Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology Commons^™

Modeling Settlement And Filtration Of The Indian River Lagoon Benthic Community, With An Emphasis On Living Dock Restoration Mats, Sandra Lisette Rech

Theses and Dissertations

The Indian River Lagoon (IRL) is one of the most biologically diverse estuaries in North America. An increase in population and anthropogenic effects have led to eutrophication, a decline in water quality, and overall degradation. The Living Docks program is a citizen science initiative started at the Florida Institute of Technology for lagoon restoration. In this program, public and private docks are volunteered to become Living Docks, where oyster mats made of plastic mesh and dead, dried oyster shells are attached to dock pilings in an effort to provide a natural substrate for benthic organism growth. The community which develops …

The Role Of Inputs Of Marine Wrack And Carrion In Sandy-Beach Ecosystems: A Global Review, Glenn A. Hyndes, Emma L. Berdan, Cristian Duarte, Jenifer E. Dugan, Kyle A. Emery, Peter A. Hamback, Christopher J. Henderson, David M. Hubbard, Mariano Lastra, Miguel A. Mateo, Andrew Olds, Thomas A. Schlacher

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Sandy beaches are iconic interfaces that functionally link the ocean with the land via the flow of organic matter from the sea. These cross-ecosystem fluxes often comprise uprooted seagrass and dislodged macroalgae that can form substantial accumulations of detritus, termed ‘wrack’, on sandy beaches. In addition, the tissue of the carcasses of marine animals that regularly wash up on beaches form a rich food source (‘carrion’) for a diversity of scavenging animals. Here, we provide a global review of how wrack and carrion provide spatial subsidies that shape the structure and functioning of sandy-beach ecosystems (sandy beaches and adjacent surf …

Assessing Changes In Tornado Vulnerablitiy In North Alabama, Mckenna Danielle Brahler

Honors Capstone Projects and Theses

No abstract provided.

Increased Aerosols Can Reverse Twomey Effect In Water Clouds Through Radiative Pathway, Pradeep Khatri, Tadahiro Hayasaka, Brent N. Holben, Ramesh P. Singh, Husi Letu, Sachchida N. Tripathi

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Aerosols play important roles in modulations of cloud properties and hydrological cycle by decreasing the size of cloud droplets with the increase of aerosols under the condition of fixed liquid water path, which is known as the first aerosol indirect effect or Twomey-effect or microphysical effect. Using high-quality aerosol data from surface observations and statistically decoupling the influence of meteorological factors, we show that highly loaded aerosols can counter this microphysical effect through the radiative effect to result both the decrease and increase of cloud droplet size depending on liquid water path in water clouds. The radiative effect due to …

Under New Direction: Using Theatre To Combat The Climate Crisis, Brian Kirsch

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

The Earth is growing unsuitable for human society as we know it at an unprecedented rate. Among the latest in a set of increasingly grim statistics, the atmosphere’s carbon dioxide concentration is now a staggering 150% of its value for most of human history (Stein). This has triggered global warming on track to meet or exceed 1.5 degrees Celsius, which comes with extreme and irreversible changes to the planet (Jackson). However, this information fails to both command its merited attention and spark the urgent action needed to preserve our way of life. Less than half of American voters consider climate …

Comparing Past And Future Drought And Surplus Periods In The Colorado River Basin, Rama Bedri

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

The Colorado River Basin is crucial to the Western United States, providing water for seven states and Mexico. Historical and future periods of drought and surplus are analyzed in 17 Colorado River stations. Unimpaired streamflow data are evaluated from the U.S. Geological Survey, Bureau of Reclamation, and Coupled Modeled Intercomparison Projection 5 from 1950-2099. Future projections are based on eight climate scenarios. Four climate models (HadGEM2-ES, CNRM-CM5, CanESM2, MI-ROC5) are observed at Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP) 4.5 and 8.5 emission scenarios. Furthermore, the ensemble water year means of the four models are analyzed. The durations of drought or surplus, magnitudes, …

Nexus Between Animal Welfare, Environment, And Sustainable Development: Resource Document, Wellbeing International

Nexus – UNEP – Animal Welfare, Environment, Sustainable Development

This Resource Document has been developed to explore the Nexus (links) between Animal Welfare, the Environment, and Sustainable Development. The document includes relevant citations and reports addressing the topics encompassed by the Nexus. It will be maintained as a “living document” (subject to revision) in the WellBeing International Studies Repository. The original document and subsequent revisions will be kept in the Repository to provide a record of the changes.

Ua12/2/1 College Heights Herald: A Place To Call Home, Wku Student Affairs

WKU Administration Documents

Magazine issue of the College Heights Herald for the period October 24 - November 27, 2022.

