Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Simulations Of The Influence Of The West Caribbean Sea Circulation And Eddies On The Meso-American Barrier Reef System, Tal Ezer, Deeptha V. Thattai, Björn Kjerve

CCPO Publications

The Meso-American Barrier Reef System (MBRS) along the coasts of Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras is an ecologically and biologically sensitive region. It provides for example, major spawning aggregation sites for various species of fish; these activities may be influenced by variations of the flow near the reef and the transports between the MBRS and the Caribbean Sea circulation. Caribbean eddies, which may play an important role in flow variability, have been studied in the past by observations and models (Carton and Chao, 1999; Murphy et al., 1999; Andrade and Barton, 2000; Oey et al., 2003), but knowledge of their …

Lagrangian Modelling Studies Of Antarctic Krill (Euphausia Superba) Swarm Formation, Eileen E. Hofmann, A. G. Edward Haskell, John M. Klinck, Cathy M. Lascara

CCPO Publications

A two-dimensional Lagrangian particle model was developed to examine the spatial distribution of Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba). The time-dependent location of particles, which represent krill individuals, is determined by random diffusion, foraging activity, and movement induced by the presence of neighbours. Foraging activity is based on prescribed food conditions and is such that krill swim slower and turn more frequently in areas of high food concentration. The presence or absence of neighbours either disperses krill, if the local concentrations become too dense, or coalesces krill, if concentrations become too dilute, respectively. Predation on krill is included and affects …

A Modelling Study Of The Influence Of Environment And Food Supply On Survival Of Crassostrea Gigas Larvae, Eileen E. Hofmann, Eric N. Powell, Eleanor A. Bochenek, John M. Klinck

CCPO Publications

A biochemically based model was developed to simulate the growth, development, and metamorphosis of larvae of the Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas). The unique characteristics of the model are that it: (1) defines larvae in terms of their protein, neutral lipid, polar lipid, carbohydrate, and ash content; (2) tracks weight separately from length to follow larval condition; and (3) includes genetic variation in growth efficiency and egg quality to better simulate cohort population dynamics. The model includes parameterizations for filtration, ingestion, and respiration, which determine larval growth rate, and processes controlling larval mortality and metamorphosis. Changes in larval tissue …

On The Sensitivity Of The West Caribbean Sea Circulation To Tides, Wind, And Mesoscale Ocean Eddies: A Three-Dimensional Ocean Model Study, Deeptha V. Thattai, Tal Ezer, Bjorn Kjerfve

CCPO Publications

A three-dimensional, primitive equation ocean model is used to study the circulation in the West Caribbean Sea (WCS) region, and to test the sensitivity of the coastal flow to various forcing fields such as tides, climatological wind, and Caribbean eddies. The model domain is bordered by latitudes 15 – 22 degrees N and longitudes 76 – 87 degrees W, with the MesoAmerican Barrier Reef System (MBRS, along the coasts of Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras) and the southern coast of Cuba as land boundaries. The WCS is open to the Caribbean Sea in the southeast and the Yucatan Channel in …

Complete Angular Distribution Measurements Of Two-Body Deuteron Photodisintegration Between 0.5 And 3 Gev, H. Bagdasaryan, H. Bektasoglu, G. E. Dodge, T. A. Forest, C. E. Hyde-Wright, A. Klein, A. V. Klimenko, S. E. Kuhn, F. Sabatié, S. Stepanyan, L. B. Weinstein, J. Yun, Et Al., The Clas Collaboration

Physics Faculty Publications

Nearly complete angular distributions of the two-body deuteron photodisintegration differential cross section have been measured using the CEBAF Large Acceptance Spectrometer detector and the tagged photon beam at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility. The data cover photon energies between 0.5 and 3.0 GeV and center-of-mass proton scattering angles 10°–160°. The data show a persistent forward-backward angle asymmetry over the explored energy range, and are well described by the nonperturbative quark gluon string model.

Experimental Determination Of The Evolution Of The Bjorken Integral At Low Q², A. Deur, P. Bosted, V. Burkert, G. Cates, J.P. Chen, Seonho Choi, D. Crabb, C.W. De Jager, R. De Vita, G.E. Dodge, R. Fatemi, T.A. Forest, F. Garibaldi, R. Gilman, E. W. Hughes, X. Jiang, W. Korsch, S. E. Kuhn, W. Melnitchouk, Z.-E. Meziani, R. Minehart, A.V. Skabelin, K. Slifer, M. Taiuti, J. Yun

Physics Faculty Publications

We extract the Bjorken integral 𝚪₁^p-n in the range 0.17 < Q² <1.10 GeV² from inclusive scattering of polarized electrons by polarized protons, deuterons, and ³He, for the region in which the integral is dominated by nucleon resonances. These data bridge the domains of the hadronic and partonic descriptions of the nucleon. In combination with earlier measurements at higher Q², we extract the nonsinglet twist-4 matrix element f₂.

