology
St. Lucie Shoal Complex: Regional Sediment Resource Or Submerged Storm Breakwater, Leaf Erickson
Theses and Dissertations
Nearshore sand shoals have become the predominant sediment resource for beach nourishment projects on the east coast of Florida. Along this coast, the St. Lucie Shoal Complex (SLSC) is comprised of several shoals designated as sediment resources for beach nourishment, many having depths less than 7 meters, at their crests. This group of shoals represents the largest high-quality beach nourishment sediment resource in southeast Florida. Among these shoals, the St. Lucie shoal is the largest and shallowest at the crest. This project explores the current best practice methodologies to explore impacts of excavating sand resources from shallow-crested shoal systems like …
Paleoenvironmental Reconstruction Using Coral Microatolls (Sp. Siderastrea Siderea) From The Gulf Of Gonâve, Haiti,
2017
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College
Paleoenvironmental Reconstruction Using Coral Microatolls (Sp. Siderastrea Siderea) From The Gulf Of Gonâve, Haiti, Gilman Reno Ouellette Jr.
LSU Doctoral Dissertations
Natural and anthropogenic climate changes present unique and serious risks to society. In order to plan and implement adaptation and mitigation strategies successfully, regional manifestations of broad-scale climate changes must be understood robustly. The Caribbean region contains part of the Western Hemisphere Warm Pool (WHWP), a major sea surface temperature (SST) feature that plays a key role in North Atlantic climate. Climate variability in the Caribbean is captured poorly by climate models, due in part to a lack of continuous, multidecadal instrumental climate records from the region. I explored three research questions in this dissertation: Does non-systematic bias exist in …
How Dredge Pits Evolve Over Time: A Look At Their Geomorphologic Evolution And Infilling Processes,
2017
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College
How Dredge Pits Evolve Over Time: A Look At Their Geomorphologic Evolution And Infilling Processes, Patrick Robichaux
LSU Master's Theses
As coastal environments become more susceptible to land loss through accelerating sea level rise and subsidence, new restoration methods harnessing borrowed sediment are more valuable than ever. Mud-capped dredge pits (MCDPs) are a relatively new source of restoration-quality sediment that has only recently been utilized for beach and barrier island restorations in Louisiana. Because MCDPs have been in use for less than two decades in only a handful sites, little is understood about their evolution over decadal timescales. To improve our understanding of MCDPs after they are dredged, we have conducted a suite of geophysical surveys including bathymetry, sidescan sonar, …
A Study Of Marine Terrace Formation Along The California Central Coast,
2017
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
A Study Of Marine Terrace Formation Along The California Central Coast, Mary C. Devlin
Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences
Marine terrace formation is in many instances attributed to wave action, and shore platforms are often called “wave-cut”. However, alternative models for marine terrace formation suggest that other types of physical and chemical weathering have a more central role in the formation of marine terraces than is widely acknowledged. Roering and Retallack (2012) concluded that the roles of subaerial physical and chemical weathering are significant, and played a major role in the formation of the terraces. In this study, weathering of beach cliffs and shore platforms associated with marine terraces at eight sites in two different locations along the central …
Regional Sea Level Variability And Trends, 1960-2007: A Comparison Of Sea Level Reconstructions And Ocean Syntheses,
2017
Old Dominion University
Regional Sea Level Variability And Trends, 1960-2007: A Comparison Of Sea Level Reconstructions And Ocean Syntheses, M. Carson, A. Köhl, D. Stammer, B. Meyssignac, J. Church, J. Schröter, M. Wenzel, B. Hamlington
OES Faculty Publications
Several existing statistical and dynamical reconstructions of past regional sea level variability and trends are compared with each other and with tide gauges over the 48 year period 1960-2007, partially predating the satellite altimetry era. Evaluated statistical reconstructions were built from tide-gauge data (TGR), and dynamical reconstructions from ocean data assimilation (ODA) approaches. Although most of the TGRs yield global-mean time series of sea level with trends deviating within ± 0.1 mm yr-1, the spatial anomalies of the trends deviate substantially between the reconstructions over the period predating altimetry. In contrast, TGRs match observed regional trend patterns fairly …
Deglacial Tropical Atlantic Subsurface Warming Links Ocean Circulation Variability To The West African Monsoon,
2017
Old Dominion University
Deglacial Tropical Atlantic Subsurface Warming Links Ocean Circulation Variability To The West African Monsoon, Matthew W. Schmidt, Ping Chang, Andrew O. Parker, Link Ji, Feng He
OES Faculty Publications
