WorldWideScience

Sample records for mexico ocean monitoring

  1. Ocean Disposal Site Monitoring

    Science.gov (United States)

    EPA is responsible for managing all designated ocean disposal sites. Surveys are conducted to identify appropriate locations for ocean disposal sites and to monitor the impacts of regulated dumping at the disposal sites.

  2. Monitoring of ocean storage projects

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Caldeira, K. [Energy and Environment Directorate, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA (United States)

    2003-02-01

    It has been proposed that atmospheric CO2 accumulation could be slowed by capture of CO2 from point sources and subsequent storage of that CO2 in the ocean. If applied, such sequestration efforts would need to be monitored for compliance, effectiveness, and unintended consequences. Aboveground inspection and monitoring of facilities and practices, combined with ocean observations, could assure compliance with ocean sequestration guidelines and regulations. Ocean observations could be made using a variety of sensors mounted on moorings or underwater gliders. Long-term effectiveness and leakage to the atmosphere must be estimated from models, since on large spatial scales it will be impossible to observationally distinguish carbon stored by a project from variable concentrations of background carbon. Furthermore, the ocean naturally would absorb roughly 80% of fossil fuel CO2 released to the atmosphere within a millennium. This means that most of the CO2 sequestered in the ocean that leaks out to the atmosphere will be reabsorbed by the ocean. However, there is no observational way to distinguish remaining carbon from reabsorbed carbon. The science of monitoring unintended consequences in the deep ocean interior is at a primitive state. Little is understood about ecosystems of the deep ocean interior; and even less is understood about how those ecosystems would respond to added CO2. High priority research objectives should be (1) to improve our understanding of the natural ecosystems of the deep ocean, and (2) to improve our understanding of the response of these ecosystems to increased oceanic CO2 concentrations and decreased ocean pH.

  3. An extended multivariate framework for drought monitoring in Mexico

    Science.gov (United States)

    Real-Rangel, Roberto; Pedrozo-Acuña, Adrián; Breña-Naranjo, Agustín; Alcocer-Yamanaka, Víctor

    2017-04-01

    Around the world, monitoring natural hazards, such as droughts, represents a critical task in risk assessment and management plans. A reliable drought monitoring system allows to identify regions affected by these phenomena so that early response measures can be implemented. In Mexico, this activity is performed using Mexico's Drought Monitor, which is based on a similar methodology as the United States Drought Monitor and the North American Drought Monitor. The main feature of these monitoring systems is the combination of ground-based and remote sensing observations that is ultimately validated by local experts. However, in Mexico in situ records of variables such as precipitation and streamflow are often scarce, or even null, in many regions of the country. Another issue that adds uncertainty in drought monitoring is the arbitrary weight given to each analyzed variable. This study aims at providing an operational framework for drought monitoring in Mexico, based on univariate and multivariate nonparametric standardized indexes proposed in recent studies. Furthermore, the framework has been extended by taking into account the Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) for the drought severity assessment. The analyzed variables used for computing the drought indexes are mainly derived from remote sensing (MODIS) and land surface models datasets (NASA MERRA-2). A qualitative evaluation of the results shows that the indexes used are capable of adequately describes the intensity and spatial distribution of past drought documented events.

  4. Ocean Observing Public-Private Collaboration to Improve Tropical Storm and Hurricane Predictions in the Gulf of Mexico

    Science.gov (United States)

    Perry, R.; Leung, P.; McCall, W.; Martin, K. M.; Howden, S. D.; Vandermeulen, R. A.; Kim, H. S. S.; Kirkpatrick, B. A.; Watson, S.; Smith, W.

    2016-02-01

    In 2008, Shell partnered with NOAA to explore opportunities for improving storm predictions in the Gulf of Mexico. Since, the collaboration has grown to include partners from Shell, NOAA National Data Buoy Center and National Center for Environmental Information, National Center for Environmental Prediction, University of Southern Mississippi, and the Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean Observing System. The partnership leverages complementary strengths of each collaborator to build a comprehensive and sustainable monitoring and data program to expand observing capacity and protect offshore assets and Gulf communities from storms and hurricanes. The program combines in situ and autonomous platforms with remote sensing and numerical modeling. Here we focus on profiling gliders and the benefits of a public-private partnership model for expanding regional ocean observing capacity. Shallow and deep gliders measure ocean temperature to derive ocean heat content (OHC), along with salinity, dissolved oxygen, fluorescence, and CDOM, in the central and eastern Gulf shelf and offshore. Since 2012, gliders have collected 4500+ vertical profiles and surveyed 5000+ nautical miles. Adaptive sampling and mission coordination with NCEP modelers provides specific datasets to assimilate into EMC's coupled HYCOM-HWRF model and 'connect-the-dots' between well-established Eulerian metocean measurements by obtaining (and validating) data between fixed stations (e.g. platform and buoy ADCPs) . Adaptive sampling combined with remote sensing provides satellite-derived OHC validation and the ability to sample productive coastal waters advected offshore by the Loop Current. Tracking coastal waters with remote sensing provides another verification of estimate Loop Current and eddy boundaries, as well as quantifying productivity and analyzing water quality on the Gulf coast, shelf break and offshore. Incorporating gliders demonstrates their value as tools to better protect offshore oil and gas assets

  5. Autonomous Passive Acoustic Monitoring in the Northwestern Gulf of Mexico

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Bryde’s whales, Balaenoptera edeni, are the only year-round resident baleen whale in the Gulf of Mexico, have an estimated abundance of 33 individuals (CV 1.07) in...

  6. Ocean breeze monitoring network at the Oyster Creek Nuclear Plant

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Heck, W.

    1987-01-01

    The Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station (OCNGS) is located in New Jersey 10 km west of the Atlantic Ocean. Routine meteorological monitoring at the station has consisted of a single meteorological tower 120 m high and instrumented at the 10-m, 46-m, and 116-m levels. An analysis of 5 yr of data from this tower showed the OCNGS is affected by an ocean breeze ∼ 1 day out of 4 during May through August. This suggested the need for meteorological monitoring in addition to the single met tower at OCNGS. As a result of the 1985 OCNGS meteorological monitoring study, GPU Nuclear established an ocean breeze monitoring network in the fall of 1986. It is a permanent part of OCNGS meteorological monitoring and consists of the same sites as used in the 1985 field study. Meteorological towers are located at the ocean site, the inland site, and at OCNGS. The ocean tower is 13 m (43 ft) high, the inland tower 10 m (33 ft), and the OCNGS tower 116 m (380 ft). Wind speed, wind direction, and temperature are measured on each tower; delta-temperature is also measured on the main tower. The instruments are calibrated in the spring, summer, and fall. The network is operated and maintained by GPU Nuclear Environmental Controls. The ocean breeze monitoring network and meteorological information system forms the basis for including the effects of the ocean breeze in OCNGS emergency off-site dose assessment

  7. Variations of Oceanic Crust in the Northeastern Gulf of Mexico From Integrated Geophysical Analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, M.; Filina, I.

    2017-12-01

    Tectonic history of the Gulf of Mexico remains a subject of debate due to structural complexity of the area and lack of geological constraints. In this study, we focus our investigation on oceanic domain of the northeastern Gulf of Mexico to characterize the crustal distribution and structures. We use published satellite derived potential fields (gravity and magnetics), seismic refraction data (GUMBO3 and GUMBO4) and well logs to build the subsurface models that honor all available datasets. In the previous study, we have applied filters to potential fields grids and mapped the segments of an extinct mid-ocean ridge, ocean-continent boundary (OCB) and several transform faults in our study area. We also developed the 2D potential fields model for seismic profile GUMBO3 (Eddy et al., 2014). The objectives of this study are: 1) to develop a similar model for another seismic profile GUMBO 4 (Christeson, 2014) and derive subsurface properties (densities and magnetic susceptibilities), 2) to compare and contrast the two models, 3) to establish spatial relationship between the two crustal domains. Interpreted seismic velocities for the profiles GUMBO 3 and GUMBO 4 show significant differences, suggesting that these two profiles cross different segments of oceanic crust. The total crustal thickness along GUMBO 3 is much thicker (up to 10 km) than the one for GUMBO 4 (5.7 km). The upper crustal velocity along GUMBO 4 (6.0-6.7 km/s) is significantly higher than the one for GUMBO 3 ( 5.8 km/s). Based our 2D potential fields models along both of the GUMBO lines, we summarize physical properties (seismic velocities, densities and magnetic susceptibilities) for different crustal segments, which are proxies for lithologies. We use our filtered potential fields grids to establish the spatial relationship between these two segments of oceanic crust. The results of our integrated geophysical analysis will be used as additional constraints for the future tectonic reconstruction of

  8. The feasibility of utilizing remotely sensed data to assess and monitor oceanic gamefish

    Science.gov (United States)

    Savastano, K. J.; Leming, T. D.

    1975-01-01

    An investigation was conducted to establish the feasibility of utilizing remotely sensed data acquired from aircraft and satellite platforms to provide information concerning the distribution and abundance of oceanic gamefish. The data from the test area was jointly acquired by NASA, the Navy, the Air Force and NOAA/NMFS elements and private and professional fishermen in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico. The data collected has made it possible to identify fisheries significant environmental parameters for white marlin. Prediction models, based on catch data and surface truth information, were developed and demonstrated a potential for significantly reducing search by identifying areas that have a high probability of productivity. Three of the parameters utilized by the models, chlorophyll-a, sea surface temperature, and turbidity were inferred from aircraft sensor data and were tested. Effective use of Skylab data was inhibited by cloud cover and delayed delivery. Initial efforts toward establishing the feasibility of utilizing remotely sensed data to assess and monitor the distribution of oceanic gamefish has successfully identified fisheries significant oceanographic parameters and demonstrated the capability of remotely measuring most of the parameters.

  9. The Ocean State Report of the Copernicus Marine Environment Monitoring Service

    Science.gov (United States)

    von Schuckmann, Karina

    2017-04-01

    COPERNICUS is the European Earth observation and monitoring programme, which aims to give the European Union autonomous and operational capability in space-based observation facilities (see the Sentinel missions) and in situ (measurements in the atmosphere, in the ocean and on the ground), and to operate six interlinked environmental monitoring services for the oceans, the atmosphere, territorial development, emergency situations, security and climate change. In this context, the Copernicus Marine Environment Monitoring Service provides an open and free access to regular and systematic information about the physical state and dynamics of the ocean and marine ecosystems for the global ocean and six European regional seas. Mercator Ocean, the French center of global ocean analysis and forecast has been entrusted by the EU to implement and operate the Copernicus Marine Service. The first Ocean State Report Copernicus Marine Environment Monitoring Service has been prepared, and is planned to appear at an annual basis (fall each year) as a unique reference for ocean state reporting. This report contains a state-of-the-art value-added synthesis of the ocean state for the global ocean and the European regional seas from the Copernicus Marine Environment Monitoring Service data products and expert analysis. This activity is aiming to reach a wide audience -from the scientific community, over climate and environmental service and agencies, environmental reporting and bodies to the general public. We will give here an overview on the report, highlight main outcomes, and introduce future plans and developments.

  10. Mexico Geoid Heights (MEXICO97)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This 2' geoid height grid for Mexico, and North-Central America, is the MEXICO97 geoid model. The computation used about one million terrestrial and marine gravity...

  11. Gulf of Mexico Coastal and Ocean Zones Strategic Assessment: Data Atlas 1985 (NODC Accession 0126646)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The Atlas contains metadata and shape files of 18 different species in the Gulf of Mexico as of 1985. The shapefiles display the spatial and temporal distribution of...

  12. Diurnal variability in carbon and nitrogen pools within Chesapeake Bay and northern Gulf of Mexico: implications for future ocean color satellite sensors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mannino, A.; Novak, M. G.; Tzortziou, M.; Salisbury, J.

    2016-02-01

    Relative to their areal extent, estuaries and coastal ocean ecosystems contribute disproportionately more to global biogeochemical cycling of carbon, nitrogen and other elements compared to the open ocean. Applying ocean color satellite data to study biological and biogeochemical processes within coastal ecosystems is challenging due to the complex mixtures of aquatic constituents derived from terrestrial, anthropogenic, and marine sources, human-impacted atmospheric properties, presence of clouds during satellite overpass, fine-scale spatial gradients, and time-varying processes on diurnal scales that cannot be resolved with current sensors. On diurnal scales, biological, photochemical, and biogeochemical processes are regulated by the variation in solar radiation. Other physical factors, such as tides, river discharge, estuarine and coastal ocean circulation, wind-driven mixing, etc., impart further variability on biological and biogeochemical processes on diurnal to multi-day time scales. Efforts to determine the temporal frequency required from a NASA GEO-CAPE ocean color satellite sensor to discern diurnal variability C and N stocks, fluxes and productivity culminated in field campaigns in the Chesapeake Bay and northern Gulf of Mexico. Near-surface drogues were released and tracked in quasi-lagrangian space to monitor hourly changes in community production, C and N stocks, and optical properties. While only small diurnal changes were observed in dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM) absorption in Chesapeake Bay, substantial variation in particulate organic carbon (POC) and nitrogen (PN), chlorophyll-a, and inorganic nitrogen (DIN) were measured. Similar or greater diurnal changes in POC, PN, chlorophyll-a and DIN were found in Gulf of Mexico nearshore and offshore sites. These results suggest that satellite observations at hourly frequency are desirable to capture diurnal variability in carbon and nitrogen stocks, fluxes

  13. Ocean Data Assimilation in the Gulf of Mexico Using 3D VAR Approach - Preliminary Results

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paturi, S.; Garraffo, Z. D.; Cummings, J. A.; Rivin, I.; Mehra, A.; Kim, H. C.

    2016-12-01

    Approaches to ocean data assimilation vary widely, both in terms of the sophistication of the method and the observations assimilated.A three-dimensional variational (3DVAR) data assimilation system, part of the Navy Coupled Ocean Data Assimilation (NCODA) system developed at Navy Research Laboratory (NRL), is used for assimilating Sea Surface Temperature (SST) and Sea Surface Height (SSH) in the Gulf of Mexico (GoM). The NCODA 3DVAR produces simultaneous analyses of temperature, salinity, and vector velocity and uses all possible sources of ocean data observations.The Hybrid Coordinate Ocean Model (HYCOM) is used for the simulations, at 1/25o grid resolution for July 2011 period. After successful implementation of NCODA 3DVAR in the GoM, the system will be extended to the global ocean with the intent of making it operational.

  14. September 1985 Mexico City, Mexico Images

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The magnitude 8.1 earthquake occurred off the Pacific coast of Mexico. The damage was concentrated in a 25 square km area of Mexico City, 350 km from the epicenter....

  15. Ocean waves monitor system by inland microseisms

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, L. C.; Bouchette, F.; Chang, E. T. Y.

    2016-12-01

    Microseisms are continuous ground oscillations which have been wildly introduced for decades. It is well known that the microseismicity in the frequency band from 0.05 to about 1 Hz partly results from ocean waves, which has been first explained by Longuet-Higgins [1950]. The generation mechanism for such a microseismicity is based on nonlinear wave-wave interactions which drive pressure pulses within the seafloor. The resulting ground pressure fluctuations yield ground oscillations at a double frequency (DF) with respect to that of current ocean waves. In order to understand the characteristics of DF microseisms associated with different wave sources, we aim to analyze and interpret the spectra of DF microseisms by using the simple spectrum method [Rabinovich, 1997] at various inland seismometer along the Taiwan coast. This is the first monitoring system of ocean waves observed by inland seismometers in Taiwan. The method is applied to identify wave sources by estimating the spectral ratios of wave induced microseisms associated with local winds and typhoons to background spectra. Microseism amplitudes above 0.2 Hz show a good correlation with wind-driven waves near the coast. Comparison of microseism band between 0.1 and 0.2 Hz with buoys in the deep sea shows a strong correlation of seismic amplitude with storm generated waves, implying that such energy portion originates in remote regions. Results indicate that microseisms observed at inland sites can be a potential tool for the tracking of typhoon displacements and the monitoring of extreme ocean waves in real time. Real- time Microseism-Ocean Waves Monitoring Website (http://mwave.droppages.com/) Reference Rabinovich, A. B. (1997) "Spectral analysis of tsunami waves: Separation of source and topography effects," J. Geophys. Res., Vol. 102, p. 12,663-12,676. Longuet-Higgins, M.S. (1950) "A theory of origin of microseisms," Philos. Trans. R. Soc., A. 243, pp. 1-35.

  16. Oceanic gamefish/Skylab project field operating plan for operations 4, 5 August. [in Gulf of Mexico

    Science.gov (United States)

    1973-01-01

    The operation plans are presented for the oceanic Gamefish/Skylab Experiment 240, which was conducted to obtain fish catch data for the northeast area of the Gulf of Mexico. The plans for surface measurements, aerial observations, and communications are included.

  17. Ocean Carbon and Biogeochemistry Scoping Workshop on Terrestrial and Coastal Carbon Fluxes in the Gulf of Mexico, St. Petersburg, FL, May 6-8, 2008

    Science.gov (United States)

    Robbins, L.L.; Coble, P.G.; Clayton, T.D.; Cai, W.J.

    2009-01-01

    Despite their relatively small surface area, ocean margins may have a significant impact on global biogeochemical cycles and, potentially, the global air-sea fluxes of carbon dioxide. Margins are characterized by intense geochemical and biological processing of carbon and other elements and exchange large amounts of matter and energy with the open ocean. The area-specific rates of productivity, biogeochemical cycling, and organic/inorganic matter sequestration are high in coastal margins, with as much as half of the global integrated new production occurring over the continental shelves and slopes (Walsh, 1991; Doney and Hood, 2002; Jahnke, in press). However, the current lack of knowledge and understanding of biogeochemical processes occurring at the ocean margins has left them largely ignored in most of the previous global assessments of the oceanic carbon cycle (Doney and Hood, 2002). A major source of North American and global uncertainty is the Gulf of Mexico, a large semi-enclosed subtropical basin bordered by the United States, Mexico, and Cuba. Like many of the marginal oceans worldwide, the Gulf of Mexico remains largely unsampled and poorly characterized in terms of its air-sea exchange of carbon dioxide and other carbon fluxes. In May 2008, the Ocean Carbon and Biogeochemistry Scoping Workshop on Terrestrial and Coastal Carbon Fluxes in the Gulf of Mexico was held in St. Petersburg, FL, to address the information gaps of carbon fluxes associated with the Gulf of Mexico and to offer recommendations to guide future research. The meeting was attended by over 90 participants from over 50 U.S. and Mexican institutions and agencies. The Ocean Carbon and Biogeochemistry program (OCB; http://www.us-ocb.org/) sponsored this workshop with support from the National Science Foundation, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the U.S. Geological Survey, and the University of South Florida. The goal of

  18. Ocean Response to Tropical Storms as Observed by a Moored Ocean Observing System in the Deep Gulf of Mexico

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oropeza, F.; Jaramillo, S.; Fan, S.

    2013-05-01

    As part of the support activities for a deepwater development in the Gulf of Mexico, a moored ocean observing system (OOS) was deployed in a water depth of approximately 2500m, 300km south of the Louisiana Coast. From June 2007 to May 2009, the system comprised seven single point Aanderaa Recording Current Meters (RCM), deployed at 450m, 700m, 1,100m, 1,500m, 2,000m, 2,400m and 2,490m below surface, and an RDI 75kHz Longranger Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP), deployed between 249 and 373m below surface in upward-looking mode. Since May 2009, the OOS was upgraded to a Wavescan Buoy based moored system including meteorological sensors for: atmospheric pressure, air temperature, wind speed and direction; directional waves sensor; a Doppler Current Sensor (DCS) at 1.5 m depth for surface currents; and two downward-looking ADCP's covering the upper 1,000m of the water column. This OOS has been operating without interruptions from 2007 to the present and has registered data associated with nine tropical storms, including the direct passage of Hurricane Ike, in September of 2008, and loop current events with speeds of up to 4 knots. It has provided one of the most comprehensive set of velocity observations in the Gulf of Mexico, especially, the near surface currents, during pre-storm conditions, response, and ocean relaxation following hurricanes/tropical storms. Based on these observations the upper ocean responses to the energy input from tropical storms are characterized in terms of the associated mixing processes and momentum balances.

  19. NOAA's Role in Sustaining Global Ocean Observations: Future Plans for OAR's Ocean Observing and Monitoring Division

    Science.gov (United States)

    Todd, James; Legler, David; Piotrowicz, Stephen; Raymond, Megan; Smith, Emily; Tedesco, Kathy; Thurston, Sidney

    2017-04-01

    The Ocean Observing and Monitoring Division (OOMD, formerly the Climate Observation Division) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Climate Program Office provides long-term, high-quality global observations, climate information and products for researchers, forecasters, assessments and other users of environmental information. In this context, OOMD-supported activities serve a foundational role in an enterprise that aims to advance 1) scientific understanding, 2) monitoring and prediction of climate and 3) understanding of potential impacts to enable a climate resilient society. Leveraging approximately 50% of the Global Ocean Observing System, OOMD employs an internationally-coordinated, multi-institution global strategy that brings together data from multiple platforms including surface drifting buoys, Argo profiling floats, flux/transport moorings (RAMA, PIRATA, OceanSITES), GLOSS tide gauges, SOOP-XBT and SOOP-CO2, ocean gliders and repeat hydrographic sections (GO-SHIP). OOMD also engages in outreach, education and capacity development activities to deliver training on the social-economic applications of ocean data. This presentation will highlight recent activities and plans for 2017 and beyond.