Measurement Of The Electric Form Factor Of The Neutron At Q² = 0.5 And 1.0 Gev²/C², Jefferson Lab E93-026 Collaboration, G. Warren, F. Wesselmann, H. Zhu, A. Klimenko, S. E. Kuhn, L. Yuan, J. Yun, B. Zihlmann, Et Al.

Physics Faculty Publications

The electric form factor of the neutron was determined from measurements of the ^→d( ^→e, e'n)p reaction for quasielastic kinematics. Polarized electrons were scattered off a polarized deuterated ammonia (¹⁵ND₃) target in which the deuteron polarization was perpendicular to the momentum transfer. The scattered electrons were detected in a magnetic spectrometer in coincidence with neutrons in a large solid angle detector. We find Gⁿ_E =0.0526 ± 0.0033(stat) ± 0.0026(sys) and 0.0454 ± 0.0054 ± 0.0037 at Q²=0.5 and 1.0 (GeV/c)², respectively.

Unique Electron Polarimeter Analyzing Power Comparison And Precision Spin-Based Energy Measurement, J. M. Grames, C. K. Sinclair, J. Mitchell, E. Chudakov, H. Fenker, A. Freyberger, D. W. Higinbotham, M. Poelker, M. Steigerwald, M. Tiefenback, Vipuli Dharmawardane

Physics Faculty Publications

Precision measurements of the relative analyzing powers of five electron beam polarimeters, based on Compton, Moller, and Mott scattering, have been performed using the CEBAF accelerator at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility ( Jefferson Laboratory). A Wien filter in the 100 keV beam line of the injector was used to vary the electron spin orientation exiting the injector. High statistical precision measurements of the scattering asymmetry as a function of the spin orientation were made with each polarimeter. Since each polarimeter receives beam with the same magnitude of polarization, these asymmetry measurements permit a high statistical precision comparison of …

Prescribed Fire Impacts To Amphibians And Reptiles In Shelterwood-Harvested Oak-Dominated Forests, Patrick D. Keyser, David J. Sausville, W. Mark Ford, Donald J. Schwab, Patrick H. Brose

Virginia Journal of Science

As part of a larger study examining the role of prescribed fire in regenerating upland oaks (Quercus spp.), seasonal prescribed burns (winter, spring, summer, and unburned control) were applied to first-stage shelterwood-harvested stands on Horsepen Wildlife Management Area in the Virginia Piedmont in 1995. Because fire impacts are poorly documented for herpetofaunal communities, we surveyed these stands in 1996 capturing 133 individuals of ten species during over 12,720 pitfall trapnights. We found no significant differences in relative abundance of Eastern Red-backed Salamanders (Plethodon cinereus) (P = 0.26), American Toads (Bufo americanus) (P = 0.93), …

Estimation Of Drag Coefficient In James River Estuary Using Tidal Velocity Data From A Vessel-Towed Adcp, Chunyan Li, Arnoldo Valle-Levinson, Larry P. Atkinson, Kuo Chuin Wong, Kamazima M. M. Lwiza

CCPO Publications

[1] A phase-matching method is introduced to calculate the bottom drag coefficient in tidal channels with significant lateral variation of depth. The method is based on the fact that the bottom friction in a tidal channel causes tidal velocity to have a phase difference across the channel. The calculation involves a few steps. First, the observed horizontal velocity components are analyzed to obtain the amplitude and phase of the velocity at the major tidal frequency. The phase of the longitudinal velocity is then fitted to a relationship derived from the linearized momentum balance. The drag coefficient is then calculated. This …

Advection, Krill, And Antarctic Marine Ecosystems, Eileen E. Hofmann, Eugene J. Murphy

CCPO Publications

Advective processes are recognized as being important in structuring and maintaining marine ecosystems. In the Southern Ocean advective effects are perhaps most clearly observed because the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) provides a connection between most parts of the system, including open ocean and continental shelf regions. The ACC also provides a mechanism for large-scale transport of plankton, such as Antarctic krill (Euphousia superba Dana), which is an important component of the Southern Ocean food web. This overview provides a summary of recent observational and modelling results that consider the importance of advection to the Southern Ocean ecosystem and, in particular, …

