Atmospheric Radiation And Tgfs: Unexplained Radiation In Our Skies,
2018
Harding University
Atmospheric Radiation And Tgfs: Unexplained Radiation In Our Skies, Adrian Gallegos
Honors College Research
There is a significant correlation between atmospheric electrification via thunderstorms and the occurrence of large emissions of x-ray and gamma ray radiation known as Terrestrial Gamma Ray Flashes (TGFs). Some physical phenomenon may be explained by either the RREA or Thermal Runaway models, but the scientific community as a whole is still largely at work on the theoretical frameworks.
The Role Of Ontogenetic Habitat Shifts On The Parasite Communities Of Five South Florida Fishes,
2018
Nova Southeastern University
The Role Of Ontogenetic Habitat Shifts On The Parasite Communities Of Five South Florida Fishes, Brittany Nicole White
HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations
Many reef fishes initially recruit into mangroves, and then migrate out to reef habitats as they grow and mature. Each ontogenetic habitat shift exposes migrants to previously unencountered parasite taxa, potentially increasing parasite species richness and driving changes in parasite community structure. However, studies on this topic rarely attempt to distinguish between the location effects of habitat shifts versus a simple increase in physical size. Therefore we contrasted parasite community richness and structure in Great Barracuda Sphyraena barracuda (N=84), Atlantic Needlefish Strongylura marina (N=49), Crevalle Jack Caranx hippos (N=59), White Mullet Mugil curema (N=90), and Yellow-fin Mojarra Gerres cinnerus (N=60) …
Pathogen Transmission Techniques And Genotypic Resistance To Disease In The Threatened Coral, Acropora Cervicornis,
2018
Nova Southeastern University
Pathogen Transmission Techniques And Genotypic Resistance To Disease In The Threatened Coral, Acropora Cervicornis, Megan Bock
HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations
Unprecedented population losses of the staghorn coral, Acropora cervicornis, since the 1970s have been attributed primarily to disease. Although a positive linear relationship between disease prevalence and increased water temperature has been described, the pathogen(s) causing disease and whether they are spread through the water or vectors is still poorly understood. Additionally, an increase in disease outbreaks and severity has provided an urgent need to identify natural genotypic resistance to disease in Caribbean acroporids. Studies to date have explored a variety of pathogen transmission methods, but prior to this study, there has been no examination of differences among common techniques. …
Identifying Disease-Resistant And Thermal-Tolerant Genotypes In The Threatened Staghorn Coral, Acropora Cervicornis,
2018
Nova Southeastern University
Identifying Disease-Resistant And Thermal-Tolerant Genotypes In The Threatened Staghorn Coral, Acropora Cervicornis, Morgan V. Hightshoe
HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations
Since the 1970s, loss of herbivores, coral bleaching, pollution, and disease epidemics have reshaped the ecological framework of coral reefs. Staghorn coral, Acropora cervicornis, was a major reef-building scleractinian coral found throughout Florida and the Caribbean that experienced unprecedented population declines primarily due to disease and coral bleaching. These two stressors are coupled; the highest coral disease prevalence occurs after periods of thermal stress caused by increased sea surface temperature. Previous research documented three disease-resistant A. cervicornis genotypes in Panama, but it is unknown if disease-resistant genotypes exist in the Florida Keys. Thermal tolerance has been found to be …
Toxicological Effects Of Commercial Sunscreens On Coral Reef Ecosystems: New Protocols For Coral Restoration,
2018
Nova Southeastern University
Toxicological Effects Of Commercial Sunscreens On Coral Reef Ecosystems: New Protocols For Coral Restoration, Emilie C. Johnsen
HCNSO Student Capstones
The primary purpose of consumer-grade sunscreen is to protect skin from harmful UVA and UVB rays. This market has grown during the past 80 years, and environmental contamination from increasing amounts of sunscreen compounds have created concern. In particular, impacts on ocean ecosystems have inspired investigations and toxicological research on their effects on marine life. Unfortunately, such studies using marine flora and fauna are scarce, and the impact of chemical exposure to consumer sunscreens is neither adequately measured nor completely understood. In a pilot study by the Coral Restoration Foundation, in situ toxicity exposure to 10 different brands of sunscreens …
An Assessment Of Atmospheric And Meteorological Factors Regulating Red Sea Phytoplankton Growth,
2018
Chapman University
An Assessment Of Atmospheric And Meteorological Factors Regulating Red Sea Phytoplankton Growth, Wenzhao Li, Hesham El-Askary, Mohamed A. Qurban, Emmanouil Proestakis, Michael J. Garay, Olga V. Kalishnikova, Vassilis Amiridis, Antonis Gkikas, Eleni Marinou, Thomas Piechota, K. P. Manikandan
Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research
This study considers the various factors that regulate nutrients supply in the Red Sea. Multi-sensor observation and reanalysis datasets are used to examine the relationships among dust deposition, sea surface temperature (SST), and wind speed, as they may contribute to anomalous phytoplankton blooms, through time-series and correlation analyses. A positive correlation was found at 0–3 months lag between chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) anomalies and dust anomalies over the Red Sea regions. Dust deposition process was further examined with dust aerosols’ vertical distribution using satellite lidar data. Conversely, a negative correlation was found at 0–3 months lag between SST anomalies …
