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At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

Continuous Tidal Streamflow and Gage-Height Data for Bass and Cinder Creeks on Kiawah Island, South Carolina, September 2007

A three-dimensional model of Bass and Cinder Creeks on Kiawah Island, South Carolina, was developed to evaluate methodologies for determining fecal coliform total maximum daily loads for shellfish waters. To calibrate the model, two index-velocity sites on the creeks were instrumented with continuous acoustic velocity meters and water-level sensors to compute a 21-day continuous record of tidal streamflows. In addition to monitoring tidal cycles, streamflow measurements were made at the index-velocity sites, and tidal-cycle streamflow measurements were made at the mouth of Bass Creek and on the Stono River to characterize the streamflow dynamics near the ocean boundary of the three-dimensional model at the beginning, September 6, 2007, and end, September 26, 2007, of the index-velocity meter deployment. The maximum floodtide and ebbtide measured on the Stono River by the mouth of Bass Creek for the two measurements were -155,000 and 170,000 cubic feet per second (ft3/s). At the mouth of Bass Creek, the maximum floodtide and ebbtide measurements during the 2 measurement days were +/-10,200 ft3/s. Tidal streamflows for the 21-day deployment on Bass Creek ranged from -2,510 ft3/s for an incoming tide to 4,360 ft3/s for an outgoing tide. On Cinder Creek, the incoming and outgoing tide varied from -2,180 to 2,400 ft3/s during the same period.

South Carolina

Ocean warming and acidification have complex interactive effects on the dynamics of a marine fungal disease

Diseases threaten the structure and function of marine ecosystems and are contributing to the global decline of coral reefs. We currently lack an understanding of how climate change stressors, such as ocean acidification (OA) and warming, may simultaneously affect coral reef disease dynamics, particularly diseases threatening key reef-building organisms, for example crustose coralline algae (CCA). Here, we use coralline fungal disease (CFD), a previously described CCA disease from the Pacific, to examine these simultaneous effects using both field observations and experimental manipulations. We identify the associated fungus as belonging to the subphylum Ustilaginomycetes and show linear lesion expansion rates on individual hosts can reach 6.5 mm per day. Further, we demonstrate for the first time, to our knowledge, that ocean-warming events could increase the frequency of CFD outbreaks on coral reefs, but that OA-induced lowering of pH may ameliorate outbreaks by slowing lesion expansion rates on individual hosts. Lowered pH may still reduce overall host survivorship, however, by reducing calcification and facilitating fungal bio-erosion. Such complex, interactive effects between simultaneous extrinsic environmental stressors on disease dynamics are important to consider if we are to accurately predict the response of coral reef communities to future climate change.

Proceedings of the Royal Society B

Air-sea interactions during strong winter extratropical storms

A high-resolution, regional coupled atmosphere–ocean model is used to investigate strong air–sea interactions during a rapidly developing extratropical cyclone (ETC) off the east coast of the USA. In this two-way coupled system, surface momentum and heat fluxes derived from the Weather Research and Forecasting model and sea surface temperature (SST) from the Regional Ocean Modeling System are exchanged via the Model Coupling Toolkit. Comparisons are made between the modeled and observed wind velocity, sea level pressure, 10 m air temperature, and sea surface temperature time series, as well as a comparison between the model and one glider transect. Vertical profiles of modeled air temperature and winds in the marine atmospheric boundary layer and temperature variations in the upper ocean during a 3-day storm period are examined at various cross-shelf transects along the eastern seaboard. It is found that the air–sea interactions near the Gulf Stream are important for generating and sustaining the ETC. In particular, locally enhanced winds over a warm sea (relative to the land temperature) induce large surface heat fluxes which cool the upper ocean by up to 2 °C, mainly during the cold air outbreak period after the storm passage. Detailed heat budget analyses show the ocean-to-atmosphere heat flux dominates the upper ocean heat content variations. Results clearly show that dynamic air–sea interactions affecting momentum and buoyancy flux exchanges in ETCs need to be resolved accurately in a coupled atmosphere–ocean modeling framework.