Satellite Evidence Of Hurricane-Induced Phytoplankton Blooms In An Oceanic Desert, S. M. Babin, J. A. Carton, T. D. Dickey, J. D. Wiggert

CCPO Publications

The physical effects of hurricanes include deepening of the mixed layer and decreasing of the sea surface temperature in response to entrainment, curl-induced upwelling, and increased upper ocean cooling. However, the biological effects of hurricanes remain relatively unexplored. In this paper, we examine the passages of 13 hurricanes through the Sargasso Sea region of the North Atlantic during the years 1998 through 2001. Remotely sensed ocean color shows increased concentrations of surface chlorophyll within the cool wakes of the hurricanes, apparently in response to the injection of nutrients and/or biogenic pigments into the oligotrophic surface waters. This increase in post-storm …

Interactive Regulation Of Dissolved Copper Toxicity By An Estuarine Microbial Community, Christina L. Dryden, Andrew S. Gordon, John R. Donat

OES Faculty Publications

Cultured marine microorganisms under copper stress produce extracellular compounds having a high affinity for copper (copper-complexing ligands). These ligands are similar in binding strength to those found in natural waters, but few studies have examined the relationship between copper, copper-complexing ligand concentrations, and natural microbial populations. A series of in situ experiments in the Elizabeth River, Virginia, revealed that an intact estuarine microbial community responded to copper stress by production of extracellular, high-affinity copper-complexing ligands. The rate of ligand production was dependent on copper concentration and resulted in a reduction of the concentration of free cupric ions, Cu²⁺, …

Modeled And Observed Empirical Orthogonal Functions Of Currents In The Yucatan Channel, Gulf Of Mexico, Lie-Yauw Oey, Tal Ezer, Wilton Sturges

CCPO Publications

Candela et al. [2003] have reported empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analyses based on 23-month current-meter and acoustic Doppler current profiler measurements in the Yucatan Channel. Those authors noted the difference between EOFs obtained from observations and their z-level models and EOFs calculated by Ezer et al. [2003] from the results of a terrain-following model. Here a new analysis is reported that explains this difference, and that also suggests the importance of shelf-edge meander mode of the core Loop Current in the channel. We show that the terrain-following model gives EOFs with characteristics similar to those observed when data from the …

Using Web Services To Integrate Heterogeneous Simulations In A Grid Environment, J. Mark Pullen, Ryan Brunton, Don Brutzman, David Drake, Michael Hieb, Katherine L. Morse, Andreas Tolk

Computational Modeling & Simulation Engineering Faculty Publications

The distributed information technologies collectively known as Web services recently have demonstrated powerful capabilities for scalable interoperation of heterogeneous software across a wide variety of networked platforms. This approach supports a rapid integration cycle and shows promise for ultimately supporting automatic composability of services using discovery via registries. This paper presents a rationale for extending Web services to distributed simulation environments, including the High Level Architecture (HLA), together with a description and examples of the integration methodology used to develop significant prototype implementations. A logical next step is combining the power of Grid computing with Web services to facilitate rapid …

Age And Growth Of Scotia Sea Icefish, Chaenocephalus Aceratus, From The South Shetland Islands, M. La Mesa, J. Ashford, E. Larson, M. Vacchi

OES Faculty Publications

Samples of Chaenocephalus aceratus (Lönnberg) were collected during a trawl survey carried out around the South Shetland Islands in January–February 2002. Fish were caught by commercial bottom trawl fishing down to 500 m depth, using a stratified randomized sampling design. As observed in other recent surveys within the same area, C. aceratus represented one of the predominant species. Overall, 357 specimens ranging from 13 and 67 cm (TL) were selected for the present study. Ages were estimated by counting annuli present in the sagittal otoliths, exposed by grinding and polishing along their sagittal plane. To estimate the precision of age …

Dinitrogen Fixation And Release Of Ammonium And Dissolved Organic Nitrogen By Trichodesmium Ims101, Margaret R. Mulholland, Deborah A. Bronk, Douglas G. Capone

OES Faculty Publications

Two methods used to measure dinitrogen (N₂) fixation (acetylene reduction and ¹⁵N₂ uptake) often result in different N₂ fixation rates. Part of the discrepancy may arise from the observation that Trichodesmium can release a fraction of their recently fixed N₂ as dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) and/or ammonium (NH4 ⁺). To resolve outstanding issues regarding N₂ fixation and the production of dissolved combined nitrogen (N) by Trichodesmium, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of N₂ fixation and the production of DON and NH₄⁺ in cultures of Trichodesmium IMS101. We performed …

