Published November 1973. Facts and recommendations in this publication may no longer be valid. Please look for up-to-date information in the Sea Grant Catalog: http://seagrant.oregonstate.edu/publications
The distribution of Antarctic Intermediate Water in the South
Pacific has been examined using a model of horizontal advection,
along the Sigma-t surface 27.10, with three point vertical mixing.
The core of the Antarctic Intermediate Water mass was traced
from the Antarctic Convergence northward. The charts used to
describe the...
On Oregon coastal rocky shores, filter‐feeders were relatively abundant and macrophytes were relatively scarce at Strawberry Hill, whereas opposite abundance patterns occurred at Boiler Bay. To determine whether nearshore oceanographic differences were associated with these patterns, we made shore‐based measurements of nutrient and Chl a concentrations. We used a three‐level...
During July 1970, albacore boats trolling surface jigs (jig boats) had record catches in an area off the mouth of the Columbia River. The jig fishery declined suddenly in late July and was poor throughout the remainder of the summer. No obvious oceanographic changes were correlated with these drastic changes...
Gravity observations were made with the LaCoste-Romberg underwater
gravity meter during July and August 1962 at 149 stations
in an area 10 by 40 miles (44°10' to 44°50'N latitude and 124°
07' to 124°20'W longitude) off the north-central Oregon coast
from Heceta Head to Depoe Bay. The primary purpose of...
Marine renewable energy promises to assist in the effort to reduce
carbon emissions worldwide. As with any large-scale development in the marine
environment, however, it comes with uncertainty about potential environmental
impacts, most of which have not been adequately evaluated—in part because many of
the devices have yet to be...
Oregon State University is now observing its Centennial Year. The
first hundred years has brought immense growth to the institution which
is reflected in the last decade.by the initiation and development of a
Department of Oceanography.
The rip current field resulting from the transformation of surface gravity waves over offshore submarine canyons is studied. Employing a wave transformation model and a wave-induced circulation model over observed bathymetry we find that rip current circulation cells exist with alongshore spacing of O(1OOm) even though the nearshore bathymetry displayed...
The temporal and spatial variability of crescentic sandbars is analyzed with hourly
long-term (months) video observations collected at four barred sites and are qualitatively
compared to the temporal and spatial variability predicted by hypotheses underpinning
existing approaches and models for crescentic bar formation (edge-wave template model,
linear stability analysis, and...
The following report presents a summary of the work conducted between
1 March 1973 and 31 December 1973 as proposed in our research contract "The
Development of Methods for Studying Physical and Biological Processes in
the Nearshore Zone on the Pacific Coast of the United States," supported by
the Eugene...
In the past, classification systems for the analysis of morphodynamic variability have been developed in an attempt to understand large scale coastal behavior. The motivation behind the creation of these classification systems has been to provide a framework of analysis, in order to understand large scale response to seasonal variability,...
The physical, biological, chemical, and optical
processes of the ocean operate on a wide
variety of spatial and temporal scales, from
seconds to decades and from micrometers to
thousands of kilometers (Dickey et al., this
issue; Dickey, 1991). These processes drive
the accumulation and loss of living and nonliving
mass...
Sediments of a portion of the central Oregon shelf between 17
and 339 m have been examined for modern foraminifera. Eighty-three
samples were collected from 33 stations along three traverses
located between 43° 16'N and 43° 50'N. One hundred fifty-five
benthic and nine planktonic species are recognized. Fifty-six benthic
species...
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...
This report summarizes the research conducted during the third quarter of
the calendar year 1961 by the Department of Oceanography, Oregon State
University, under contract Nonr 1286(02) Project NR 083-102 with the Office
of Naval Research, and Grant No. G 15070 with the National Science Foundation.
The rip current field resulting from the transformation of surface gravity waves over
offshore submarine canyons is studied. Employing a wave transformation model and a
wave-induced circulation model over observed bathymetry we find that wave height
variations associated with undulations in the canyon contours cause rip current circulation
cells with...
This report summarizes the research conducted during the fourth quarter
of the calendar year 1961 by the Department of Oceanography, Oregon
State University, under contract Nonr 1286(02) Project NR 083-102 with
the Office of Naval Research, and Grant No. G 19783 with the National
Science Foundation.