Ocean Dynamics

Contribution of hurricane-induced sediment resuspension to coastal oxygen dynamics

Hurricanes passing over the ocean can mix the water column down to great depths and resuspend massive volumes of sediments on the continental shelves. Consequently, organic carbon and reduced inorganic compounds associated with these sediments can be resuspended from anaerobic portions of the seabed and re-exposed to dissolved oxygen (DO) in the water column. This process can drive DO consumption as sediments become oxidized. Previous studies have investigated the effect of hurricanes on DO in different coastal regions of the world, highlighting the alleviation of hypoxic conditions by extreme winds, which drive vertical mixing and re-aeration of the water column. However, the effect of hurricane-induced resuspended sediments on DO has been neglected. Here, using a diverse suite of datasets for the northern Gulf of Mexico, we find that in the few days after a hurricane passage, decomposition of resuspended shelf sediments consumes up to a fifth of the DO added to the bottom of the water column during vertical mixing. Despite uncertainty in this value, we highlight the potential significance of this mechanism for DO dynamics. Overall, sediment resuspension likely occurs over all continental shelves affected by tropical cyclones, potentially impacting global cycles of marine DO and carbon.

Scientific Reports

Chitinozoan response to the ‘Kellwasser events’: Population dynamics and morphological deformities across the Frasnian–Famennian mass extinction

Fossil (zoo)plankton dynamics during Devonian ocean-anoxic and extinction events can shed light on the palaeoceanographic and geochemical processes that shaped the middle Palaeozoic biosphere. However, datasets on (Upper) Devonian marine palynology, illustrating such dynamics, remain underexplored. The type section of the Sweetland Creek Shale in Iowa (USA) offers a detailed conodont zonation for the upper Frasnian and across the Frasnian–Famennian boundary, records the Upper and Lower Kellwasser events and has pristine preservation of organic material, making this an ideal section to study the effects of this catastrophic event on chitinozoan zooplankton populations. A total of 3998 specimens were recovered, imaged and classified into 12 distinct species, 10 of which were previously unknown. This study demonstrates the unrealized potential of chitinozoans as a regional biostratigraphic tool in the Upper Devonian. The Lower Kellwasser Event is characterized by a drop in chitinozoan abundance and the run up to the Upper Kellwasser Event marks a period of rapid species turnover rates. Interestingly, every assemblage in this interval is nearly monospecific. Patterns of changing spine morphologies in Fungochitina pilosa , Ramochitina sp. A and Saharochitina sp. A are herein explored as potential ecophenotypic expressions. We identify Angochitina monstrosa as a new disaster species. The discovery of two teratological chitinozoans specimens, in combination with the presence of the disaster species Angochitina monstrosa and deformation in contemporaneous conodonts, supports our previous discovery that marine teratology is a feature of many Palaeozoic extinction events, possibly triggered by the injection of hydrothermal brines into the ocean.

Iowa

Consumer isoscapes reveal heterogeneous food webs in deep-sea submarine canyons and adjacent slopes

The deep sea is the largest biome on earth, but one of the least studied despite its critical role in global carbon cycling and climate buffering. Deep-sea organisms largely rely on particulate organic matter from the surface ocean for energy – these organisms in turn play critical roles in energy transport, transformation, storage, and sequestration of carbon. Within the deep sea, submarine canyons are amongst the most complex and dynamic environments in our oceans, where varied morphology, powerful currents, and variable nutrient conditions influence the distribution of species and transport of organic material throughout the water column and the seafloor. Significant habitat heterogeneity provides ideal substrates for cold-water corals, making submarine canyons of interest to conservation and management. However, how these and other topographic features in the deep ocean influence energy flow and trophic pathways is poorly known. Thus, submarine canyons serve as model systems to track variability in organic material flux and consequential utilization and assimilation by the benthos. In this study, we used an extensive stable isotope dataset to examine food-web structure in Baltimore and Norfolk submarine canyons and compared them to their adjacent slopes located along the U.S. Atlantic margin. Linear models were used to construct geospatially-explicit consumer isoscapes that predicted variation in carbon and nitrogen isotopes across the canyon-slope seascape, providing a predictive map from which to test hypotheses on the distribution and flow of energy resources, relevant to understanding whole community function. Communities were composed of isotopically diverse feeding groups with photosynthetically-derived organic carbon providing the basal food resource. Canyon communities were distinct from the slope, with canyon consumers significantly 13 C-depleted, indicating a greater supply and/or utilization of fresh organic matter compared to the slope. Isoscapes for benthic and suspension feeders were distinct, possibly due to the consumption of different quality organic matter sources (fresh = suspension feeders, old = benthic feeders), each with distinct isotope composition. To our knowledge, our modeled isoscapes represent the first spatially extensive isotopic maps of deep-sea consumers, providing insights into regional-scale variation in stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes for different consumer groups. They provide a baseline for tracking climate-change induced fluctuations in the quality and availability of surface primary production and the consequential impact to benthic communities, which play critical roles in carbon cycling in our world’s oceans.