Hydrologic Variations Within Created And Natural Wetlands In Southeastern Virginia, Aaron Dyer Despres

OES Theses and Dissertations

The hydrology of wetlands, particularly how wetland soils collect, store, and redistribute water strongly affects how wetland systems function. In created wetlands, construction processes and materials influence the hydrology and consequently, the potential for successful reestablishment of target vegetation communities. During 2002–2004, the Virginia Department of Transportation constructed large mitigation wetlands on two different Quaternary aged surfaces with very similar hydrogeomorphic conditions. The Sandy Bottom Nature Park site (SBNP) located in Hampton, VA and rests on the sandy loam Tabb Formation while the Charles City Wetland site (CCW) lies on the older and clay-rich Shirley Formation. This study documents and …

Inter-Annual To Inter-Decadal Variability Of Upwelling And Anchovy Population Off Northern Chile, Jose L. Blanco-Garcia

OES Theses and Dissertations

The coastal ocean of northern Chile has persistent wind-driven upwelling that produces high nutrient and chlorophyll concentrations in a narrow band along the coast. The objective of this thesis is to study the low frequency temporal variability of the upwelling system, to understand the spatial and temporal changes in the wind field, and how these changes may affect the upwelling and anchovy variability. Data used in this thesis includes time series of wind, sea level, sea surface temperature, and atmospheric pressure at coastal stations, from 1960 to 2003, and oceanographic and acoustic cruises for the period 1993–2003. The time series …

Estimation Of Primary Production And Carbon Flux In Antarctic Coastal Waters: A Modeling Study, Hae-Cheol Kim

OES Theses and Dissertations

This study presents results from models that are designed to simulate the underwater light field, to simulate phytoplankton primary production, and to estimate the fate of phytoplankton carbon in continental shelf waters of the west Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) and Ross Sea. Simulation of the underwater light field required derivation of new coefficient sets for power function-type cloud cover correction algorithms, which were found to be influenced by multiple reflections between the bottom of clouds and the surface. The coefficient sets indicate that the spectral effect of clouds on the properties of the surface irradiance was spectrally-neutral for wavelengths greater than …

Digital Library Services For Three-Dimensional Models, Hesham Anan

Computer Science Theses & Dissertations

With the growth in computing, storage and networking infrastructure, it is becoming increasingly feasible for multimedia professionals—such as graphic designers in commercial, manufacturing, scientific and entertainment areas—to work with 3D digital models of the objects with which they deal in their domain. Unfortunately most of these models exist in individual repositories, and are not accessible to geographically distributed professionals who are in need of them.

Building an efficient digital library system presents a number of challenges. In particular, the following issues need to be addressed: (1) What is the best way of representing 3D models in a digital library, so …

Inner Shelf Circulation In Coastal Virginia: A Data Assimilation Approach, Hector Hito Sepulveda

OES Theses and Dissertations

The primary objective of this dissertation is to describe the tidal and subtidal flow patterns over the inner shelf of the Delmarva Peninsula, located in the Mid-Atlantic Bight of the United States (36.6–38.0 N), north of the Chesapeake Bay. The objective is pursued with a combination of direct measurements and numerical assimilative techniques. The dynamic balance of the study area is little known, and the distribution of tidal properties has not been described for this area since very rough descriptions in the 1950's. Hydrographic and current velocity profiles from four regional cruises in the inner shelf were used to study …

An Investigation Of Dissolved Organic Matter In A Shallow Coastal Bay Subject To Aureococcus Anophagefferens Blooms, Jean-Paul Simjouw

OES Theses and Dissertations

Aureococcus anophagefferens, the pelagophyte responsible for brown tide blooms, was identified in Chincoteague Bay in 1997 and has “bloomed” there since at least 1998. Aureococcus anophagefferens is capable of using dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) substrates to support growth, and this utilization is hypothesized to give the organism a competitive advantage relative to other phytoplankton when inorganic nutrient concentrations are low or depleted. Because previous studies suggest dissolved organic matter (DOM) is important in initiating and sustaining brown tide blooms, a field study of the variations in DOC concentration and DOM composition was performed at …

Excimer Emission From Cathode Boundary Layer Discharges, Mohamed Moselhy, Karl H. Schoenbach

Bioelectrics Publications

The excimer emission from direct current glow discharges between a planar cathode and a ring-shaped anode of 0.75 and 1.5 mm diameter, respectively, separated by a gap of 250 μm, was studied in xenon and argon in a pressure range from 75 to 760 Torr. The thickness of the “cathode boundary layer” plasma, in the 100 μm range, and a discharge sustaining voltage of approximately 200 V, indicates that the discharge is restricted to the cathode fall and the negative glow. The radiant excimer emittance at 172 nm increases with pressure and reaches a value of 4 W/cm² for …

Inclusive Photoproduction Of Lepton Pairs In The Parton Model, A. Psaker

Physics Faculty Publications

In the framework of the QCD parton model, we study unpolarized scattering of high energy real photons from a proton target into lepton pairs and a system of hadrons. For a given parametrization of parton distributions in the proton, we calculate the cross section of this process and show the cancellation of the interference terms.

