Anthropogenic activities have posed many threats to the oceans and marine life. Understanding how individuals are affected and physiologically respond to these threats is crucial and allows for management and conservation applications. I evaluated the overall health condition of a subpopulation of gray whales (Eschrichtius robustus) along the Oregon coast,...
Three successful vertical seismic profiles (VSPs) were acquired during
Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Leg 204 at South Hydrate Ridge. The
data confirm earlier results from ocean bottom seismometer data and
analysis of moveout from common midpoint reflection data that the
average velocity between the seafloor and the bottom-simulating reflector
(BSR)...
High‐resolution three‐dimensional (3‐D) seismic reflection data acquired on the R/V Thomas G. Thompson in 2000 reveal a pair of bottom simulating reflections (BSRs) across a broad region of southern Hydrate Ridge, offshore Oregon. The primary BSR (BSRp) is a regionally extensive reflection that lies 120–150 m below seafloor and exhibits...
The rare earth elements (REEs) have been established as powerful tracers for a range of physiochemical processes occurring in the natural environment. They also hold significant economic importance as many technological advancements are reliant upon the REEs for their unique magnetic, luminescent, and electrochemical characteristics. In sedimentary settings, understanding the...
Species conservation depends on robust population assessment. Data on population abundance, distribution, and connectivity are critical for effective management, especially as baseline information for newly documented populations. I describe a pygmy blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus brevicauda) population in New Zealand waters with year-round presence that overlaps with industrial activities. This...
The distribution of mobile marine predators often reflects underlying dynamic ecological processes. The geographical focus of this PhD is the South Taranaki Bight (STB) of New Zealand, where wind-driven coastal upwelling generates productivity and prey to support a blue whale foraging ground. The STB is also New Zealand’s most industrial...
Quantifying the mass transport through marine sediments, and the geochemical response to such flow with numerical models has become a common and powerful approach for geochemical data interpretation. In this dissertation, I developed and applied transport-reaction models to unravel complex and interdependent reactions involving carbon, sulfur and silica transformations in...
This thesis examines notions of social unintelligibility produced within queer spaces in two primary texts: Justin Torres' We the Animals and Mario Bellatín's Beauty Salon. Chapter One discusses the racial and queer marginalization of the unnamed narrator and explores his turn towards an "animal language" in his moment of exposure...
Sea otters (Enhydra lutris) used to exist along coastlines throughout much of the North Pacific Ocean. During the Maritime Fur Trade, sea otters were extirpated from much of their historic range, including Oregon. There is renewed interest in reintroducing sea otters to Oregon. Managers seek improved understanding of the potential...
Clostridium perfringens is the causative agent of a wide variety of diseases in animals and humans. C. perfringens can produce more than 15 toxins. However, individual strains produce a subset of these toxins. Although a small percentage of C. perfringens isolates (mostly belonging to type A) produce C. perfringens enterotoxin...