  20. 77 FR 40860 - Strategic Plan for Federal Research and Monitoring of Ocean Acidification

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-07-11

    ... Plan for Federal Research and Monitoring of Ocean Acidification AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries... Federal Research and Monitoring of Ocean Acidification is being made available for public review and... understanding of the process of ocean acidification, its effects on marine ecosystems, and the steps that could...

  1. 1992 Environmental monitoring report, Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Culp, T.; Cox, W.; Hwang, H.; Irwin, M.; Jones, A.; Matz, B.; Molley, K.; Rhodes, W.; Stermer, D.; Wolff, T.

    1993-09-01

    This 1992 report contains monitoring data from routine radiological and nonradiological environmental surveillance activities. summaries of significant environmental compliance programs in progress, such as National Environmental Policy Act documentation, environmental permits, envirorunental restoration, and various waste management programs for Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico, are included. The maximum offsite dose impact was calculated to be 0.0034 millirem. The total population within a 50-mile radius of Sandia National Laboratories/New Mexico received an estimated collective dose of 0.019 person-rem during 1992 from the laboratories' operations. As in the previous year, the 1992 operations at Sandia National Laboratories/New Mexico had no discernible impact on the general public or on the environment

  2. Ocean climate indicators: A monitoring inventory and plan for tracking climate change in the north-central California coast and ocean region

    Science.gov (United States)

    Duncan, Benet; Higgason, Kelley; Suchanek, Tom; Largier, John; Stachowicz, Jay; Allen, Sarah; Bograd, Steven; Breen, R.; Gellerman, Holly; Hill, Tessa; Jahncke, Jaime; Johnson, Rebecca L.; Lonhart, Steve I.; Morgan, Steven; Wilkerson, Frances; Roletto, Jan

    2013-01-01

    The impacts of climate change, defined as increasing atmospheric and oceanic carbon dioxide and associated increases in average global temperature and oceanic acidity, have been observed both globally and on regional scales, such as in the North-central California coast and ocean, a region that extends from Point Arena to Point Año Nuevo and includes the Pacific coastline of the San Francisco Bay Area. Because of the high economic and ecological value of the region’s marine environment, the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary (GFNMS) and other agencies and organizations have recognized the need to evaluate and plan for climate change impacts. Climate change indicators can be developed on global, regional, and site-specific spatial scales, and they provide information about the presence and potential impacts of climate change. While indicators exist for the nation and for the state of California as a whole, no system of ocean climate indicators exist that specifically consider the unique characteristics of the California coast and ocean region. To that end, GFNMS collaborated with over 50 regional, federal, and state natural resource managers, research scientists, and other partners to develop a set of 2 ocean climate indicators specific to this region. A smaller working group of 13 regional partners developed monitoring goals, objectives, strategies, and activities for the indicators and recommended selected species for biological indicators, resulting in the Ocean Climate Indicators Monitoring Inventory and Plan. The working group considered current knowledge of ongoing monitoring, feasibility of monitoring, costs, and logistics in selecting monitoring activities and selected species.

  3. Environmental monitoring and deep ocean disposal of packaged radioactive waste

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mitchell, N.T.; Preston, A.

    1980-01-01

    Environmental monitoring in the context of the dumping of packaged radioactive waste in the deep ocean is discussed in detail. The principles and objectives laid down by the IAEA and the ICRP are reviewed. Monitoring and its relationships to radiation exposure, research, control measures and public information are described. Finally, the actual practice in the UK of environmental monitoring is detailed for the measurable case of liquid wastes in coastal waters and also for package waste in deep oceans which has to be calculated. It is concluded that better mathematical models are needed to predict the dose to man and that more research into oceanographic and biological transfer processes should be carried out. (UK)

  4. 2015 Groundwater Monitoring and Inspection Report Gnome-Coach, New Mexico, Site

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Findlay, Rick

    2016-01-01

    The Gnome-Coach, New Mexico, Site was the location of a 3-kiloton-yield underground nuclear test in 1961 and a groundwater tracer test in 1963. The U.S. Geological Survey conducted the groundwater tracer test using four dissolved radionuclides--tritium, iodine-131, strontium-90, and cesium-137--as tracers. Site reclamation and remediation began after the underground testing, and was conducted in several phases at the site. The New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) issued a Conditional Certificate of Completion in September 2014, which documents that surface remediation activities have been successfully completed in accordance with the Voluntary Remediation Program. Subsurface activities have included annual sampling and monitoring of wells at and near the site since 1972. These annual monitoring activities were enhanced in 2008 to include monitoring hydraulic head and collecting samples from the onsite wells USGS-4, USGS-8, and LRL-7 using the low-flow sampling method. In 2010, the annual monitoring was focused to the monitoring wells within the site boundary. A site inspection and annual sampling were conducted on January 27-28, 2015. A second site visit was conducted on April 21, 2015, to install warning/notification signs to fulfill a requirement of the Conditional Certificate of Completion that was issued by the NMED for the surface.

  5. Oceanic Environmental data from the ALAMINOS and other platforms from the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean as part of the International Decade of Ocean Exploration (IDOE) from 1971-02-01 to 1971-12-01 (NCEI Accession 7200737)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Oceanic Environmental data were collected from the ALAMINOS and other platforms from 01 February 1971 to 01 December 1971. Data were collected in the Gulf of Mexico...

  6. Trends in marine debris in the U.S. Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico, 1996-2003

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ribic, Christine; Seba B. Sheavly,; Rugg, David J.

    2011-01-01

    Marine debris is a widespread and globally recognized problem. Sound information is necessary to understand the extent of the problem and to inform resource managers and policy makers about potential mitigation strategies. Although there are many short-term studies on marine debris, a longer-term perspective and the ability to compare among regions has heretofore been missing in the U.S. Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico. We used data from a national beach monitoring program to evaluate and compare amounts, composition, and trends of indicator marine debris in the U.S. Caribbean (Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands) and the Gulf of Mexico from 1996 to 2003. Indicator items provided a standardized set that all surveys collected; each was assigned a probable source: ocean-based, land-based, or general-source. Probable ocean-based debris was related to activities such as recreational boating/fishing, commercial fishing and activities on oil/gas platforms. Probable land-based debris was related to land-based recreation and sewer systems. General-source debris represented plastic items that can come from either ocean- or land-based sources; these items were plastic bags, strapping bands, and plastic bottles (excluding motor oil containers). Debris loads were similar between the U.S. Caribbean and the western Gulf of Mexico; however, debris composition on U.S. Caribbean beaches was dominated by land-based indicators while the western Gulf of Mexico was dominated by ocean-based indicators. Beaches along the eastern Gulf of Mexico had the lowest counts of debris; composition was dominated by land-based indicators, similar to that found for the U.S. Caribbean. Debris loads on beaches in the Gulf of Mexico are likely affected by Gulf circulation patterns, reducing loads in the eastern Gulf and increasing loads in the western Gulf. Over the seven years of monitoring, we found a large linear decrease in total indicator debris, as well as all source categories, for the U

  7. Transport and deposition of plutonium in the ocean: Evidence from Gulf of Mexico sediments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Scott, M.R.; Salter, P.F.; Halverson, J.E.

    1983-01-01

    A study of sediments in the Gulf of Mexico shows dramatic gradients in Pu content and isotope ratios from the continental shelf to the Sigsbee Abyssal Plain. In terms of predicted direct fallout inventory of Pu, one shelf core contains 745% of the predicted inventory, while abyssal plain sediments contain only 15-20% of the predicted value. Absolute Pu concentrations of shelf sediments are also conspicuously high, up to 110 dpm/kg, compared to 13.5 dpm/kg in Mississippi River suspended sediment. There is no evidence of Pu remobilization in Gulf of Mexico shelf sediments, based on comparison of Pu profiles with Mn/Al and Fe/Al profiles. Horizontal transport of fallout nuclides from the open ocean to removal sites in ocean margin sediments is concluded to be the source of both the high concentrations and high inventories of Pu reported here. The shelf sediments show 240 Pu/ 239 Pu ratios close to 0.179, the average stratospheric fallout value, but the ratios decrease progressively across the Gulf to low values of 0.06 in abyssal plain sediments. The source of low-ratio Pu in deep-water sediments may be debris from low yield tests transported in the troposphere. Alternatively, it may represent a fraction of the Pu from global stratospheric fallout which has been separated in the water column from the remainder of the Pu in the ocean. In either case, the low-ratio material must have been removed rapidly to the sea floor where it composes a major fraction of the Pu in abyssal plain sediments. Pu delivered by global atmospheric fallout from the stratosphere has apparently remained for the most part in the water or has been transported horizontally and removed into shallow-water sediments. (orig.)

  8. Hydrate research activities that both support and derive from the monitoring station/sea-floor Observatory, Mississippi Canyon 118, northern Gulf of Mexico

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lutken, Carol [Univ. of Mississippi, Oxford, MS (United States). Center for Marine Resources and Environmental Technology (CMRET)

    2013-07-31

    A permanent observatory has been installed on the seafloor at Federal Lease Block, Mississippi Canyon 118 (MC118), northern Gulf of Mexico. Researched and designed by the Gulf of Mexico Hydrates Research Consortium (GOM-HRC) with the geological, geophysical, geochemical and biological characterization of in situ gas hydrates systems as the research goal, the site has been designated by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management as a permanent Research Reserve where studies of hydrates and related ocean systems may take place continuously and cooperatively into the foreseeable future. The predominant seafloor feature at MC118 is a carbonate-hydrate complex, officially named Woolsey Mound for the founder of both the GOM-HRC and the concept of the permanent seafloor hydrates research facility, the late James Robert “Bob” Woolsey. As primary investigator of the overall project until his death in mid-2008, Woolsey provided key scientific input and served as chief administrator for the Monitoring Station/ Seafloor Observatory (MS-SFO). This final technical report presents highlights of research and accomplishments to date. Although not all projects reached the status originally envisioned, they are all either complete or positioned for completion at the earliest opportunity. All Department of Energy funds have been exhausted in this effort but, in addition, leveraged to great advantage with additional federal input to the project and matched efforts and resources. This report contains final reports on all subcontracts issued by the University of Mississippi, Administrators of the project, Hydrate research activities that both support and derive from the monitoring station/sea-floor Observatory, Mississippi Canyon 118, northern Gulf of Mexico, as well as status reports on the major components of the project. All subcontractors have fulfilled their primary obligations. Without continued funds designated for further project development, the Monitoring Station

  9. Digital video collected during Pisces II submersible dive 880018 by Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) in the Gulf of Mexico on 1988-07-28 (NCEI Accession 0164789)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This Archival Information Package (AIP) contains videographic data of ocean floor biology and geology at a suspected hydrocarbon seep site in the Gulf of Mexico,...

  10. MONDO Project: real time ocean monitoring through Lagrangian drifters during offshore drilling operations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mafra, Tatiana [Eni Oil do Brasil, Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil); Fragoso, Mauricio da Rocha; Santos, Francisco Alves dos; Cruz, Leonardo M. Marques A.; Pellegrini, Julio A.C.; Cerrone, Bruna Nogueira [Prooceano, Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil); Assireu, Arcilan Trevenzoli [Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais (INPE), Sao Jose dos Campos, SP (Brazil)

    2008-07-01

    Monitoring the ocean conditions during offshore operations is essential for both operational and environmental aspects. Environmentally, not only to know better the environment where the activity is taking place, but also to be able to provide fast and accurate response in case of accidents. MONDO Project (Monitoring by Ocean Drifters) is a pioneer initiative from ENI Oil do Brasil and PROOCEANO that aimed to monitor currents as a part of a metoceanographic data monitoring project of drilling operations in Brazilian Waters, in Santos Basin throughout September to November 2007, 40 satellite tracked ocean drifters were deployed will be transmitting data up to November 2008. The results of this project can be used to study a wide range of subjects about ocean dynamics. Following the principles of social and environmental responsibility, MONDO Project aims to benefit the local ecosystem in increasing the scientific knowledge of the area to calibrate hydrodynamic models that will lead to more accurate modeling results and, as a consequence, to a better management of contingency plans. Based on these principles, the project will also provide unrestricted access to oceanographic data even after the end of operations. (author)

  11. Detection of marine aerosols with IRS P4-Ocean Colour Monitor

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    The atmospheric correction bands 7 and 8 (765nm and 865nm respectively) of the Indian Remote Sensing Satellite IRS P4-OCM (Ocean Colour Monitor) can be used for deriving aerosol optical depth (AOD) over the oceans. A retrieval algorithm has been developed which computes the AOD using band 7 data by treating ...

  12. Centennial-scale links between Atlantic Ocean dynamics and hydroclimate over the last 4400 years: Insights from the northern Gulf of Mexico

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thirumalai, K.; Quinn, T. M.; Okumura, Y.; Richey, J. N.; Partin, J. W.; Poore, R. Z.

    2015-12-01

    Surface circulation in the Atlantic Ocean is an important mediator of global climate and yet its variability is poorly constrained on centennial timescales. Changes in the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) have been implicated in late Holocene climate variability in the Western Hemisphere, although the relationship between AMOC variability and hydroclimate is uncertain due to the lack of sufficiently highly resolved proxy records. Here we present a replicated reconstruction of sea-surface temperature (SST) and salinity (SSS) from the Garrison Basin in the northern Gulf of Mexico (NGOM) spanning the last 4,400 years to better constrain past sea-surface conditions. We generated time series of paired Mg/Ca (SST proxy) and δ18O (SST and SSS proxy) variations in planktic foraminifer Globigerinoides ruber (white variety) from three multi-cores collected in 2010. Using a Monte Carlo-based technique we produce a stacked record from the three multi-cores and constrain analytical, calibration, chronological, and sampling uncertainties. We apply this technique to existing paired Mg/Ca- δ18O studies in the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean to facilitate comparison between time-uncertain proxy reconstructions. The Garrison Basin stack exhibits large centennial-scale variability (σSST~0.6°C; δ18Osw~0.17‰) and indicates a substantially cool (0.9±0.5°C) and fresh (0.26±0.1‰) Little Ice Age (LIA; 1450-1850 A.D.), corroborating extant records from the Gulf of Mexico. Focusing on the last millennium, we analyze a suite of oceanic and terrestrial proxy records to demonstrate a centennial-scale link between salt advection in the Atlantic Ocean, a diagnostic parameter of ocean circulation, and hydroclimate in the adjacent continents. The ensuing multiproxy relationships seem to be consistent with spatial field correlations of limited salinity and rainfall instrumental/reanalysis data, which suggest that NGOM salinity varies with large-scale Atlantic Ocean

  13. 1992 Annual performance report for Environmental Monitoring and Oversight at Department of Energy facilities in New Mexico

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    1992-12-31

    In October 1990 an Agreement-in-Principle (AIP) was entered into between the US Department of Energy (DOE) and the State of New Mexico for the purpose of supporting State oversight activities at DOE facilities in New Mexico. The State`s lead agency for the Agreement is the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED). DOE has agreed to provide the State with resources over a five year period to support State activities in environmental oversight, monitoring, access and emergency response to ensure compliance with applicable federal, state, and local laws at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), and the Inhalation Toxicology Research Institute (ITRI). The Agreement is designed to assure the citizens of New Mexico that public health, safety and the environment are being protected through existing programs; DOE is in compliance with applicable laws and regulations; DOE has made substantial new commitments; cleanup and compliance activities have been prioritized; and a vigorous program of independent monitoring and oversight by the State is underway. This report relates the quality and effectiveness of the facilities` environmental monitoring and surveillance programs. This report satisfies that requirement for the January--December 1992 time frame.

  14. 1992 Annual performance report for Environmental Monitoring and Oversight at Department of Energy facilities in New Mexico

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1992-01-01

    In October 1990 an Agreement-in-Principle (AIP) was entered into between the US Department of Energy (DOE) and the State of New Mexico for the purpose of supporting State oversight activities at DOE facilities in New Mexico. The State's lead agency for the Agreement is the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED). DOE has agreed to provide the State with resources over a five year period to support State activities in environmental oversight, monitoring, access and emergency response to ensure compliance with applicable federal, state, and local laws at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), and the Inhalation Toxicology Research Institute (ITRI). The Agreement is designed to assure the citizens of New Mexico that public health, safety and the environment are being protected through existing programs; DOE is in compliance with applicable laws and regulations; DOE has made substantial new commitments; cleanup and compliance activities have been prioritized; and a vigorous program of independent monitoring and oversight by the State is underway. This report relates the quality and effectiveness of the facilities' environmental monitoring and surveillance programs. This report satisfies that requirement for the January--December 1992 time frame

  15. Assessment of space sensors for ocean pollution monitoring

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alvarado, U. R.; Tomiyasu, K.; Gulatsi, R. L.

    1980-01-01

    Several passive and active microwave, as well as passive optical remote sensors, applicable to the monitoring of oil spills and waste discharges at sea, are considered. The discussed types of measurements relate to: (1) spatial distribution and properties of the pollutant, and (2) oceanic parameters needed to predict the movement of the pollutants and their impact upon land. The sensors, operating from satellite platforms at 700-900 km altitudes, are found to be useful in mapping the spread of oil in major oil spills and in addition, can be effective in producing wind and ocean parameters as inputs to oil trajectory and dispersion models. These capabilities can be used in countermeasures.

  16. Indicators used to monitor subsurface oil during the Deepwater Horizon Event

    Science.gov (United States)

    The Gulf of Mexico Deepwater Horizon oil spill was the largest accidental marine spill in the history of the petroleum industry. The spill was also unprecedented due to the extreme depth of the wellhead leak within the ocean, posing unique challenges to the monitoring efforts, w...

  17. 2010 Groundwater Monitoring and Inspection Report Gnome-Coach Site, New Mexico

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2011-02-01

    This report presents the 2010 groundwater monitoring results collected by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Legacy Management (LM) at the Gnome-Coach (Gnome) Site in New Mexico (Figure 1). Groundwater monitoring consisted of collecting hydraulic head data and groundwater samples from the wells on site. Historically, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) had conducted these annual activities under the Long-Term Hydrologic Monitoring Program (LTHMP). LM took over the sampling and data collection activities in 2008 but continues to use the EPA Radiation and Indoor Environments National Laboratory in Las Vegas, Nevada, to analyze the water samples. This report summarizes groundwater monitoring and site investigation activities that were conducted at the site during calendar year 2010.

  18. 1991 Annual performance report for environmental oversight and monitoring at Department of Energy Facilities in New Mexico

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1994-01-01

    On October 22, 1990 an agreement was entered into between the US DOE and the State of New Mexico. The agreement was designed to assure the citizens of New Mexico that the environment is protected and that public health, as related to the environment is also protected. The Agreement reflects the understanding and commitments between the parties regarding environmental oversight, monitoring, remediation and emergency response at the following DOE facilities: the Inhalation Toxicology Research Institute (ITRI); Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL); Sandia National Laboratory (SNL); and the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). These provision are ongoing through a vigorous program of independent monitoring and oversight; prioritization of clean-up and compliance activities; and new commitments by DOE. While the initial assessment of the quality and effectiveness of the facilities' environmental monitoring and surveillance programs is not yet complete, preliminary findings are presented regarding air quality monitoring, environmental monitoring, and groundwater monitoring

  19. Spatio-temporal variability of internal waves in the northern Gulf of Mexico studied with the Navy Coastal Ocean Model, NCOM

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cambazoglu, M. K.; Jacobs, G. A.; Howden, S. D.; Book, J. W.; Arnone, R.; Soto Ramos, I. M.; Vandermeulen, R. A.; Greer, A. T.; Miles, T. N.

    2016-02-01

    Internal waves enhance mixing in the upper ocean, transport nutrients and plankton over the water column and across the shelf from deeper waters to shallower coastal areas, and could also transport pollutants such as hydrocarbons onshore during an oil spill event. This study aims to characterize internal waves in the northern Gulf of Mexico (nGoM) and investigate the possible generation and dissipation mechanisms using a high-resolution (1-km) application of the Navy Coastal Ocean Model (NCOM). Three dimensional model products are used to detect the propagation patterns of internal waves. The vertical structure of internal waves is studied and the role of stratification is analyzed by looking at the temperature, salinity and velocity variations along the water column. The model predictions suggest the generation of internal waves on the continental shelf, therefore the role of ocean bottom topography interacting with tides and general circulation features such as the Loop Current Eddy front, on the internal wave generation will be discussed. The time periods of internal wave occurrences are identified from model predictions and compared to satellite ocean color imagery. Further data analysis, e.g. Fourier analysis, is implemented to determine internal wavelengths and frequencies and to determine if the response of internal waves are at tidal periods or at different frequencies. The atmospheric forcing provided to NCOM and meteorological data records are analyzed to define the interaction between wind forcing and internal wave generation. Wavelet analysis characterizes the ocean response to atmospheric events with periodic frequencies. Ocean color satellite imagery was used to visualize the location of the Mississippi river plume (and other oceanic features) and compared to the model predictions because the enhanced stratification from freshwater plumes which propagate across the Mississippi Bight can provide favorable conditions in coastal waters for internal wave

  20. Cloud-to-ground lightning over Mexico and adjacent oceanic regions. A preliminary climatology using the WWLLN dataset

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kucienska, B.; Raga, G.B. [Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (Mexico). Centro de Ciencias de la Atmosfera; Rodriguez, O. [Instituto Mexicano de Tecnologia del Agua, Morelos (Mexico)

    2010-07-01

    This work constitutes the first climatological study of lightning over Mexico and adjacent oceanic areas for the period 2005-2009. Spatial and temporal distributions of cloud to ground lightning are presented and the processes that contribute to the lightning variability are analysed. The data are retrieved from theWorldWide Lightning Location Network (WWLLN) dataset. The current WWLL network includes 40 stations which cover much of the globe and detect very low frequency radiation (''spherics'') associated with lightning. The spatial distribution of the average yearly lightning over the continental region of Mexico shows the influence of orographic forcing in producing convective clouds with high lightning activity. However, a very high number of strikes is also observed in the States of Tabasco and Campeche, which are low-lying areas. This maximum is related to the climatological maximum of precipitation for the country and it may be associated with a region of persistent low-level convergence and convection in the southern portion of the Gulf of Mexico. The maps of correlation between rainfall and lightning provide insight into the microphysical processes occurring within the clouds. The maritime clouds close to the coastline exhibit similar properties to continental clouds as they produce very high lightning activity. The seasonal cycle of lightning registered by WWLLN is consistent with the LIS/OTD dataset for the selected regions. In terms of the annual distribution of cloud-to-ground strikes, July, August and September exhibit the highest number of strikes over continental Mexico. The diurnal cycle indicates that the maximum number of strikes over the continent is observed between 6 and 9 p.m. LT. The surrounding oceanic regions were subdivided into four distinct sectors: Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean, Subtropical Pacific and Tropical Pacific. The Gulf of Mexico has the broadest seasonal distribution, since during winter lightning associated

  1. Islands in the Stream 2001 on NOAA Ship Gordon Gunter in the North Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico between 20010510 and 20011004

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The Islands in the Stream expedition explored protected and unprotected deep water coral reefs and hard-bottom communities throughout the Gulf of Mexico and South...