Complete Measurement Of Three-Body Photodisintegration Of 3He For Photon Energies Between 0.35 And 1.55 Gev, H. Bagdasaryan, M. Bektasoglu, K. V. Dharmawardane, G. E. Dodge, T. A. Forest, G. Gavalian, N. Guler, C. E. Hyde-Wright, A. Klein, S. E. Kuhn, L. M. Qin, S. Stepanyan, L. B. Weinstein, J. Yun, Et Al., The Clas Collaboration

Physics Faculty Publications

The three-body photodisintegration of ³He has been measured with the CLAS detector at Jefferson Lab, using tagged photons of energies between 0.35 GeV and 1.55 GeV. The large acceptance of the spectrometer allowed us for the first time to cover a wide momentum and angular range for the two outgoing protons. Three kinematic regions dominated by either two- or three-body contributions have been distinguished and analyzed. The measured cross sections have been compared with results of a theoretical model, which, in certain kinematic ranges, have been found to be in reasonable agreement with the data.

Hyperon Photoproduction In The Nucleon Resonance Region, K. V. Dharmawardane, G. E. Dodge, C. E. Hyde-Wright, S. E. Kuhn, L. M. Qin, L. B. Weinstein, J. Yun, Et Al., Clas Collaboration

Physics Faculty Publications

High-statistics cross sections and recoil polarizations for the reactions γ+p → K⁺+ Λ and γ+p→K⁺+ Σ⁰ have been measured at CLAS for center-of-mass energies between 1.6 and 2.3 GeV. In the K+Λ channel we confirm a resonance-like structure near W = 1.9 GeV at backward kaon angles. Our data show more complex s- and u- channel behavior than previously seen, since structure is also present at forward angles, but not at central angles. The position and width change with angle, indicating that more than one resonance is playing a role. Large positive Λ polarization at …

Measurement Of Beam-Spin Asymmetries For Π⁺ Electroproduction Above The Baryon Resonance Region, K. V. Dharmawardane, G. E. Dodge, C. E. Hyde-Wright, S. E. Kuhn, L. M. Qin, F. Sabatié, L. B. Weinstein, J. Yun, Et Al., Clas Collaboration

Physics Faculty Publications

We report the first evidence for a nonzero beam-spin azimuthal asymmetry in the electroproduction of positive pions in the deep-inelastic kinematic region. Data for the reaction e^→pe'π⁺X have been obtained using a polarized electron beam of 4.3 GeV with the CEBAF Large Acceptance Spectrometer at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility. The amplitude of the sin ᵠ modulation increases with the momentum of the pion relative to the virtual photon, z. In the range z = 0.5-0.8 the average amplitude is 0.038 ± 0.005 ± 0.003 for a missing mass M_x > 1.1 GeV and 0.037 …

Scattering Of Shock Waves In Qcd, Ian Balitsky

Physics Faculty Publications

The cross section of heavy-ion collisions is represented as a double functional integral with the saddle point being the classical solution of the Yang-Mills equations with boundary conditions/sources in the form of two shock waves corresponding to the two colliding ions. I develop the expansion of this classical solution in powers of the commutator of the Wilson lines describing the colliding particles and calculate the first two terms of the expansion.

Loss And Dispersion Analysis Of Microstructured Fibers By Finite-Difference Method, Shangping Guo, Feng Wu, Sacharia Albin, Hsiang Tai, Robert S. Rogowski

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

The dispersion and loss in microstructured fibers are studied using a full-vectorial compact-2D finite-difference method in frequency-domain. This method solves a standard eigen-value problem from the Maxwell’s equations directly and obtains complex propagation constants of the modes using anisotropic perfectly matched layers. A dielectric constant averaging technique using Ampere’s law across the curved media interface is presented. Both the real and the imaginary parts of the complex propagation constant can be obtained with a high accuracy and fast convergence. Material loss, dispersion and spurious modes are also discussed.