Final Evaluation Memorandum: Strategies for Resolving Low Dissolved Oxygen and Methylmercury Events in Northern Suisun Marsh

The purpose of the project is to improve our understanding about best management practices that can be utilized on diked managed wetlands in Suisun Marsh for reducing the occurrence of low dissolved oxygen (DO) and high methylmercury (MeHg) events associated primarily with fall flood-up practices. Low DO events are of concern because they can lead to undue stress and even mortality of sensitive aquatic organisms. Elevated MeHg levels are of concern because MeHg is a neurotoxin that bio-magnifies up the food chain and can cause deleterious effects to higher trophic level consumers such as piscivorous fish, birds, and mammals (including humans). This study involved two years (2007-2008) of intensive field data collection at two managed wetland sites in northwest Suisun Marsh and their surrounding tidal sloughs, an area with prior documented low DO events. In addition, the study collected limited soils and water quality field data and mapped vegetation for three managed wetland sites in the central interior of Suisun Marsh, for the purpose of examining whether wetlands at other locations exhibit characteristics that could indicate potential for similar concerns. In Year 1 of the study, the objective was to identify the baseline conditions in the managed wetlands and determine which physical management conditions could be modified for Year 2 to reduce low DO and MeHg production issues most effectively. The objective of Year 2 was to evaluate the effectiveness of these modified management actions at reducing production of low DO and elevated MeHg conditions within the managed wetlands and to continue improving understanding of the underlying biogeochemical processes at play. This Final Evaluation Memorandum examined a total of 19 BMPs, 14 involving modified water management operations and the remaining five involving modified soil and vegetation management practices. Some of these BMPs were previously employed and others have not yet been tested. For each BMP this report assesses its efficacy in improving water quality conditions and potential conflicts with wetland management. It makes recommendations for further study (either feasibility assessments or field testing) and whether to consider for future use. Certain previously used BMPs were found to be important contributors to poor water quality conditions and their continued use is not recommended. Some BMPs that could improve water quality conditions appear difficult to implement in regards to compatibility with wetland management; these BMPs require further elaboration and feasibility assessment to determine whether they should be field tested. In practice for any given wetland, there is likely a combination of BMPs that would together have the greatest potential to address the low DO and high MeHg water quality concerns. Consequently, this report makes no sweeping recommendations applicable to large groups of wetlands but instead promotes a careful consideration of factors at each wetland or small groups of wetlands and from that assessment to apply the most effective suite of BMPs. This report also identifies a number of recommended future actions and studies. These recommendations are geared toward improving the process understanding of factors that promote low DO and high MeHg conditions, the extent of these problems in Suisun Marsh, the regulatory basis for the DO standards for a large estuarine marsh, the economics of BMPs, and alternative approaches to BMPs on diked managed wetlands that may address the water quality issues. The most important of these recommendations is that future BMP implementation should be carried out within the context of rigorous scientific evaluation so as to gain the maximum improvement in how to manage these water quality issues in the diked managed wetlands of Suisun Marsh.

Studi Pendahuluan Kualitas Air Untuk Pengembangan Budidaya Perikanan di Kecamatan Sampoinit Aceh Jaya Pasca Tsunami

The preliminary study of water quality assessment for developing aquaculture effort was done in Sampoinit sub district for one week (1-8 December 2007). The objective of the present study is to evaluate the suitability of sites for developing of aquaculture. The explorative survey method was used in this study by determine of several sampling points at identified sites. The survey was covered four villages i.e. Meunasah Kulam, Crak Mong, Krueng No dan Pulo Raya. The results show that Meunasah Kulam, Crak Mong, Krueng No dan Pulo Raya were suitable for brackish water aquaculture of Scylla serrata, Mugil sp, Tilapia mossambica), Tilapia nilotica and Channos channos, while Crak Mong was suitable for freshwater aquaculture of Clarias batrachus and Channa striata. A semi intensive of aquaculture was suitable to be developed.