Long-term (>years) bathymetric data sets collected in six multiple near-shore sandbar systems were analyzed with complex empirical orthogonal function analysis to quantify intersite differences and similarities in cyclic offshore progressive bar behavior. The observations came from a 37-year annually sampled data set of four regions along the Dutch coast (spanning...
This report summarizes the research conducted during the fourth quarter
of the calendar year 1962 by the Department of Oceanography, Oregon
State University, under contract Nonr 1286(02) Project NR 083-102 with
the Office of Naval Research, grants GP 622, G 23103 and G 24353 with
the National Science Foundation, contracts...
The nearshore zone at Newport, Oregon was studied during the
period September, 1968 to August, 1969. Particular emphasis was
placed on those physical factors affecting the distribution of pulp mill
wastes discharged within the study area (referred to as Yaquina Bight
in this thesis). Temperatures and seawater samples were obtained...
This report summarizes the research conducted during the second quarter
of the calendar year 1963 by the Department of Oceanography, Oregon
State University, under contracts with Geophysics Branch of Office of
Naval Research, Division of Biology and Medicine of the Atomic Energy
Commission, Advanced Research Projects Agency, and Air Force...
This report sunmarizes the research conducted during the first quarter
of the calendar year 1963 by the Department of Oceanography, Oregon
State University, under contract Nonr 1286(02) Project NR 083-102 with
the Office of Naval Research, grants GP 622, G 23103, G 24353, and GB 531 with the National Science...
The objective of this research was to improve our understanding of how
changes in the environment affect ecological processes. Change detection is often
confounded by the large variation found in ecological data due to the difficulty of
finding replicates in nature. Intertidal communities were chosen for studies of biophysical
interactions...
This report summarizes the research conducted during the third
quarter of the calendar year 1962 by the Department of Oceanography,
Oregon State University, under contract Nonr 1286(02) Project NR 083-102
with the Office of Naval Research, grants G 19783, G 23103 and G 24353
with the National Science Foundation, contracts...
This report summarizes the research conducted by the Department of
Oceanography, Oregon State University, during the second quarter of
the calendar year 1962 under contract Nonr 1286(02) Project NR 083-102
with the Office of Naval Research, grants G 19783 and G 23103 with the
National Science Foundation, contract AT (45-1)-1726...
Mysids were sampled seasonally from the intertidal
zone of the beach to a depth of 61 m offshore along the
mid-Oregon coast. The seven mysid species collected
occurred in characteristic bathymetric zones, with members
of different genera occupying overlapping zones
while members of the same genus occupied largely different
zones....
We examine the interactions and feedbacks between bathymetry, waves, currents, and
sediment transport. The first two pro jects focus on the use of remote sensing techniques
to expand our knowledge of the nearshore. Due to the plethora of snap-shot data that is
available from satellites and their distribution via Google...
We investigate, theoretically and experimentally, the problem of modeling depth-integrated (2DH) surf zone circulation on an alongshore-nonuniform natural beach, with waves approaching from an arbitrary angle. An approximate theoretical model is developed, which captures the important effect of advection in the alongshore dynamics, and shows that a nondimensional parameter Re[subscript]s...
The following progress report presents a summary of the work conducted through January of 1973 as specified in our proposal, "The Develooment of Methods for Studying Physical and Biological Processes in the Nearshore
Zone on the Pacific Coast of the United States," suooorted by the Eugene Water and Electric Board,...
This report summarizes the results of the research contract,
"Species Composition and Distribution of Marine Nekton in the Pacific
Ocean off Oregon" (AT(45-1)1726) for the two-year period from September
1, 1961, to September 1, 1963.
Numerous monitoring efforts are underway to improve understanding of ocean acidification and its impacts on coastal environments, but there is a need to develop a coordinated approach that facilitates spatial and temporal comparisons of drivers and responses on a regional scale. Toward that goal, the California Current Acidification Network (C-CAN)...
Aerial photography has become a valuable method of acquiring
information on estuarine current circulation patterns. The method
provides a comprehensive picture of nearly simultaneous surface
water movements. It represents a significant improvement over
conventional surface float and current meter methods because large
areas may be covered in great detail with...
