Data and Reports Explorer

This study showed that large prefabricated units and concrete rubble patch reefs, placed as artificial marine habitats on sand bottom, greatly enhance the abundance, diversity, and biomass of fish in an area. Densities of individuals and biomass were found considerably higher at artificial reefs than at nearby, natural, bank reefs, ...

This report is based on one of the recommendations from the 2014 United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) “Scientific Workshop on Coral Reef Resilience in Planning and Decision-support Frameworks” to address the question can intermediate depth reefs serve as “lifeboats” for increasingly stressed coral reef ecosystems? This question was addressed by ...

This study examines the integrated influence of sea level rise (SLR) and future morphology on tidal hydrodynamics along the Northern Gulf of Mexico (NGOM) coast including seven embayments and three ecologically and economically significant estuaries. A large-domain hydrodynamic model was used to simulate astronomic tides for present and future conditions ...

While early life-stage marine bivalves are vulnerable to ocean acidification, effects over successive generations are poorly characterized. The objective of this work was to assess the transgenerational efects of ocean acidifcation on two species of North Atlantic bivalve shellfsh, Mercenaria mercenaria and Argopecten irradians. Adults of both species were subjected ...

The present study seeks to further our understanding of ocean currents in and around the Mariana archipelago and their potential influence on larval transport. We combined observational data on ocean currents from satellite-tracked surface drifters with computer simulations of larval dispersal driven by an ocean circulation model to achieve the ...

The increasing use of trophic position (TP) for assessing and describing ecosystems has resulted in the emergence of novel techniques for accurate and accessible measurements. The strength of amino acid compound specific nitrogen isotopic analysis (AA?CSIA) lies in its ability to determine TP using a single organism, utilizing the isotopic ...

The dinoflagellate Karlodinium veneficum is a harmful algal bloom species with a worldwide distribution. This small athecate dinoflagellate makes a family of polyketide toxins that are hemolytic, cytotoxic and ichthyotoxic. The first chemical structure for karlotoxins from East China Sea (ECS) is reported here. The two new karlotoxins, namely 4,5-dihydro-KmTx ...

Two new species of genus Cumella G. O. Sars: Cumella solomoni and C. manolelii are described from mesophotic substrata of Puerto Rico and St. Croix (U.S. Virgin Islands), respectively. Similarities and dissimilarities with related species are discussed ...

Recent supply shocks in the Gulf of Mexico—including hurricanes, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the seasonal appearance of a large dead zone of low oxygen water (hypoxia)—have raised concerns about the economic viability of the U.S. shrimp fishery. The ability of U.S. shrimpers to mediate supply shocks through increased ...

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Coral reefs are subject to numerous physical disturbances, and post-disturbance coral recovery potential depends on subsequent re-colonization of impacted habitat. We examined divergent recovery trajectories at 2 proximal reefs disturbed by ship groundings that resulted in clearly delineated areas of altered substrate. Post-disturbance measurements of coral recruitment, survival, and changes ...

There is an urgent need to develop reliable biomarkers of environmental hypoxia exposure in marine organisms in order to assess the ecological impacts of the marked increase in coastal hypoxia worldwide. Full-length hypoxia-inducible factor HIF-1α and HIF-2α cDNAs were cloned and characterized from dragonet Callionymus valenciennei, a representative epibenthic teleost inhabiting ...

While urea has long been recognized as an important form of nitrogen in planktonic ecosystems, very little is known about how many or which phytoplankton and bacteria can use urea as a nitrogen source. We developed a method, targeting the gene encoding urease, for the direct detection and identification of ...

As a Federal trust species, the well-being of the striped bass (Morone saxatilis) population along the Eastern Seaboard is of major concern to resource users. Striped bass are an extremely valuable commercial and recreational resource. As a principal piscivore in Chesapeake Bay, striped bass directly or indirectly interact with multiple ...

This study analyzed nearly ten years of acoustic telemetry monitoring at Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary, to understand its role in fish movements along the U.S. Atlantic coast. Designated in 1981, Gray’s Reef lies 17 miles off the coast of Georgia where water depths are ~60-70 feet and the habitat ...

Habitat complexity plays a major role in determining the distribution and structure of fish assemblages in the aquatic environment. These locations are critical for ecosystem function and have significant implications for conservation and management. In this study, we evaluated the utility of remotely sensed lidar (light detection and ranging) data ...

We analyzed an ensemble of watershed models that predict flow, nitrogen, and phosphorus discharges. The models differed in scope and complexity and used different input data, but all had been applied to evaluate human impacts on discharges to the Patuxent River or to the Chesapeake Bay. We compared predictions to ...

Models that help predict fecal coliform bacteria (FCB) levels in environmental waters can be important tools for resource managers. In this study, we used animal activity along with antibiotic resistance analysis (ARA), land cover, and other variables to build models that predict bacteria levels in coastal ponds that discharge into ...

NCCOS scientists conducted an independent assessment within the US Virgin Islands from January 30 to February 13, 2017 to evaluate the thematic accuracy of a draft benthic habitat map of the South Eastern Puerto Rican Shelf. Sites in the area ranged between 30?100 m in depth along the shelf, which ...

NCCOS scientists conducted field operations from August 20 to September 2, 2016 in areas between 30?100 m in depth on the South Eastern Puerto Rican Shelf. The South Eastern Puerto Rican Shelf stretches off the East Coast of Vieques, PR along the south edge of St. Thomas to the Eastern ...