Timing and duration of mating and brooding periods of Atka mackerel (Pleurogrammus monopterygius) in the North Pacific Ocean

The timing and duration of the reproductive cycle of Atka mackerel (Pleurogrammus monopterygius) was validated by using observations from time-lapse video and data from archival tags, and the start, peak, and end of spawning and hatching were determined from an incubation model with aged egg samples and empirical incubation times ranging from 44 days at a water temperature of 9.85°C to 100 days at 3.89°C. From June to July, males ceased diel vertical movements, aggregated in nesting colonies, and established territories. Spawning began in late July, ended in mid-October, and peaked in early September. The male egg-brooding period that followed continued from late November to mid-January and duration was highly dependent on embryonic development as affected by ambient water temperature. Males exhibited brooding behavior for protracted periods at water depths from 23 to 117 m where average daily water temperatures ranged from 4.0° to 6.2°C. Knowledge about the timing of the reproductive cycle provides a framework for conserving Atka mackerel populations and investigating the physical and biological processes influencing recruitment.

The California flooding rains during February, 1986 [abstract]

After an unusually strong and persistent pattern of atmospheric circulation over the United State[s] in Fall 1985, it became quite changeable (although high amplitude anomalies still prevailed). Following a fall that was cold in the West and warm in the East with heavy precipitation, a high pressure ridge set in over the West during December, with generally light precipitation over most of the country. Throughout the winter, the central North Pacific was very active, with large negative atmospheric pressure anomalies centered at about 45°N, l60°W. This activity may have been encouraged by an enhanced meridional eastern North Pacific sea surface temperature (SST) gradient, with positive SST anomalies in the subtropics and negative anomalies in midlatitudes. However, in January, the western high pressure ridge remained strong and temperatures were remarkably warm, increasing the threat of drought in California after the two previous dry winters. However, in February, storms from a greatly expanded and southerly displaced Aleutian Low broke into the West Coast. An unusual siege from February 11 to February 20 flooded central and northern California, with very heavy precipitation and record to near-record runoff. Upwards of 50 percent of annual average precipitation fell on locations from the upper San Joaquin to the Feather River drainage basins, and the largest flow since observations began in the early 1900's was recorded on the Sacramento River at Sacramento. The atmospheric pattern that was responsible for this remarkable stormy spell developed when the western high pressure retrograded to the northwest into the Aleutians, accompanied by the strengthened and southerly extended storm tract that moved into California. Although exact details vary from case to case, this episode displayed meteorological conditions similar to those in several other historical California winter flood events. These included a long duration of very strong westerly to southwesterly winds over a long subtropical fetch into California. Much of the precipitation during this series of storms was orographically induced by the moisture laden flow rising over the Sierra ranges. Due to the warm air mass, snow levels were relatively high (about 7500 feet) during the heaviest precipitation, resulting in copious runoff.

Patterns of orographic uplift in the Sierra Nevada and their relationship to upper-level atmospheric circulation

We examine monthly and seasonal patterns of precipitation across various elevations of the eastern Central Valley of California and the Sierra Nevada. A measure of the strength of the orographic effect called the “precipitation ratio” is calculated, and we separate months into four groups based on being wet or dry and having low or high precipitation ratios. Using monthly maps of mean 700-mb height anomalies, we describe the northern hemisphere mid-tropospheric circulation patterns associated with each of the four groups. Wet months are associated with negative height anomalies over the eastern Pacific, as expected. However, the orientation of the trough is different for years with high and low precipitation ratios. Wet months with high ratios typically have circulation patterns factoring a west-southwest to east-northeast storm track from around the Hawaiian Islands to the Pacific Northwest of the United States. Wet months with low precipitation ratios are associated with a trough centered near the Aleutians and a northwest to southeast storm track. Dry months are marked by anticyclones in the Pacific, but this feature is more localized to the eastern Pacific for months with low precipitation ratios than for those with high ratios. Using precipitation gauge and snow course data from the American River and Truckee-Tahoe basins, we determined that the strength of the orographic effect on a seasonal basis is spatially coherent at low and high elevations and on opposite sides of the Sierra Nevada crestline.