Multiple lines of evidence show that cold stadials in the North Atlantic were accompanied by both reductions in Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) and collapses of the West African Monsoon (WAM). Although records of terrestrial change identify abrupt WAM variability across the deglaciation, few studies show how ocean temperatures evolved across the deglaciation. To identify the mechanism linking AMOC to the WAM, we generated a new record of subsurface temperature variability over the last 21 kyr based on Mg/Ca ratios in a sub-thermocline dwelling planktonic foraminifera in an Eastern Equatorial Atlantic (EEA) sediment core from the Niger Delta. Our subsurface …
Impact Of Climate Change On New York City’S Coastal Flood Hazard: Increasing Flood Heights From The Preindustrial To 2300 Ce,
2017
Rowan University
Impact Of Climate Change On New York City’S Coastal Flood Hazard: Increasing Flood Heights From The Preindustrial To 2300 Ce, Andra J. Garner, Michael E. Mann, Kerry A. Emanuel, Robert E. Kopp, Ning Lin, Richard B. Alley, Benjamin P. Horton, Robert M. Deconto, Jeffrey P. Donnelly, David Pollard
School of Earth & Environment Departmental Research
We combine downscaled tropical cyclones, storm-surge models, and probabilistic sea-level rise projections to assess flood hazard associated with changing storm characteristics and sea-level rise in New York City from the preindustrial era to 2300. Compensation between increased storm intensity and offshore shifts in storm tracks causes minimal change in modeled storm-surge heights through 2300. However, projected sea-level rise leads to large increases in future overall flood heights associated with tropical cyclones in New York City. Consequently, flood height return periods that were ∼500 y during the preindustrial era have fallen to ∼25 y at present and are projected to fall …
Cruise Data For Neuston Net And Paired Bongo Net Tows From 47 Stations In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico From R/V Pelican Cruise Lf2017a July 2017,
2017
Texas A&M University at Galveston
Cruise Data For Neuston Net And Paired Bongo Net Tows From 47 Stations In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico From R/V Pelican Cruise Lf2017a July 2017, Jay R. Rooker, R.J. David Wells
DEEPEND Datasets
Shelf and slope waters in the Deep Water Horizon oil spill (DWHOS) area are known to serve as critical spawning, nursery, and foraging habitat of several important oceanic species including billfishes (e.g. blue marlin, white marlin, sailfish), tunas (bluefin tuna, yellowfin tuna), and other pelagic taxa (swordfish, dolphinfishes). The aim of this component was to further investigate potential ecological effects of the DWHOS on pelagic fishes during the early life period. Larval fishes were sampled from 48 stations in the northern Gulf of Mexico and cruise data was collected at each site including latitude/longitude, date, time and environmental data (sea …
Counting Crabs: Assessment Of Mangrove Crab Diversity And Density Among Three Sites In Ushongo, Tanzania,
2017
SIT Study Abroad
Counting Crabs: Assessment Of Mangrove Crab Diversity And Density Among Three Sites In Ushongo, Tanzania, Clarasophia Gust
Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection
This study assessed the density and diversity of crabs across three mangrove forest zones in Ushongo, Tanzania. The aim was to understand variance in the composition and distribution of mangrove crabs in relation to mangrove tree composition gradients in the area. Sites were measured using a 200m line transect and 40-plot method. Data was also collected from a sand beach habitat to compare to the diversity and distribution of mangrove habitats. Diversity was analyzed using Simpson’s Index of Diversity and an ANOVA test on the average number of species found per plot in each site. Density was analyzed using an …
Bacteria Mitigation In Sponge Mariculture, Jambiani Zanzibar,
2017
SIT Study Abroad
Bacteria Mitigation In Sponge Mariculture, Jambiani Zanzibar, Claire Johnston
Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection
The declining seaweed industry coupled with efforts by the NGO Marine Cultures have led to the establishment of sponge mariculture in Jambiani, Zanzibar. However, growing cyanobacteria levels have substantially increased sponge mortality rates. In order to determine successful cyanobacteria mitigation treatments, six populations of farm ropes, support lines, and sponges were (a) untreated, (b) manually cleaned or submerged in solutions of (c) 2% hydrogen peroxide, (d) 4% hydrogen peroxide, (e) 50 g/L salt, or (f) 70 g/L salt. No conclusions were drawn from rope treatments, no techniques were effective for support line treatments, and both concentrations of hydrogen peroxide were …
Distributions Of Polychaetes As A Function Of Sediment Composition In A Subtropical Lagoon,
2017
Florida Institute of Technology
Distributions Of Polychaetes As A Function Of Sediment Composition In A Subtropical Lagoon, Anthony William Cox
Theses and Dissertations
Fine-grained organic-rich sediments (FGORS) in the Indian River Lagoon (IRL), Florida, the human activities and nutrient inputs and have a varied composition, including water content, silt-clay content, and organic matter. When these constituents reach, by weight, 75%, 60% dry, and 10% dry, respectively, this is sometimes referred to as IRL “muck”. Many polychaetes inhabit the benthic sediments of estuaries and must tolerate various degrees of FGORS. The Cox IRL Muck Index (CMI) is proposed as a mechanism for determining the organic sediment tolerances of infaunal species in a simple and direct manner. IRL muck will have a minimum CMI of …