The West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) is home to large breeding colonies of the ice-dependent Antarctic Adélie penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae). Although the entire inner continental shelf is highly productive, with abundant phytoplankton and krill populations, penguin colonies are distributed heterogeneously along the WAP (Ducklow et al., 2013, in this issue). This ecological...
In 2007, the US west coast shellfish industry began to feel the effects of unprecedented levels of larval mortality in commercial hatcheries producing the Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas. Subsequently, researchers at Whiskey Creek Shellfish Hatchery, working with academic and government scientists, showed a high correlation between aragonite saturation state (Ω[subscript]arag)...
Food security, economic opportunities, and other benefits provided by a healthy ocean are in jeopardy because of years of overexploitation of many fisheries, and the challenges will intensify in many locales as climate and the environment continue to change. The good news is that solutions are gaining traction. Mandates to...
Abstract: During recent human history, human activities such as overhunting and habitat destruction have severely impacted many large top predator populations around the world. Studies from a variety of ecosystems show that loss or diminishment of top predator populations can have serious consequences for population and community dynamics and ecosystem...
End-to-end models were constructed to examine and compare the trophic structure and energy flow in coastal shelf ecosystems of four US Global Ocean Ecosystem Dynamics (GLOBEC) study regions: the Northern California Current, the Central Gulf of Alaska, Georges Bank, and the Southwestern Antarctic Peninsula. High-quality data collected on system components...
A primary focus of the US Global Ocean Ecosystem Dynamics
(GLOBEC) program was to identify the mechanisms of ecosystem response to large-scale
climate forcing under the assumption that bottom-up forcing controls a large
fraction of marine ecosystem variability. At the beginning of GLOBEC, the prevailing
bottom-up forcing hypothesis was that...
From the planning days preceding the establishment of the US Global
Ocean Ecosystem Dynamics (GLOBEC) program, modeling was recognized as one
of the program’s pillars. In particular, predictions of future ecosystem states in an
evolving climate system required new interdisciplinary approaches that brought
together physicists, biologists, modelers, and observational scientists....
Satellite observations have revealed a remarkably strong positive correlation between sea surface temperature (SST) and surface winds on oceanic mesoscales of 10–1000 km. Although SST influence on the atmosphere had previously been identified from several in situ observational studies, its widespread existence in regions of strong SST gradients throughout the...
The goal of the Pacific Ocean Boundary Ecosystem and Climate Study
(POBEX) was to diagnose the large-scale climate controls on regional transport
dynamics and lower trophic marine ecosystem variability in Pacific Ocean boundary
systems. An international team of collaborators shared observational and eddy-resolving
modeling data sets collected in the Northeast...
A majority of the world’s largest net-based fisheries target planktivorous forage fish that serve as a critical trophic link between the plankton and upper-level consumers such as large predatory fishes, seabirds, and marine mammals. Because the plankton production that drives forage fish also drives jellyfish production, these taxa often overlap...
This paper describes a method for measuring nearshore ocean wave characteristics with a land-based, long-period vertical seismometer. The wavemeter system has proven to be highly reliable and produces continuous wave observations at low cost. It is now operational at six Coast Guard stations along the Oregon and Washington coasts; data...
Recruitment of larvae from the plankton is an important determinant of
community structure in marine systems. In populations of many marine species,
recruitment determines the basic demographic parameters of immigration, emigration,
and reproduction. Moreover, the effect of recruitment as an "ecological subsidy" can
determine the strength of interactions among species...
We examined the feasibility of using a video beam trawl system to assess behavioral responses of juvenile flatfishes in relation to co-occurring habitat features, most notably dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations. Sixteen samples were collected along a cross shelf transect in the central Oregon coast during summer 2008. We found that...
The Oregon Wave Energy Trust (OWET) commissioned this study to develop protocols and
methods to achieve affordable, reliable, and repeatable electromagnetic (EM) measurements in
the near-shore environment. The study was conducted in several stages, with a number of
technical reports provided at each stage to document and describe findings. The...
