Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology Commons^™

Half Of Atlantic Reef-Building Corals At Elevated Risk Of Extinction Due To Climate Change And Other Threats, Luis Gutierrez, Beth Polidoro, David Obura, Francoise Cabada-Blanco, Christi Linardich, Emma Pettersson, Paul Pearce-Kelly, Krista Kemppinen, Juan Jose Alvarado, Lorenzo Alvarez-Filip, Anastazia Banaszak, Pilar Casado De Amezua, James Crabbe, Aldo Croquer, Joshua Feingold, Elizabeth Goergen, Stefano Goffredo, Bert Hoeksema, Danwei Huang, Emma Kennedy, Diego Kersting, Marcelo Kitahara, Petar Kružić, Margaret Miller, Flavia Nunes, Juan Pablo Quimbayo, Andrea Rivera-Sosa, Rosa Rodríguez-Martínez, Nadia Santodomingo, Michael Sweet, Mark Vermeij, Estrella Villamizar, Greta Aeby, Khatija Alliji, Daniel Bayley, Elena Couce, Benjamin Cowburn, C. Isabel Nuñez Lendo, Sean Porter, Kaveh Samimi-Namin, Tom Shlesinger, Bryan Wilson

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Atlantic reef-building corals and coral reefs continue to experience extensive decline due to increased stressors related to climate change, disease, pollution, and numerous anthropogenic threats. To understand the impact of ocean warming and reef loss on the estimated extinction risk of shallow water Atlantic reef-building scleractinians and milleporids, all 85 valid species were reassessed under the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria, updating the previous Red List assessment of Atlantic corals published in 2008. For the present assessment, individual species declines were estimated based on the modeled coral cover loss (1989–2019) and projected onset of annual severe bleaching events (2020–2050) …

Abalones At Risk: A Global Red List Assessment Of Haliotis In A Changing Climate, Howard Peters, Gina M. Ralph, Laura Rogers-Bennett

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

There is increasing awareness that marine invertebrates such as abalones are at risk from the combined stressors of fishing and climate change. Abalones are an important marine fishery resource and of cultural importance to Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. A highly priced marine delicacy, they are inherently vulnerable: individuals are slow-growing and long-lived and successful reproduction requires dense assemblages. However, their global conservation status is poorly understood. Using IUCN Red List methodology, we assessed the extinction risk to all 54 species of abalone (genus Haliotis). Of the 21 fished commercially for human consumption either now and/or in the past, 15 …

State Of Coastal And Marine Resources: Sablayan, Occidental Mindoro, Ma Celina J. Añonuevo, Jemelyn Grace P. Baldisimo, Denmark B. Racamara, Mary Joyce P. Velos, Joseph Benedict T. Garcia, Frederico B. Sabban, Joey P. Cabasan, Rhea Mae Luciano, Darryl Anthony Valiño, Lovely Joy Heyres, Hazel O. Arceo

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

[Introduction] Sablayan, situated on the western side of Mindoro Island facing the WPS (12.8564° N, 120.9101° E), is a first-class municipality in the province of Occidental Mindoro with a total land area of 2,188.8km² that is divided into 22 barangays, nine of which are along the coast. The coastline stretches for 115 km, with municipal waters covering approximately 750,000 km² (LGU-Sablayan 2008).

The Apo Reef Natural Park, one of its most prominent features, is located approximately 33 km off the coast (Figure 2.9-1) The Apo Reef Natural Park is a protected coral reef system under presidential proclamation 868 (1996) encompassing …

State Of Coastal And Marine Resources: Lian, Batangas, Joseph Benedict T. Garcia, Mary Joyce P. Velos, Jemelyn Grace P. Baldisimo, Joey P. Cabasan, Ma Celina J. Añonuevo, Denmark B. Recamara, Hazel O. Arceo

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

[Introduction] Lian (13.9852° N, 120.6545° E) is a third-class municipality in the northwestern part of the province of Batangas. It is bounded on the north by the municipality of Nasugbu, on the east by the municipalities of Tuy and Balayan, on the west by the WPS, and on the south by the municipality of Catatagan (Figure 2.7-1). It has a total land area of 76.80km² that is divided into 19 barangays, six of which are coastal and two are integrated coastal barangays (LGU-Lian 2013). Its total population is 56,280 individuals in 15,991 households as of 2020 (PSA 2020).

