Sponsored Research Archives - Page 31 of 37 - NCCOS - National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science

Shoreline Hardening Affects Nekton Biomass, Size Structure, and Taxonomic Diversity in Nearshore Waters, with Responses Mediated by Functional Species Groups

Coastal shoreline hardening is intensifying due to human population growth and sea level rise. Prior studies have emphasized shoreline-hardening effects on faunal abundance and diversity; few have examined effects on faunal biomass and size structure or described effects specific to different functional groups. We evaluated the biomass and size structure of mobile fish and crustacean … Read more

In Situ Effects of Shoreline Type and Watershed Land Use on Submerged Aquatic Vegetation Habitat Quality in the Chesapeake and Mid-Atlantic Coastal Bays

Submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) is an ecologically and economically valuable component of coastal estuaries that acts as an early indicator of both degrading and improving water quality. This study aimed to determine if shoreline hardening, which is associated with increased population pressure and climate change, acts to degrade SAV habitat quality at the local scale. … Read more

Effect of Changes in Dissolved Oxygen Concentrations on the Spatial Dynamics of the Gulf Menhaden Fishery in the Northern Gulf of Mexico

Declines in dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations in aquatic environments can lead to conditions of hypoxia (DO ? 2 mg/L), which can directly and indirectly affect aquatic organisms. Direct effects include changes in growth and mortality; indirect effects include changes in distribution, movement, and interactions with other species. For mobile species, such as the pelagic filter-feeding … Read more

Modeling River-Induced Phosphorus Limitation in the Context of Coastal Hypoxia

The urban development of coastal areas and the increased use of chemical fertilizers over the last century have led to a worldwide expansion of coastal eutrophication and a significant increase in the occurrence and intensity of human-induced coastal hypoxia. Proportionally, nitrogen load has often increased more severely than phosphorus load and phosphorus limitation became a … Read more

Eutrophication-induced acidification of coastal waters in the northern Gulf of Mexico: Insights into origin and processes from a coupled physicalbiogeochemical model

Nutrient inputs from the Mississippi/Atchafalaya River system into the northern Gulf of Mexico promote high phytoplankton production and lead to high respiration rates. Respiration coupled with water column stratification results in seasonal summer hypoxia in bottom waters on the shelf. In addition to consuming oxygen, respiration produces carbon dioxide (CO2), thus lowering the pH and … Read more

An Integrated Assessment Model for Helping the United States Sea Scallop (Placopecten magellanicus) Fishery Plan Ahead for Ocean Acidification and Warming

Ocean acidification, the progressive change in ocean chemistry caused by uptake of atmospheric CO2, is likely to affect some marine resources negatively, including shellfish. The Atlantic sea scallop (Placopecten magellanicus) supports one of the most economically important single-species commercial fisheries in the United States. Careful management appears to be the most powerful short-term factor affecting … Read more

A new species of Atergopedia (Copepoda: Harpacticoida: Novocriniidae) from a Caribbean mesophotic reef

Coordinated research efforts in mesophotic coral reefs are only a decade old, but have already produced exciting findings in ecology, physiology, geomorphology, population genetics, biodiversity, and taxonomy. In this taxonomic contribution, we describe both sexes of a new copepod species of the family Novocriniidae Huys and Iliffe in Zool Scr 27(1):115, 1998 from a mesophotic … Read more

Growth and Movements of Mummichogs (Fundulus heteroclitus) Along Armored and Vegetated Estuarine Shorelines

Alteration of estuarine shorelines associated with increased urbanization can significantly impact biota and food webs. This study determined the impact of shoreline alteration on growth and movement of the estuarine fish Fundulus heteroclitus in a tributary of the Delaware Coastal Bays. Fundulus heteroclitus is abundant along the east coast of the USA, and is an … Read more

Environmental factors influencing d13C and d15N in three Chesapeake Bay fishes

Stable isotope analysis has become a common tool for mapping trophic relationships, describing foodweb changes, and assessing ecosystem health. Clear interpretation of stable isotopes is facilitated by understanding how environmental factors can affect isotopic values; in estuarine systems, these factors may include salinity, land use, and shoreline habitat. To evaluate these factors, fish were collected … Read more

Vulnerability of early life stage Northwest Atlantic forage fish to ocean acidification and low oxygen

Global oceans are undergoing acidification and deoxygenation, yet the concurrent effects of low oxygen and acidification on marine fish are unknown. This study quantified the separate and combined effects of low pH and low oxygen on 4 vital early life-history traits (time-to-hatch, hatching success, post-hatch survival, and growth) of 3 ecologically important estuarine fish species … Read more