Regional Trends In Early-Monsoon Rainfall Over Vietnam And Ccsm4 Attribution,
2018
Utah State University
Regional Trends In Early-Monsoon Rainfall Over Vietnam And Ccsm4 Attribution, Rong Li, S.-Y. Simon Wang, Robert R. Gillies, Brendan Buckley, Jin-Ho Yoon, Changrae Cho
Plants, Soils, and Climate Faculty Publications
The analysis of precipitation trends for Vietnam revealed that early-monsoon precipitation has increased over the past three decades but to varying degrees over the northern, central and southern portions of the country. Upon investigation, it was found that the change in early-monsoon precipitation is associated with changes in the low-level cyclonic airflow over the South China Sea and Indochina that is embedded in the large-scale atmospheric circulation associated with a “La Niña-like” anomalous sea surface temperature pattern with warming in the western Pacific and Indian Oceans and cooling in the eastern Pacific. The Community Climate System Model version 4 (CCSM4) …
The Impact Of Past Experience With Tornadoes On Future Decisions,
2018
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
The Impact Of Past Experience With Tornadoes On Future Decisions, Emily Paltz, Michael Hayes
Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)
Tornadoes are a dangerous threat to public safety. The National Weather Service (NWS), therefore, advises the public to go to an interior room on the lowest level of their houses when a tornado warning is issued for their area. As the NWS Central Region Service Assessment of the Joplin, Missouri Tornado published in July 2011 reveals, however, this is often not the first action taken after learning that there is danger of being hit by a tornado. Rather, people need to seek confirmation from more than one source before following the recommended action. The goal of this research project is …
Multidecadal Variability In The Subseasonal Peak Of Low-Level Convergence Over The Pacific Warm Pool,
2018
Utah State University
Multidecadal Variability In The Subseasonal Peak Of Low-Level Convergence Over The Pacific Warm Pool, Yen-Heng Lin, Shih-Yu (Simon) Wang
Plants, Soils, and Climate Faculty Publications
In the Western North Pacific (WNP), the atmospheric low-level convergence is one of the main factors that influences the genesis of tropical cyclones (TC). It has been observed that the timing of the seasonal maxima in the low-level convergence and TC genesis has shifted since the mid-1990s from mid-August to late-July, with this shift having also affected the number of TC. A multidecadal frequency of 20 years was revealed in the timing variation of the tropical intraseasonal oscillation (ISO) in the Western Pacific, in which a weak WNP low-level convergence in spring may trigger an advanced ISO phase in summer …
Importance Considered Organic Versus Inorganic Source Of Carbon To Lakes For Calculating Net Effect On Landscape C Budgets,
2018
Chinese Academy of Sciences, China
Importance Considered Organic Versus Inorganic Source Of Carbon To Lakes For Calculating Net Effect On Landscape C Budgets, Weiqi Lu, Shilu Wang, Kevin M. Yeager, Fang Liu, Qiangsheng Huang, Yuxue Yang, Peng Xiang, Yingchun Lü, Chong-Qiang Liu
Earth and Environmental Sciences Faculty Publications
Lakes and reservoirs transform, emit, and bury carbon that is exported from land and are thus significant components of terrestrial carbon budgets. Their significance is often assessed by integrating these water bodies into terrestrial primary production. However, the transfer of inorganic carbon (IC) is likely a sticking point for these integrations because IC is not part of net ecosystem production. Here we integrated carbon evasion and organic carbon (OC) burial in a lake in the context of inorganic and OC cycling in a karst catchment from a system perspective. The lake emitted carbon dioxide (CO2) and buried OC …
Southeast Florida Reef-Wide Post-Irma Coral Disease Surveys,
2018
Nova Southeastern University
Southeast Florida Reef-Wide Post-Irma Coral Disease Surveys, Brian K. Walker
Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Reports
Florida’s coral reefs are currently experiencing a multi-year outbreak of coral disease that have resulted in the mortality of millions of corals across southeast Florida, Biscayne National Park, and the Upper and Middle Florida Keys. In early September 2017, Hurricane Irma impacted the entire FRT. The purpose of this project was to conduct field surveys to identify the current state of the coral reefs in southeast Florida and coordinate with other concomitant reef tract efforts to improve the regional understanding of the extent of the disease outbreak and identify recent hurricane injury to direct future restoration. Through a broader partner …
Age And Growth Of Hogfish (Lachnolaimus Maximus) In Southeast Florida,
2018
Nova Southeastern University
Age And Growth Of Hogfish (Lachnolaimus Maximus) In Southeast Florida, Ian A. Towne
HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations
Hogfish (Lachnolaimus maximus; Walbaum 1792) from Southeast Florida were aged using sectioned otoliths and growth rates were calculated using the von Bertalanffy growth equation. The samples were collected from Broward County (n=209); other regions of Southeast Florida (n=18), the Florida Keys (n=35) and Bahamas (n=43). Growth rates were determined for each of these areas and were then compared to previously reported growth rates from other regions including the eastern Gulf of Mexico and Florida Keys. There was significant separation at the 95% confidence level between growth rates from each reagion. The average maximum fork length increased, from the Florida …
Who Will Stay, Who Will Leave: Decision-Making Of Residents Living In Potential Hurricane Impact Areas During A Hypothetical Hurricane Event In The Rio Grande Valley,
2018
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
Who Will Stay, Who Will Leave: Decision-Making Of Residents Living In Potential Hurricane Impact Areas During A Hypothetical Hurricane Event In The Rio Grande Valley, Dean Kyne, Arlett Sophia Lomeli, William Donner, Erika Zuloaga
Sociology Faculty Publications
The Rio Grande Valley (RGV) has been impacted by various hurricanes throughout history. While Hurricane evacuation has been studied extensively in other contexts, there is limited systematic research on the warning and response to a large-scale severe weather event in South Texas. This study attempts to understand the evacuation decision-making behavior of Southern residents in the event of a Hurricane making landfall over the Rio Grande Valley. The study uses an online survey questionnaire with 1060 participants: 275 students attending the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley and the remaining 785 are members of the community. Throughout the course of the …
Scales Of Seafloor Sediment Resuspension In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico,
2018
University of Southern Mississippi
Scales Of Seafloor Sediment Resuspension In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico, Arne-R. Diercks, Clayton Dike, Vernon Asper, Steven F. Dimarco, Jeff Chanton, Uta Passow
Faculty Publications
Seafloor sediment resuspension events of different scales and magnitudes and the resulting deep (>1,000 m) benthic nepheloid layers were investigated in the northern Gulf of Mexico during Fall 2012 to Summer 2013. Time-series data of size-specific in-situ settling speeds of marine snow in the benthic nepheloid layer (moored flux cameras), particle size distributions (profiling camera), currents (various current meters) and stacked time-series flux data (sediment traps) were combined to recognize resuspension events ranging from small-scale local, to small-scale far-field to hurricane-scale. One smallscale local resuspension event caused by inertial currents was identified based on local high current speeds ( …
Spatial Dynamics And Productivity Of A Gulf Of Mexico Commercial Reef Fish Fishery Following Large Scale Disturbance And Management Change,
2018
University of South Florida
Spatial Dynamics And Productivity Of A Gulf Of Mexico Commercial Reef Fish Fishery Following Large Scale Disturbance And Management Change, Marcy Lynn Cockrell
USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations
The Gulf of Mexico commercial reef fish fishery has experienced significant management changes and disturbance in recent years, including transitioning two major fisheries from a traditional open access system into a limited entry individual fishing quota (IFQ) system in 2007 and 2010. Also in 2010, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill (DWH) released an estimated 4.9 million barrels of oil into the Gulf (~206 million U.S. gallons), and is still the largest U.S. environmental disaster to date. Emergency fishing closures initiated shortly after the oil spill began were successful in keeping tainted seafood from reaching markets. However, effects of DWH closures …
Effects Of Magnetic Fields On An Unsteady Mixed Convective Boundary Layer Flow Of An Electrically Conducting Fluid With Temperature Dependent Properties,
2018
Department of Mathematics, University of Dodoma, Tanzania
Effects Of Magnetic Fields On An Unsteady Mixed Convective Boundary Layer Flow Of An Electrically Conducting Fluid With Temperature Dependent Properties, Raymond Kitengeso, Eunice Mureithi, Makungu James, John Mango
Tanzania Journal of Science
A mixed convective boundary layer flow of an electrically conducting fluid with temperature dependent properties over an inclined plate is investigated. The magnetohydrodynamic boundary layer governing equations are derived by using Boussinesq and boundary layer approximations. The equations are transformed to similarity form using a similarity transformation variable and the resulting boundary value problem is solved numerically. The effects of magnetic fields, unsteadiness, mixed convection and variable fluid properties on velocity and temperature in the boundary layer are analysed. The effects of pertinent parameters on skin friction and heat transfer are also analysed
Mathematics Of The Significant Tornado Parameter,
2018
Stephen F Austin State University
Mathematics Of The Significant Tornado Parameter, Aaron Baker
Undergraduate Research Conference
The idea of this project came from my curiosity of weather and especially how severe storms are predicted. There are many parameters used to predict severe weather that use mathematical formulas. After sorting through the parameters, the STP was the one selected due to its use of other parameters for prediction of tornadoes, as well as concepts used in Single and Multi-Variable Calculus, such as areas between curves and vector magnitude and direction, and learning how to use new graphs than what is normally used.