Progress in Oceanography

Global patterns of phytoplankton dynamics in coastal ecosystems

Scientific Committee on Ocean Research Working Group 137 Meeting; Hangzhou, China, 17-21 October 2010; Phytoplankton biomass and community structure have undergone dramatic changes in coastal ecosystems over the past several decades in response to climate variability and human disturbance. These changes have short- and long-term impacts on global carbon and nutrient cycling, food web structure and productivity, and coastal ecosystem services. There is a need to identify the underlying processes and measure the rates at which they alter coastal ecosystems on a global scale. Hence, the Scientific Committee on Ocean Research (SCOR) formed Working Group 137 (WG 137), "Global Patterns of Phytoplankton Dynamics in Coastal Ecosystems: A Comparative Analysis of Time Series Observations" (http://wg137.net/). This group evolved from a 2007 AGU-sponsored Chapman Conference entitled "Long Time-Series Observations in Coastal Ecosystems: Comparative Analyses of Phytoplankton Dynamics on Regional to Global Scales.".

Conference Paper

Determining the drivers of suspended sediment dynamics in tidal marsh-influenced estuaries using high-resolution ocean color remote sensing

Sediment budgets are a critical metric to assess coastal marsh vulnerability to sea-level rise and declining riverine sediment inputs. However, calculating accurate sediment budgets is challenging in tidal marsh-influenced estuaries where suspended sediment concentrations (SSC) typically vary on scales of hours and meters, and where SSC dynamics are driven by a complex and often site-specific interplay of hydrodynamic and meteorological conditions. The mapping of SSC using ocean-color remote sensing is well established and can help capture the spatio-temporal variability needed to determine the dominant drivers regulating sediment budgets. However, the coarse spatial resolution of traditional ocean-color sensors (1-km) generally precludes their use in coastal-marsh estuaries. Here, using the Plum Island Estuary (Massachusetts, USA) as an example, we demonstrate that high-spatial-resolution maps of SSC derived from Landsat-8 Operational Land Imager (OLI) and Sentinel-2A/B Multispectral Instruments (MSI) can be used to determine the main drivers of SSC dynamics in tidal marsh-influenced estuaries, despite the long revisit time of these sensors. Local empirical algorithms between SSC and remote sensing reflectance were derived and applied to a total of 46 clear-sky scenes collected by the OLI and the MSI between 2013 and 2018. The analysis revealed that this 5-year record was sufficient to capture a representative range of meteorological and tidal conditions required to determine the main drivers of SSC dynamics in this mid-latitude system. The interplay between river and tidal flows dominated SSC dynamics in this estuary, whereas wind-driven resuspension had more moderate effects. The SSC were higher during spring because of increased river discharge due to snowmelt. Tidal asymmetry also enhanced sediment resuspension during flood tides, possibly favoring deposition on marsh platforms. Together, water level, water-level rate of change, river discharge and wind speed were able to explain > 60% of the variability in the main-channel thalweg-averaged SSC, thereby facilitating future prediction of SSC from these readily available variables. This study demonstrates that the existing multi-year records of high-resolution remote sensing can provide a representative depiction of SSC dynamics in hydrodynamically-complex and small-scale estuaries that moderate-resolution ocean color remote sensing and in situ measurements are unable to capture.