  2. Birding for and with People: Integrating Local Participation in Avian Monitoring Programs within High Biodiversity Areas in Southern Mexico

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Humberto Berlanga

    2012-08-01

    Full Text Available Biological monitoring is a powerful tool for understanding ecological patterns and processes, implementing sound management practices, and determining wildlife conservation strategies. In Mexico, regional long-term bird monitoring has been undertaken only over the last decade. Two comprehensive programs have incorporated bird monitoring as the main tool for assessing the impact of human productive activities on birds and habitats at local and regional levels: the Integrated Ecosystem Management (IEM and the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor Mexico (CBMM. These programs are implemented in supremely important biodiverse regions in the southern and southeastern states of Mexico. Bird monitoring activities are based on the recruitment and participation of local people linked to sustainable productive projects promoted by the CBMM or IEM. Through a series of training workshops delivered by specialists, local monitors receive equipment and coordinate to become part of a large monitoring network that facilitates regional covertures. This data currently being obtained by local people will enable the mid- and long-term assessment of the impacts of sustainable human productive activities on birds and biodiversity. Community-based bird monitoring programs are a promising opportunity for enhancing scientific knowledge, improving sustainable practices, and supporting wildlife conservation in areas of high biodiversity.

  3. IMOS: How seals are changing the way we monitor the Southern Ocean

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harcourt, R.; McMahon, C.; Jonsen, I.; Goldsworthy, S.; Hindell, M.; Hoenner, X.; Thums, M.

    2016-02-01

    IMOS (Integrated Marine Observing System) operates a wide range of ocean observing equipment throughout Australia's coastal waters and also the open oceans. This fully integrated, national system, covers physical, chemical and biological ocean sciences forming the basis for robust and informed study of the worlds oceans. Of particular interest in understanding global climate processes is the Southern Ocean (SO), but studying this remote region is difficult and most observations are collected during the short ice-free summer when the region is accessible. Through Winter and Spring it is extremely difficult to collect biophysical ocean information in the Southern Ocean. The importance of good observations from this region, the home of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC), the largest current system in the world, which connects water masses from the global ocean basins cannot be over emphasised. IMOS through the Australian Animal Tracking and Monitoring System (AATAMS) has made important inroads into collecting otherwise hard to obtain observations from the SO by using CTD bio-loggers to monitor coastal and oceanic movements of marine animals from the Australian mainland as far south as the Antarctic continent. In particular seals equipped with satellite-linked CTD tags have provided unique temporal and spatial coverage of the Southern Ocean. This includes extensive data from the Antarctic continental slope and shelf regions during the winter months, which is outside the conventional areas of Argo autonomous floats and ship-based studies. Over 75,000 temperature and salinity profiles have been collected from 20-140 °E, between the Kerguelen archipelago and Prydz Bay Antarctica. These data offer invaluable new insights into the water masses, oceanographic processes and provides a vital tool for oceanographers seeking to advance our understanding of this key component of the global ocean climate. Here we present an overview of the IMOS database of hydrographic (i

  4. Long-Term Hydrologic Monitoring Program: Project Gasbuggy Rio Arriba County, New Mexico

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1986-10-01

    The Gasbuggy site is located in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico, approximately 55 air miles (88.6 kilometers) east of Farmington, New Mexico. The Gasbuggy device with a yield of 29 kilotons, was detonated December 10, 1967. It was the first US underground nuclear experiment for the stimulation of low-productive natural gas reservoirs. The purpose of the Long-Term Hydrologic Monitoring Program at the Gasbuggy site is to obtain data that will assure the public safety; inform the public, the news media, and the scientific community relative to radiological contamination; and to document compliance with federal, state, and local antipollution requirements. The Gasbuggy site geographical setting, climate, geology, and hydrology are described. Site history, including Gasbuggy event information and Gasbuggy monitoring by the US Public Health is described. Site cleanup activities conducted in 1978 are described. Postoperational surveys indicate that the Gasbuggy site is well below the established decontamination criteria and that no hazard exists or will likely occur during public use of the land surface of the Gasbuggy site

  5. Temperature profile and chemical data from CTD casts in the North Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico from NOAA Ship RESEARCHER from 1976-10-08 to 1977-10-30 (NODC Accession 8000168)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Temperature profile and chemical data were collected using CTD casts from NOAA Ship RESEARCHER in the North Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico from 08 October 1976 to...

  6. The impact of weather and ocean forecasting on hydrocarbon production and pollution management in the Gulf of Mexico

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kaiser, Mark J.; Pulsipher, Allan G.

    2007-01-01

    Over the past 2 years, the vulnerability of offshore production in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) has been brought to light by extensive damage to oil and gas facilities and pipelines resulting from Hurricanes Ivan, Katrina, and Rita. The occurrences of extreme weather regularly force operators to shut-down production, cease drilling and construction activities, and evacuate personnel. Loop currents and eddies can also impact offshore operations and delay installation and drilling activities and reduce the effectiveness of oil spill response strategies. The purpose of this paper is to describe how weather and ocean forecasting impact production activities and pollution management in the GOM. Physical outcome and decision models in support of production and development activities and oil spill response management are presented, and the expected economic benefits that may result from the implementation of an integrated ocean observation network in the region are summarized. Improved ocean observation systems are expected to reduce the uncertainty of forecasting and to enhance the value of ocean/weather information throughout the Gulf region. The source of benefits and the size of activity from which improved ocean observation benefits may be derived are estimated for energy development and production activities and oil spill response management

  7. Hydrology and water-quality monitoring considerations, Jackpile uranium mine, northwestern New Mexico

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zehner, H.H.

    1985-01-01

    The Jackpile Uranium Mine, which is on the Pueblo of Laguna in northwestern New Mexico was operated from 1953 to 1980. The small storage coefficients determined from three aquifer tests indicate that the Jackpile sandstone is a confined hydrologic system throughout much of the mine area. Sediment from the Rio Paguate has nearly filled the Paguate Reservoir near Laguna since its construction in 1940. The mean concentrations of uranium, Ra-226, and other trace elements generally were less than permissible limits established in national drinking water regulations or New Mexico State groundwater regulations. No individual surface water samples collected upstream from the mine contained concentrations of Ra-226 in excess of the permissible limits. Ra-226 concentrations in many individual samples collected from the Rio Paguate from near the mouth of the Rio Moquino to the sampling sites along the down-stream reach of the Rio Paguate, however, exceeded the recommended permissible concentration of Ra-226 for public drinking water supplies. After reclamation, most of the shallow groundwater probably will discharge to the natural stream channels draining the mine area. Groundwater quality may be monitored as: (1) Limited monitoring, in which only the change in water quality is determined as the groundwater flows from the mine; or (2) thorough monitoring, in which specific sources of possible contaminants are described

  8. The Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean Observing System: Building an MBON for the Florida Keys.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Howard, M.; Stoessel, M. M.; Currier, R. D.

    2016-02-01

    The Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean Observing System Regional Association (GCOOS-RA) Data Portal was designed to aggregate regional data and to serve it to the public through standards-based services in useful and desirable forms. These standards are established and sanctioned for use by the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) Program Office with inputs from experts on the Integrated Ocean Observation Committee and the RA informatics community. In 2012, with considerable input from staff from Ocean Biogeographical Information System USA (OBIS-USA), IOOS began to develop and adopt standards for serving biological datasets. GCOOS-RA applied these standards the following year and began serving fisheries independent data through an GCOOS ERDDAP server. In late 2014, GCOOS-RA partnered with the University of South Florida in a 5-year Marine Biodiversity Observing Network (MBON) Project sponsored by NOAA, NASA and BOEM. Work began in 2015. GCOOS' primary role is to aggregate, organize and serve data that are useful to an MBON for the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. GCOOS, in collaboration with Axiom Data Science, will produce a decision support system (DSS) for stakeholders such as NOAA National Marine Sanctuaries Program managers. The datasets to be managed include environmental observations from: field surveys, fixed platforms, and satellites; GIS layers of: bathymetry, shoreline, sanctuary boundaries, living marine resources and habitats; outputs from ocean circulation models and ecosystem models (e.g., Ecopath/Ecosim) and Environmental DNA. Additionally, the DSS may be called upon to perform analyses, compute indices of biodiversity and present results in tabular, graphic and fused forms in an interactive setting. This presentation will discuss our progress to date for this challenging work in data integration.

  9. Initial evaluations of a Gulf of Mexico/Caribbean ocean forecast system in the context of the Deepwater Horizon disaster

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zaron, Edward D.; Fitzpatrick, Patrick J.; Cross, Scott L.; Harding, John M.; Bub, Frank L.; Wiggert, Jerry D.; Ko, Dong S.; Lau, Yee; Woodard, Katharine; Mooers, Christopher N. K.

    2015-12-01

    In response to the Deepwater Horizon (DwH) oil spill event in 2010, the Naval Oceanographic Office deployed a nowcast-forecast system covering the Gulf of Mexico and adjacent Caribbean Sea that was designated Americas Seas, or AMSEAS, which is documented in this manuscript. The DwH disaster provided a challenge to the application of available ocean-forecast capabilities, and also generated a historically large observational dataset. AMSEAS was evaluated by four complementary efforts, each with somewhat different aims and approaches: a university research consortium within an Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) testbed; a petroleum industry consortium, the Gulf of Mexico 3-D Operational Ocean Forecast System Pilot Prediction Project (GOMEX-PPP); a British Petroleum (BP) funded project at the Northern Gulf Institute in response to the oil spill; and the Navy itself. Validation metrics are presented in these different projects for water temperature and salinity profiles, sea surface wind, sea surface temperature, sea surface height, and volume transport, for different forecast time scales. The validation found certain geographic and time biases/errors, and small but systematic improvements relative to earlier regional and global modeling efforts. On the basis of these positive AMSEAS validation studies, an oil spill transport simulation was conducted using archived AMSEAS nowcasts to examine transport into the estuaries east of the Mississippi River. This effort captured the influences of Hurricane Alex and a non-tropical cyclone off the Louisiana coast, both of which pushed oil into the western Mississippi Sound, illustrating the importance of the atmospheric influence on oil spills such as DwH.

  10. Mexico Terrain Corrected Free Air Anomalies (97)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This 2' gravity anomaly grid for Mexico, North-Central America and the Western Caribbean Sea is NOT the input data set used in the development of the MEXICO97 model....

  11. SUPPORT OF GULF OF MEXICO HYDRATE RESEARCH CONSORTIUM: ACTIVITIES TO SUPPORT ESTABLISHMENT OF A SEA FLOOR MONITORING STATION PROJECT

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Paul Higley; J. Robert Woolsey; Ralph Goodman; Vernon Asper; Boris Mizaikoff; Angela Davis; Bob A. Hardage; Jeffrey Chanton; Rudy Rogers

    2006-03-01

    The Gulf of Mexico Hydrates Research Consortium was established in 1999 to assemble leaders in gas hydrates research. The group is administered by the Center for Marine Resources and Environmental Technology, CMRET, at the University of Mississippi. The primary objective of the group is to design and emplace a remote monitoring station or sea floor observatory on the sea floor in the northern Gulf of Mexico by the year 2005, in an area where gas hydrates are known to be present at, or just below, the sea floor. This mission necessitates assembling a station that will monitor physical and chemical parameters of the sea water and sea floor sediments on a more-or-less continuous basis over an extended period of time. Development of the station has always included the possibility of expanding its capabilities to include biological monitoring, as a means of assessing environmental health. This possibility has recently received increased attention and the group of researchers working on the station has expanded to include several microbial biologists. Establishment of the Consortium has succeeded in fulfilling the critical need to coordinate activities, avoid redundancies and communicate effectively among researchers in this relatively new research arena. Complementary expertise, both scientific and technical, has been assembled to promote innovative research methods and construct necessary instrumentation. Initial components of the observatory, a probe that collects pore-fluid samples and another that records sea floor temperatures, were deployed in Mississippi Canyon 118 in May of 2005. Follow-up deployments are planned for fall 2005 and center about the use of the vessel M/V Ocean Quest and its two manned submersibles. The subs will be used to effect bottom surveys, emplace sensors and sea floor experiments and make connections between sensor data loggers and the integrated data power unit (IDP). Station/observatory completion is anticipated for 2007 following the

  12. 46 CFR 151.03-39 - Ocean.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... HAZARDOUS MATERIAL CARGOES Definitions § 151.03-39 Ocean. A designation for all vessels normally navigating the waters of any ocean or the Gulf of Mexico more than 20 nautical miles offshore. ... 46 Shipping 5 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Ocean. 151.03-39 Section 151.03-39 Shipping COAST GUARD...

  13. Monitoring technologies for ocean disposal of radioactive waste

    Science.gov (United States)

    Triplett, M. B.; Solomon, K. A.; Bishop, C. B.; Tyce, R. C.

    1982-01-01

    The feasibility of using carefully selected subseabed locations to permanently isolate high level radioactive wastes at ocean depths greater than 4000 meters is discussed. Disposal at several candidate subseabed areas is being studied because of the long term geologic stability of the sediments, remoteness from human activity, and lack of useful natural resources. While the deep sea environment is remote, it also poses some significant challenges for the technology required to survey and monitor these sites, to identify and pinpoint container leakage should it occur, and to provide the environmental information and data base essential to determining the probable impacts of any such occurrence. Objectives and technical approaches to aid in the selective development of advanced technologies for the future monitoring of nuclear low level and high level waste disposal in the deep seabed are presented. Detailed recommendations for measurement and sampling technology development needed for deep seabed nuclear waste monitoring are also presented.

  14. Global ocean monitoring for the World Climate Research Programme.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Revelle, R; Bretherton, F

    1986-07-01

    -"Tropical Oceans and Global Atmosphere (TOGA)"-will be undertaken to sudy the sequence of events of air-sea interactions in the tropical oceans and their impact on climatic variations on land-for example, variations in the strength and location of the Indian Ocean monsoon, droughts in low latitudes, and climatic fluctuations in temperate latitudes.Experimental and continuing time series will be taken at fixed locations to obtain a better picture of the magnitude and causes of ocean climate variability. National and multinational systematic repeated measurements along selected ocean transects or in specific ocean areas will be taken to determine oceanic variability and teleconnections between oceanic and atmospheric processes. Examples are the long Japanese section along the meridian of 137° E and the 'Sections' program of the USSR and several other countries in Energy-Active zones.The results from this wide range of observations and experiments will be used to guide and define mathematical models of the ocean circulation and its interactions with the atmosphere.It can be shown that biogeochemical processes in the ocean play an important role in determining the carbon dioxide content of the atmosphere and thus in causing long-term climatic changes. Variations in the biological productivity of sub-surface waters cause variations in the effectveness of the biological pump which carries organic carbon down into deeper waters where it is oxidized. Studies of ice cores from 20 000 to 30 000 yr before the present indicate that atmospheric carbon dioxide varied by a factor of 2 within times of the order of 100 yr, and these variations were accompanied by large excursions in atmospheric temperature. Thus, ocean climatic monitoring must take into account measurements of both biological and physical variations in the ocean.

  15. Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean Observing System: The Gulf Component of the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bernard, L. J.; Moersdorf, P. F.

    2005-05-01

    The United States is developing an Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) as the U.S. component of the international Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS). IOOS consists of: (1) a coastal observing system for the U.S. EEZ, estuaries, and Great Lakes; and (2) a contribution to the global component of GOOS focused on climate and maritime services. The coastal component will consist of: (1) a National Backbone of observations and products from our coastal ocean supported by federal agencies; and (2) contributions of Regional Coastal Ocean Observing Systems (RCOOS). The Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean Observing System (GCOOS) is one of eleven RCOOS. This paper describes how GCOOS is progressing as a system of systems to carry out data collection, analysis, product generation, dissemination of information, and data archival. These elements are provided by federal, state, and local government agencies, academic institutions, non-government organization, and the private sector. This end-to-end system supports the seven societal goals of the IOOS, as provided by the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy: detect and forecast oceanic components of climate variability, facilitate safe and efficient marine operations, ensure national security, manage marine resources, preserve and restore healthy marine ecosystems, mitigate natural hazards, and ensure public health. The initial building blocks for GCOOS include continuing in situ observations, satellite products, models, and other information supported by federal and state government, private industry, and academia. GCOOS has compiled an inventory of such activities, together with descriptions, costs, sources of support, and possible out-year budgets. These activities provide information that will have broader use as they are integrated and enhanced. GCOOS has begun that process by several approaches. First, GCOOS has established a web site (www.gcoos.org) which is a portal to such activities and contains pertinent information

  16. 46 CFR 90.10-25 - Ocean.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... Terms Used in This Subchapter § 90.10-25 Ocean. Under this designation shall be included all vessels navigating the waters of any ocean or the Gulf of Mexico more than 20 nautical miles offshore. ... 46 Shipping 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Ocean. 90.10-25 Section 90.10-25 Shipping COAST GUARD...

  17. 46 CFR 188.10-51 - Ocean.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... Terms Used in This Subchapter § 188.10-51 Ocean. Under this designation shall be included all vessels navigating the waters of any ocean, or the Gulf of Mexico more than 20 nautical miles offshore. ... 46 Shipping 7 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Ocean. 188.10-51 Section 188.10-51 Shipping COAST GUARD...

  18. Temperature profile data collected using BT and XBT casts in the Gulf of Mexico and TOGA Area - Pacific Ocean from NOAA Ship RESEARCHER from 1985-10-20 to 1985-12-14 (NODC Accession 8700105)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Temperature profile data were collected using XBT and BT casts from NOAA Ship RESEARCHER in the Gulf of Mexico and TOGA Area - Pacific Ocean from 30 October 1985 to...

  19. The Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean Observing System: A Decade of Data Aggregation and Services.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Howard, M.; Gayanilo, F.; Kobara, S.; Baum, S. K.; Currier, R. D.; Stoessel, M. M.

    2016-02-01

    The Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean Observing System Regional Association (GCOOS-RA) celebrated its 10-year anniversary in 2015. GCOOS-RA is one of 11 RAs organized under the NOAA-led U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) Program Office to aggregate regional data and make these data publicly-available in preferred forms and formats via standards-based web services. Initial development of GCOOS focused on building elements of the IOOS Data Management and Communications Plan which is a framework for end-to-end interoperability. These elements included: data discovery, catalog, metadata, online-browse, data access and transport. Initial data types aggregated included near real-time physical oceanographic, marine meteorological and satellite data. Our focus in the middle of the past decade was on the production of basic products such as maps of current oceanographic conditions and quasi-static datasets such as bathymetry and climatologies. In the latter part of the decade we incorporated historical physical oceanographic datasets and historical coastal and offshore water quality data into our holdings and added our first biological dataset. We also developed web environments and products to support Citizen Scientists and stakeholder groups such as recreational boaters. Current efforts are directed towards applying data quality assurance (testing and flagging) to non-federal data, data archiving at national repositories, serving and visualizing numerical model output, providing data services for glider operators, and supporting marine biodiversity observing networks. GCOOS Data Management works closely with the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative Information and Data Cooperative and various groups involved with Gulf Restoration. GCOOS-RA has influenced attitudes and behaviors associated with good data stewardship and data management practices across the Gulf and will to continue to do so into the next decade.

  20. Mexico - Surface Weather Observations

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Mexican Surface Daily Observations taken at 94 observatories located throughout Mexico, beginning in 1872 and going up through 1981. The data resided on paper...

  1. The impact of low pH, low aragonite saturation state on calcifying corals: an in-situ study of ocean acidification from the "ojos" of Puerto Morelos, Mexico

    Science.gov (United States)

    Crook, E. D.; Paytan, A.; Potts, D. C.; Hernandez Terrones, L.; Rebolledo-Vieyra, M.

    2010-12-01

    Recent increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide have resulted in rising aqueous CO2 concentrations that lower the pH of the oceans (Caldeira and Wickett 2003, 2005, Doney et al., 2009). It is estimated that over the next 100 years, the pH of the surface oceans will decrease by ~0.4 pH units (Orr et al., 2005), which is expected to hinder the calcifying capabilities of numerous marine organisms. Previous field work (Hall-Spencer et al., 2008) indicates that ocean acidification will negatively impact calcifying species; however, to date, very little is known about the long-term impacts of ocean acidification from the in-situ study of coral reef ecosystems. The Yucatán Peninsula of Quintana Roo, Mexico, represents an ecosystem where naturally low pH groundwater (7.14-8.07) has been discharging offshore at highly localized points (called ojos) for millennia. We present preliminary chemical and biological data on a selection of ojos from lagoon sites in Puerto Morelos, Mexico. Our findings indicate a decrease in species richness and size with proximity to the low pH waters. We address the potential long-term implications of low pH, low aragonite saturation state on coral reef ecosystems.