The main …

Geoelectrical And Hydrochemical Characterization Of Submarine Groundwater Discharge In Florida Bay, Ifeanyi Emmanuel Eze

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Florida Bay, situated at the southern tip of Everglades National Park and underlain by the Miami Limestone formation, is an ecosystem of global significance. Over the past century, the bay has faced threats such as droughts, seagrass mortality, and hypersalinity. Despite various studies and management efforts, the dynamics of submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) in the region remain underexplored. Given that SGD plays a significant role in the chemical dynamics of coastal ecosystems, it warrants thorough investigation. This study aims to characterize the spatial and temporal patterns of SGD in Florida Bay by surveying three basins – Rankin, Whipray, and Rabbit …

On The Understanding Of The Coastal-Urban Nexus Of Weather, Air Quality And Energy, Harold Gamarro

Dissertations and Theses

Urban environments exhibit complex interactions between atmospheric processes, building energy consumption, and air quality, particularly during periods of seasonal extremes such as summer ozone peaks and winter heating. Accurate representation of these interactions in urban modeling is crucial for understanding and addressing air pollution and energy management challenges in cities. This research presents a comprehensive study that advances urban atmosphere simulations by integrating building energy dynamics, air quality, and robust multi-source observational evaluation. Leveraging the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model, coupled with a multilayer building environment parameterization (BEP) and a building energy model (BEM), with an improved boundary layer …

Hyperspectral And Polarimetric Imaging Of The Ocean For The Characterization Of The Surface Effects And Measurement Uncertainties, Mateusz Malinowski

Dissertations and Theses

Ocean and coastal waters are monitored by Ocean Color satellite sensors to determine concentrations of chlorophyll and water properties and identify areas of algal blooms and other events. The light radiance from the ocean is weak in comparison with the sky radiance, which requires very accurate atmospheric correction of the radiance measured at the top of the atmosphere (TOA) on the satellite and heavy validation of the derived water leaving radiance by field measurements from the ships and ocean platforms. For TOA and especially above water radiance the skylight reflected from the ocean surface represents one of the main sources …

Analyzing The Correlation Between Surface Elevation And Seasonal And Diurnal Surface Temperature Cycles On Mars, Emily A. Dolan

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

Recent technologies such as the Mars Climate Sounder, the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter, and the Curiosity rover have allowed scientists to examine Mars’ surface, climate, and atmospheric dynamics. Surface temperature data from the Mars Climate Sounder (MCS) were collected and seasonal and diurnal cycles were extracted via Fourier regression analysis into a 1° latitude longitude grid. Diurnal cycles were shown to move from west to east across the surface throughout the day, while seasonal cycles moved from north to south. Two key diurnal portions, one in the early morning, and another in the late afternoon, were chosen due to their …

Enhancing A Computer Model To Evaluate Rainwater Harvesting And Reuse Strategies For Landscape Irrigation Under Current And Future Climate Conditions, Siyu Li

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

Urbanization and climate change have detrimental impacts on water quantity and quality. Rainwater harvesting/reuse for landscape irrigation with rain barrels/cisterns, which can assist urban hydrological/water quality restoration and provide a beneficial resource for irrigating landscape, holds significant potentials in urban areas under current and future climates. However, the impacts of rainwater harvesting/reuse strategies for landscape irrigation under a changing climate need to be comprehensively evaluated to assist decision-making. In addition, a comprehensive tool is needed to help stakeholders develop efficient strategies to harvest rainwater for landscape irrigation with rain barrels/cisterns.