Massachusetts

The Geoid: Effect of compensated topography and uncompensated oceanic trenches

The geoid is becoming increasingly important in interpretation of global tectonics. Most of the topography of the earth is isostatically compensated, so removal of its effect from the geoid is appropriate before tectonic modeling. The oceanic trenches, however, are dynamically depressed features and cannot be isostatically compensated in the classical way. Continental topography compensated at 35 km gives intracontinental geoidal undulations of up to 15 m over mountain ranges in a spherical harmonic expansion to order and degree 22. Oceanic topography compensated at 40 km, reasonable for the thermally supported long wavelengths, matches the +10 m difference between old continents and old oceans in a detailed NASA/GSFC geoid. Removing the assumed compensation for the oceanic trenches leaves negative anomalies of up to 9 m amplitude caused by their uncompensated mass deficit. This mass deficit acts as a partial "regional compensation" for the excess mass of the subducting slabs, and partly explains why geoidal (and gravity) anomalies over the cold slabs are less than thermal models predict.

Geophysical Research Letters

The effects of mixotrophy on the stability and dynamics of a simple planktonic food web

Recognition of the microbial loop as an important part of aquatic ecosystems disrupted the notion of simple linear food chains. However, current research suggests that even the microbial loop paradigm is a gross simplification of microbial interactions due to the presence of mixotrophs—organisms that both photosynthesize and graze. We present a simple food web model with four trophic species, three of them arranged in a food chain (nutrients–autotrophs–herbivores) and the fourth as a mixotroph with links to both the nutrients and the autotrophs. This model is used to study the general implications of inclusion of the mixotrophic link in microbial food webs and the specific predictions for a parameterization that describes open ocean mixed layer plankton dynamics. The analysis indicates that the system parameters reside in a region of the parameter space where the dynamics converge to a stable equilibrium rather than displaying periodic or chaotic solutions. However, convergence requires weeks to months, suggesting that the system would never reach equilibrium in the ocean due to alteration of the physical forcing regime. Most importantly, the mixotrophic grazing link seems to stabilize the system in this region of the parameter space, particularly when nutrient recycling feedback loops are included.

Theoretical Population Biology

Variability of currents and sediment transport on continental shelves: Optical and current meter studies of the bottom boundary layer

The Continental Margin Sediment Dynamics program of the U.S. Geological Survey has been using a variety of optical instruments to monitor water turbidity as part of our studies of sediment transport. Although we suspect that optical devices will eventually be supplanted by more direct measures of suspended sediments, results of several field experiments indicate that for now transmissometers and nephelometers offer the best solution to the problem of long term environmental monitoring in the ocean. The Continental Margin Sediment Dynamics (CMSD) program of the U.S. Geological Survey is structured to investigate those oceanographic and geological processes which influence and control the active transport of sediments and other materials over continental margins. The focus of this program is on active sedimentary processes, the mechanisms which create them, and the effects they produce (see Figure 1 for a diagrammatic depiction). Basically, we design our experiments to investigate (1) transport mechanisms of oceanic sediments and other materials as suspended load and bed load, and (2) relationships of erosion and deposition to the dynamical characteristics of oceanic bottom boundary layers. The purpose of this report is to describe briefly those aspects of equipment and experiments that relate to our study of suspended particulate matter and water turbidity. Much of our understanding of the spatial distribution and temporal variability of suspended sediments depends upon measurements from optical instruments. In this report we describe those instruments and give examples of their use and some results of two field experiments.

Proceedings of SPIE

Estuary-ocean connectivity: Fast physics, slow biology

Estuaries are connected to both land and ocean so their physical, chemical, and biological dynamics are influenced by climate patterns over watersheds and ocean basins. We explored climate-driven oceanic variability as a source of estuarine variability by comparing monthly time series of temperature and chlorophyll- a inside San Francisco Bay with those in adjacent shelf waters of the California Current System (CCS) that are strongly responsive to wind-driven upwelling. Monthly temperature fluctuations inside and outside the Bay were synchronous, but their correlations weakened with distance from the ocean. These results illustrate how variability of coastal water temperature (and associated properties such as nitrate and oxygen) propagates into estuaries through fast water exchanges that dissipate along the estuary. Unexpectedly, there was no correlation between monthly chlorophyll- a variability inside and outside the Bay. However, at the annual scale Bay chlorophyll- a was significantly correlated with the Spring Transition Index (STI) that sets biological production supporting fish recruitment in the CCS. Wind forcing of the CCS shifted in the late 1990s when the STI advanced 40 days. This shift was followed, with lags of 1–3 years, by 3- to 19-fold increased abundances of five ocean-produced demersal fish and crustaceans and 2.5-fold increase of summer chlorophyll- a in the Bay. These changes reflect a slow biological process of estuary–ocean connectivity operating through the immigration of fish and crustaceans that prey on bivalves, reduce their grazing pressure, and allow phytoplankton biomass to build. We identified clear signals of climate-mediated oceanic variability in this estuary and discovered that the response patterns vary with the process of connectivity and the timescale of ocean variability. This result has important implications for managing nutrient inputs to estuaries connected to upwelling systems, and for assessing their responses to changing patterns of upwelling timing and intensity as the planet continues to warm.