  2. Chemical, physical, profile and other oceanographic data collected aboard the OCEAN VERITAS in the Gulf of Mexico from 2010-09-22 to 2010-10-24 in response to the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill event (NODC Accession 0069615)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Chemical, physical, profile, imagery, laboratory analysis and sediment analysis oceanographic data were collected aboard the OCEAN VERITAS in the Gulf of Mexico from...

  3. ECOSPACE : a pre-operational satellite system and services for ocean colour monitoring

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morel, André; Cerutti-Maori, Guy; Morel, Michel

    2017-11-01

    A permanent monitoring of the oceanic algal biomass (phytoplankton), of its photosynthetic activity, ecological and biogeochemical impact, or of its long-term response to changing physical and climatic conditions, is a crucial goal of scientific programmes (such as JGOFS, GLOBEC, LOICZ), as well as of international observing systems (such as GOOS, GCOS, IGOS). After a decade without ocean colour satellite-borne sensor, several instruments have been, or will be launched. They are increasingly sophisticated in their design and operation. Their complexity results from constraints for multipurpose mission (involving not only ocean, but also land and atmosphere), or from requirements for exploratory research projects and development of new methodologies for improved ocean colour interpretation and "advanced" products. In contrast, the proposed specific ECOSPACE mission is an ocean colour dedicated instrument, with a global monitoring vocation. It relies on known algorithms for accurate atmospheric corrections and aerosol load estimate over open ocean (about 96% of the whole ocean), and known algorithms for a meaningful quantification of the oceanic algal biomass (in terms of Chlorophyll concentration). The coastal zones are observed as well, and their particular features delineated : however, detailed studies that imply high ground resolution and more spectral channels are out of the scope of the present proposal. The ECOSPACE mission represents a feasibility demonstration ; more precisely it is a first step toward the setting up of an operational Satellite System and Services for a future continuous supply of stable, compatible, easy-to-merge ocean colour date products. In essence, such a Service would be similar to those already existing for meteorology and for some oceanic variables (e.g. sea level). Although new approaches to management and implementation over a short time scale are needed, the ECOSPACE project relies essentially on existing scientific and

  4. A Wave Power Device with Pendulum Based on Ocean Monitoring Buoy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chai, Hui; Guan, Wanchun; Wan, Xiaozheng; Li, Xuanqun; Zhao, Qiang; Liu, Shixuan

    2018-01-01

    The ocean monitoring buoy usually exploits solar energy for power supply. In order to improve power supply capacity, this paper proposes a wave power device according to the structure and moving character of buoy. The wave power device composes of pendulum mechanism that converts wave energy into mechanical energy and energy storage mechanism where the mechanical energy is transferred quantitatively to generator. The hydrodynamic equation for the motion of buoy system with generator devise is established based on the potential flow theory, and then the characteristics of pendulum motion and energy conversion properties are analysed. The results of this research show that the proposed wave power devise is able to efficiently and periodically convert wave energy into power, and increasing the stiffness of energy storage spring is benefit for enhancing the power supply capacity of the buoy. This study provides a theory reference for the development of technology on wave power generator for ocean monitoring buoy.

  5. Monitoring Drought along the Gulf of Mexico and the Southeastern Atlantic Ocean Using the Coastal Salinity Index

    Science.gov (United States)

    Conrads, P. A.; Rouen, L.; Lackstrom, K.; McCloskey, B.

    2017-12-01

    Coastal droughts have a different dynamic than upland droughts, which are typically characterized by agricultural, hydrologic, meteorological, and (or) socio-economic impacts. Drought uniquely affects coastal ecosystems due to changes in salinity conditions of estuarine creeks and rivers. The location of the freshwater-saltwater interface in surface-water bodies is an important factor in the ecological and socio-economic dynamics of coastal communities. The location of the interface determines the freshwater and saltwater aquatic communities, fisheries spawning habitat, and the freshwater availability for municipal and industrial water intakes. The severity of coastal drought may explain changes in Vibrio bacteria impacts on shellfish harvesting and occurrence of wound infection, fish kills, harmful algal blooms, hypoxia, and beach closures. To address the data and information gap for characterizing coastal drought, a coastal salinity index (CSI) was developed using salinity data. The CSI uses a computational approach similar to the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI). The CSI is computed for unique time intervals (for example 1-, 6-, 12-, and 24-month) that can characterize the onset and recovery of short- and long-term drought. Evaluation of the CSI indicates that the index can be used for different estuary types (for example: brackish, oligohaline, or mesohaline), for regional comparison between estuaries, and as an index of wet conditions (high freshwater inflow) in addition to drought (saline) conditions. In 2017, three activities in 2017 will be presented that enhance the use and application of the CSI. One, a software package was developed for the consistent computation of the CSI that includes preprocessing of salinity data, filling missing data, computing the CSI, post-processing, and generating the supporting metadata. Two, the CSI has been computed at sites along the Gulf of Mexico (Texas to Florida) and the Southeastern Atlantic Ocean (Florida to

  6. Temperature profile and other data from CTD Casts in the Gulf of Mexico and TOGA Area - Pacific Ocean from NOAA Ship RESEARCHER and other platforms from 1982-03-26 to 1983-11-26 (NODC Accession 8500267)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Temperature profile and other data were collected using CTD casts from NOAA Ship RESEARCHER and other platforms in the Gulf of Mexico and TOGA Area - Pacific Ocean...

  7. Geomechanical monitoring system at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, Carlsbad, New Mexico

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Francke, J.L.; Carrasco, R.C.

    1992-01-01

    This paper describes in detail the geomechanical instrumentation system and the database that has been established from the geomechanical monitoring program. In addition, it describes the quality assurance and control measures that are in place to ensure that the data from the underground is accurate, traceable, and defensible. The system is installed at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in Carlsbad, New Mexico. This facility is being developed for the disposal of transuranic nuclear wastes in underground excavations in salt 655 meters below the surface. The purpose of the instrumentation system, is to monitor the deformations and stress changes that are occurring in the rock with time. This information is needed to routinely assess conditions in the facility and to ensure that safe operating conditions are maintained. The geomechanical monitoring system has provided data collection, quality control, and database maintenance, all of which are of vital importance to monitoring the geomechanical performance of underground excavations

  8. Chemical, physical and profile oceanographic data collected aboard the OCEAN VERITAS in the Gulf of Mexico from 2010-05-26 to 2010-05-30 in response to the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill event (NODC Accession 0069092)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Chemical, physical and profile oceanographic data were collected aboard the OCEAN VERITAS in the Gulf of Mexico from 2010-05-26 to 2010-05-30 in response to the...

  9. Retrieval of sea surface velocities using sequential Ocean Colour Monitor (OCM) data

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Prasad, J.S.; Rajawat, A.S.; Pradhan, Y.; Chauhan, O.S.; Nayak, S.R.

    The Indian remote sensing satellite, IRS-P4 (Oceansat-I) launched on May 26th, 1999 carried two sensors on board, i.e., the Ocean Colour Monitor (OCM) and the Multi-frequency Scanning Microwave Radiometer (MSMR) dedicated for oceanographic research...

  10. Automatic national network of radiation environmental monitoring in Mexico

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aguirre, Jaime; Delgado, Jose L.; Lopez, Manuel; Zertuche, Jorge V.

    2013-01-01

    The Direccion de Vigilancia Radiologica (DVR) of the Comision Nacional de Seguridad Nuclear y Salvaguardias (CNSNS) de Mexico, performs several function for environmental radiation monitoring. One of these functions is the permanent monitoring of the environmental gamma radiation. For this, it implemented the Red Nacional Automatica de Monitoreo Radiologico Ambiental (RENAMORA) - the National Automated Network for Environmental Radiation Monitoring,which currently comprises 60 detector probes for gamma radiation which with a programmable system that includes information technologies, data transmission and software can send the information in real time to a primary center of data located in the facilities of CNSNS. - When the data are received, the system performs the verification and extraction of the information organized in Tables and charts, and generates a report of environmental gamma radiation dose rate average for each of the probes and for each period of time determined bu CNSNS. The RENAMORA covers the main cities and allows to establish the bases of almost the entire country, as well as to warn about abnormal situations caused by incidents or natural events generated by human activities inside or outside the country which involves radioactive materials; paying special attention to main radiological sites, such as the surroundings of the Laguna Verde Nuclear Power Plants, research centers and the radioactive waste disposal sites

  11. 77 FR 41376 - Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council; Public Meetings

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-07-13

    ... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Gulf of Mexico Fishery... Internet. Please go to the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council's Web site at www.gulfcouncil.org for instructions. Council address: Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, 2203 N. Lois Avenue, Suite 1100...

  12. Ocean OSSEs: recent developments and future challenges

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kourafalou, V. H.

    2012-12-01

    Atmospheric OSSEs have had a much longer history of applications than OSSEs (and OSEs) in oceanography. Long standing challenges include the presence of coastlines and steep bathymetric changes, which require the superposition of a wide variety of space and time scales, leading to difficulties on ocean observation and prediction. For instance, remote sensing is critical for providing a quasi-synoptic oceanographic view, but the coverage is limited at the ocean surface. Conversely, in situ measurements are capable to monitor the entire water column, but at a single location and usually for a specific, short time. Despite these challenges, substantial progress has been made in recent years and international initiatives have provided successful OSSE/OSE examples and formed appropriate forums that helped define the future roadmap. These will be discussed, together with various challenges that require a community effort. Examples include: integrated (remote and in situ) observing system requirements for monitoring large scale and climatic changes, vs. short term variability that is particularly important on the regional and coastal spatial scales; satisfying the needs of both global and regional/coastal nature runs, from development to rigorous evaluation and under a clear definition of metrics; data assimilation in the presence of tides; estimation of real-time river discharges for Earth system modeling. An overview of oceanographic efforts that complement the standard OSSE methodology will also be given. These include ocean array design methods, such as representer-based analysis and adaptive sampling. Exciting new opportunities for both global and regional ocean OSSE/OSE studies have recently become possible with targeted periods of comprehensive data sets, such as the existing Gulf of Mexico observations from multiple sources in the aftermath of the DeepWater Horizon incident and the upcoming airborne AirSWOT, in preparation for the SWOT (Surface Water and Ocean

  13. A Blueprint for the Ecological Monitoring of Australia's Oceans.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bax, N. J.; Hayes, K. R.; Dambacher, J. M.; Hosack, G. R.; Dunstan, P. K.; Fulton, E.; Thompson, P. A.; Hartog, J. R.; Hobday, A. J.; Bradford, R.; Foster, S.; Hedge, P.; Smith, D.; Marshall, C. M.

    2016-02-01

    Monitoring Australia's marine area is fundamental to understanding and documenting how the ocean is changing in response to human pressures. Fifty-four key ecological features (KEFs) were identified as areas of particular value to the Australian Government over the last 8 years. These were divided into six reporting groups: areas of enhanced pelagic productivity, canyons, deep seabeds, seamounts, shelf reefs and seabeds. Ecosystem models were built for 33 KEF systems that have the strongest datasets, based on a theoretical understanding of how they function. Human pressures were identified by regional specialists and combined with the KEF models to create a set of medium-term pressure scenarios for each KEF. Between four and 25 pressure scenarios were identified for each KEF. Examples of human pressures include the strengthening of the East Australian Current and shifts in ocean upwelling due to climate change, major fluctuations in pelagic fish and fur seal populations, and fishing, shipping and oil and gas activities. KEF models encompass parts of the ecosystem that have potential to be monitored as long-term indicators that increase, decrease, or remain unchanged under each pressure scenario. Suitable indicators are those that respond in predictable ways across all pressure scenarios for a KEF. Results from pressure scenarios developed to test indicators for Australia's nine enhanced pelagic productivity KEFs will be presented. Satellite observations were analysed to tease out the long-term trend in phytoplankton and ocean upwelling. The comparison of predicted and observed trends in indicators leads to an improved understanding of KEF systems and the utility of the indicators. A change in indicator is a signal that something was happening to a valued system. The prediction-observation process would explain why. This process is repeatable and can be updated as new information comes available.

  14. QUALITY ASSURANCE PERFORMANCE AUDIT REPORT FOR THE SECRETARIA DEL MEDIO AMBIENTE CIUDAD DE MEXICO, DF, MEXICO RED AUTOMATICA DE MONITOREO ATMOSFERICO (RAMA) AIR QUALITY MONITORING STATIONS

    Science.gov (United States)

    The United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) conducted this evaluation of the air monitoring network, known as RAM (Red Automatica de Monitoreo Atmosferico) at the request of the Mexico City Secretariat of the Environment on October 16-27, 2000. This evaluation...

  15. August 1973 Veracruz, Mexico Images

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — South of Veracruz, southeastern Mexico. Damage: Severe. The earthquake caused heavy damage in the states of Morelos, Puebla, and Veracruz. Thousands were left...

  16. 2011 Groundwater Monitoring and Inspection Report Gnome-Coach Site, New Mexico

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2012-01-01

    Gnome-Coach was the site of a 3-kiloton underground nuclear test in 1961. Surface and subsurface contamination resulted from the underground nuclear testing, post-test drilling, and groundwater tracer test performed at the site. The State of New Mexico is currently proceeding with a conditional certificate of completion for the surface. As for the subsurface, monitoring activities that include hydraulic head monitoring and groundwater sampling of the wells onsite are conducted as part of the annual site inspection. These activities were conducted on January 19, 2011. The site roads, monitoring well heads, and the monument at surface ground zero were observed as being in good condition at the time of the site inspection. An evaluation of the hydraulic head data obtained from the site indicates that water levels in wells USGS-4 and USGS-8 appear to respond to the on/off cycling of the dedicated pump in well USGS-1 and that water levels in wells LRL-7 and DD-1 increased during this annual monitoring period. Analytical results obtained from the sampling indicate that concentrations of tritium, strontium-90, and cesium-137 were consistent with concentrations from historical sampling events.

  17. 2011 Groundwater Monitoring and Inspection Report Gnome-Coach Site, New Mexico

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    None

    2012-02-01

    Gnome-Coach was the site of a 3-kiloton underground nuclear test in 1961. Surface and subsurface contamination resulted from the underground nuclear testing, post-test drilling, and groundwater tracer test performed at the site. The State of New Mexico is currently proceeding with a conditional certificate of completion for the surface. As for the subsurface, monitoring activities that include hydraulic head monitoring and groundwater sampling of the wells onsite are conducted as part of the annual site inspection. These activities were conducted on January 19, 2011. The site roads, monitoring well heads, and the monument at surface ground zero were observed as being in good condition at the time of the site inspection. An evaluation of the hydraulic head data obtained from the site indicates that water levels in wells USGS-4 and USGS-8 appear to respond to the on/off cycling of the dedicated pump in well USGS-1 and that water levels in wells LRL-7 and DD-1 increased during this annual monitoring period. Analytical results obtained from the sampling indicate that concentrations of tritium, strontium-90, and cesium-137 were consistent with concentrations from historical sampling events.

  18. Seahawk: An Advanced Cubesat Mission for Sustained Ocean Color Monitoring

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morrison, John M.; Jeffrey, Hazel; Gorter, Hessel; Anderson, Pamela; Clark, Craig; Holmes, Alan; Feldman, Gene C.; Pratt, Frederick S.

    2016-01-01

    Sustained ocean color monitoring is vital to understanding the marine ecosystem. It has been identified as an Essential Climate Variable (ECV) and is a vital parameter in understanding long-term climate change. Furthermore, observations can be beneficial in observing oil spills, harmful algal blooms and the health of fisheries. Space-based remote sensing, through MERIS, SeaWiFS and MODIS instruments, have provided a means of observing the vast area covered by the ocean which would otherwise be impossible using ships alone. However, the large pixel size makes measurements of lakes, rivers, estuaries and coastal zones difficult. Furthermore, retirement of a number of widely used and relied upon ocean observation instruments, particularly MERIS and SeaWiFS, leaves a significant gap in ocean color observation opportunities. This paper presents an overview of the SeaHawk mission, a collaborative effort between Clyde Space Ltd., the University of North Carolina Wilmington, Cloudland Instruments, and Goddard Spaceflight Center, funded by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. The goal of the project is to enhance the ability to observe ocean color in high temporal and spatial resolution through use of a low-cost, next-generation ocean color sensor flown aboard a CubeSat. The final product will be 530 times smaller (0.0034 vs 1.81cu m) and 115 time less massive (3.4 vs 390.0 kg) but with a ground resolution 10 times better whilst maintaining a signal/noise ratio 50 that of SeaWiFs. This paper will describe the objectives of the mission, outline the payload specification and the spacecraft platform to support it.

  19. 77 FR 40859 - Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council; Public Meetings; Correction

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-07-11

    ... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Gulf of Mexico Fishery.... SUMMARY: The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (Council) will convene its Law Enforcement Advisory... Ludwig Lane, Grand Isle, LA 70358; telephone: (985) 787-2163 Council address: Gulf of Mexico Fishery...

  20. Diurnal changes in ocean color sensed in satellite imagery

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arnone, Robert; Vandermuelen, Ryan; Soto, Inia; Ladner, Sherwin; Ondrusek, Michael; Yang, Haoping

    2017-07-01

    Measurements of diurnal changes in ocean color in turbid coastal regions in the Gulf of Mexico were characterized using above water spectral radiometry from a National Aeronautics and Space Administration (aerosol robotic network-WaveCIS CSI-06) site that can provide 8 to 10 observations per day. Satellite capability to detect diurnal changes in ocean color was characterized using hourly overlapping afternoon orbits of the visual infrared imaging radiometer suite (VIIRS) Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership ocean color sensor and validated with in situ observations. The monthly cycle of diurnal changes was investigated for different water masses using VIIRS overlaps. Results showed the capability of satellite observations to monitor hourly color changes in coastal regions that can be impacted by vertical movement of optical layers, in response to tides, resuspension, and river plume dispersion. The spatial variability of VIIRS diurnal changes showed the occurrence and displacement of phytoplankton blooming and decaying processes. The diurnal change in ocean color was above 20%, which represents a 30% change in chlorophyll-a. Seasonal changes in diurnal ocean color for different water masses suggest differences in summer and winter responses to surface processes. The diurnal changes observed using satellite ocean color can be used to define the following: surface processes associated with biological activity, vertical changes in optical depth, and advection of water masses.

  1. Geomechanical monitoring system at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, Carlsbad, New Mexico

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Francke, J.L.; Cook, R.F.; Carrasco, R.C.

    1993-01-01

    This paper describes in detail the geomechanical instrumentation system and the data base that has been established from the geomechanical monitoring program. In addition, it describes the quality assurance and control measures that are in place to ensure that the data from the underground is accurate, traceable, and defensible. The system is installed at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in Carlsbad, New Mexico. This facility is being developed for the disposal of transuranic nuclear wastes in underground excavations in salt 2150 feet below the surface. The purpose of the instrumentation system is to monitor the deformations and stress changes that are occurring in the rock with time. This information is needed to routinely assess conditions in the facility and to ensure that safe operating conditions are maintained

  2. Chemical, physical, profile and laboratory analysis oceanographic data collected aboard the OCEAN VERITAS in the Gulf of Mexico from 2010-08-30 to 2010-09-03 in response to the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill event (NODC Accession 0069107)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Chemical, physical, profile and laboratory analysis oceanographic data were collected aboard the OCEAN VERITAS in the Gulf of Mexico from 2010-08-30 to 2010-09-03 in...

  3. Chemical, physical, profile and laboratory analysis oceanographic data collected aboard the OCEAN VERITAS in the Gulf of Mexico from 2010-07-19 to 2010-07-23 in response to the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill event (NODC Accession 0069100)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Chemical, physical, profile and laboratory analysis oceanographic data were collected aboard the OCEAN VERITAS in the Gulf of Mexico from 2010-07-19 to 2010-07-23 in...

  4. Chemical, physical, profile and laboratory analysis oceanographic data collected aboard the OCEAN VERITAS in the Gulf of Mexico from 2010-08-06 to 2010-08-10 in response to the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill event (NODC Accession 0069103)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Chemical, physical, profile and laboratory analysis oceanographic data were collected aboard the OCEAN VERITAS in the Gulf of Mexico from 2010-08-06 to 2010-08-10 in...

  5. Chemical, physical, profile and laboratory analysis oceanographic data collected aboard the OCEAN VERITAS in the Gulf of Mexico from 2010-08-18 to 2010-08-22 in response to the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill event (NODC Accession 0069105)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Chemical, physical, profile and laboratory analysis oceanographic data were collected aboard the OCEAN VERITAS in the Gulf of Mexico from 2010-08-18 to 2010-08-22 in...

  6. Chemical, physical, profile and laboratory analysis oceanographic data collected aboard the OCEAN VERITAS in the Gulf of Mexico from 2010-08-25 to 2010-08-29 in response to the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill event (NODC Accession 0069106)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Chemical, physical, profile and laboratory analysis oceanographic data were collected aboard the OCEAN VERITAS in the Gulf of Mexico from 2010-08-25 to 2010-08-29 in...

  7. Chemical, physical, profile and laboratory analysis oceanographic data collected aboard the OCEAN VERITAS in the Gulf of Mexico from 2010-06-19 to 2010-06-23 in response to the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill event (NODC Accession 0069096)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Chemical, physical, profile and laboratory analysis oceanographic data were collected aboard the OCEAN VERITAS in the Gulf of Mexico from 2010-06-19 to 2010-06-23 in...