Technical and mapping support for marine spatial planning: Final report

Washington depends on a healthy coastal and marine ecosystem to maintain a thriving economy and vibrant communities. These ecosystems support critical habitats for wildlife and a growing number of often competing ocean activities, such as fishing, transportation, aquaculture, recreation, and energy production. Planners, policy makers and resource managers are being challenged to sustainably balance ocean uses, and environmental conservation in a finite space and with limited information. This balancing act can be supported by spatial planning. Marine spatial planning (MSP) is a planning process that enables integrated, forward looking, and consistent decision making on the human uses of the oceans and coasts. It can improve marine resource management by planning for human uses in locations that reduce conflict, increase certainty, and support a balance among social, economic, and ecological benefits we receive from ocean resources. In March 2010, the Washington state legislature enacted a marine spatial planning law (RCW §43.372) to address resource use conflicts in Washington waters. In 2011, a report to the legislature and a workshop on human use data provided guidance for the marine spatial planning process. The report outlines a set of recommendations for the State to effectively undertake marine spatial planning and this work plan will support some of these recommendations, such as: federal integration, regional coordination, developing mechanisms to integrate scientific and technical expertise, developing data standards, and accessing and sharing spatial data. In 2012 the Governor amended the existing law to focus funding on mapping and ecosystem assessments for Washington’s Pacific coast and the legislature provided $2.1 million in funds to begin marine spatial planning off Washington’s coast. The funds are appropriated through the Washington Department of Natural Resources Marine Resources Stewardship Account with coordination among the State Ocean Caucus, the four Coastal Treaty Tribes, four coastal Marine Resource Committees and the newly formed stakeholder body, the Washington Coastal Marine Advisory Council.

Land-sea characterization of the St. Croix East End Marine Park, U.S. Virgin Islands

The St. Croix East End Marine Park (STXEEMP) was established in 2003 as the first multi-use marine park managed by the U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Planning and Natural Resources. It encompasses an area of approximately 155 km2 and is entirely within Territorial waters which extend up to 3 nautical miles from shore. As stated in the 2002 management plan, the original goals were to: protect and maintain the biological diversity and other natural values of the area; promote sound management practices for sustainable production purposes; protect the natural resource base from being alienated for other land use purposes that would be detrimental to the area’s biological diversity; and to contribute to regional and national development (The Nature Conservancy, 2002). At the time of its establishment, there were substantial data gaps in knowledge about living marine resources in the St. Croix, and existing data were inadequate for establishing baselines from which to measure the future performance of the various management zones within the park. In response to these data gaps, National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS), Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment, Biogeography Branch (CCMA-BB) worked with territorial partners to characterize and assess the status of the marine environment in and around the STXEEMP and land-based stressors that affect them. This project collected and analyzed data on the distribution, diversity and landscape condition of marine communities across the STXEEMP. Specifically, this project characterized (1) landscape and adjacent seascape condition relevant to threats to coral reef ecosystem health, and (2) the marine communities within STXEEMP zones to increase local knowledge of resources exposed to different regulations and stressors.

A biogeographic asssessment of seabirds, deep sea corals and ocean habitats of the New York Bight: science to support offshore spatial planning

This report provides a compilation of new maps and spatial assessments for seabirds, bathymetry, surficial sediments, deep sea corals, and oceanographic habitats in support of offshore spatial planning led by the New York Department of State Ocean and Great Lakes Program. These diverse ecological themes represent priority information gaps left by past assessments and were requested by New York to better understand and balance ocean uses and environmental conservation in the Atlantic. The main goal of this report is to translate raw ecological, geomorphological and oceanographic data into maps and assessments that can be easily used and understood by coastal managers involved in offshore spatial planning. New York plans to integrate information in this report with other ecological, geophysical and human use data to obtain a broad perspective on the ocean environment, human uses and their interactions. New York will then use this information in an ecosystem-based framework to coordinate and support decisions balancing competing demands in their offshore environment, and ultimately develop a series of amendments to New York’s federally approved Coastal Management Program. The targeted users of this report and the compiled spatial information are New York coastal managers, but other State and federal decision-makers, offshore renewable energy development interests and environmental advocates will also find the information useful. In addition, the data and approaches will be useful to regional spatial planning initiatives set up by the Mid-Atlantic Regional Council on the Ocean (MARCO) and federal regional planning bodies for coastal and marine spatial planning.

Gap analysis of marine ecosystem data for the Department of Interior, National Park Service Inventory & Monitoring Program

The Gap Analysis of Marine Ecosystem Data project is a review of available geospatial data which can assist in marine natural resource management for eight park units. The project includes the collection of geospatial information and its incorporation in a single consistent geodatabase format. The project also includes a mapping portal which can be seen at: http://ccma.nos.noaa.gov/explorer/gapanalysis/gap_analysis.html In addition to the collection of geospatial information and mapping portal we have conducted a gap analysis of a standard suite of available information for managing marine resources. Additional gap were identified by interviewing park service staff.