California

Coupled effects of vertical mixing and benthic grazing on phytoplankton populations in shallow, turbid estuaries

Coastal ocean waters tend to have very different patterns of phytoplankton biomass variability from the open ocean, and the connections between physical variability and phytoplankton bloom dynamics are less well established for these shallow systems. Predictions of biological responses to physical variability in these environments is inherently difficult because the recurrent seasonal patterns of mixing are complicated by aperiodic fluctuations in river discharge and the high-frequency components of tidal variability. We might expect, then, less predictable and more complex bloom dynamics in these shallow coastal systems compared with the open ocean. Given this complex and dynamic physical environment, can we develop a quantitative framework to define the physical regimes necessary for bloom inception, and can we identify the important mechanisms of physical-biological coupling that lead to the initiation and termination of blooms in estuaries and shallow coastal waters? Numerical modeling provides one approach to address these questions. Here we present results of simulation experiments with a refined version of Cloern's (1991) model in which mixing processes are treated more realistically to reflect the dynamic nature of turbulence generation in estuaries. We investigated several simple models for the turbulent mixing coefficient. We found that the addition of diurnal tidal variation to Cloern's model greatly reduces biomass growth indicating that variations of mixing on the time scale of hours are crucial. Furthermore, we found that for conditions representative of South San Francisco Bay, numerical simulations only allowed for bloom development when the water column was stratified and when minimal mixing was prescribed in the upper layer. Stratification, however, itself is not sufficient to ensure that a bloom will develop: minimal wind stirring is a further prerequisite to bloom development in shallow turbid estuaries with abundant populations of benthic suspension feeders.

Journal of Marine Research

Step increase in eastern U.S. precipitation linked to Indian Ocean warming

A step increase in annual precipitation over the eastern U.S. in the early 1970’s commenced five decades of invigorated hydroclimate, with ongoing impacts on streamflow and water resources. Despite its far-reaching impacts, the dynamical origin of this change is unknown. Here, analyses of a century of atmospheric and oceanic data trace the dynamics to changes in the Indian Ocean. Spring and fall precipitation explain more than half the annual eastern-U.S. precipitation variance over the century, and changes in fall are predominantly responsible for the step increase. The driving mechanism is emergence of a pan-Pacific atmospheric wave emanating from deep convection over the warming Indian Ocean. Documentation of this fall teleconnection draws attention to projected anthropogenic increases in tropical oceanic heat content, and their potential impacts on hydroclimate of the midlatitudes.

Geophysical Research Letters

Unusually loud ambient noise in tidewater glacier fjords: a signal of ice melt

In glacierized fjords, the ice-ocean boundary is a physically and biologically dynamic environment that is sensitive to both glacier flow and ocean circulation. Ocean ambient noise offers insight into processes and change at the ice-ocean boundary. Here we characterize fjord ambient noise and show that the average noise levels are louder than nearly all measured natural oceanic environments (significantly louder than sea ice and non-glacierized fjords). Icy Bay, Alaska has an annual average sound pressure level of 120 dB (re 1 μPa) with a broad peak between 1000 and 3000 Hz. Bubble formation in the water column as glacier ice melts is the noise source, with variability driven by fjord circulation patterns. Measurements from two additional fjords, in Alaska and Antarctica, support that this unusually loud ambient noise in Icy Bay is representative of glacierized fjords. These high noise levels likely alter the behavior of marine mammals.