  8. Chemical, physical, profile and laboratory analysis oceanographic data collected aboard the OCEAN VERITAS in the Gulf of Mexico from 2010-06-07 to 2010-06-11 in response to the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill event (NODC Accession 0069094)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Chemical, physical, profile and laboratory analysis oceanographic data were collected aboard the OCEAN VERITAS in the Gulf of Mexico from 2010-06-07 to 2010-06-11 in...

  9. Chemical, physical, profile and laboratory analysis oceanographic data collected aboard the OCEAN VERITAS in the Gulf of Mexico from 2010-06-01 to 2010-06-05 in response to the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill event (NODC Accession 0069093)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Chemical, physical, profile and laboratory analysis oceanographic data were collected aboard the OCEAN VERITAS in the Gulf of Mexico from 2010-06-01 to 2010-06-05 in...

  10. Chemical, physical, profile and laboratory analysis oceanographic data collected aboard the OCEAN VERITAS in the Gulf of Mexico from 2010-08-12 to 2010-08-16 in response to the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill event (NODC Accession 0069104)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Chemical, physical, profile and laboratory analysis oceanographic data were collected aboard the OCEAN VERITAS in the Gulf of Mexico from 2010-08-12 to 2010-08-16 in...

  11. Chemical, physical, profile and laboratory analysis oceanographic data collected aboard the OCEAN VERITAS in the Gulf of Mexico from 2010-07-07 to 2010-07-11 in response to the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill event (NODC Accession 0069099)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Chemical, physical, profile and laboratory analysis oceanographic data were collected aboard the OCEAN VERITAS in the Gulf of Mexico from 2010-07-07 to 2010-07-11 in...

  12. Chemical, physical, profile and laboratory analysis oceanographic data collected aboard the OCEAN VERITAS in the Gulf of Mexico from 2010-06-25 to 2010-06-29 in response to the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill event (NODC Accession 0069097)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Chemical, physical, profile and laboratory analysis oceanographic data were collected aboard the OCEAN VERITAS in the Gulf of Mexico from 2010-06-25 to 2010-06-29 in...

  13. Chemical, physical, profile and laboratory analysis oceanographic data collected aboard the OCEAN VERITAS in the Gulf of Mexico from 2010-07-26 to 2010-07-29 in response to the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill event (NODC Accession 0069101)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Chemical, physical, profile and laboratory analysis oceanographic data were collected aboard the OCEAN VERITAS in the Gulf of Mexico from 2010-07-26 to 2010-07-29 in...

  14. Chemical, physical, profile and laboratory analysis oceanographic data collected aboard the OCEAN VERITAS in the Gulf of Mexico from 2010-06-29 to 2010-07-05 in response to the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill event (NODC Accession 0069098)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Chemical, physical, profile and laboratory analysis oceanographic data were collected aboard the OCEAN VERITAS in the Gulf of Mexico from 2010-06-29 to 2010-07-05 in...

  15. Chemical, physical, profile and laboratory analysis oceanographic data collected aboard the OCEAN VERITAS in the Gulf of Mexico from 2010-07-31 to 2010-08-03 in response to the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill event (NODC Accession 0069102)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Chemical, physical, profile and laboratory analysis oceanographic data were collected aboard the OCEAN VERITAS in the Gulf of Mexico from 2010-07-31 to 2010-08-03 in...

  16. Chemical, physical, profile and laboratory analysis oceanographic data collected aboard the OCEAN VERITAS in the Gulf of Mexico from 2010-09-11 to 2010-09-13 in response to the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill event (NODC Accession 0069110)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Chemical, physical, profile and laboratory analysis oceanographic data were collected aboard the OCEAN VERITAS in the Gulf of Mexico from 2010-09-11 to 2010-09-13 in...

  17. Chemical, physical, profile and laboratory analysis oceanographic data collected aboard the OCEAN VERITAS in the Gulf of Mexico from 2010-06-13 to 2010-06-17 in response to the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill event (NODC Accession 0069095)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Chemical, physical, profile and laboratory analysis oceanographic data were collected aboard the OCEAN VERITAS in the Gulf of Mexico from 2010-06-13 to 2010-06-17 in...

  18. Chemical, physical, profile and laboratory analysis oceanographic data collected aboard the OCEAN VERITAS in the Gulf of Mexico from 2010-09-03 to 2010-09-07 in response to the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill event (NODC Accession 0069108)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Chemical, physical, profile and laboratory analysis oceanographic data were collected aboard the OCEAN VERITAS in the Gulf of Mexico from 2010-09-03 to 2010-09-07 in...

  19. Chemical, physical, profile and laboratory analysis oceanographic data collected aboard the OCEAN VERITAS in the Gulf of Mexico from 2010-09-07 to 2010-10-16 in response to the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill event (NODC Accession 0069109)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Chemical, physical, profile and laboratory analysis oceanographic data were collected aboard the OCEAN VERITAS in the Gulf of Mexico from 2010-09-07 to 2010-10-16 in...

  20. Chemical, physical, profile and laboratory analysis oceanographic data collected aboard the OCEAN VERITAS in the Gulf of Mexico from 2010-06-23 to 2010-07-17 in response to the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill event (NODC Accession 0069128)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Chemical, physical, profile and laboratory analysis oceanographic data were collected aboard the OCEAN VERITAS in the Gulf of Mexico from 2010-06-23 to 2010-07-17 in...

  1. Lichens as biological monitors in the Los Azufres geothermal field, Michoacan, Mexico; Liquenes como indicadores biologicos en el campo geotermico Los Azufres, Michoacan, Mexico

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gomez Peralta, Marlene; Chavez Carmona, Arturo [Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolas de Hidalgo, Morelia (Mexico)

    1995-09-01

    The results obtained in the monitoring of the atmospheric emissions of the Los Azufres geothermal field in Michoacan State, Mexico utilizing lichens as monitors of the presence of sulphur and arsenic, at the areas near geothermal sites, both under evaluation and production, are presented. The results are based on symptoms which included: chlorosis, necrosis, brown and reddish spots, loss of adherence to substrate, thalli disintegration and disappearance of sensitive species; and also on the amounts of sulphur and arsenic contained in the lichens thallus. [Espanol] Se presentan los resultados obtenidos en el monitoreo de las emisiones atmosfericas del campo geotermico Los Azufres, Michoacan, Mexico en el que se utilizaron liquenes como indicadores de la presencia de azufre y arsenico, en las areas cercanas a los sitios de pozos geotermicos tanto en evaluacion como en produccion. Los resultados estan basados en sintomas que incluyen clorosis, necrosis, manchas cafes y rojizas, perdida de adherencia al sustrato, desintegracion del talo y desaparicion de especies sensibles; asi como en los contenidos de azufre y arsenico en los talos liquenicos.

  2. 1993 Annual performance report for Environmental Oversight and Monitoring at Department of Energy facilities in New Mexico

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1993-01-01

    In October of 1990, the New Mexico Environment Department entered into an agreement with the US Department of Energy (DOE) to create the Department of Energy Oversight and Monitoring Program. This program is designed to create an avenue for the State to ensure DOE facilities are in compliance with applicable environmental regulations, to allow the State oversight and monitoring independent of the DOE, to allow the State valuable input into remediation decision making, and to protect the environment and the public health and safety of New Mexicans concerning DOE facility activities. This agreement, called the Agreement in Principle (AIP), includes all four of New Mexico's DOE facilities: Los Alamos National Laboratory in Los Alamos; Sandia National Laboratories and the Inhalation Toxicology Research Institute on Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque; and the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant near Carlsbad

  3. Helicopter-based lidar system for monitoring the upper ocean and terrain surface

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Kwi Joo; Park, Youngsik; Bunkin, Alexey; Pershin, Serguei; Voliak, Konstantin; Nunes, Raul

    2002-01-01

    A compact helicopter-based lidar system is developed and tested under laboratory and field conditions. It is shown that the lidar can measure concentrations of chlorophyll a and dissolved organic matter at the surface of water bodies, detect fluorescence spectra of ground vegetation at a distance of up to 530 m, and determine the vertical profile of light-scattering particle concentration in the upper ocean. The possibilities of the lidar system are demonstrated by detection of polluted areas at the ocean surface, by online monitoring of three-dimensional distribution of light-scattering layers, and by recognition of plant types and physiological states

  4. Completed dataset from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) collected during the response to the Deepwater Horizon incident in the Gulf of Mexico onboard the M/V Ryan Chouest Cruise 1 through Cruise 15 from 2010-06-05 to 2010-09-14 (NODC Accession 0086283)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — In response to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, scientists from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) conducted on-site monitoring of...

  5. Molecular phylogenetics of Floridosentis ward, 1953 (Acanthocephala: Neoechinorhynchidae) parasites of mullets (Osteichthyes) from Mexico, using 28S rDNA sequences.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rosas-Valdez, Rogelio; Morrone, Juan J; García-Varela, Martín

    2012-08-01

    Species of Floridosentis (Acanthocephala) are common parasites of mullets (Mugil spp., Mugilidae) found in tropical marine and brackish water in the Americas. Floridosentis includes 2 species distributed in Mexico, i.e., Floridosentis pacifica, restricted to the Pacific Ocean near Salina Cruz, Oaxaca, and Floridosentis mugilis, distributed along the coast of the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. We sampled 18 populations of F. mugilis and F. pacifica (12 from the Pacific and 6 from the Gulf of Mexico) and sequenced a fragment of the rDNA large subunit to evaluate phylogenetic relationships of populations of Floridosentis spp. from Mexico. Species identification of museum specimens of F. mugilis from the Pacific Ocean was confirmed by examination of morphology traits. Phylogenetic trees inferred with maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood, and Bayesian inference indicate that Floridosentis is monophyletic comprising of 2 major well-supported clades, the first clade corresponding to F. mugilis from the Gulf of Mexico, and the second to F. pacifica from the Pacific Ocean. Genetic divergence between species ranged from 7.68 to 8.60%. Intraspecific divergence ranged from 0.14 to 0.86% for F. mugilis and from 1.72 to 4.49% for F. pacifica. Data obtained from diagnostic characters indicate that specimens from the Pacific Ocean in Mexico have differences in some traits among locations. These results are consistent with the phylogenetic hypothesis, indicating that F. pacifica is distributed in the Pacific Ocean in Mexico with 3 major lineages.

  6. CMS: Simulated Physical-Biogeochemical Data, SABGOM Model, Gulf of Mexico, 2005-2010

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — This dataset contains monthly mean ocean surface physical and biogeochemical data for the Gulf of Mexico simulated by the South Atlantic Bight and Gulf of Mexico...

  7. Ocean current data measured by the Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) aboard the Discoverer Enterprise oil platform from May 23, 2010 to July 04, 2010 in the Gulf of Mexico in response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill (NODC Accession 0083684)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Ocean current data were collected by ADCP aboard the Discoverer Enterprise in the Gulf of Mexico in response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill event on April 20,...

  8. Ocean current data measured by the Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) aboard the Development Driller III from 2010-05-31 to 2010-07-04 in the Gulf of Mexico in response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill (NODC Accession 0083634)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Ocean current data were collected by ADCP aboard the Discoverer Enterprise in the Gulf of Mexico in response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill event on April 20,...

  9. Optimizing Ocean Space: Co-siting Open Ocean Aquaculture

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cobb, B. L.; Wickliffe, L. C.; Morris, J. A., Jr.

    2016-12-01

    In January of 2016, NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service released the Gulf Aquaculture Plan (GAP) to manage the development of environmentally sound and economically sustainable open ocean finfish aquaculture in the Gulf of Mexico (inside the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone [EEZ]). The GAP provides the first regulatory framework for aquaculture in federal waters with estimated production of 64 million pounds of finfish, and an estimated economic impact of $264 million annually. The Gulf of Mexico is one of the most industrialized ocean basins in the world, with many existing ocean uses including oil and natural gas production, shipping and commerce, commercial fishing operations, and many protected areas to ensure conservation of valuable ecosystem resources and services. NOAA utilized spatial planning procedures and tools identifying suitable sites for establishing aquaculture through exclusion analyses using authoritative federal and state data housed in a centralized geodatabase. Through a highly collaborative, multi-agency effort a mock permitting exercise was conducted to illustrate the regulatory decision-making process for the Gulf. Further decision-making occurred through exploring co-siting opportunities with oil and natural gas platforms. Logistical co-siting was conducted to reduce overall operational costs by looking at distance to major port and commodity tonnage at each port. Importantly, the process of co-siting allows aquaculture to be coupled with other benefits, including the availability of previously established infrastructure and the reduction of environmental impacts.

  10. Listening to the Deep: Live monitoring of ocean noise and cetacean acoustic signals

    OpenAIRE

    André, Michel; Van der Schaar, Mike Connor Roger Malcolm; Zaugg, Serge Alain; Houégnigan, Ludwig; Sánchez, A.M.; Castell, Joan

    2011-01-01

    The development and broad use of passive acoustic monitoring techniques have the potential to help assessing the large-scale influence of artificial noise on marine organisms and ecosystems. Deep-sea observatories have the potential to play a key role in understanding these recent acoustic changes. LIDO(Listening to the Deep Ocean Environment) is an international project that is allowing the real-time longterm monitoring of marine ambient noise as well as marine mammal sounds at cabled and...

  11. MONITORING HIGH-FREQUENCY OCEAN SIGNALS USING LOW-COST GNSS/IMU BUOYS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Y.-L. Huang

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available In oceans there are different ocean signals covering the multi-frequencies including tsunami, meteotsunami, storm surge, as sea level change, and currents. These signals have the direct and significant impact on the economy and life of human-beings. Therefore, measuring ocean signals accurately becomes more and more important and necessary. Nowadays, there are many techniques and methods commonly used for monitoring oceans, but each has its limitation. For example, tide gauges only measure sea level relative to benchmarks and are disturbed unevenly, and satellite altimeter measurements are not continuous and inaccurate near coastal oceans. In addition, high-frequency ocean signals such as tsunami and meteotsunami cannot be sufficiently detected by 6-minutes tide gauge measurements or 10-day sampled altimetry data. Moreover, traditional accelerometer buoy is heavy, expensive and the low-frequency noise caused by the instrument is unavoidable. In this study, a small, low-cost and self-assembly autonomous Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU that independently collects continuous acceleration and angular velocity data is mounted on a GNSS buoy to provide the positions and tilts of the moving buoy. The main idea is to integrate the Differential GNSS (DGNSS or Precise Point Positioning (PPP solutions with IMU data, and then evaluate the performance by comparing with in situ tide gauges. The validation experiments conducted in the NCKU Tainan Hydraulics Laboratory showed that GNSS and IMU both can detect the simulated regular wave frequency and height, and the field experiments in the Anping Harbor, Tainan, Taiwan showed that the low-cost GNSS buoy has an excellent ability to observe significant wave heights in amplitude and frequency.

  12. Long-Term Hydrologic Monitoring Program, Gnome site, Eddy County, New Mexico

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1982-01-01

    The Gnome site is located in Eddy County, approximately 31 miles southeast of the city of Carlsbad, New Mexico. Project Gnome, with a yield of 3.1 kilotons, was detonated December 10, 1961. It was the first nuclear detonation designed specifically for peaceful purposes and the first underground event of the Plowshare Program to take place outside the Nevada Test Site. The purpose of the Long-Term Hydrologic Monitoring Program at the Gnome site is to obtain data that will assure the public safety; inform the public, the news media, and the scientific community relative to radiological contamination; and to document compliance with federal, state, and local antipollution requirements. The Gnome site geographical setting, climate, geology, and hydrology are described. Site history, including Gnome event information and pre- and post-Gnome monitoring by the US Public Health Service and the USGS, is described. Site cleanups of 1968 and 1979 are described. Postoperational surveys indicate that the Gnome site is well below the established decontamination criteria and that no hazard exists or will likely occur during public use of the surface of the Gnome site. The Long-Term Hydrologic Monitoring Program for the Gnome site is described

  13. SUPPORT OF GULF OF MEXICO HYDRATE RESEARCH CONSORTIUM: ACTIVITIES TO SUPPORT ESTABLISHMENT OF A SEA FLOOR MONITORING STATION PROJECT

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    J. Robert Woolsey; Tom McGee; Carol Lutken; Elizabeth Stidham

    2006-06-01

    The Gulf of Mexico Hydrates Research Consortium (GOM-HRC) was established in 1999 to assemble leaders in gas hydrates research. The Consortium is administered by the Center for Marine Resources and Environmental Technology, CMRET, at the University of Mississippi. The primary objective of the group is to design and emplace a remote monitoring station or sea floor observatory (MS/SFO) on the sea floor in the northern Gulf of Mexico by the year 2007, in an area where gas hydrates are known to be present at, or just below, the sea floor. This mission, although unavoidably delayed by hurricanes and other disturbances, necessitates assembling a station that will monitor physical and chemical parameters of the marine environment, including sea water and sea-floor sediments, on a more-or-less continuous basis over an extended period of time. In 2005, biological monitoring, as a means of assessing environmental health was added to the mission of the MS/SFO. Establishment of the Consortium has succeeded in fulfilling the critical need to coordinate activities, avoid redundancies and communicate effectively among researchers in the arena of gas hydrates research. Complementary expertise, both scientific and technical, has been assembled to promote innovative research methods and construct necessary instrumentation. The observatory has now achieved a microbial dimension in addition to the geophysical and geochemical components it had already included. Initial components of the observatory, a probe that collects pore-fluid samples and another that records sea floor temperatures, were deployed in Mississippi Canyon 118 in May of 2005. Follow-up deployments, planned for fall 2005, had to be postponed due to the catastrophic effects of Hurricane Katrina (and later, Rita) on the Gulf Coast. Every effort was made to locate and retain the services of a suitable vessel and submersibles or Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) following the storms and the loss of the contracted vessel

  14. Chemical and physical oceanographic profile data collected from CTD casts aboard the SEWARD JOHNSON in the North Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico from 2010-08-04 to 2010-08-08 in response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill event (NODC Accession 0068597)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Chemical and physical oceanographic profile data were collected aboard the SEWARD JOHNSON in the North Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico from 2010-08-04 to...

  15. Chemical and physical oceanographic profile data collected from CTD casts aboard the SEWARD JOHNSON in the North Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico from 2010-07-10 to 2010-07-14 in response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill event (NODC Accession 0068586)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Chemical and physical oceanographic profile data were collected aboard the SEWARD JOHNSON in the North Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico from 2010-07-10 to...

  16. Observation of ocean current response to 1998 Hurricane Georges in the Gulf of Mexico

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    2006-01-01

    The ocean current response to a hurricane on the shelf-break is examined. The study area is the DeSoto Canyon in the northeast Gulf of Mexico, and the event is the passage of 1998 Hurricane Georges with a maximum wind speed of 49 m/s. The data sets used for analysis consist of the mooring data taken by the Field Program of the DeSoto Canyon Eddy Intrusion Study, and simultaneous winds observed by NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) Moored Buoy 42040. Time-depth ocean current energy density images derived from the observed data show that the ocean currents respond almost immediately to the hurricane with important differences on and offthe shelf. On the shelf, in the shallow water of 100 m, the disturbance penetrates rapidly downward to the bottom and forms two energy peaks, the major peak is located in the mixed layer and the secondary one in the lower layer. The response dissipates quickly after external forcing disappears. Off the shelf, in the deep water, the major disturbance energy seems to be trapped in the mixed layer with a trailing oscillation; although the disturbance signals may still be observed at the depths of 500 and 1 290 m. Vertical dispersion analysis reveals that the near-initial wave packet generated off the shelf consists of two modes. One is a barotropic wave mode characterized by a fast decay rate of velocity amplitude of 0.020 s-1, and the other is baroclinic wave mode characterized by a slow decay rate of 0.006 9 s-1. The band-pass-filtering and empirical function techniques are employed to the frequency analysis. The results indicate that all frequencies shift above the local inertial frequency. On the shelf, the average frequency is 1.04fin the mixed layer, close to the diagnosed frequency of the first baroclinic mode, and the average frequency increases to 1.07fin the thermocline.Off the shelf, all frequencies are a little smaller than the diagnosed frequency of the first mode. The average frequency decreases from 1

  17. Mexico North-South Deflections (DMEX97)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This 2' surface deflection of the vertical grid for Mexico, and North-Central is the DMEX97 model. The computation used about one million terrestrial and marine...

  18. Mexico East-West Deflections (DMEX97)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This 2' surface deflection of the vertical grid for Mexico, and North-Central is the DMEX97 model. The computation used about one million terrestrial and marine...

  19. Infrared spectroscopy for monitoring gas hydrates in aqueous solution

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dobbs, G.T.; Luzinova, Y.; Mizaikoff, B. [Georgia Inst. of Technology, Atlanta, GA (United States). School of Chemistry and Biochemistry; Raichlin, Y.; Katzir, A. [Tel-Aviv Univ., Tel-Aviv (Israel). Shool of Physics and Astronomy

    2008-07-01

    This paper introduced the first principles for monitoring gas hydrate formation and dissociation in aqueous solution by evaluating state-responsive infrared (IR) absorption features of water with fiberoptic evanescent field spectroscopy. A first order linear functional relationship was also derived according to Lambert Beer's law in order to quantify the percentage gas hydrate within the volume of water probed via the evanescent field. In addition, spectroscopic studies evaluating seafloor sediments collected from a gas hydrate site in the Gulf of Mexico revealed minimal spectral interferences from sediment matrix components. As such, evanescent field sensing strategies were established as a promising perspective for monitoring the dynamics of gas hydrates in oceanic environments. 21 refs., 5 figs.