To address the needs, the simulation of the sub-daily hydrological …

Sources And Significance Of Symmetric Instability In The Outflow Layer Of Tropical Cyclones, Minghao Zhou

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

The tropical cyclone (TC) outflow layer is an integral part of the TC transverse circulation: warm and moist air converges in the boundary layer of the TC; rising motion and condensational heating occur in the TC eyewall and rainbands; the TC warm core and divergent anticyclone establish in the mid-upper troposphere, with the mass imported into the TC center exported away through outflow near the tropopause.

A series of state-of-the-art numerical simulations were utilized to investigate different scenarios of TC outflow evolution, from an idealized axisymmetric setup to a semi-idealized asymmetric setup, to a real-case setup of TC–trough interaction. Large …

Investigating The Uncertainties Of Forecasting Ne Cold Season Precipitation In Numerical Weather Prediction Models, Yanna Chen

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

A major winter storm on March 2, 2018, posed significant challenges in predicting precipitation type (P-type) in the northeast U.S., particularly the Hudson Valley. While National Weather Service (NWS) forecasts predicted a mix of rain and snow, observations showed predominantly snow, with errors in snow depth forecasts of 8-12 inches near Albany.

This study used the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model to investigate how model physics (microphysics, cumulus, boundary layer, and radiation schemes) and domain configuration influenced snow depth predictions. Results revealed significant sensitivities to cumulus and radiation schemes, as well as the vertical resolution in the middle troposphere. …

Hysplit In Simulating The Atmospheric Dispersion Of Hazardous Aerosols: A Case Study In St. Louis, Missouri, Ahmet Tolga Odabasi

Masters Theses

"Atmospheric dispersion and transmission play an important role in the behavior and effects of air pollution. Human health can be adversely affected by air pollution in a variety of ways, both immediately and over time. The Hybrid Single Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory Model (HYSPLIT) modeling program, a computer model and software package, tracks the transport trajectories and distributions of air pollution and various pollutants, including radioactive pollutants, in the atmosphere. It also facilitates research on pollution sources. This study simulated the transport of hazardous aerosols in St. Louis region for the years 2020, 2021, and 2022 using the HYSPLIT modeling …

Diatom Productivity And Nutrient Dynamics In The Ross Sea, Antarctica During Warm Events In The Neogene, Marialena Christopoulou

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Increased melting of the Antarctic Ice Sheet (AIS) in recent decades, has had a significant impact on many aspects of the global ocean. Models indicate that by the end of the 21st century atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations may exceed 500 ppm, and the average global temperature will likely warm by more than 2°C. However, data that provide model constraints on potential feedbacks in ice-ocean-atmosphere system are limited by short-timescales (e.g., decadal- to centennial-scale) and incomplete spatial coverage. In particular, little is known about the impacts of future warming and widespread melting of AIS on marine biological productivity, silicate weathering …

The Future Of Convective Mode In The United States, Jeremy Malcolm Corner

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This work examines potential changes in convective mode associated with hazardous convective weather (HCW) using a suite of high-resolution regional climate simulations and artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML). An AI/ML model called a convolutional neural network (CNN) is first generated and validated using an existing dataset of composite reflectivity images centered on tornado reports from 1996 – 2017 called SVRIMG (SeVeRe IMaGes). Each image in SVRIMG is annotated with four possible convective modes: 1) cellular; 2) mixed mode; 3) linear; and 4) other. The best-performing model, which achieves an accuracy exceeding 90% on testing images, is then used to diagnose storm …

A Climatology And Characteristics Of Midwest Heavy Snowfall, Benjamin William Warren

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Understanding the characteristics of snowfall across the Midwest U.S. is critical for regional ecosystems, water cycles, and socioeconomic activities. The Midwest, however, has not been the primary focus of snow-related research in recent years. Therefore, this research uses observational and reanalysis data in the Midwest from 1991 through 2020 and radar data from 2009 through 2020 to create a comprehensive snowfall climatology, investigate regional trends in heavy snowfall, and determine the frequency of banded versus non-banded snowfall. As expected, heavy snowfall (i.e., daily snowfall accumulation >4") is most frequent in northern Midwest (e.g., Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin), with the frequency …