• Downtown Bowling Green – Restaurants
• Homecoming 2022
• Stone, Damon. WK Liquors Rebuilds After Tornado
• Reed, Bailey. The Making of an SGA President – Cole Bornefeld
• Fountain Row Creates a New Atmosphere Downtown
• Renovated Apartments Offer Home-like Feel – Campus Flats
• Richardson, La’Quan. Kappa Alpha Psi Sponsor Comes Home After 53 Years – Craig Taylor
• Turner, B. Life Continues for Ukrainian Student in the Bluegrass – Mariia Novoselia
• Collins, Michael. Family 5,730 Miles in the Making – Frank Aryee, Immigration, Naturalization

Drought‑Stricken U.S. States Have More Comprehensive Water‑Related Hazard Planning, Theresa Jedd, Kelly Smith

National Drought Mitigation Center: Faculty Publications

Despite the devastating impacts of droughts, the United States lacks a national drought plan. This leaves states to address droughts in water, hazard, and stand-alone plans which are designed to reduce drought vulnerability and to prepare government, industry, and society to cope with the impacts. Yet, there is limited empirical research that evaluates the comprehensiveness of these plans, specifically in terms of whether they include preparedness and mitigation measures or triggers for action and response. To fill this gap, this study’s first aim was to establish an evaluation framework based on principles from the drought mitigation literature. The study then …

2022 November 24 - Tennessee Weekly Drought Summary, Tennessee Climate Office, East Tennessee State University

Tennessee Climate Office Weekly Drought Summaries

No abstract provided.

Coupling Evidence From Lower Atmosphere To Mesosphere And Ionosphere Through Quasi 27-Day Oscillation, Alan Z. Liu, Kaiming Huang, Hao Cheng, Shaodong Zhang, Chunming Huang, Yun Gong, Gang Chen

Publications

Using meteor radar, radiosonde and digisonde observations and MERRA-2 reanalysis data from 12 August to 31 October 2006, we report a dynamical coupling from the tropical lower atmosphere to the mesosphere and ionospheric F2 region through a quasi 27-day intraseasonal oscillation (ISO). It is interesting that the quasi 27-day ISO is active in the troposphere and stratopause and mesopause regions, exhibiting a three-layer structure. In the mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT), the amplitude in the zonal wind increases from about 4 ms at 90 km to 15 ms at 100 km, which is different from previous observations that ISOs generally …

Earth System Science Applications Of Next-Generation Sem-Eds Automated Mineral Mapping, Shujun Han, Stefan C. Lӧhr, April N. Abbott, Andre Baldermann, Juraj Farkaš, William Mcmahon, Kitty L. Milliken, Mehrnoush Rafiei, Cassandra Wheeler, Michael Owen

Marine Science

Sedimentary rocks contain a unique record of the evolution of the Earth system. Deciphering this record requires a robust understanding of the identity, origin, composition, and post-depositional history of individual constituents. Petrographic analysis informed by Scanning Electron Microscope - Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) mineral mapping can reveal the mineral identity, morphology and petrological context of each imaged grain, making it a valuable tool in the Earth Scientist’s analytical arsenal. Recent technological developments, including quantitative deconvolution of mixed-phase spectra (producing “mixels”), now allow rapid quantitative SEM-EDS-based analysis of a broad range of sedimentary rocks, including the previously troublesome fine-grained lithologies that …

Climatology Of High-Frequency Gravity Waves Observed By An Airglow Imager At Andes Lidar Observatory, Alan Z. Liu, Bing Cao

Publications

The long-term climatology of high-frequency quasi-monochromatic gravity waves is presented using multi-year airglow images observed at Andes Lidar Observatory (ALO, 30.3ºS, 70.7ºW) in northern Chile. A large number of high-frequency gravity waves were retrieved from OH airglow images. The distribution of primary wave parameters including horizontal wavelength, vertical wavelength, intrinsic wave speed, and intrinsic wave period are obtained and are in the ranges of 20–30 km, 15–25 km, 50–100 ms-1, and 5–10 min, respectively. The waves tend to propagate against the local background winds and show clear seasonal variations. In austral winter (Ma–Aug), the observed wave occurrence frequency is higher …

The Dynamics Of Tsunamigenic Acoustic-Gravity Waves And Bathymetry Effect, Pavel Alexandrovich Inchin, Christopher James Heale, Jonathan Brian Snively, Matthew David Zettergren

Publications

The investigation of atmospheric tsunamigenic acoustic and gravity wave (TAGW) dynamics, from the ocean surface to the thermosphere, is performed through the numerical computations of the 3D compressible nonlinear Navier-Stokes equations. Tsunami propagation is first simulated using a nonlinear shallow water model, which incorporates instantaneous or temporal evolutions of initial tsunami distributions (ITD). Surface dynamics are then imposed as a boundary condition to excite TAGWs into the atmosphere from the ground level. We perform a case study of a large tsunami associated with the 2011 M9.1 Tohuku-Oki earthquake, and parametric studies with simplified and demonstrative bathymetry and ITD. Our results …