  20. Environmental monitoring and deep ocean disposal of packaged radioactive waste

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mitchell, N.T.; Preston, A.

    1980-01-01

    The aims and objectives of environmental monitoring as laid down, for example by the ICRP and the IAEA include the assessment of actual or potential radiation exposure of man and the requirements of scientific investigations. The fulfillment of these aims is discussed in the context of the disposal of packaged radioactive waste in the deep Atlantic Ocean within the terms of the London Dumping Convention and within a regional agreement, the consultation/surveillance mechanism of the Nuclear Energy Agency. The paper discusses UK attitudes to such environmental monitoring, concentrates on the first of these ICRP objectives and shows how this is unlikely to be achieved by direct measurement in view of the small quantities of radioactive material involved relative to the scale of the receiving environment, and the timescale on which return to man can be conceived. Whilst meaningful environmental measurement is very unlikely to facilitate direct estimation of public radiation exposure by monitoring, it is still held that the basic objective of environmental monitoring can be met. A means by which this may be achieved is by oceanographic models. These procedures are discussed, illustrating the application of this philosophy in practice. (H.K.)

  1. GULF OF MEXICO SEAFLOOR STABILITY AND GAS HYDRATE MONITORING STATION PROJECT

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    J. Robert Woolsey; Thomas M. McGee; Robin C. Buchannon

    2004-11-01

    The gas hydrates research Consortium (HRC), established and administered at the University if Mississippi's Center for Marine Research and Environmental Technology (CMRET) has been active on many fronts in FY 03. Extension of the original contract through March 2004, has allowed completion of many projects that were incomplete at the end of the original project period due, primarily, to severe weather and difficulties in rescheduling test cruises. The primary objective of the Consortium, to design and emplace a remote sea floor station for the monitoring of gas hydrates in the Gulf of Mexico by the year 2005 remains intact. However, the possibility of levering HRC research off of the Joint Industries Program (JIP) became a possibility that has demanded reevaluation of some of the fundamental assumptions of the station format. These provisions are discussed in Appendix A. Landmark achievements of FY03 include: (1) Continuation of Consortium development with new researchers and additional areas of research contribution being incorporated into the project. During this period, NOAA's National Undersea Research Program's (NURP) National Institute for Undersea Science and Technology (NIUST) became a Consortium funding partner, joining DOE and Minerals Management Service (MMS); (2) Very successful annual and semiannual meetings in Oxford Mississippi in February and September, 2003; (3) Collection of piston cores from MC798 in support of the effort to evaluate the site for possible monitoring station installation; (4) Completion of the site evaluation effort including reports of all localities in the northern Gulf of Mexico where hydrates have been documented or are strongly suspected to exist on the sea floor or in the shallow subsurface; (5) Collection and preliminary evaluation of vent gases and core samples of hydrate from sites in Green Canyon and Mississippi Canyon, northern Gulf of Mexico; (6) Monitoring of gas activity on the sea floor, acoustically

  2. The Moderating Role of Parental Monitoring on the Influence of Peer Pro-Drug Norms on Alcohol and Cigarette Use among Adolescents in Mexico

    Science.gov (United States)

    Becerra, David; Castillo, Jason T.; Ayón, Cecilia; Blanchard, Kelly N.

    2014-01-01

    This study utilized data drawn from a study of 980 adolescents living in Tijuana, Mexico, in February 2009 to examine whether parental monitoring had a moderating impact on the influence of peer pro-drug norms on lifetime and past-30-day alcohol and cigarette use among a group of adolescents living along the United States-Mexico border. The…

  3. Gulf of Mexico Ecosystem Status Report

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The Gulf of Mexico is one of the most ecologically and economically valuable marine ecosystems in the world and is affected by a variety of natural and anthropogenic...

  4. Ship Track for Deep Sea Medicines 2003 - Office of Ocean Exploration

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Ship track of the Ronald H. Brown during the "Deep Sea Medicines 2003: Exploring the Gulf of Mexico" expedition sponsored by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric...

  5. 2013 Gulf of Mexico SPCE angler survey

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This survey provides economic data related to marine recreational fishing in the Gulf of Mexico. The data collected include preference and opinion information...

  6. Automatic national network of radiation environmental monitoring in Mexico; Red nacional automatica de monitoreo radiologico ambiental en Mexico

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Aguirre, Jaime; Delgado, Jose L.; Lopez, Manuel; Zertuche, Jorge V., E-mail: jaguirre@cnsns.gob.mx, E-mail: jldelgado@cnsns.gob.mx, E-mail: mlopez@cnsns.gob.mx, E-mail: jorge.zertuche@cnsns.gob.mx [Comision Nacional de Seguridad Nuclear y Salvaguardias (CNSNS), D.F. (Mexico). Direccion de Vigilancia Radiologica

    2013-07-01

    The Direccion de Vigilancia Radiologica (DVR) of the Comision Nacional de Seguridad Nuclear y Salvaguardias (CNSNS) de Mexico, performs several function for environmental radiation monitoring. One of these functions is the permanent monitoring of the environmental gamma radiation. For this, it implemented the Red Nacional Automatica de Monitoreo Radiologico Ambiental (RENAMORA) - the National Automated Network for Environmental Radiation Monitoring,which currently comprises 60 detector probes for gamma radiation which with a programmable system that includes information technologies, data transmission and software can send the information in real time to a primary center of data located in the facilities of CNSNS. - When the data are received, the system performs the verification and extraction of the information organized in Tables and charts, and generates a report of environmental gamma radiation dose rate average for each of the probes and for each period of time determined bu CNSNS. The RENAMORA covers the main cities and allows to establish the bases of almost the entire country, as well as to warn about abnormal situations caused by incidents or natural events generated by human activities inside or outside the country which involves radioactive materials; paying special attention to main radiological sites, such as the surroundings of the Laguna Verde Nuclear Power Plants, research centers and the radioactive waste disposal sites.

  7. NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research'sOkeanos Explorer Program 2014 Discoveries - U.S. Atlantic Continental Margin and Gulf of Mexico

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lobecker, E.; McKenna, L.; Sowers, D.; Elliott, K.; Kennedy, B.

    2014-12-01

    NOAA ShipOkeanos Explorer, the only U.S. federal vessel dedicated to global ocean exploration, made several important discoveries in U.S. waters of the North Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico during the 2014 field season. Based on input received from a broad group ofmarine scientists and resource managers, over 100,000 square kilometers of seafloor and associated water column were systematically explored using advanced mapping sonars. 39 ROV diveswere conducted, leading to new discoveries that will further ourunderstanding of biologic, geologic, and underwater-cultural heritage secrets hidden withinthe oceans. In the Atlantic, season highlights include completion of a multi-year submarine canyons mapping effort of the continental shelf break from North Carolina to the U.S.-Canada maritime border;new information on the ephemerality of recently discovered and geographically extensive cold water seeps; and continued exploration of the New England Seamount chain; and mapping of two potential historically significant World War II wreck sites. In the Gulf of Mexico, season highlights includecompletion of a multi-year mapping effort of the West Florida Escarpment providing new insight into submarine landslides and detachment zones;the discovery of at least two asphalt volcanoes, or 'tar lilies'; range extensions of deep-sea corals; discovery of two potential new species of crinoids; identification of at least 300 potential cold water seeps; and ROV exploration of three historically significant19th century shipwrecks. In both regions, high-resolution mapping led to new insight into the geological context in which deep sea corals develop,while ROV dives provided valuable observations of deep sea coral habitats and their associated organisms, and chemosynthetic habitats. All mapping and ROV data is freely available to the public in usable data formats and maintained in national geophysical and oceanographic data archives.

  8. Diurnal changes in ocean color in coastal waters

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arnone, Robert; Vandermeulen, Ryan; Ladner, Sherwin; Ondrusek, Michael; Kovach, Charles; Yang, Haoping; Salisbury, Joseph

    2016-05-01

    Coastal processes can change on hourly time scales in response to tides, winds and biological activity, which can influence the color of surface waters. These temporal and spatial ocean color changes require satellite validation for applications using bio-optical products to delineate diurnal processes. The diurnal color change and capability for satellite ocean color response were determined with in situ and satellite observations. Hourly variations in satellite ocean color are dependent on several properties which include: a) sensor characterization b) advection of water masses and c) diurnal response of biological and optical water properties. The in situ diurnal changes in ocean color in a dynamic turbid coastal region in the northern Gulf of Mexico were characterized using above water spectral radiometry from an AErosol RObotic NETwork (AERONET -WavCIS CSI-06) site that provides up to 8-10 observations per day (in 15-30 minute increments). These in situ diurnal changes were used to validate and quantify natural bio-optical fluctuations in satellite ocean color measurements. Satellite capability to detect changes in ocean color was characterized by using overlapping afternoon orbits of the VIIRS-NPP ocean color sensor within 100 minutes. Results show the capability of multiple satellite observations to monitor hourly color changes in dynamic coastal regions that are impacted by tides, re-suspension, and river plume dispersion. Hourly changes in satellite ocean color were validated with in situ observation on multiple occurrences during different times of the afternoon. Also, the spatial variability of VIIRS diurnal changes shows the occurrence and displacement of phytoplankton blooms and decay during the afternoon period. Results suggest that determining the temporal and spatial changes in a color / phytoplankton bloom from the morning to afternoon time period will require additional satellite coverage periods in the coastal zone.

  9. SeaHawk: an advanced CubeSat mission for sustained ocean colour monitoring

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morrison, John M.; Jeffrey, Hazel; Gorter, Hessel; Anderson, Pamela; Clark, Craig; Holmes, Alan; Feldman, Gene C.; Patt, Frederick S.

    2016-10-01

    Sustained ocean color monitoring is vital to understanding the marine ecosystem. It has been identified as an Essential Climate Variable (ECV) and is a vital parameter in understanding long-term climate change. Furthermore, observations can be beneficial in observing oil spills, harmful algal blooms and the health of fisheries. Space-based remote sensing, through MERIS, SeaWiFS and MODIS instruments, have provided a means of observing the vast area covered by the ocean which would otherwise be impossible using ships alone. However, the large pixel size makes measurements of lakes, rivers, estuaries and coastal zones difficult. Furthermore, retirement of a number of widely used and relied upon ocean observation instruments, particularly MERIS and SeaWiFS, leaves a significant gap in ocean color observation opportunities This paper presents an overview of the SeaHawk mission, a collaborative effort between Clyde Space Ltd., the University of North Carolina Wilmington, Cloudland Instruments, and Goddard Spaceflight Center, funded by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. The goal of the project is to enhance the ability to observe ocean color in high temporal and spatial resolution through use of a low-cost, next-generation ocean color sensor flown aboard a CubeSat. The final product will be 530 times smaller (0.0034 vs 1.81m3) and 115 time less massive (3.4 vs 390.0kg) but with a ground resolution 10 times better whilst maintaining a signal/noise ratio 50% that of SeaWiFs. This paper will describe the objectives of the mission, outline the payload specification and the spacecraft platform to support it.

  10. Passive acoustic monitoring of beaked whale densities in the Gulf of Mexico.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hildebrand, John A; Baumann-Pickering, Simone; Frasier, Kaitlin E; Trickey, Jennifer S; Merkens, Karlina P; Wiggins, Sean M; McDonald, Mark A; Garrison, Lance P; Harris, Danielle; Marques, Tiago A; Thomas, Len

    2015-11-12

    Beaked whales are deep diving elusive animals, difficult to census with conventional visual surveys. Methods are presented for the density estimation of beaked whales, using passive acoustic monitoring data collected at sites in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) from the period during and following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill (2010-2013). Beaked whale species detected include: Gervais' (Mesoplodon europaeus), Cuvier's (Ziphius cavirostris), Blainville's (Mesoplodon densirostris) and an unknown species of Mesoplodon sp. (designated as Beaked Whale Gulf - BWG). For Gervais' and Cuvier's beaked whales, we estimated weekly animal density using two methods, one based on the number of echolocation clicks, and another based on the detection of animal groups during 5 min time-bins. Density estimates derived from these two methods were in good general agreement. At two sites in the western GOM, Gervais' beaked whales were present throughout the monitoring period, but Cuvier's beaked whales were present only seasonally, with periods of low density during the summer and higher density in the winter. At an eastern GOM site, both Gervais' and Cuvier's beaked whales had a high density throughout the monitoring period.

  11. 78 FR 57534 - Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-09-19

    ... requirements, South Atlantic, Virgin Islands. Dated: September 12, 2013. Samuel D. Rauch III, Deputy Assistant... Mexico, and South Atlantic AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and... Mexico, and South Atlantic: Caribbean coral, Caribbean reef fish, Caribbean spiny lobster, Caribbean...

  12. Southeast Gulf of Mexico Sperm Whale Study

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Large vessel surveys were conducted during the summers of 2012 and 2014 in the southeastern Gulf of Mexico north of the Dry Tortugas. Data were collected on the...

  13. Gulf of Mexico Regional Climatology (NCEI Accession 0123320)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The Gulf of Mexico Regional Climatology is a set of objectively analyzed climatological fields of temperature, salinity, oxygen, phosphate, silicate, and nitrate at...

  14. Monitoring and Modeling Carbon Dynamics at a Network of Intensive Sites in the USA and Mexico

    Science.gov (United States)

    Birdsey, R.; Wayson, C.; Johnson, K. D.; Pan, Y.; Angeles, G.; De Jong, B. H.; Andrade, J. L.; Dai, Z.

    2013-05-01

    The Forest Services of the USA and Mexico, supported by NASA and USAID, have begun to establish a network of intensive forest carbon monitoring sites. These sites are used for research and teaching, developing forest management practices, and forging links to the needs of communities. Several of the sites have installed eddy flux towers to basic meteorology data and daily estimates of forest carbon uptake and release, the processes that determine forest growth. Field sampling locations at each site provide estimates of forest biomass and carbon stocks, and monitor forest dynamic processes such as growth and mortality rates. Remote sensing facilitates scaling up to the surrounding landscapes. The sites support information requirements for implementing programs such as Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+), enabling communities to receive payments for ecosystem services such as reduced carbon emissions or improved forest management. In addition to providing benchmark data for REDD+ projects, the sites are valuable for validating state and national estimates from satellite remote sensing and the national forest inventory. Data from the sites provide parameters for forest models that support strategic management analysis, and support student training and graduate projects. The intensive monitoring sites may be a model for other countries in Latin America. Coordination among sites in the USA, Mexico and other Latin American countries can ensure harmonization of approaches and data, and share experiences and knowledge among countries with emerging opportunities for implementing REDD+ and other conservation programs.

  15. 2016 Groundwater Monitoring and Inspection Report Gnome-Coach, New Mexico, Site January 2017

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kreie, Ken [USDOE Office of Legacy Management, Washington, DC (United States); Findlay, Rick [Navarro Research and Engineering, Inc., Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

    2017-01-01

    The Gnome-Coach, New Mexico, Site was the location of an underground nuclear test in 1961 and a groundwater tracer test in 1963. Residual contamination remaining in the subsurface from these events requires long-term oversight. The Long-Term Surveillance and Maintenance Plan for the site describes the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Legacy Management’s (LM’s) plan for monitoring groundwater (radiochemical sampling and hydraulic head measurements), inspecting the site, maintaining the site’s institutional controls, evaluating and reporting data, and documenting the site’s records and data management processes. Groundwater monitoring and site inspection activities are conducted annually. This report summarizes the results of these activities conducted during the October 2015 through September 2016 reporting period. The site inspection and annual sampling were conducted on January 27, 2016. At the time of the site inspection, the signs installed near the emplacement shaft, near well USGS-1, and around the perimeter of the site were observed as being in good condition, as were the roads, wellheads, and Project Gnome monument. No new groundwater extraction wells or oil and gas wells were installed during this reporting period on the site or in the sections that surround the site. One new application was received by the New Mexico Oil Conservation Division to install a salt water disposal well approximately 0.8 miles northeast of the Project Gnome monument. The proposed well has a planned completion depth of 15,500 feet below ground surface, but as of November 2016 a drill date has not been established.

  16. Strategy to design the sea-level monitoring networks for small tsunamigenic oceanic basins: the Western Mediterranean case

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    F. Schindelé

    2008-09-01

    Full Text Available The 26 December 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami triggered a number of international and national initiatives aimed at establishing modern, reliable and robust tsunami warning systems. In addition to the seismic network for initial warning, the main component of the monitoring system is the sea level network. Networks of coastal tide gages and tsunameters are implemented to detect the tsunami after the occurrence of a large earthquake, to confirm or refute the tsunami occurrence. Large oceans tsunami monitoring currently in place in the Pacific and in implementation in the Indian Ocean will be able to detect tsunamis in 1 h. But due to the very short time of waves propagation, in general less than 1 h, a tsunami monitoring system in a smaller basin requires a denser network located close to the seismic zones. A methodology is proposed based on the modeling of tsunami travel time and waveform, and on the estimation of the delay of transmission to design the location and the spacing of the stations. In the case of Western Mediterranean, we demonstrate that a network of around 17 coastal tide gages and 13 tsunameters located at 50 km along the shore is required to detect and measure nearly all tsunamis generated on the Northern coasts of Africa.

  17. OceanNOMADS: Real-time and retrospective access to operational U.S. ocean prediction products

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harding, J. M.; Cross, S. L.; Bub, F.; Ji, M.

    2011-12-01

    Nowcast/Forecast System over the Gulf of Mexico from 2004-Mar 2011, the operational Naval Oceanographic Office (NAVOCEANO) regional USEast ocean nowcast/forecast system from early 2009 to present, and the NAVOCEANO operational regional AMSEAS (Gulf of Mexico/Caribbean) ocean nowcast/forecast system from its inception 25 June 2010 to present. AMSEAS provided one of the real-time ocean forecast products accessed by NOAA's Office of Response and Restoration from the NGI/NCDDC developmental OceanNOMADS during the Deep Water Horizon oil spill last year. The developmental server also includes archived, real-time Navy coastal forecast products off coastal Japan in support of U.S./Japanese joint efforts following the 2011 tsunami. Real-time NAVOCEANO output from regional prediction systems off Southern California and around Hawaii, currently available on the NCEP ftp server, are scheduled for archival on the developmental OceanNOMADS by late 2011 along with the next generation Navy/NOAA global ocean prediction output. Accession and archival of additional regions is planned as server capacities increase.

  18. Gulf of Mexico killer whale photo-ID catalog

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Photo-identification data on killer whales occupying the northern Gulf of Mexico have been collected in association with large vessel surveys since 1991. Photographs...

  19. A Hierarchical and Dynamic Seascape Framework for Scaling and Comparing Ocean Biodiversity Observations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kavanaugh, M.; Muller-Karger, F. E.; Montes, E.; Santora, J. A.; Chavez, F.; Messié, M.; Doney, S. C.

    2016-02-01

    The pelagic ocean is a complex system in which physical, chemical and biological processes interact to shape patterns on multiple spatial and temporal scales and levels of ecological organization. Monitoring and management of marine seascapes must consider a hierarchical and dynamic mosaic, where the boundaries, extent, and location of features change with time. As part of a Marine Biodiversity Observing Network demonstration project, we conducted a multiscale classification of dynamic coastal seascapes in the northeastern Pacific and Gulf of Mexico using multivariate satellite and modeled data. Synoptic patterns were validated using mooring and ship-based observations that spanned multiple trophic levels and were collected as part of several long-term monitoring programs, including the Monterey Bay and Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuaries. Seascape extent and habitat diversity varied as a function of both seasonal and interannual forcing. We discuss the patterns of in situ observations in the context of seascape dynamics and the effect on rarefaction, spatial patchiness, and tracking and comparing ecosystems through time. A seascape framework presents an effective means to translate local biodiversity measurements to broader spatiotemporal scales, scales relevant for modeling the effects of global change and enabling whole-ecosystem management in the dynamic ocean.

  20. Mexico and the CTBT; Mexico y el CTBT

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Aguirre G, J.; Martinez L, J.; Ruiz E, L. J.; Aragon M, I. B., E-mail: jaguirre@cnsns.gob.mx [Comision Nacional de Seguridad Nuclear y Salvaguardias, Dr. Barragan 779, Col. Narvarte, 03020 Mexico D. F. (Mexico)

    2013-10-15

    The Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban-Treaty (CTBT) is a treaty that prohibits all the nuclear explosions by anybody and in any place, either on the terrestrial surface, in the atmosphere, under the sea or underground. From the adoption of this Treaty by the United Nations, Mexico has had interest for its entrance in vigor, as integral part to assure the international peace. For this reason, our country signed the Treaty since it was open in September 24, 1996 and three years later ratified it, due to Mexico is part of the group of necessary countries for their entrance in vigor. During 13 years, the country has been committed and helped to the installation of monitoring stations, actions that allow the strengthening of the International System of Surveillance. The purpose of this work is to divulge the Treaty,its technologies and benefits; and also to diffuse the works realized by Mexico regarding the radionuclides monitoring station and noble gases both certified ones for the CTBT. Besides the radionuclides technology, Mexico has taken charge of the installation and operation of the seismic stations and hydro-acoustics that have been certified too. The radionuclides station Rn-44 located in Guerrero Negro, BCS has two technologies, an automated sampler of suspended particles in air brand Cinderella/ARAME and a noble gases system Sauna used for the particles detection of radioactive material gamma emitting and Xenon radioisotopes product of nuclear assays. Both technologies are transmitting data in real time to the International Center of Data. These technologies are shown in this work. (Author)

  1. Mexico Gravity Data per 2 min Cell (97)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This 2' gravity density grid for Mexico, North-Central America, and the Western Caribbean Sea shows the distribution of about one million terrestrial and marine...

