Copper and iron are essential micronutrients that are required by marine primary producers for a variety of metabolic processes. Over 99% of both copper and iron are bound within organic complexes in the marine environment, however the molecular identity of many of these complexes remains unknown. The speciation of these...
Modifications of an ocean model are described, as the objective for which the model was used changed to study the kinematics and dynamics of an eastern-boundary poleward undercurrent.
Two bloom-detection products were developed for the Oregon coast that describe the relative percent change observed between successive pairs of 8-day chlorophyll-a (CHL) and fluorescence line-height (FLH) products obtained from the MODerate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer aboard the Aqua spacecraft (MODIS-Aqua). The CHL[subscript dev] and FLH[subscript dev] products, respectively, were optimized...
Harmful algal blooms (HABs) are a problem for coastal communities, the fishing industry, and coastal organisms. Pseudo-nitzschia spp. is a regularly occurring diatom in Oregon’s coastal waters. At times, Pseudo-nitzschia spp. can facultatively produce domoic acid, a neurotoxin that can bioaccumulate in the food chain. While regular shore-based sampling provides...
The presence of predators and competitors can offer biotic resistance against the establishment of non-native species, including the European green crab, Carcinus maenas, (EGC) in the estuary of Coos Bay, Oregon. It has been suggested that limb loss, or autotomy of the EGC will increase in areas that include populations...
It is well documented that microplastics and semi-synthetic particles (<5 mm) pervade the marine environment, with their ingestion by marine fauna eliciting global concern. While fishes exposed to microparticles in a laboratory setting have exhibited both sub-lethal and lethal effects, the diversity in material, morphology, and size of these contaminants...
Oyster reefs provide an array of ecosystem services. Specifically, they provide structurally complex habitat for fish and invertebrate species such as the commercially important Dungeness crab, Metacarcinus magister. This ecosystem service, once provided by the native oyster Ostrea lurida, is now provided by the commercially cultured oyster Crassostrea gigas in...
Netarts Bay is a shallow, temperate, tidal lagoon located on the northern coast of Oregon and site of the Whiskey Creek Shellfish Hatchery (WCSH). Data collected with an automated flow-through system installed at WCSH capable of high-resolution (1 Hz) pCO2 and hourly TCO2 measurements, with measurement uncertainties of <2.0% and...
Understanding connectivity among exploited populations is critical to their sustainable management and long-term viability. In the marine environment, estimates of connectivity often rely on the use of genetic markers, as dispersal primarily occurs during a planktonic larval phase which is difficult to track using direct methods. In this thesis, we...
Pacific razor clams (Siliqua patula) are narrow oblong bivalves that can be found in sandy habitats along the western coast of the United States, from Alaska (Aleutian Islands) to southern California (Pismo Beach). In Washington state, the razor clam fishery has been documented to be an important contributor to the...
Continental margin sediments have been recognized as a major source of dissolved iron to the global ocean. The focus of this study was to build an early diagenetic model that can be used to simulate iron fluxes from continental margins and thereby identify key controlling factors. The model uses the...
Coastal hypoxia, or low oxygen episodes pose a threat to marine resources in the Pacific Northwest. Previous research into nearshore oxygen dynamics have linked coastal upwelling to this seasonally occurring phenomenon, however the manifestation of hypoxic waters over coastal fishing grounds was not well understood. Through a partnership with Dungeness...
Continental shelf sediments are sinks for dissolved oxygen and sources of many major and minor nutrients required for oceanic surface primary production, resulting in a strong coupling between benthic and pelagic biogeochemical cycling. However, the influence and spatiotemporal variability of benthic remineralization on bottom-water chemistry and the supply of nutrients...
As the global demand for seafood increases each year, there is a growing need to expand sustainable aquaculture in the interests of food security and resilience of coastal communities. Pacific oysters, Crassostrea gigas, are grown in West coast estuaries - where cultures often overlap with the federally protected native eelgrass,...