Mesoptroph, A Database Of Trophic Parameters To Study Interactions In Mesopelagic Food Webs, Mónica A. Silva, Catarina T. Fonseca, M. Pilar Olivar, Ainhoa Bernal, Jérôme Spitz, Tiphaine Chouvelon, Sigrún Jonasdottir, Ana Colaço, Vanda Carmo, Tracey Sutton, Gui Menezes, Tone Falkenhaug, Odd Aksel Bergstad, Sergi Pérez-Jorge

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Mesopelagic organisms play a crucial role in marine food webs, channelling energy across the predator-prey network and connecting depth strata through their diel vertical migrations. The information available to assess mesopelagic feeding interactions and energy transfer has increased substantially in recent years, owing to the growing interest and research activity in the mesopelagic realm. However, such data have not been systematically collated and are difficult to access, hampering estimation of the contribution of mesopelagic organisms to marine ecosystems. Here we present MesopTroph, a georeferenced database of diet, trophic markers, and energy content of mesopelagic and other marine taxa compiled from …

The Sensitivity Of Meteorological Dynamics To The Variability In Catchment Characteristics, Shimelash Molla Kassaye, Tsegaye Tadesse, Getachew Tegegne, Kindie Engdaw Tadesse

National Drought Mitigation Center: Faculty Publications

Evaluating meteorological dynamics is a challenging task due to the variability in hydroclimatic settings. This study is designed to assess the sensitivity of precipitation and temperature dynamics to catchment variability. The effects of catchment size, land use/cover change, and elevation differences on precipitation and temperature variability were considered to achieve the study objective. The variability in meteorological parameters to the catchment characteristics was determined using the coefficient of variation on the climate data tool (CDT). A land use/cover change and terrain analysis was performed on Google Earth Engine (GEE) and ArcGIS. In addition, a correlation analysis was performed to identify …

Estimation Of Economic Risk From Coastal Natural Hazards In Louisiana, Rubayet Bin Mostafiz

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Louisiana, U.S.A., is among the most vulnerable areas globally to coastal natural hazards, with risk vulnerability likely increasing. The risks associated with non-tropical-cyclone hazards in Louisiana’s coastal zone have been understudied. This research enhances present and future (i.e., 2050) Louisiana risk assessment using locally-weighted, model-based hazard frequency/intensity and population projections.

Results suggest that property risks associated with extreme cold temperature and tornado are and will remain costlier than those for hail and lightning. Property risks of extreme cold temperature and hail are projected to decrease with the expected warming temperatures, with those of all four of these hazards peaking in …

2022 November 17 - Tennessee Weekly Drought Summary, Tennessee Climate Office, East Tennessee State University

Tennessee Climate Office Weekly Drought Summaries

No abstract provided.

The Significance Of Cephalopod Beaks As A Research Tool: An Update, José C. Xavier, Alexey V. Golikov, José P. Queirós, Catalina Perales-Raya, Rigoberto Rosas-Luis, José Abreu, Giambattista Bello, Paco Bustamante, Juan C. Capaz, Valerie H. Dimkovikj, Angel F. González, Hugo Guímaro, Airam Guerra-Marrero, José N. Gomes-Pereira, Jorge Hernández-Urcera, Tsunemi Kubodera, Vladimir Laptikhovsky, Evgenia Lefkaditou, Fedor Lishchenko

Marine Science

The use of cephalopod beaks in ecological and population dynamics studies has allowed major advances of our knowledge on the role of cephalopods in marine ecosystems in the last 60 years. Since the 1960’s, with the pioneering research by Malcolm Clarke and colleagues, cephalopod beaks (also named jaws or mandibles) have been described to species level and their measurements have been shown to be related to cephalopod body size and mass, which permitted important information to be obtained on numerous biological and ecological aspects of cephalopods in marine ecosystems. In the last decade, a range of new techniques has been …

Running Out Of Oxygen: Revealing The Interannual And Intra-Annual Dynamics Of Bottom Water Hypoxia In A Great Lakes Estuary Using Time-Series Observations, Experiments, And Analyses, Nate M. Dugener

Masters Theses

Bottom water hypoxia, a condition of low dissolved oxygen in the bottom waters, negatively effects lakes and freshwater and marine coastal estuaries globally. As climate change shifts climatological and ecological patterns, hypoxia continues to shift in duration and severity. In Muskegon Lake, Michigan, hypoxia occurs annually, restricting fish habitat, increasing cyanobacteria blooms, and disrupting ecological and socioeconomic prosperity. In the current study, we examined the duration and severity of hypoxia over a 11 years (2011-2021) utilizing data from the Muskegon Lake Observatory buoy (MLO, https://www.gvsu.edu/wri/buoy/). During 2021, we analyzed the dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations observed by the MLO, conducted biweekly …