  2. Gulf of Mexico sperm whale photo-ID catalog

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Photo-identification data on sperm whales occupying the north central Gulf of Mexico have been collected during vessel surveys. Photographs of sperm whales are taken...

  3. Oceanographic Data collected during the Islands in the Stream Expedition on NOAA Ship Gordon Gunter in the North Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico between 2001-05-10 to 2001-10-04 (NCEI Accession 0104416)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The Islands in the Stream expedition explored protected and unprotected deep water coral reefs and hard-bottom communities throughout the Gulf of Mexico and South...

  4. Liver lipids of Indian and Atlantic Ocean spinner Carcharhinus ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Shark liver oils are rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids, especially the n3 moieties. Data on the liver fatty acids of sharks from African waters, however, are limited. Liver samples from sharks from the western Indian Ocean off the east coast of South Africa and those from the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico were examined.

  5. CURRENT DIRECTION, SALINITY - SURFACE WATER and other data from DRIFTING PLATFORM in the Gulf of Mexico and Coastal Waters of Gulf of Mexico from 1992-08-13 to 1995-08-05 (NODC Accession 9600132)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The water depth and temperature data were collected in Gulf of Mexico as part of Louisiana-Texas (LATEX part C Lousiana and Texas: LaTex) Gulf of Mexico Eddy...

  6. Gulf of Mexico Protected Species Assessment Aerial Surveys

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — These data sets include a compilation of aerial line-transect surveys conducted over continental shelf waters of the Gulf of Mexico since 1992. The majority of these...

  7. Gulf of Mexico Marine Mammal Vessel Surveys - NRDA

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Large vessel surveys were conducted during June-August and Oct-Nov, 2010 in the north central Gulf of Mexico to collect data on marine mammal spatial distribution...

  8. Gasbuggy, New Mexico Long-Term Hydrologic Monitoring Program Evaluation Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    None

    2009-06-01

    This report summarizes an evaluation of the Long-Term Hydrologic Monitoring Program (LTHMP) that has been conducted since 1972 at the Gasbuggy, New Mexico underground nuclear detonation site. The nuclear testing was conducted by the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission under the Plowshare program, which is discussed in greater detail in Appendix A. The detonation at Gasbuggy took place in 1967, 4,240 feet below ground surface, and was designed to fracture the host rock of a low-permeability natural gas-bearing formation in an effort to improve gas production. The site has historically been managed under the Nevada Offsites Project. These underground nuclear detonation sites are within the United States but outside of the Nevada Test Site where most of the experimental nuclear detonations conducted by the U.S. Government took place. Gasbuggy is managed by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Legacy Management (LM ).

  9. Current meter data from moored current meter casts in the Gulf of Mexico as part of the Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) project from 18 October 1977-10-18 to 1979-07-01 (NODC Accession 8000284)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Current meter data were collected using moored current meter casts in the Gulf of Mexico from October 18, 1977 to June 1, 1979. Data were submitted by Atlantic...

  10. Cross Validating Ocean Prediction and Monitoring Systems

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Mooers, Christopher; Meinen, Christopher; Baringer, Molly; Bang, Inkweon; Rhodes, Robert C; Barron, Charlie N; Bub, Frank

    2005-01-01

    With the ongoing development of ocean circulation models and real-time observing systems, routine estimation of the synoptic state of the ocean is becoming feasible for practical and scientific purposes...

  11. Gulf of Mexico Sperm Whale Acoustic Prey Study

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Large vessel surveys were conducted during the summer of 2009 and the winter of 2010 in the north-central Gulf of Mexico to examine the spatial distribution of sperm...

  12. Gulf of Mexico Marine Mammal Assessment Vessel Surveys

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — These data sets are a compilation of large vessel surveys for marine mammal stock assessments in the Gulf of Mexico from 1991 to the present. These are designed as...

  13. Oceanographic Data collected during the Florida Shelf Edge Expedition (FLoSEE) (CIOERT2010) on RV Seward Johnson in the Gulf of Mexico and North Atlantic Ocean between July 9, 2010 - August 9, 2010 (NODC Accession 0074541)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — A science team on the research vessel Seward Johnson left from Fort Pierce, Fla. in early July to go to the eastern Gulf of Mexico. The researchers used a...

  14. Temperature, salinity, nutrients, freons, oxygen, currents (ADCP), underway and other measurements collected in the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic as part of the Gulf of Mexico and East Coast Carbon Cruise (GOMECC) 2007 (NODC Accession 0066603)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — GOMECC Gulf of Mexico and East Coast Carbon Cruise(RB 07-05). North American Carbon Program (NACP) Gulf of Mexico and East Coast Carbon (GOMECC) Cruise on board NOAA...

  15. Study of ocean red tide multi-parameter monitoring technology based on double-wavelength airborne lidar system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Hong; Wang, Xinming; Liang, Kun

    2010-10-01

    For monitoring and forecasting of the ocean red tide in real time, a marine environment monitoring technology based on the double-wavelength airborne lidar system is proposed. An airborne lidar is father more efficient than the traditional measure technology by the boat. At the same time, this technology can detect multi-parameter about the ocean red tide by using the double-wavelength lidar.It not only can use the infrared laser to detect the scattering signal under the water and gain the information about the red tise's density and size, but also can use the blue-green laser to detect the Brillouin scattering signal and deduce the temperature and salinity of the seawater.The red tide's density detecting model is firstly established by introducing the concept about the red tide scattering coefficient based on the Mie scattering theory. From the Brillouin scattering theory, the relationship about the blue-green laser's Brillouin scattering frequency shift value and power value with the seawater temperature and salinity is found. Then, the detecting mode1 of the saewater temperature and salinity can be established. The value of the red tide infrared scattering signal is evaluated by the simulation, and therefore the red tide particles' density can be known. At the same time, the blue-green laser's Brillouin scattering frequency shift value and power value are evaluated by simulating, and the temperature and salinity of the seawater can be known. Baed on the multi-parameters, the ocean red tide's growth can be monitored and forecasted.

  16. Ocean Mixed Layer Response to Gap Wind Scenarios

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Konstantinou, Nikolaos

    2006-01-01

    This study focuses on understanding the oceanic response to gap outflow and the air-sea interaction processes during the gap wind event between 26 and 28 February 2004 over the Gulf of Tehuantepec, Mexico. The U.S...

  17. Monitoring and assessment of ocean acidification in the Arctic Ocean-A scoping paper

    Science.gov (United States)

    Robbins, Lisa L.; Yates, Kimberly K.; Feely, Richard; Fabry, Victoria

    2010-01-01

    Carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere is absorbed at the ocean surface by reacting with seawater to form a weak, naturally occurring acid called carbonic acid. As atmospheric carbon dioxide increases, the concentration of carbonic acid in seawater also increases, causing a decrease in ocean pH and carbonate mineral saturation states, a process known as ocean acidification. The oceans have absorbed approximately 525 billion tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, or about one-quarter to one-third of the anthropogenic carbon emissions released since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. Global surveys of ocean chemistry have revealed that seawater pH has decreased by about 0.1 units (from a pH of 8.2 to 8.1) since the 1700s due to absorption of carbon dioxide (Raven and others, 2005). Modeling studies, based on Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) CO2 emission scenarios, predict that atmospheric carbon dioxide levels could reach more than 500 parts per million (ppm) by the middle of this century and 800 ppm by the year 2100, causing an additional decrease in surface water pH of 0.3 pH units. Ocean acidification is a global threat and is already having profound and deleterious effects on the geology, biology, chemistry, and socioeconomic resources of coastal and marine habitats. The polar and sub-polar seas have been identified as the bellwethers for global ocean acidification.

  18. 75 FR 54497 - Ocean Dumping; Guam Ocean Dredged Material Disposal Site Designation

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-09-08

    .... SUMMARY: The EPA is designating the Guam Deep Ocean Disposal Site (G- DODS) as a permanent ocean dredged... administration of ocean disposal permits; (2) development and maintenance of a site monitoring program; (3... include: (1) Regulating quantities and types of material to be disposed, including the time, rates, and...

  19. Applying a Systems Approach to Monitoring and Assessing Climate Change Mitigation Potential in Mexico's Forest Sector

    Science.gov (United States)

    Olguin-Alvarez, M. I.; Wayson, C.; Fellows, M.; Birdsey, R.; Smyth, C.; Magnan, M.; Dugan, A.; Mascorro, V.; Alanís, A.; Serrano, E.; Kurz, W. A.

    2017-12-01

    Since 2012, the Mexican government through its National Forestry Commission, with support from the Commission for Environmental Cooperation, the Forest Services of Canada and USA, the SilvaCarbon Program and research institutes in Mexico, has made important progress towards the use of carbon dynamics models ("gain-loss" approach) for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions monitoring and projections into the future. Here we assess the biophysical mitigation potential of policy alternatives identified by the Mexican Government (e.g. net zero deforestation rate, sustainable forest management) based on a systems approach that models carbon dynamics in forest ecosystems, harvested wood products and substitution benefits in two contrasting states of Mexico. We provide key messages and results derived from the use of the Carbon Budget Model of the Canadian Forest Sector and a harvested wood products model, parameterized with input data from Mexicós National Forest Monitoring System (e.g. forest inventories, remote sensing, disturbance data). The ultimate goal of this tri-national effort is to develop data and tools for carbon assessment in strategic landscapes in North America, emphasizing the need to include multiple sectors and types of collaborators (scientific and policy-maker communities) to design more comprehensive portfolios for climate change mitigation in accordance with the Paris Agreement of the United Nation Framework Convention on Climate Change (e.g. Mid-Century Strategy, NDC goals).

  20. Radiocesium monitoring in Indonesian waters of the Indian Ocean after the Fukushima nuclear accident

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Suseno, Heny; Wahono, Ikhsan Budi; Muslim

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • The accident at Fukushima becomes public concern in Indonesia. • Very few data on anthropogenic radionuclide concentrations in marine areas. • Monitoring have been performed at West Sumatra Sea and South Java Sea. - Abstract: As data on anthropogenic radionuclide concentrations (i.e., 134 Cs and 137 Cs) in Indonesian marine environments including the Indian Ocean are scarce, offshore monitoring has been performed in the West Sumatra and South Java Seas. The activity concentration of 137 Cs ranges from below minimum detectable activity (MDA) to 0.13 Bq m −3 in the surface seawater of the South Java Sea and from lower than MDA to 0.28 Bq m −3 in the surface seawater of the West Sumatra Sea. The concentrations of 137 Cs in the surface seawater of the West Sumatra and South Java Seas are lower than the estimation of 137 Cs concentration in the subsurface waters owing to the input of the North Pacific Ocean via the Indonesian Throughflow (ITF). The concentrations of 134 Cs in the sampling locations were lower than MDA. These results have indicated that these Indonesian marine waters have not yet been influenced by the Fukushima radioactive release

  1. Current meter and other data from FIXED PLATFORMS from the Gulf of Mexico and other locations as part of the Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) and other projects from 24 October 1964 to 01 November 1977 (NODC Accession 7800586)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Current meter data were collected from FIXED PLATFORMS from the Gulf of Mexico and Straits of Florida. Data were submitted by the Atlantic Oceanographic and...

  2. Development of a GPS buoy system for monitoring tsunami, sea waves, ocean bottom crustal deformation and atmospheric water vapor

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kato, Teruyuki; Terada, Yukihiro; Nagai, Toshihiko; Koshimura, Shun'ichi

    2010-05-01

    We have developed a GPS buoy system for monitoring tsunami for over 12 years. The idea was that a buoy equipped with a GPS antenna and placed offshore may be an effective way of monitoring tsunami before its arrival to the coast and to give warning to the coastal residents. The key technology for the system is real-time kinematic (RTK) GPS technology. We have successfully developed the system; we have detected tsunamis of about 10cm in height for three large earthquakes, namely, the 23 June 2001 Peru earthquake (Mw8.4), the 26 September 2003 Tokachi earthquake (Mw8.3) and the 5 September 2004 earthquake (Mw7.4). The developed GPS buoy system is also capable of monitoring sea waves that are mainly caused by winds. Only the difference between tsunami and sea waves is their frequency range and can be segregated each other by a simple filtering technique. Given the success of GPS buoy experiments, the system has been adopted as a part of the Nationwide Ocean Wave information system for Port and HArborS (NOWPHAS) by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism of Japan. They have established more than eight GPS buoys along the Japanese coasts and the system has been operated by the Port and Airport Research Institute. As a future scope, we are now planning to implement some other additional facilities for the GPS buoy system. The first application is a so-called GPS/Acoustic system for monitoring ocean bottom crustal deformation. The system requires acoustic waves to detect ocean bottom reference position, which is the geometrical center of an array of transponders, by measuring distances between a position at the sea surface (vessel) and ocean bottom equipments to return the received sonic wave. The position of the vessel is measured using GPS. The system was first proposed by a research group at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in early 1980's. The system was extensively developed by Japanese researchers and is now capable of detecting ocean

  3. Facilitation of the Estuary/Ocean Subgroup for Federal Research, Monitoring, and Evaluation, FY10 Annual Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Johnson, Gary E.

    2010-10-26

    The Estuary/Ocean Subgroup (EOS) is part of the research, monitoring, and evaluation (RME) effort that the Action Agencies (Bonneville Power Administration, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation) developed in response to obligations arising from the Endangered Species Act as applied to operation of the Federal Columbia River Power System (FCRPS). The goal of the EOS project is to facilitate activities of the estuary/ocean RME subgroup as it coordinates design and implementation of federal RME in the lower Columbia River and estuary. The EOS is one of multiple work groups in the federal research, monitoring, and evaluation (RME) effort developed in response to responsibilities arising from the Endangered Species Act as a result of operation of the FCRPS. The EOS is tasked by NOAA Fisheries and the Action Agencies to design and coordinate implementation of the federal RME plan for the lower Columbia River and estuary, including the plume.

  4. Northern Gulf of Mexico Marine Mammal Unusual Mortality Event Database

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Tissues and samples collected from marine mammals during investigation of the Northern Gulf of Mexico Marine Mammal Unusual Mortality Event are tracked within this...

  5. Draft Site Management and Monitoring Plan for Corpus Christi Maintenance and New Work Ocean Dredged Material Disposal Site

    Science.gov (United States)

    USEPA Region 6 and the US Army Corps of Engineers submit for public comment the Draft Site Management and Monitoring Plan for Corpus Christi Maintenance and New Work Ocean Dredged Material Disposal Site

  6. Validation of Ocean Color Sensors Using a Profiling Hyperspectral Radiometer

    Science.gov (United States)

    2014-01-01

    Chesapeake Bay, South Florida, Hawaii, and the Gulf of Mexico . Typical data collected for each station include Hyperpro in-water measurements, ASD above...K., Demer, K., Fishe,r K.M., Davis, E., Urizar, C, and Merlini, R., "Assessment of the Eastern Gulf of Mexico Harmful Algal Bloom Operational...conducted in turbid and blue water conditions. Examples of validation matchups with VIIRS ocean color data are presented. With careful data collection

  7. Listening to the Deep: live monitoring of ocean noise and cetacean acoustic signals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    André, M; van der Schaar, M; Zaugg, S; Houégnigan, L; Sánchez, A M; Castell, J V

    2011-01-01

    The development and broad use of passive acoustic monitoring techniques have the potential to help assessing the large-scale influence of artificial noise on marine organisms and ecosystems. Deep-sea observatories have the potential to play a key role in understanding these recent acoustic changes. LIDO (Listening to the Deep Ocean Environment) is an international project that is allowing the real-time long-term monitoring of marine ambient noise as well as marine mammal sounds at cabled and standalone observatories. Here, we present the overall development of the project and the use of passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) techniques to provide the scientific community with real-time data at large spatial and temporal scales. Special attention is given to the extraction and identification of high frequency cetacean echolocation signals given the relevance of detecting target species, e.g. beaked whales, in mitigation processes, e.g. during military exercises. Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  8. Chemical, physical, profile and other oceanographic data collected aboard NOAA Ship GORDON GUNTER in the Gulf of Mexico and North Atlantic Ocean from 2010-09-16 to 2010-09-29 in response to the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill event (NODC Accession 0070533)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Chemical, physical, profile, meteorological, navigational and underway oceanographic data were collected aboard NOAA Ship GORDON GUNTER in the Gulf of Mexico and...

  9. Environmental monitoring of coastal and oceanic areas with orbital sensors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Patrícia Genovez

    2005-04-01

    Full Text Available PETROBRAS is using spaceborne multi-sensor remote sensing for its sea surface monitoring program at the Campos, Santos and Espírito Santo basins, southeastern Brazilian coast. Ocean color (SeaWiFS and MODIS, thermal infrared (NOAA/AVHRR, scatterometer (QuikSCAT and Synthetic Aperture Radar (RADARSAT-1 and ASAR/ENVISAT data were integrated in order to detect and characterize different sorts of marine pollution and meteo-oceanographic phenomena. The near real time processing and delivery of the radar data allowed the timely in-situ verification and sampling of the remotely detected events. The integrated analysis of these dataset presents an important decision tool for emergencies, as well for the elaboration of contingency plans and evaluation of the oil industry activity impacts.

  10. Gulf of Mexico Seasonal and/or Area Closures GIS Data

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — These data represent the geographic area described in Title 50 CFR Part 622, Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic, Subpart B - Reef Fish...

  11. Using Ocean Color Satellite Data to Estimate Economics Benefits Associated with Monitoring and Preventing Harmful Algal Blooms

    Science.gov (United States)

    This presentation describes preliminary work that is underway that will illustrate the use of ocean land colour instrument data (Sentinel-3 & Landsat) to detect and monitor harmful algal blooms (HABS) in freshwater lakes for two types of economic analyses. This project is a j...

  12. Temperature profile data from fixed platforms from the Gulf of Mexico and the NW Atlantic (limit-40 W) as part of the International Decade of Ocean Exploration (IDOE) from 1977-04-15 to 1980-11-25 (NODC Accession 8200122)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Temperature profile and tide data were collected from fixed platforms in the Gulf of Mexico and the NW Atlantic (limit-40 W) from 15 April 1977 to 25 November 1980....

  13. Gulf of Mexico Kemps ridley sea turtle age and growth

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This study involves analysis of skeletal growth marks in humerus bones of 333 Kemps ridley sea turtles stranded dead along the Gulf of Mexico US coast (hatchling to...

  14. The monitoring of atmospheric mercury species in the Southern Indian Ocean at Amsterdam Island (38°S

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Barret M.

    2013-04-01

    Full Text Available The role of oceans in the global cycle of mercury is still poorly characterized, mainly because of a lack a long-term data on atmospheric mercury concentrations in the remote Southern Ocean. In the frame of GMOS (Global Mercury Observation System, we present here the first results from a new monitoring station at Amsterdam Island in the Southern Indian Ocean. For the period January to April 2012, we recorded mean concentration of gaseous elemental mercury (GEM, reactive gaseous mercury (RGM and particulate-bounded mercury (PHg of 1.03 ng m−3, 0.37 and 0.34 pg m−3 respectively. While GEM concentrations showed little variations, RGM and PHg exhibited fast variations with alternation of value below the instrumental detection limit and maximum values up to 4 pg m−3.

  15. On the relationship between satellite-estimated bio-optical and thermal properties in the Gulf of Mexico

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jolliff, Jason K.; Kindle, John C.; Penta, Bradley; Helber, Robert; Lee, Zhongping; Shulman, Igor; Arnone, Robert; Rowley, Clark D.

    2008-03-01

    Three years of Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS) ocean color data were combined with three-dimensional thermal fields generated by the U.S. Navy's Modular Ocean Data Assimilation System (MODAS) in order to examine the interdependencies between bio-optical fields and their relationship to seasonal and mesoscale changes in upper ocean thermal structure. The combined data set suggests that the oceanic boundary layer within the Gulf of Mexico may be broadly defined by two seasonally occurring bio-thermal periods. A winter mixing period, characterized by net heat losses to the atmosphere, deepening of the isothermal layer depth, and annual maxima of satellite-estimated colored detrital matter (CDM) absorption coefficients and surface pigment concentration, was followed by a thermally stratified period characterized by net surface ocean heating, reduced isothermal layer depths, and annual minima in surface bio-optical fields. Variability in the interdependencies of ocean color products was used to diagnose an attendant shift in the size-structure of surface phytoplankton communities as well as identify CDM as the constituent responsible for the majority of blue-light absorption in Gulf of Mexico surface waters. The mesoscale circulation, as resolved by MODAS thermal fields into cold and warm-core eddies, appears to significantly modulate the seasonal bio-optical cycle of CDM absorption and surface pigment concentration. An empirical model was developed to describe CDM absorption as a function of upper ocean thermal energy. The model accounted for nearly half the variance in the satellite-estimate of this bio-optical variable. Large mismatches between the model and satellite data implied episodes of shelf water export to the deep Gulf of Mexico.

  16. Low pH Springs - A Natural Laboratory for Ocean Acidification

    Science.gov (United States)

    Derse, E.; Rebolledo-Vieyra, M.; Potts, D. C.; Paytan, A.

    2009-12-01

    Recent increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide of 40% above pre-industrial levels has resulted in rising aqueous CO2 concentrations that lower the pH of the oceans. Currently, the surface ocean has an average pH between 8.1 and 8.2: it is estimated that over the next 100 years this value will decrease by ~0.4 pH units. Previous studies have highlighted the negative impacts that changes in pH (and the resulting CaCO3 saturation state) have on marine organisms; however, to date, very little is known about the long-term impacts of ocean acidification on ecosystems as a whole. The Yucatán Peninsula of Quintana Roo, Mexico, represents an ecosystem where naturally low pH groundwater (7.25-8.07) has been discharging offshore at highly localized points (called ojos) since the last deglaciation. We present preliminary chemical and biological data on a selection of ojos from lagoon sites in Puerto Morelos, Mexico. We address the potential long-term implications of low pH waters on marine ecosystems.