Asean And The South China Sea: Approaches To Resolving The Conflict,
2017
SIT Study Abroad
Asean And The South China Sea: Approaches To Resolving The Conflict, Jennifer Jie Li
Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection
In recent years, tensions have escalated between actors in the South China Sea, one of which is the Association for Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the region’s primary intergovernmental organization. The purpose of this report is to determine the effectiveness of ASEAN in resolving the South China Sea disputes and to clarify how geopolitical factors have impacted the organization’s actions. Through an analysis of evolving maritime claims and the current state of affairs, this paper suggests that ASEAN must be involved in any attempt to resolve the conflict peacefully. Acknowledging the importance of the diplomatic channels that ASEAN has created to …
Selenium Distribution And Cycling In The Eastern Equatorial Pacific Ocean,
2017
Old Dominion University
Selenium Distribution And Cycling In The Eastern Equatorial Pacific Ocean, Zoe Wambaugh
OES Theses and Dissertations
Oxygen minimum zones in oceanic waters have become increasingly important to the marine environment and society. Low oxygen waters affect not only the distribution and abundance of marine organisms, but also impact the solubility and transport of trace elements that are of biological importance, with the chemical speciation and solubility depending on the actual redox poise of the waters. One redox sensitive trace element of interest is selenium, which can be both toxic and essential for organisms, depending on its chemical speciation. In 2013, the US GEOTRACES program completed the GP16 transect from Peru to Tahiti, going through the oxygen …
Light Rare Earth Element Depletion During Deepwater Horizon Blowout Methanotrophy,
2017
University of Southern Mississippi
Light Rare Earth Element Depletion During Deepwater Horizon Blowout Methanotrophy, Alan M. Shiller, Eric W. Chan, D.J. Joung, Molly Redmond, John D. Kessler
Faculty Publications
Rare earth elements have generally not been thought to have a biological role. However, recent work has demonstrated that the light REEs (LREEs: La, Ce, Pr, and Nd) are essential for at least some methanotrophs, being co-factors in the XoxF type of methanol dehydrogenase (MDH). We show here that dissolved LREEs were significantly removed in a submerged plume of methane-rich water during the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) well blowout. Furthermore, incubation experiments conducted with naturally methane-enriched waters from hydrocarbon seeps in the vicinity of the DWH wellhead also showed LREE removal concurrent with methane consumption. Metagenomic sequencing of incubation …
A Synergistic Approach For Evaluating Climate Model Output For Ecological Applications,
2017
Old Dominion University
A Synergistic Approach For Evaluating Climate Model Output For Ecological Applications, Rachel D. Cavanagh, Eugene J. Murphy, Thomas J. Bracegirdle, John Turner, Cheryl A. Knowland, Stuart P. Corney, Walker O. Smith Jr., Claire M. Waluda, Nadine M. Johnston, Richard G. J. Bellerby, Eileen E. Hofmann
CCPO Publications
Increasing concern about the impacts of climate change on ecosystems is prompting ecologists and ecosystem managers to seek reliable projections of physical drivers of change. The use of global climate models in ecology is growing, although drawing ecologically meaningful conclusions can be problematic. The expertise required to access and interpret output from climate and earth system models is hampering progress in utilizing them most effectively to determine the wider implications of climate change. To address this issue, we present a joint approach between climate scientists and ecologists that explores key challenges and opportunities for progress. As an exemplar, our focus …
Vertical And Cross-Shore Distributions Of Barnacle Larvae In La Jolla, Ca Nearshore Waters: Implications For Larval Transport Processes,
2017
University of San Diego
Vertical And Cross-Shore Distributions Of Barnacle Larvae In La Jolla, Ca Nearshore Waters: Implications For Larval Transport Processes, Malloree Lynn Hagerty
Theses
Many marine organisms begin their lives as tiny larvae that are at the mercy of ocean currents. Understanding the transport and subsequent dispersal of larvae is crucial, as it drives population connectivity in the ocean. Larval transport is a complex process involving both physical motions of the water and larval behavior. Vertical positioning is especially important because currents vary throughout the water column, and larvae at different depths will be advected differently. With swimming speeds insufficient to swim against currents, marine larvae can mediate cross-shore transport by controlling their depth distributions. Thus, the overall objective of this study was to …
A Recent Project Shows That The Microbial Carbon Pump Is A Primary Mechanism Driving Ocean Carbon Uptake,
2017
University of South Carolina - Columbia
A Recent Project Shows That The Microbial Carbon Pump Is A Primary Mechanism Driving Ocean Carbon Uptake, Jing M. Chen, Louis Legendre, Ronald Benner
Faculty Publications
No abstract provided.
