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Publications

Explore scientific publications from the USGS St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center.

Filter Total Items: 912

Tampa Bay Ocean and Coastal Acidification Monitoring Quality Assurance Project Plan

Coastal acidification caused by eutrophication, freshwater inflow, and upwelling is already affecting many estuaries worldwide and can be exacerbated by ocean acidification that is caused by increasing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Effective management, mitigation, and (or) adaptation to the effects of coastal and ocean acidification require careful monitoring of the resulting changes in seawa
Authors
Kimberly K. Yates, Christopher S. Moore, Nathan H. Goldstein, Edward T. Sherwood

Stability of temperate coral Astrangia poculata microbiome is reflected across different sequencing methodologies

The microbiome of the temperate coral Astrangia poculata was first described in 2017 using next-generation Illumina sequencing to examine the coral’s bacterial and archaeal associates across seasons and among hosts of differing symbiotic status. To assess the impact of methodology on the detectable diversity of the coral’s microbiome, we obtained near full-length Sanger sequences from clone librar
Authors
Dawn B. Goldsmith, Zoe A. Pratte, Christina A. Kellogg, Sara E. Snader, Koty H. Sharp

Florida Coastal Mapping Program—Overview and 2018 workshop report

The Florida Coastal Mapping Program is a nascent but highly relevant program that has the potential to greatly enhance the “Blue Economy” of Florida by coordinating and facilitating sea-floor mapping efforts and aligning partner and stakeholder activities for increased efficiency and cost reduction. Sustained acquisition of modern coastal mapping information for Florida may improve management of r
Authors
Cheryl J. Hapke, Philip A. Kramer, Elizabeth H. Fetherston-Resch, Rene D. Baumstark, Ryan Druyor, Xan Fredericks, Ekaterina Fitos

Physical mechanisms influencing localized patterns of temperature variability and coral bleaching within a system of reef atolls

Interactions between oceanic and atmospheric processes within coral reefs can significantly alter local-scale (< km) water temperatures, and consequently drive variations in heat stress and bleaching severity. The Scott Reef atoll system was one of many reefs affected by the 2015–2016 mass coral bleaching event across tropical Australia, and specifically experienced sea surface temperature anomali
Authors
Rebecca H. Green, Ryan J. Lowe, Mark L. Buckley, Taryn M. Lopez, James Gilmour

Considerations for Globigerinoides ruber (white and pink) paleoceanography: Comprehensive insights from a long‐running sediment trap

We present a detailed analysis of the seasonal distribution, size, morphological variability and geochemistry of co‐occurring pink and white chromotypes of Globigerinoides ruberfrom a high‐resolution (1–2 weeks) and long‐running sediment trap time series in the northern Gulf of Mexico. We find no difference in the seasonal flux of the two chromotypes. Although flux of G. ruber is consistently lowe
Authors
Julie N. Richey, Kaustubh Thirumalai, Deborah Khider, Caitlin E. Reynolds, Judson W. Partin, Terrence M. Quinn

Climate change, coral loss, and the curious case of the parrotfish paradigm: Why don't marine protected areas improve reef resilience?

Scientists have advocated for local interventions, such as creating marine protected areas and implementing fishery restrictions, as ways to mitigate local stressors to limit the effects of climate change on reef-building corals. However, in a literature review, we find little empirical support for the notion of managed resilience. We outline some reasons for why marine protected areas and the pro
Authors
John F. Bruno, Isabelle M. Cote, Lauren Toth

The 4.2 ka event, ENSO, and coral reef development

Variability of sea-surface temperature related to shifts in the mode of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) has been implicated as a possible forcing mechanism for the global-scale changes in tropical and subtropical precipitation known as the 4.2 ka event. We review records of coral reef development and paleoceanography from the tropical eastern Pacific (TEP) to evaluate the potential impact
Authors
Lauren Toth, Richard B. Aronson

Reconstructing precipitation in the tropical South Pacific from dinosterol 2H/1H ratios in lake sediment

The South Pacific Convergence Zone (SPCZ) is the Southern Hemisphere’s largest precipitation feature supplying freshwater to 11 million people. Despite its significance, little is known about the location and intensity of SPCZ precipitation prior to instrumental records, hindering attempts to predict precipitation changes in a warming world. Here we use sedimentary molecular fossils to establish a
Authors
Ashley E. Maloney, Daniel B. Nelson, Julie N. Richey, Matthew Prebble, David A. Sear, Jonathan D. Hassall, Peter G. Langdon, Ian W. Croudace, Atun Zawadzki, Julian P. Sachs

Distribution of modern salt-marsh Foraminifera from the eastern Mississippi Sound, U.S.A.

This study documented surface distributions of live and dead foraminiferal assemblages in the low-gradient tidal marshes of the barrier island and estuarine complex of the eastern Mississippi Sound (Grand Bay, Pascagoula River, Fowl River, Dauphin Island). A total of 71,833 specimens representing 38 species were identified from a gradient of different elevation zones across the study area. We iden
Authors
Christian Haller, Christopher G. Smith, Pamela Hallock, Albert C. Hine, Lisa Osterman, Terrence McCloskey

Short-term effects of ambient air pollution and cardiovascular events in Shiraz, Iran, 2009 to 2015

Air pollution and dust storms are associated with increased cardiovascular hospital admissions. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between short-term exposure to ambient air pollutants and CVD (cardiovascular disease) events in a long-term observational period. The study included the events of cardiovascular diseases (namely coronary artery disease, ischemic heart disease, my
Authors
Zahra Soleimani, Ali Darvishi Boloorani, Reza Khalifeh, Dale W. Griffin, Alireza Mesdaghinia

Recent outer-shelf foraminiferal assemblages on the Carnarvon Ramp and Northwestern Shelf of Western Australia

The carbonate sediments of the Western Australian shelf in the Indian Ocean host diverse assemblages of benthic foraminifera. Environments of the shelf are dominated by the southward-flowing Leeuwin Current, which impacts near-surface circulation and influences biogeographic ranges of Indo-Pacific warm-water foraminifera. Analyses of outer ramp to upper slope sediments (127–264 m water depth) at f
Authors
Christian Haller, Pamela Hallock, Albert C. Hine, Christopher G. Smith

Louisiana Coastal Zone sediment characterization; comparison of sediment grain sizes for samples collected in 2008 and 2015–2016 from the western Chenier plain to the Chandeleur Islands, Louisiana—Louisiana Barrier Island Comprehensive Monitoring (BICM) P

Repeated sampling and grain-size analysis of surficial sediments along the sandy shorelines of Louisiana is necessary to characterize coastal-zone sediment properties and evaluate sediment transport patterns within the nearshore environments. In 2008, and again in 2015 and 2016, sediment grab samples were collected along the shorelines of the western Chenier plain, the Isles Dernieres (Raccoon, Wh
Authors
Stephen T. Bosse, James G. Flocks, Julie Bernier, Ioannis Y. Georgiou, Mark A. Kulp, Michael Brown