Full Text:
nearshore marine environment.docx
w w w . o r e g o n w a v e . o r g
Ambient electromagnetic fields
This thesis contains a manuscript describing the implementation of a high resolution wave forecasting model for the coasts of Washington and Oregon. The purpose of this project was to advance the wave predictive capabilities of the states of Oregon and the southwest part of Washington by including the effects of...
The use of remote sensing techniques in coastal science and engineering has rapidly increased in the past few decades. This dissertation outlines new remote sensing tools using two remote sensing technologies (lidar and X-band marine radar) along with two nearshore hydrodynamic and morphodynamic analyses supported or motivated by these remote...
This thesis presents an examination of the nearshore wave bottom boundary layer
under conditions of significant sediment response. Using both field observations and
simple models, the response of the bottom boundary layer to random waves is shown to
have a complex behavior. First, the linearized wave bottom boundary layer governing...
The surf zone exhibits large energetic signals from wave shoaling and subsequent dissipation due to breaking, forcing circulation. The bathymetry responds to the wave and wave-induced circulation with the growth, transport, and destruction of large scale bathymetric features, such as mega ripples and sand bars. There is an obvious fluctuation...
Nearshore hypoxia within the Northern California Current (NCC) system is a seasonal phenomenon caused by coastal upwelling and occurs mainly during late-summer and early fall. The effects of low oxygen levels on fish and invertebrate communities, particularly during early-life history stages, however, are poorly known for this area. I investigated...
The high productivity of Eastern Boundary Upwelling Ecosystems (EBUE), some of the most productive ecosystems in the globe, is attributed to the nutrient rich waters brought up through upwelling. Climate change scenarios for coastal upwelling systems, predict an intensification of coastal upwelling winds. Associated with intensification in upwelling are biogeochemical...
Air–sea coupling during coastal upwelling was examined through idealized three-dimensional numerical simulations with a coupled atmosphere–ocean mesoscale model. Geometry, topography, and initial and
boundary conditions were chosen to be representative of summertime coastal conditions off the Oregon coast. Over the 72-h simulations, sea surface temperatures were reduced several degrees near...
The Columbia River plume region was investigated during the
period of 20 June to 3 July, 1968 by light scattering measurements
and standard hydrographic station observations. The Columbia
River plume was traced by the light scattering particles of the plume
water. The light scattering particles are estimated to be contained...
This report presents observations from two programs in 1975, WISP and UP-75 to study circulation off Oregon. WISP was a study of the transition between the winter and spring regimes, and UP-75 was designed to determine whether there is a poleward undercurrent along the continental slope during the upwellinq season....
Most marine fishes experience high rates of mortality during their early life history stages with far reaching consequences for adult population dynamics. Within a few weeks of hatching, relatively small changes in larval growth and mortality rates can lead to orders of magnitude variability in year-class strength. Growth and survival...
The taxonomic composition, distribution, concentration, and community structure of ichthyoplankton off the Oregon and Washington coasts were examined in 2004-2009 to investigate annual, seasonal, latitudinal, and cross-shelf variability. Larval concentrations and community structure were also analyzed in relation to several local and larger-scale environmental variables. The dominant taxa, comprising 94%...
In 2014, the California Current (~28˚–48˚N) saw average, or below average, coastal upwelling and relatively low productivity in most locations, except from 38˚–43˚N during June and July. Chlorophyll-a levels were low throughout spring and summer at most locations, except in a small region around 39˚N. Catches of juvenile rockfish (an...
In 2013, the California current was dominated by
strong coastal upwelling and high productivity. Indices
of total cumulative upwelling for particular coastal
locations reached some of the highest values on record.
Chlorophyll a levels were high throughout spring and
summer. Catches of upwelling-related fish species were
also high. After a...
The state of the California Current system (CCS) since spring 2010 has evolved in response to the development of cooler La Nina following the dissipation of the relatively weak and short-lived El Nino event of 2009-2010. The 2009-2010 El Nino appears to have dissipated quite rapidly in early spring 2010,...
Since the end of the Cold War, the US Navy has had an increasing interest in continental shelves and slopes as
operational areas. To work in such areas
requires a good understanding of ocean
acoustics, coastal physical oceanography,
and, in the modern era, autonomous
underwater vehicle (AUV) operations.
Each area...
