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Scientific literature and information products produced by Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center staff

Filter Total Items: 1737

The colonial ascidian Didemnum sp. A: current distribution, basic biology and potential threat to marine communities of the northeast and west coasts of North America The colonial ascidian Didemnum sp. A: current distribution, basic biology and potential threat to marine communities of the northeast and west coasts of North America

Didemnum sp. A is a colonial ascidian with rapidly expanding populations on the east and west coasts of North America. The origin of Didemum sp. A is unknown. Populations were first observed on the northeast coast of the U.S. in the late 1980s and on the west coast during the 1990s. It is currently undergoing a massive population explosion and is now a dominant member of many subtidal...
Authors
S.G. Bullard, G. Lambert, M.R. Carman, J. Byrnes, R.B. Whitlatch, G. Ruiz, R. J. Miller, L. Harris, P. C. Valentine, J.S. Collie, J. Pederson, D.C. McNaught, A.N. Cohen, R. G. Asch, J. Dijkstra, K. Heinonen

The importance of shallow confining units to submarine groundwater flow The importance of shallow confining units to submarine groundwater flow

In addition to variable density flow, the lateral and vertical heterogeneity of submarine sediments creates important controls on coastal aquifer systems. Submarine confining units produce semi-confined offshore aquifers that are recharged on shore. These low-permeability deposits are usually either late Pleistocene to Holocene in age, or date to the period of the last interglacial...
Authors
J.F. Bratton

A circulation modeling approach for evaluating the conditions for shoreline instabilities A circulation modeling approach for evaluating the conditions for shoreline instabilities

Analytical models predict the growth (instability) of shoreline salients when deep-water waves approach the coast from highly oblique angles, contrary to classical shoreline change models in which shoreline salients can only dissipate. Using the process-based wave, circulation, and sediment transport model Delft3D, we test this prediction for simulated bathymetric and wave...
Authors
Jeffrey H. List, Andrew D. Ashton

Characterization of methane hydrate host sediments using synchrotron-computed microtomography (CMT) Characterization of methane hydrate host sediments using synchrotron-computed microtomography (CMT)

The hydrate-sediment interaction is an important aspect of gas hydrate studies that needs further examination. We describe here the applicability of the computed microtomography (CMT) technique that utilizes an intense X-ray synchrotron source to characterize sediment samples, two at various depths from the Blake Ridge area (a well-known hydrate-prone region) and one from Georges Bank...
Authors
K.W. Jones, H. Feng, S. Tomov, W.J. Winters, M. Prodanovic, D. Mahajan

Tidal asymmetry and residual circulation over linear sandbanks and their implication on sediment transport: a process-oriented numerical study Tidal asymmetry and residual circulation over linear sandbanks and their implication on sediment transport: a process-oriented numerical study

A series of process-oriented numerical simulations is carried out in order to evaluate the relative role of locally generated residual flow and overtides on net sediment transport over linear sandbanks. The idealized bathymetry and forcing are similar to those present in the Norfolk Sandbanks, North Sea. The importance of bottom drag parameterization and bank orientation with respect to...
Authors
Rosario Sanay, George Voulgaris, John C. Warner

Ra and Rn isotopes as natural tracers of submarine groundwater discharge in Tampa Bay, Florida Ra and Rn isotopes as natural tracers of submarine groundwater discharge in Tampa Bay, Florida

A suite of naturally occurring radionuclides in the U/Th decay series (222Rn, 223,224,226,228Ra) were studied during wet and dry conditions in Tampa Bay, Florida, to evaluate their utility as groundwater discharge tracers, both within the bay proper and within the Alafia River/estuary — a prominent free-flowing river that empties into the bay. In Tampa Bay, almost 30% of the combined...
Authors
P.W. Swarzenski, C. Reich, K.D. Kroeger, M. Baskaran

Methane gas hydrate effect on sediment acoustic and strength properties Methane gas hydrate effect on sediment acoustic and strength properties

To improve our understanding of the interaction of methane gas hydrate with host sediment, we studied: (1) the effects of gas hydrate and ice on acoustic velocity in different sediment types, (2) effect of different hydrate formation mechanisms on measured acoustic properties (3) dependence of shear strength on pore space contents, and (4) pore pressure effects during undrained shear. A...
Authors
W.J. Winters, W.F. Waite, D.H. Mason, L.Y. Gilbert, I.A. Pecher

Three-dimensional structure of fluid conduits sustaining an active deep marine cold seep Three-dimensional structure of fluid conduits sustaining an active deep marine cold seep

Cold seeps in deep marine settings emit fluids to the overlying ocean and are often associated with such seafloor flux indicators as chemosynthetic biota, pockmarks, and authigenic carbonate rocks. Despite evidence for spatiotemporal variability in the rate, locus, and composition of cold seep fluid emissions, the shallow subseafloor plumbing systems have never been clearly imaged in...
Authors
M.J. Hornbach, C. Ruppel, C.L. Van Dover

Using topographic lidar data to delineate the North Carolina Shoreline Using topographic lidar data to delineate the North Carolina Shoreline

In North Carolina, shoreline change rates are an important component of the state's coastal management program. To enhance methods of measuring shoreline change, the NC Division of Coastal Management (DCM) is considering using mean high water (MHW) shorelines extracted from lidar data together with traditional wet/dry shorelines digitized from aerial photography. To test their...
Authors
Patrick W. Limber, Jeffrey H. List, Jeffrey D. Warren, Amy S. Farris, Kathryn M. Weber

Modeling barrier island response to sea-level rise in the Outer Banks, North Carolina Modeling barrier island response to sea-level rise in the Outer Banks, North Carolina

An 8500-year Holocene simulation developed in GEOMBEST provides a possible scenario to explain the evolution of barrier coast between Rodanthe and Cape Hatteras, NC. Sensitivity analyses suggest that in the Outer Banks, the rate of sea-level rise is the most important factor in determining how barrier islands evolve. The Holocene simulation provides a basis for future simulations, which...
Authors
Laura J. Moore, Jeffrey H. List, S. Jeffress Williams, David Stolper

Long-term performance of Aanderaa optodes and sea-bird SBE-43 dissolved-oxygen sensors bottom mounted at 32 m in Massachusetts Bay Long-term performance of Aanderaa optodes and sea-bird SBE-43 dissolved-oxygen sensors bottom mounted at 32 m in Massachusetts Bay

A field evaluation of two new dissolved-oxygen sensing technologies, the Aanderaa Instruments AS optode model 3830 and the Sea-Bird Electronics, Inc., model SBE43, was carried out at about 32-m water depth in western Massachusetts Bay. The optode is an optical sensor that measures fluorescence quenching by oxygen molecules, while the SBE43 is a Clark polarographic membrane sensor...
Authors
Marinna A. Martini, Bradford Butman, Michael J. Mickelson

Simultaneous determination of thermal conductivity, thermal diffusivity and specific heat in sI methane hydrate Simultaneous determination of thermal conductivity, thermal diffusivity and specific heat in sI methane hydrate

Thermal conductivity, thermal diffusivity and specific heat of sI methane hydrate were measured as functions of temperature and pressure using a needle probe technique. The temperature dependence was measured between −20°C and 17°C at 31.5 MPa. The pressure dependence was measured between 31.5 and 102 MPa at 14.4°C. Only weak temperature and pressure dependencies were observed. Methane...
Authors
W.F. Waite, L.A. Stern, S. H. Kirby, W.J. Winters, D.H. Mason
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