The relationship between nutrients and community structure is poorly understood in open-coast habitats. I created a system of artificial tidepools, of identical age and physical dimensions, at two sites that differed in wave exposure, and manipulated nutrient levels and the abundance of herbivores. Using these unique field mesocosms, I explored...
Oceanic uptake of rising anthropogenic CO₂ emissions has caused the emergence of ocean acidification as a major threat to marine ecosystems worldwide. Along eastern boundary current systems, seawater is naturally acidified due to coastal upwelling of low pH seawater from depth. Compounded by ocean acidification, upwelling regions are expected to...
Collective robotic systems are biologically-inspired and exhibit behaviors found in spatial swarms (e.g., fish), colonies (e.g., ants), or a combination of both (e.g., bees). Collective robotic system popularity continues to increase due to their apparent global intelligence and emergent behaviors. Many applications can benefit from the incorporation of collectives, including...
Stocks of salmon are declining in the Pacific Northwest. Based on region-wide studies that list and categorize the status of salmon stocks (Nehlsen et al., 1991; Huntington et al., 1994; and Nawa, 1995), I analyze the watersheds where stocks of salmon spawn for several anthropogenic variables, most of which are...
Prior to eruption at mid-ocean ridges, melts must travel through >6 km of crust from their origin in the mantle. The final composition of the melts is dependent on both the melting conditions and magmatic processes within the crust. While mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB) glasses are commonly used to infer...
Three broadly interrelated problems of critical significance to the proper interpretation of melt inclusion (MI) data are addressed in this thesis. The first issue, the petrogenesis of anorthitic plagioclase phenocrysts in MORB lavas, has relevance due to the presence of numerous MI in many high-An feldspars. This problem was addressed...
To understand the processes that lead to the formation of the oceanic crust, one must know the composition and the depth at which primary melts originate. Towards this end, this dissertation focuses on plagioclase-hosted melt inclusions from plagioclase ultraphyric basalts (PUBs). Plagioclase is usually considered to be the second phase,...
The primary goal of this study is to assess the impact of a subduction component
added to the mantle wedge beneath the Oregon Cascades to the composition and fO2 of
primitive Cascade basalts. Olivine-hosted melt inclusions from compositionally diverse
basalts across the Cascade arc (~100 km) are utilized in an...