In the 1970s and 1980s, there was considerable interest in near-equatorial variability at periods of days to weeks associated with oceanic equatorial inertia–gravity waves and mixed Rossby–gravity waves. At that time, the measurements available for studying these waves were much more limited than today: most of the available observations were...
Vector winds measured by the Seasat-A Satellite Scatterometer (SASS) are analyzed to determine the spatial structure of oceanic surface winds over wavelengths from 200 to 2200 km. The analysis is performed in four latitudinal bands in the Pacific Ocean. Sampling characteristics of SASS preclude the possibility of determining full two-dimensional...
Recent work by S. Lentz et al. documents offshore transport in the inner shelf due to a wave-driven return
flow associated with the Hasselmann wave stress (the Stokes–Coriolis force). This analysis is extended using
observations from the central Oregon coast to identify the wave-driven return flow present and quantify the...
Observations of winds, waves, and turbulence at the ocean surface are compared with several analytic formulations and a numerical model for the input of turbulent kinetic energy by wave breaking and the subsequent dissipation. The observations are generally consistent with all of the formulations, although some differences are notable at...
A key component in bringing ocean wave energy converters from concept to commercialization is the building and testing of scaled prototypes to provide model validation. A one quarter scale prototype of an autonomous two body heaving point absorber was modeled, built, and tested for this work. Wave tank testing results...
Recent natural disasters around the world including
both tsunamis and hurricanes, have highlighted the inability
of wood buildings to withstand wave and surge
loading during these extreme events. Little is known
about the interaction between coastal residential light-frame
wood buildings and wave and surge loading because
often little is left...
This paper illustrates the status of wave energy development in Pacific Rim countries by characterizing the available resource and introducing the region‟s current and potential future leaders in wave energy converter development. It also describes the existing licensing and permitting process as well as potential environmental concerns. Capabilities of Pacific...
Springs in arid lands provide critical habitat for a variety of species and functions to humans, yet the ecology and management needs of springs to maintain these values are poorly understood. To examine plant communities along spring watercourse-upland gradients, we sampled 12 springs at low (desert) and high (forest) elevations...
Hydrological optics has a rich history, playing a significant role in physical, chemical, and biological oceanography. The success over the last 30 years has provided oceanographers with a non-invasive means to study regional and global scale physical, chemical, and biological processes (Figure 1). The ability to map the color of...
Sharing of research data has begun to gain traction in many areas of the sciences in the past few years because of changing expectations from the scientific community, funding agencies, and academic journals. National Science Foundation (NSF) requirements for a data management plan (DMP) went into effect in 2011, with...
Water vapor transport in the vicinity of imbibing saline solutions was investigated in two-dimensional (2-D) chambers using a light transmission technique. Concentrated NaNO3 solutions (brines) were applied as point sources to the surface of homogenous packs of prewetted silica sand for four different sand grades. The same solutions were applied...
The applicability of anhydrous milkfat fractions in edible films and coatings was determined through moisture barrier, penetrometer, and stress-relaxation testing. Industrial milkfat fractions were compared along with tripalmitin:anhydrous milkfat blends which simulated milkfat fractions having different melting points. The water vapor permeability (WVP) was determined gravimetrically using a modified ASTM...
We assessed the effects of porosity and hydrophobicity on water uptake by biochars.
Biochars were produced from two feedstocks (hazelnut shells and Douglas fir chips) at
three production temperatures (370°C, 500°C, and 620°C). To distinguish the effects of
porosity from the effects of hydrophobicity, we compared uptake of water to...
Wood-plastic composites are generally presumed to be inherently more resistant to moisture uptake than solid wood, but there is little data on the relative rates of moisture uptake in these materials over time. Trex[R] and Strandex[R] deck sections were immersed in water for up to 215 days, then sections were...
This is PMEL Contribution 4396.
Acidification has sparked discussion about whether regulatory agencies should place coastal waters on the Clean Water Act 303(d) impaired water bodies list. Here we describe scientific challenges in assessing impairment with existing data, exploring use of both pH and biological criteria. Application of pH criteria...
Severe droughts occurred in the western United States during recent decades, and continued human greenhouse gas emissions are expected to exacerbate warming and drying in this region. We investigated the role of water availability in shaping forest carbon cycling and morphological traits in the eastern Cascade Mountains, Oregon, focusing on...
Severe droughts occurred in the western United States during recent decades, and continued human greenhouse gas emissions are expected to exacerbate warming and drying in this region. We investigated the role of water availability in shaping forest carbon cycling and morphological traits in the eastern Cascade Mountains, Oregon, focusing on...
Hyperion is a hyperspectral sensor on board NASA’s EO-1 satellite with a spatial
resolution of approximately 30 m and a swath width of about 7 km. It was originally designed
for land applications, but its unique spectral configuration (430 nm – 2400 nm with a ~10 nm
spectral resolution) and...
The trophic habits, size and condition of yearling Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) caught early in their marine residence were examined during 19 survey years (1981–1985; 1998–2011). Juvenile salmon consumed distinct highly piscivorous diets in cold and warm ocean regimes with major differences between ocean regimes driven by changes in consumption...