Population structure of island-associated dolphins: evidence from photo-identification of common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in the main Hawaiian Islands

Management agencies often use geopolitical boundaries as proxies for biological boundaries. In Hawaiian waters a single stock is recognized of common bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncatus, a species that is found both in open water and near-shore among the main Hawaiian Islands. To assess population structure, we photo-identified 336 distinctive individuals from the main Hawaiian Islands, from 2000 to 2006. Their generally shallow-water distribution, and numerous within-year and between-year resightings within island areas suggest that individuals are resident to the islands, rather than part of an offshore population moving through the area. Comparisons of identifications obtained from Kaua‘i/Ni‘ihau, O‘ahu, the “4-island area,” and the island of Hawai‘i showed no evidence of movements among these island groups, although movements from Kaua‘i to Ni‘ihau and among the “4-islands” were documented. A Bayesian analysis examining the probability of missing movements among island groups, given our sample sizes for different areas, indicates that interisland movement rates are less than 1% per year with 95% probability. Our results suggest the existence of multiple demographically independent populations of island-associated common bottlenose dolphins around the main Hawaiian islands.

Age-validation of a leopard shark (Triakis semifasciata) recaptured after 20 years

On 10 July 1999, vertebrae bearing an oxytetracycline (OTC) time mark were retrieved from a tagged leopard shark (Triakis semifasciata) recaptured in San Francisco Bay, CA, after being at liberty for almost 20 years. An additional long-term leopard shark tag return was received in June 2001, for which growth information (but not vertebrae) was obtained. The first recapture is significant in that it represents the longest at-liberty period for an age-validated (OTC-injected) shark, extends and completes age validation for this species, spanning all age classes up to its estimated average maximum age, and provides an example of the persistence of the OTC time mark in an elasmobranch at liberty for almost 20 years. The recaptured leopard shark made in 2001 also provides valuable information on long-term growth from time of release to time of recapture. Findings are documented here so that other researchers are aware that validation is complete for this species, to present pertinent evidence of considerable interannual variability in growth in this species, and to report observations on processing difficulties relating to the ephemeral nature of the 20-yr-old OTC mark.

A numerical simulation of cool/wet and warm/wet episodes in the western United States

Wintertime precipitation in the mountains of the western United States during a warm or cool period has a pronounced influence on streamflow. During a warm year, streamflow at intermediate elevations responds more immediately to precipitation events; during a cold year, much of the discharge is delayed until the snow melts in spring and summer. Previous efforts at studying these extremes have been hampered by a limited number and length of observational analyses. In this study, we augment this limited observational record by analyzing a simplified general circulation model.

Decadal hydroclimatic variability over western North America [abstract]

EXTRACT (SEE PDF FOR FULL ABSTRACT): Variability of precipitation over North America on ENSO and decadal time scales is examined from several decades of precipitation and snow course records.

Decadal variability over the North Pacific Ocean [abstract]

EXTRACT (SEE PDF FOR FULL ABSTRACT): In this study we use ocean and atmosphere datasets from observations and from an ocean general circulation model integration to examine decadal time scale variability that is centered in the Pacific basin. We know that decadal variability is likely to have a strong expression in the Pacific basin; for example, a marked "shift" of cool season climate in the mid-1970s introduced major changes in Pacific SST and atmospheric circulation, along with many other physical and biological properties.

Tortugas marinas en aguas argentinas

Con la ayuda de los sensores remotos y los sistemas de posicionamiento geográfico, los científicos están descubriendo varias facetas sobre las vida de las tortugas marinas. Se describe el método para realizar el siguimiento satelital, sus migraciones, y se dan las características de las especies de tortugas marinas encontradas en aguas costeras de la Argentina. Este trabajo de divulgación científica hace hincapié en la importancia de su conservación, según la Unión Internacional para la Conservación de la Naturaleza, éstas se encuentran en peligro o en peligro crítico de extinción en todo el mundo. Se incluyen al final otras lecturas sugeridas sobre el tema.