Surface tides are the heartbeat of the ocean. Because they are controlled by Earth's motion relative to other astronomical objects in our solar system, surface tides act like clockwork and generate highly deterministic ebb and flow familiar to all mariners. In contrast, baroclinic motions at tidal frequencies are much more...
The quantification and description of sea surface temperature (SST) is critically important because it can influence the distribution, migration, and invasion of marine species; furthermore, SSTs are expected to be affected by climate change. Recent research indicates that there has been a warming trend in ocean temperatures over the last...
The influence of the physical environment on organisms has long been a subject of ecological research. But, the complex drivers of environmental variation, and the multiple scales at which this can occur, make studying this topic a difficult challenge. In rocky intertidal habitats, oceanographic- and climate-scale variability influence benthic communities...
Phosphate, silicate and nitrate concentrations in the sea off
the coast of Oregon were determined to study their seasonal distribution
patterns. The water samples were collected monthly along the
east-west hydrographic line off Newport, Oregon, from the shore to
165 miles (310 km) offshore. The samples were analyzed by both...
We tested the role of benthic infaunal functional diversity in regulating the biogeochemistry of nearshore sediments using laboratory microcosms. Single and multispecies assemblages of deposit-feeding polychaetes (Clymenella torquata, Spio setosa, and Leitoscoloplos fragilis) were used, and fluxes of oxygen and phosphate, as well as profiles of oxygen and pH in...
This compilation lists in chronological order the oceanographic reports published in 1972, 1973 and 1974. It is an update of our reference 74-1 which brought together a listing all the numbered series issued, 1955-1973. It also lists theses for which degrees were awarded in 1974. A theses listing for 1962-1973...
The Pacific coast groundfish fishery is a diverse, important and lucrative commercial and recreational fishery. Part of this fishery’s monitoring process includes regular fishery-independent surveys for stock assessment. Although these fishery-independent surveys are cost-effective, they are susceptible to scientific uncertainty, and they do not currently sample in nearshore (water depth...
The commercial groundfish fishing industry and groundfish research have a long concurrent history of activity on the Oregon continental margin. Within the non-whiting groundfish fishery, the target species are primarily flatfishes, sablefish, lingcod, and rockfishes, though landings of each have fluctuated over time. Recent work shows that over the past...
In 1955 one oceanography report was issued by Oregon State University. The School of Oceanography now issues between 35 and 50 reports per year. This compilation lists in chronological order all oceanographic reports published through 1973. It also lists theses for which degrees were awarded between 1962 and 1973. Both...
The quantification and description of sea surface temperature (SST) is critically important because it can influence the distribution, migration, and invasion of marine species; furthermore, SSTs are expected to be affected by climate change. To better understand present temperature regimes, we assembled a 29-year nearshore time series of mean monthly...
This compilation lists in chronological order the oceanographic reports published in 1974 and 1975. It is the second annual update of our reference 74-1 which brought together a listing of all the numbered series issued, 1955-1973. Reference 75-1 listed 1972-1973 and 1974 reports. It also lists theses for which degrees...
The West Coast groundfish industry collapsed in 2000, but it recovered through the efforts of regulators, scientists and the fleet. Now it is working to rebuild the market and reconnect with a formerly active fishing ground along Oregon’s nearshore. In this report, we define nearshore as the shelf that extends...
Wave and current measurements are presented from a set of laboratory experiments
performed on a fixed barred beach with periodically spaced rip channels using a range of
incident wave conditions. The data demonstrate that the presence of gaps in otherwise
longshore uniform bars dominates the nearshore circulation system for the...
We simulated the erosion and accretion of a natural beach using a wave-resolving
eddy-diffusive model of water and suspended sediment motion in the bottom boundary
layer. Nonlinear advection was included in this one-dimensional (vertical profile) model
by assuming that waves propagated almost without change of form. Flows were forced by...
Wind-driven coastal ocean upwelling supplies nutrients to the
euphotic zone near the coast. Nutrients fuel the growth of phytoplankton,
the base of a very productive coastal marine ecosystem
[Pauly D, Christensen V (1995) Nature 374:255–257]. Because
nutrient supply and phytoplankton biomass in shelf waters are
highly sensitive to variation in...