Alaska

Fifty-fifth Christmas Bird Count. 159. Ocean City, Md

The distribution of dynamic pressure behind a Harris' hawk's wing was sampled using a wake rake consisting of 15 pitot tubes and one static tube. The hawk was holding on to a perch, but at an air speed and gliding angle at which it was capable of gliding. The perch was instrumented, so that the lift developed by the wing was known and the lift coefficient could be calculated. The mean of 92 estimates of profile drag coefficient was 0.0207, with standard deviation 0.0079. Lift coefficients ranged from 0.51 to 1.08. Reynolds numbers were nearly all in the range 143000-194000. The estimates of profile drag coefficient were reconcilable with previous estimates of the wing profile drag of the same bird, obtained by the subtractive method, and also with values predicted by the `Airfoil-ii? program for designing aerofoils, based on a digitized wing profile from the ulnar region of the wing. The thickness of the wake suggested that the boundary layer was mostly or fully turbulent in most observations and separated in some, possibly as an active means of creating drag for control purposes. It appears that the bird could momentarily either increase or decrease the profile drag of specific parts of the wing, by active changes of shape, and it appeared to use the carpo-metacarpal region especially for such control movements. Further investigation in a low turbulence wind tunnel would help to resolve doubts about the possible influence of airstream turbulence on the behaviour of the boundary layer.

Journal of Experimental Biology

Fifty-fifth Christmas Bird Count. 159. Ocean City, Md

The distribution of dynamic pressure behind a Harris' hawk's wing was sampled using a wake rake consisting of 15 pitot tubes and one static tube. The hawk was holding on to a perch, but at an air speed and gliding angle at which it was capable of gliding. The perch was instrumented, so that the lift developed by the wing was known and the lift coefficient could be calculated. The mean of 92 estimates of profile drag coefficient was 0.0207, with standard deviation 0.0079. Lift coefficients ranged from 0.51 to 1.08. Reynolds numbers were nearly all in the range 143000-194000. The estimates of profile drag coefficient were reconcilable with previous estimates of the wing profile drag of the same bird, obtained by the subtractive method, and also with values predicted by the ?Airfoil-ii? program for designing aerofoils, based on a digitized wing profile from the ulnar region of the wing. The thickness of the wake suggested that the boundary layer was mostly or fully turbulent in most observations and separated in some, possibly as an active means of creating drag for control purposes. It appears that the bird could momentarily either increase or decrease the profile drag of specific parts of the wing, by active changes of shape, and it appeared to use the carpo-metacarpal region especially for such control movements. Further investigation in a low turbulence wind tunnel would help to resolve doubts about the possible influence of airstream turbulence on the behaviour of the boundary layer.

Audubon Field Notes

Evolving environmental and geometric controls on Columbia Glacier’s continued retreat

Geometry strongly controls the dynamic behavior of marine‐terminating (tidewater) glaciers, significantly influencing advance and retreat cycles independent of climate. Yet the recent, nearly ubiquitous retreat of tidewater glaciers suggests that changes in atmospheric and oceanic forcing may also drive dynamic change. To isolate the influence of geometry on tidewater glacier dynamics, we analyzed detailed observational time series from 2012 to 2016 for two tidewater glaciers with shared dynamic histories and environmental forcing: Columbia Glacier and its former tributary (Post Glacier) in southcentral Alaska. We find that although terminus retreat has driven decadal‐scale changes in dynamics of the Columbia‐Post system, environmental factors contribute to short‐term (i.e., seasonal) dynamic variability. In particular, analysis of force balance time series indicates that observed variations in speed result from seasonal changes to the subglacial hydrologic system and associated changes in basal drag. Variations in terminus position only drive noticeable speed change when the terminus retreats from regions of relatively high basal drag. In agreement with long‐term analyses of Columbia Glacier, we find that terminus geometry can perturb the timing of seasonal ice flow patterns. Specifically, our data support the idea that retreat of a glacier terminus into deeper water is accompanied by a shift in the primary control on frontal ablation. Although our analysis focuses on two Alaskan glaciers, our data suggest that changes in the relative importance of surface meltwater and buoyancy effects on submarine melting and/or calving may manifest as a shift in terminus change seasonality and offer a mechanism to identify frontal ablation controls.

Alaska