Iodp U1537: Scotia Sea Climatic And Frontal Variation Reflected In Diatom Productivity And Assemblages Since The Lgm, Garrett Lewis Strittmatter

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Located off the coast of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, the Scotia Sea is a site of great significance in palaeoclimatological studies due to the nature of its sedimentary record. This site of interest is at the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula on the Eastern side, in the direct flow of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current thereby concentrating icebergs from around the continent. Additionally, these sediments are rich in diatoms. Finally, this site, within the analyzed section, has an average sedimentation rate of ~48 cm/Kyr.

By collecting sediment cores rich in diatoms, among material used to generate other paleoclimate proxies, we …

Tracing Past Climate Signals Through Multi-Proxy Analysis: Insights From Sedimentary Plant Wax Hydrogen Isotope Data And Long-Term Hydroclimate Records In Estonia, Mariliis Eensalu

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

In light of the rising global temperatures, there is an increasing need to understand the potential shifts in hydroclimate. Past climate reconstructions offer a glimpse into the possible temperature-moisture dynamics by providing quantitative constraints for hydroclimate variability under different temperature conditions, which can ultimately aid in decreasing the uncertainty in future climate projections. The research presented in this dissertation focuses on utilizing various proxies to reconstruct past hydroclimate conditions, particularly in the Baltic region, with a specific emphasis on Estonia. The second and third chapter aim to improve the understanding of sedimentary plant wax hydrogen isotope (δ2H) data by first …

Exploring The Atmospheric And Weather Conditions For Hoar Frost Formation At Or Tambo International Airport: A Case Study Of Ground Aircraft Icing Events For The Period 2017-2023., Thabisile P Z Ntleko Ms, Xolani Matlou Mr

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

Ground aircraft icing has an adverse effect on the aerodynamic performance of aircrafts as well as the efficient operations of airlines and airports. The South African Weather Service (SAWS) Aviation Weather Centre (AWC) issues forecasts and warnings for the aviation community, which include aerodrome warnings for hoar frost accumulation. The infrequent and notable temporal occurrence of this weather phenomena renders it a rare aviation hazard to warn for, therefore understanding the weather and atmospheric conditions conducive for its formation is important for accurate forecasting. This study analyses 28 incidents of ground aircraft icing events at OR Tambo International Airport, South …

The Impact Of Thunderstorms On Take-Off Data In South Africa, Quinton Jacobs Mr.

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

Aviation and meteorology are entwined disciplines, as aviation occurs in the atmosphere. Prevailing weather conditions at take-off are of utmost importance to aviation. This determines the payload of the aircraft and runway in use. Forecast verification is essential to aviation as it determines the quality of the forecasting products. The tolerances for take-off data are stringent and slightly relaxed tolerances are used in South Africa by mutual agreement.

There are six aerodromes in South Africa where Take-off Data are produced, in varying climatic conditions as South Africa is in both the tropics and midlatitudes. Thunderstorms are a common occurrence over …

Using Environmental Dna Methods For Estimating Juvenile Chinook Salmon Abundance, Jacqueline Marie Bridegum

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

In the Central Valley of California, stocks of Chinook Salmon are declining, and two out of the four ecotypes of Chinook Salmon within the Sacramento River system are federally listed. A monitoring network has been developed to estimate the abundances of downstream migrating Chinook Salmon smolts, but there is high uncertainty in these estimates due to low catch rates. Environmental DNA (eDNA) monitoring, which involves capture of genetic material that organisms release into their surrounding environment, has shown promise for estimating abundance of salmonids and could complement existing monitoring efforts and potentially reduce uncertainty in abundance estimates. This research project …