Functioning Of Coastal River-Dominated Ecosystems And Implications For Oil Spill Response: From Observations To Mechanisms And Models,
2018
University of Southern Mississippi
Functioning Of Coastal River-Dominated Ecosystems And Implications For Oil Spill Response: From Observations To Mechanisms And Models, Adam T. Greer, Alan M. Shiller, Eileen E. Hoffman, Jerry D. Wiggert, Sally J. Warner, Sabrina M. Parra, Chudong Pan, Jeffrey W. Book, Dongjoo Joung, Steven K. Dykstra, Jeffrey W. Krause, Brian Dzwonkowski, Inia M. Soto, M. Kemal Cambazoglu, Alison L. Deary, Christian Briseño-Avena, Adam D. Boyette, Jessica A. Kastler, Virginie Sanial, Laura Hode, Uchenna Nwankwo, Luciano M. Chiaverano, Stephan J. O'Brien, Patrick J. Fitzpatrick, Yee H. Lau, Michael S. Dinniman, Kevin M. Martin, Peng Ho, Allison K. Mojzis, Stephan D. Howden, Frank J. Hernandez, Ian Church, Travis N. Miles, Su Sponaugle, James N. Moum, Robert A. Arnone, Robert K. Cowen, Gregg A. Jacobs, Oscar Schofield, William M. Graham
Faculty Publications
Coastal river-dominated oceans are physically complex, biologically productive, and intimately connected to human socioeconomic activity. The Deepwater Horizon blowout and subsequent advection of oil into coastal waters of the northern Gulf of Mexico (nGOM) highlighted the complex linkages among oceanographic processes within this river-dominated system and knowledge gaps about it that resulted in imprecise information on both oil transport and ecosystem consequences. The interdisciplinary research program implemented through the CONsortium for oil exposure pathways in COastal River-Dominated Ecosystems (CONCORDE) is designed to identify and quantitatively assess key physical, biological, and geochemical processes acting in the nGOM, in order to provide …
Downscaling Africa’S Drought Forecasts Through Integration Of Indigenous And Scientific Drought Forecasts Using Fuzzy Cognitive Maps,
2018
Central University of Technology
Downscaling Africa’S Drought Forecasts Through Integration Of Indigenous And Scientific Drought Forecasts Using Fuzzy Cognitive Maps, Muthoni Masinde, Mwanjele Mwagha, Tsegaye Tadesse
National Drought Mitigation Center: Faculty Publications
In the wake of increased drought occurrences being witnessed in Sub-Saharan Africa, more localized and contextualized drought mitigation strategies are on the agendas of many researchers and policy makers in the region. The integration of indigenous knowledge on droughts with seasonal climate forecasts is one such strategy. The main challenge facing this integration, however, is the formal representation of highly-structured and holistic indigenous knowledge. In this paper, we demonstrate how the use of fuzzy cognitive mapping can address this challenge. Indigenous knowledge on droughts from five communities was modeled and represented using fuzzy cognitive maps. Maps from one of these …
Lingering Radioactivity At The Bikini And Enewetak Atolls,
2018
Rowan University
Lingering Radioactivity At The Bikini And Enewetak Atolls, Ken O. Buesseler, Matthew A. Charette, Steven M. Pike, Paul B. Henderson, Lauren Kipp
School of Earth & Environment Departmental Research
We made an assessment of the levels of radionuclides in the ocean waters, seafloor and groundwater at Bikini and Enewetak Atolls where the US conducted nuclear weapons tests in the 1940's and 50's. This included the first estimates of submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) derived from radium isotopes that can be used here to calculate radionuclide fluxes in to the lagoon waters. While there is significant variability between sites and sample types, levels of plutonium (239,240Pu) remain several orders of magnitude higher in lagoon seawater and sediments than what is found in rest of the world's oceans. In contrast, levels of …
