2009 LTER All Scientists Meeting - Coastal Systems

The propagating response of inner shelf circulation to wind relaxations along the central California Coast

Libe Washburn — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 14:38:43 +0000

Poster Number:

395

Presenter/Primary Author:

Libe Washburn

Co-Authors:

Chris Melton

Co-Authors:

Melanie Fewings

Co-Authors:

Chris Gotschalk

Following relaxations prevailing equatorward winds, warm water from the Santa Barbara Channel flows poleward around Point Conception and along the central California coast. Sequences of satellite sea surface temperature images show the events as bands of warm water extending up to 20 km offshore. Characteristics of these flows were examined using time series of currents and temperature from an array of moorings along the inner shelf (15 m depth), a mooring on the mid-shelf (100 m depth), and surface current observations from high frequency radars.

Niwot Ridge LTER Program: Alpine Ecosystems as Early Warning Systems

Mark Williams — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 17:42:43 +0000

Poster Number:

377

Presenter/Primary Author:

Mark Williams

Co-Authors:

Tim Seastedt

Co-Authors:

Diane McKnight

Co-Authors:

Alan Townsend

Co-Authors:

Bill Bowman

Co-Authors:

Steve Schmidt

Co-Authors:

Peter Blanken

The Niwot Ridge (NWT) LTER site was one of the five original LTER sites established in 1980. The LTER program is based at the University of Colorado-Boulder and is administered through the Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research (INSTAAR) and in cooperation with the Mountain Research Station, with special use permits from the US Forest Service.

Measuring zooplankton aggregations at oceanic fronts in the California Current using autonomous gliders

Jesse Powell — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 15:36:51 +0000

Poster Number:

374

Presenter/Primary Author:

Jesse Powell

Co-Authors:

Mark Ohman

Co-Authors:

Russ Davis

Autonomous gliders traversing across shore sections of the California Current are powerful tools for continously measuring hydrographic properties, chlorophyll a fluorescence and acoustic backscatter (at 750kHz) in the CCE study area. Sharp fronts in hydrographic properties seem to co-occur with biological fronts assoctiated with chl a fluorescence and acoustic backscatter (which is a rough proxy for zoolankton biomass). This poster examines criteria for defining both physical and biological fronts as well as the strength of interaction between the fronts.

Student Poster:

Yes

The California Current Ecosystem (CCE) LTER Site

Mark Ohman — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 03:58:20 +0000

Poster Number:

369

Presenter/Primary Author:

Mark Ohman

Co-Authors:

24 coauthors

The California Current System is a coastal upwelling biome, as found along the eastern margins of all major ocean basins. These are among the more productive ecosystems in the world ocean. The California Current Ecosystem (CCE) LTER site (centered on 32.9° N, 120.3° W) is investigating nonlinear transitions in the California Current coastal pelagic ecosystem, with particular attention to long-term forcing by a secular warming trend, multi-decadal oscillations (e.g., PDO and NPGO), and ENSO in altering the structure and dynamics of the pelagic ecosystem.

Environmental controls on benthic microbial food webs

James Hollibaugh — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 20:41:37 +0000

Poster Number:

348

Presenter/Primary Author:

James Hollibaugh

Co-Authors:

Matthew First

We examined benthic microbial communities in three contrasting subtidal salt marsh sediments over the course of a year to investigate the relationship between environmental conditions and benthic microbial community structure. Samples were collected monthly from a high energy, sandy beach, a tidal creek bed, and a Spartina alterniflora marsh border. The concentrations and biomasses of benthic microalgae (BMA), total and potentially active bacteria (measured by an enzyme-activated fluorogenic compound), heterotrophic protists, and metazoan meiofauna were measured at each location.

The Georgia Coastal Ecosystems LTER Program

Wade Sheldon — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 19:49:53 +0000

Poster Number:

343

Presenter/Primary Author:

Merryl Alber

Co-Authors:

Steven Pennings

Co-Authors:

Adrian Burd

Co-Authors:

James T. Hollibaugh

Co-Authors:

Samantha B. Joye

Co-Authors:

Wade Sheldon

The Georgia Coastal Ecosystems (GCE) LTER site, located on the central Georgia coast, was established in 2000. The study domain encompasses three adjacent sounds (Altamaha, Doboy, Sapelo) and includes upland (mainland, barrier islands, marsh hammocks), intertidal (fresh, brackish and salt marsh) and submerged (river, estuary, continental shelf) habitats. Patterns and processes in this complex landscape vary spatially within and between sites, and temporally on multiple scales (tidal, diurnal, seasonal, and inter-annual).

The Virginia Coast Reserve Long-Term Ecological Research Project

John Porter — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 17:27:27 +0000

Poster Number:

330

Presenter/Primary Author:

Karen McGlathery

Co-Authors:

Patricia Wiberg

Co-Authors:

John Porter

The Virginia Coast Reserve (VCR) is an extremely dynamic, heterogeneous coastal barrier landscape comprising mainland watersheds, tidal marshes, lagoons, and barrier islands. Our goal for the VCR LTER program is to develop a predictive understanding of the response of coastal barrier systems to long-term environmental changes in climate, sea level and land use, and to relate these to the ecological services the coastal barrier systems provide.

Do beaver dams alter coastal ecosystem structure and function by changing fish species diversity, increasing fragmentation, and altering habitat?

Joseph Smith — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 22:06:27 +0000

Poster Number:

313

Presenter/Primary Author:

Joseph Smith

Co-Authors:

Martha E. Mather

Co-Authors:

Robert M. Muth

Co-Authors:

John T. Finn

Co-Authors:

Linda A. Deegan

Coastal watersheds provide valuable ecosystem goods and services to society. Both anthropogenic and natural changes may alter the ability of natural systems to provide these goods and services. To maintain resilient ecosystems in the face of future change, we need to understand their structure and how they function. One indicator of ecosystem function is species diversity. Substantial evidence exists to suggest that more diverse systems can be more resilient to ecosystem alterations.

Student Poster:

Yes

Observations of wave-driven dispersion over coral reefs

James Hench — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 02:23:20 +0000

Poster Number:

311

Presenter/Primary Author:

James Hench

Co-Authors:

Liv Walter

Co-Authors:

James Leichter

Co-Authors:

Stephen Monismith

The exchange of water between coral reef lagoons and the open ocean depends on the interplay between waves, buoyancy, wind stress, and alongshore currents. Some processes act to retain lagoon water such as onshore flows driven by surface waves, while others (e.g., the momentum jet that exits the lagoon) export lagoon water. To explore the impact of surface waves on the exchange dynamics, observations were made in Paopao Bay, French Polynesia, a nearly tideless coral reef lagoon system.

Student Poster:

Yes

The Influence of Echinoids on Coral Reef Community Structure

Stella Swanson — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 00:50:32 +0000

Poster Number:

309

Presenter/Primary Author:

Stella Swanson

Co-Authors:

Robert C. Carpenter

Coral reefs are known for their exceptional species diversity and productivity, yet are sensitive to biotic and abiotic perturbations. Many reefs have experienced phase shifts as the result of alterations in herbivore abundance. This research in Moorea, French Polynesia, is aimed at elucidating differential effects of sea urchin species on the coral reef community.

Student Poster:

Yes