  17. Multibeam Mapping of Pulley Ridge, Gulf of Mexico, Key West, Florida

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — XYZ ASCII format high-resolution bathymetry data generated from the 2003, 2007, and 2009 combined multibeam sonar survey of Pulley Ridge, Gulf of Mexico, Key West,...

  18. Oil and Gas Pipelines in the Gulf of Mexico from BOEM

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — A line file representing locations of the pipeline infrastructure in the Gulf of Mexico associated with the oil and gas industry is presented. These layers were...

  19. Lidar Monitoring of Mexico City's Atmosphere During High Air Pollution Episodes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Quick, C. R., Jr.; Archuleta, F. L.; Hof, D. E.; Karl, R. R., Jr.; Tiee, J. J., Jr.; Eichinger, W. E.; Holtkamp, D. B.; Tellier, L.

    1992-01-01

    Over the last two decades, Mexico City, like many large industrial and populous urban areas, has developed a serious air pollution problem, especially during the winter months when there are frequent temperature inversions and weak winds. The deteriorating air quality is the result of several factors. The basin within which Mexico City lies in Mexico's center of political, administrative and economic activity, generating 34 percent of the gross domestic product and 42 percent of the industrial revenue, and supporting a population which is rapidly approaching the 20 million mark. The basin is surrounded by mountains on three sides which end up preventing rapid dispersal of pollutants. Emissions from the transportation fleet (more than 3 million vehicles) are one of the primary pollution sources, and most are uncontrolled. Catalytic converters are just now working their way into the fleet. The Mexico City Air Quality Research Initiative in an international collaboration project between the Los Alamos National Laboratory and the Mexican Petroleum Institute are dedicated to the investigation of the air quality problem in Mexico City. The main objective of the project is to identify and assess the cost and benefits of major options being proposed to improve the air quality. The project is organized into three main activity areas: (1) modeling and simulation; (2) characterization and measurements; and (3) strategic evaluation.

  20. Multi-mission mean sea surface and geoid models for ocean monitoring within the GOCINA project

    Science.gov (United States)

    Andersen, O. B.; Knudsen, P.; Anne, V. L.

    2004-05-01

    A major goal of the EU project GOCINA (Geoid and Ocean Circulation In the North Atlantic) is to develop tools for ocean monitoring using satellite altimetry combined with satellite gravimetry. Furthermore, the project will determine an accurate geoid in the region between Greenland and the UK and, hereby, create a platform for validation of future GOCE Level 2 data and higher order scientific products. The central quantity bridging the geoid and the ocean circulation is the mean dynamic topography, which is the difference between the mean sea surface and the geoid. The mean dynamic topography provides the absolute reference surface for the ocean circulation. The improved determination of the mean circulation will advance the understanding of the role of the ocean mass and heat transport in climate change. To calculate the best possible synthetic mean dynamic topographies a new mean sea surface (KMS03) has been derived from nine years of altimetric data (1993-2001). The regional geoid has furthermore being updated using GRACE and gravimetric data from a recent airborne survey. New synthetic mean dynamic topography models have been computed from the best available geoid models (EGM96, GRACE, GOCINA) and the present mean sea surface models (i.e. CLS01, GSFC00, KMS03). These models will be compared with state of the art hydrodynamic mean dynamic topography models in the North Atlantic GOCINA area. An extended comparison in the Artic Ocean will also be presented to demonstrate the impact of improved geoid and mean sea surface modeling. Particularly using the GRACE derived geoid models, and the KMS03 mean sea surface.

  1. Statistical downscaling of IPCC sea surface wind and wind energy predictions for U.S. east coastal ocean, Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yao, Zhigang; Xue, Zuo; He, Ruoying; Bao, Xianwen; Song, Jun

    2016-08-01

    A multivariate statistical downscaling method is developed to produce regional, high-resolution, coastal surface wind fields based on the IPCC global model predictions for the U.S. east coastal ocean, the Gulf of Mexico (GOM), and the Caribbean Sea. The statistical relationship is built upon linear regressions between the empirical orthogonal function (EOF) spaces of a cross- calibrated, multi-platform, multi-instrument ocean surface wind velocity dataset (predictand) and the global NCEP wind reanalysis (predictor) over a 10 year period from 2000 to 2009. The statistical relationship is validated before applications and its effectiveness is confirmed by the good agreement between downscaled wind fields based on the NCEP reanalysis and in-situ surface wind measured at 16 National Data Buoy Center (NDBC) buoys in the U.S. east coastal ocean and the GOM during 1992-1999. The predictand-predictor relationship is applied to IPCC GFDL model output (2.0°×2.5°) of downscaled coastal wind at 0.25°×0.25° resolution. The temporal and spatial variability of future predicted wind speeds and wind energy potential over the study region are further quantified. It is shown that wind speed and power would significantly be reduced in the high CO2 climate scenario offshore of the mid-Atlantic and northeast U.S., with the speed falling to one quarter of its original value.

  2. 75 FR 44276 - Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation, and Enforcement (BOEMRE); Cancellation of Oil and...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-28

    ... (OCS) in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) AGENCY: Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation, and Enforcement, Interior. ACTION: Cancellation of WPA Gulf of Mexico Lease Sale 215. SUMMARY: On May 27, 2010, the President announced the Secretary of the Interior's decision to cancel WPA Sale 215 that was...

  3. 2012 Groundwater Monitoring and Inspection Report Gnome-Coach, New Mexico, Site

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    None

    2013-03-01

    Gnome-Coach was the site of a 3-kiloton underground nuclear test conducted in 1961. Surface and subsurface contamination resulted from the underground nuclear testing, post-test drilling, and a groundwater tracer test performed at the site. Surface reclamation and remediation began after the underground testing. A Completion Report was prepared, and the State of New Mexico is currently proceeding with a conditional certificate of completion for the surface. Subsurface corrective action activities began in 1972 and have generally consisted of annual sampling and monitoring of wells near the site. In 2008, the annual site inspections were refined to include hydraulic head monitoring and collection of samples from groundwater monitoring wells onsite using the low-flow sampling method. These activities were conducted during this monitoring period on January 18, 2012. Analytical results from this sampling event indicate that concentrations of tritium, strontium-90, and cesium-137 were generally consistent with concentrations from historical sampling events. The exceptions are the decreases in concentrations of strontium-90 in samples from wells USGS-4 and USGS-8, which were more than 2.5 times lower than last year's results. Well USGS-1 provides water for livestock belonging to area ranchers, and a dedicated submersible pump cycles on and off to maintain a constant volume in a nearby water tank. Water levels in wells USGS-4 and USGS-8 respond to the on/off cycling of the water supply pumping from well USGS-1. Well LRL-7 was not sampled in January, and water levels were still increasing when the transducer data were downloaded in September. A seismic reflection survey was also conducted this year. The survey acquired approximately 13.9 miles of seismic reflection data along 7 profiles on and near the site. These activities were conducted from February 23 through March 10, 2012. The site roads, monitoring well heads, and the monument at surface ground zero were in

  4. 2012 Groundwater Monitoring and Inspection Report Gnome-Coach, New Mexico, Site

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2013-01-01

    Gnome-Coach was the site of a 3-kiloton underground nuclear test conducted in 1961. Surface and subsurface contamination resulted from the underground nuclear testing, post-test drilling, and a groundwater tracer test performed at the site. Surface reclamation and remediation began after the underground testing. A Completion Report was prepared, and the State of New Mexico is currently proceeding with a conditional certificate of completion for the surface. Subsurface corrective action activities began in 1972 and have generally consisted of annual sampling and monitoring of wells near the site. In 2008, the annual site inspections were refined to include hydraulic head monitoring and collection of samples from groundwater monitoring wells onsite using the low-flow sampling method. These activities were conducted during this monitoring period on January 18, 2012. Analytical results from this sampling event indicate that concentrations of tritium, strontium-90, and cesium-137 were generally consistent with concentrations from historical sampling events. The exceptions are the decreases in concentrations of strontium-90 in samples from wells USGS-4 and USGS-8, which were more than 2.5 times lower than last year's results. Well USGS-1 provides water for livestock belonging to area ranchers, and a dedicated submersible pump cycles on and off to maintain a constant volume in a nearby water tank. Water levels in wells USGS-4 and USGS-8 respond to the on/off cycling of the water supply pumping from well USGS-1. Well LRL-7 was not sampled in January, and water levels were still increasing when the transducer data were downloaded in September. A seismic reflection survey was also conducted this year. The survey acquired approximately 13.9 miles of seismic reflection data along 7 profiles on and near the site. These activities were conducted from February 23 through March 10, 2012. The site roads, monitoring well heads, and the monument at surface ground zero were in good

  5. Ocean Bottom Seismic Scattering

    Science.gov (United States)

    1989-11-01

    EPR, the Clipperton and Orozco fracture zones , and along the coast of Mexico, were recorded for a two month period using ocean bottom seismometers...67. Tuthill, J.D., Lewis, B.R., and Garmany, J.D., 1981, Stonely waves, Lopez Island noise, and deep sea noise from I to 5 hz, Marine Geophysical...Patrol Pell Marine Science Library d/o Coast Guard R & D Center University of Rhode Island Avery Point Narragansett Bay Campus Groton, CT 06340

  6. The Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean Observing System: A Gulf Science Portal

    Science.gov (United States)

    Howard, M.; Gayanilo, F.; Kobara, S.; Jochens, A. E.

    2013-12-01

    The Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean Observing System's (GCOOS) regional science portal (gcoos.org) was designed to aggregate data and model output from distributed providers and to offer these, and derived products, through a single access point in standardized ways to a diverse set of users. The portal evolved under the NOAA-led U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) program where automated largely-unattended machine-to-machine interoperability has always been a guiding tenet for system design. The web portal has a business unit where membership lists, new items, and reference materials are kept, a data portal where near real-time and historical data are held and served, and a products portal where data are fused into products tailored for specific or general stakeholder groups. The staff includes a system architect who built and maintains the data portal, a GIS expert who built and maintains the current product portal, the executive director who marshals resources to keep news items fresh and data manger who manages most of this. The business portal is built using WordPress which was selected because it appeared to be the easiest content management system for non-web programmers to add content to, maintain and enhance. The data portal is custom built and uses database, PHP, and web services based on Open Geospatial Consortium standards-based Sensor Observation Service (SOS) with Observations and Measurements (O&M) encodings. We employ a standards-based vocabulary, which we helped develop, which is registered at the Marine Metadata Interoperability Ontology Registry and Repository (http://mmisw.org). The registry is currently maintained by one of the authors. Products appearing in the products portal are primarily constructed using ESRI software by a Ph.D. level Geographer. Some products were built with other software, generally by graduate students over the years. We have been sensitive to the private sector when deciding which products to produce. While

  7. Comparative Analysis of Upper Ocean Heat Content Variability from Ensemble Operational Ocean Analyses

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xue, Yan; Balmaseda, Magdalena A.; Boyer, Tim; Ferry, Nicolas; Good, Simon; Ishikawa, Ichiro; Rienecker, Michele; Rosati, Tony; Yin, Yonghong; Kumar, Arun

    2012-01-01

    Upper ocean heat content (HC) is one of the key indicators of climate variability on many time-scales extending from seasonal to interannual to long-term climate trends. For example, HC in the tropical Pacific provides information on thermocline anomalies that is critical for the longlead forecast skill of ENSO. Since HC variability is also associated with SST variability, a better understanding and monitoring of HC variability can help us understand and forecast SST variability associated with ENSO and other modes such as Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD), Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO), Tropical Atlantic Variability (TAV) and Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO). An accurate ocean initialization of HC anomalies in coupled climate models could also contribute to skill in decadal climate prediction. Errors, and/or uncertainties, in the estimation of HC variability can be affected by many factors including uncertainties in surface forcings, ocean model biases, and deficiencies in data assimilation schemes. Changes in observing systems can also leave an imprint on the estimated variability. The availability of multiple operational ocean analyses (ORA) that are routinely produced by operational and research centers around the world provides an opportunity to assess uncertainties in HC analyses, to help identify gaps in observing systems as they impact the quality of ORAs and therefore climate model forecasts. A comparison of ORAs also gives an opportunity to identify deficiencies in data assimilation schemes, and can be used as a basis for development of real-time multi-model ensemble HC monitoring products. The OceanObs09 Conference called for an intercomparison of ORAs and use of ORAs for global ocean monitoring. As a follow up, we intercompared HC variations from ten ORAs -- two objective analyses based on in-situ data only and eight model analyses based on ocean data assimilation systems. The mean, annual cycle, interannual variability and longterm trend of HC have

  8. Telemetric system for hydrology and water quality monitoring in watersheds of northern New Mexico, USA.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meyer, Michael L; Huey, Greg M

    2006-05-01

    This study utilized telemetric systems to sample microbes and pathogens in forest, burned forest, rangeland, and urban watersheds to assess surface water quality in northern New Mexico. Four sites included remote mountainous watersheds, prairie rangelands, and a small urban area. The telemetric system was linked to dataloggers with automated event monitoring equipment to monitor discharge, turbidity, electrical conductivity, water temperature, and rainfall during base flow and storm events. Site data stored in dataloggers was uploaded to one of three types of telemetry: 1) radio in rangeland and urban settings; 2) a conventional phone/modem system with a modem positioned at the urban/forest interface; and 3) a satellite system used in a remote mountainous burned forest watershed. The major variables affecting selection of each system were site access, distance, technology, and cost. The systems were compared based on operation and cost. Utilization of telecommunications systems in this varied geographic area facilitated the gathering of hydrologic and water quality data on a timely basis.

  9. Role of upper ocean parameters in the genesis, intensification and tracks of cyclones over the Bay of Bengal

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Maneesha, K.; Sadhuram, Y.; Prasad, K.V.S.R.

    of high heat potential (>90 kj/cm2) in the western Gulf of Mexico (Goni et al. 2003, 2009; Shay et al. 2000). Further, Hurricanes Igor (tropical Atlantic) and Celia (Eastern North Pacific), Typhoon Megi (Western North Pacific) and Cyclone Phet (Arabian Sea... 2009/10 in the Gulf of Mexico and the southwestern Pacific Ocean, while there was an increase in the western Pacific Ocean, Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal. All the above studies emphasize the importance of the UOHC in the genesis and intensification...

  10. A multi-detector continuous monitor for assessment of 222Rn in the coastal ocean

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dulaiova, H.; Peterson, R.; Burnett, W.C.

    2005-01-01

    Radon-222 is a good natural tracer of groundwater discharge and other physical processes in the coastal ocean. Unfortunately, its usefulness is limited by the time consuming nature of collecting individual samples and traditional analysis schemes. An automated multi-detector system is demonstrated that can be used in a continuous survey basis to assess radon activities in coastal ocean waters. The system analyses 222 Rn from a constant stream of water delivered by a submersible pump to an air-water exchanger where radon in the water phase equilibrates with radon in a closed air loop. The air stream is fed to 3 commercial radon-in-air monitors connected in parallel to determine the activity of 222 Rn. By running the detectors out of phase, it is possible to obtain as many as 6 readings per hour with a precision of approximately ±5-15% for typical coastal seawater concentrations. (author)

  11. 76 FR 70478 - Gulf of Mexico (GOM), Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), Western Planning Area (WPA), Oil and Gas...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-11-14

    ... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Gulf of Mexico (GOM), Outer... studies, NEPA analysis, resource evaluation, economic analysis, and renewable energy. BSEE is responsible... Program AGENCY: Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), Interior. ACTION: Notice of Availability (NOA...

  12. Investigating the use of oil platform marine fouling invertebrates as monitors of oil exposure in the Northern Gulf of Mexico.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pie, Hannah V; Heyes, Andrew; Mitchelmore, Carys L

    2015-03-01

    The concentration of 51 parent and alkylated PAHs was examined in oysters, Ostrea equestris, and corals, Tubastrea coccinea, collected from oil-rig structures off the coast of Louisiana during April and May 2011 to investigate their potential use as monitors for offshore contamination events. Corals and oysters collected from both sampling trips had lower PAH accumulation than most bivalves collected in previous studies near the shoreline of Louisiana and elsewhere in the Gulf of Mexico. In April, total PAH (TPAH) concentrations ranged from 8.73 to 15.17 ng g(-1) in corals and 2.52 to 22.04 ng g(-1) in oysters. In May, corals and oysters had elevated concentrations of TPAH ranging from 24.28 to 79.23 ng g(-1) and 7.18 to 95.55 ng g(-1), respectively. This increase could be a result of Mississippi River flooding that occurred during that time, as evidenced by the high perylene concentrations (3.92-41.49 ng g(-1)) measured in May oysters. Oysters and corals collected in May from MC21B, the closest rig to the Mississippi River Delta, had the highest TPAH concentrations observed among all locations and the only rig to have predominantly petrogenic source inputs. Overall, given the low baseline of PAHs demonstrated in this study and the rapid accumulation of diagnostic chemicals in response to a possible contamination event (i.e. sediment plume from May flooding), oil-rig invertebrates could make excellent monitoring tools to examine the exposure to and recovery from oil (and oil-spill response options) in the offshore Northern Gulf of Mexico. Pre-spill baseline data of chemical and biological biomarkers of contamination is key to better estimating the impacts and recovery of oil exposure. Therefore, this screen of PAH accumulation represents a crucial first step in determining baseline contaminant levels in order to utilize these unique resources as monitors for offshore oil exposure in the Northern Gulf of Mexico. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. Oil and Gas Platforms in the Gulf of Mexico from BOEM

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Point location for oil and gas installations in federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico are presented. This layer was converted from GIS data acquired from the U. S....

  14. Mexico and the CTBT

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aguirre G, J.; Martinez L, J.; Ruiz E, L. J.; Aragon M, I. B.

    2013-10-01

    The Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban-Treaty (CTBT) is a treaty that prohibits all the nuclear explosions by anybody and in any place, either on the terrestrial surface, in the atmosphere, under the sea or underground. From the adoption of this Treaty by the United Nations, Mexico has had interest for its entrance in vigor, as integral part to assure the international peace. For this reason, our country signed the Treaty since it was open in September 24, 1996 and three years later ratified it, due to Mexico is part of the group of necessary countries for their entrance in vigor. During 13 years, the country has been committed and helped to the installation of monitoring stations, actions that allow the strengthening of the International System of Surveillance. The purpose of this work is to divulge the Treaty,its technologies and benefits; and also to diffuse the works realized by Mexico regarding the radionuclides monitoring station and noble gases both certified ones for the CTBT. Besides the radionuclides technology, Mexico has taken charge of the installation and operation of the seismic stations and hydro-acoustics that have been certified too. The radionuclides station Rn-44 located in Guerrero Negro, BCS has two technologies, an automated sampler of suspended particles in air brand Cinderella/ARAME and a noble gases system Sauna used for the particles detection of radioactive material gamma emitting and Xenon radioisotopes product of nuclear assays. Both technologies are transmitting data in real time to the International Center of Data. These technologies are shown in this work. (Author)

  15. 77 FR 40081 - Gulf of Mexico, Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), Western Planning Area (WPA) and Central Planning...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-07-06

    ... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Gulf of Mexico, Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), Western Planning Area (WPA) and Central Planning Area (CPA), Oil and Gas Lease Sales for 2012-2017 AGENCY: Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), Interior. ACTION: Notice of availability...

  16. Chemical composition of marine sediments in the Pacific Ocean from Sinaloa to Jalisco, Mexico

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Martinez, T.; Lartigue, J.; Ramos, A.; Navarrete, M.; Mulller, G.

    2014-01-01

    Marine sediments from Mexico's West coast in the Pacific Ocean from Sinaloa to Jalisco were analyzed by energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence technique. Ten sediment samples were collected in May, 2010 between 55.5 and 1264 m water depth with a Reinneck type box nucleate sampler. Sediments were dried and fractioned by granulometry. Their physical and chemical properties were determined in laboratory by standard methods, pH, and conductivity. Concentration and distribution of K, Ca, Ti Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, Ga, Pb, Br and Sr were analyzed. In order to determine the status of the elements, enrichment factors were calculated. Total, organic carbon and CaCO 3 were also determined. Scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction show predominant groups of compounds. As quality-control method, Certified Reference Material was both processed and analyzed at even conditions. Enrichment factors for K, Ca, Ti, Mn Fe, Cu, Zn, Ga, Ni, and Sr show they are conservative elements having concentrations in the range of unpolluted sites giving a base data line for the sampling zone In spite of moderately enrichment factors -1 ) and enrichment factor show the influence of anthropogenic sources with values between lowest effect level and a third part of 250 μg g -1 value, which is considered to have severe effect levels for aquatic life. (author)

  17. PRESSURE - WATER and Other Data from AIRCRAFT From Coastal Waters of Gulf of Mexico from 19941015 to 19941115 (NODC Accession 9500101)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The water depth and temperature data were collected in Gulf of Mexico as part of Louisiana-Texas (LATEX part C) Gulf of Mexico Eddy Circulation Study from aircraft...

  18. Passive Acoustic Monitoring of the Environmental Impact of Oil Exploration on Marine Mammals in the Gulf of Mexico.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sidorovskaia, Natalia A; Ackleh, Azmy S; Tiemann, Christopher O; Ma, Baoling; Ioup, Juliette W; Ioup, George E

    2016-01-01

    The Gulf of Mexico is a region densely populated by marine mammals that must adapt to living in a highly active industrial environment. This paper presents a new approach to quantifying the anthropogenic impact on the marine mammal population. The results for sperm and beaked whales of a case study of regional population dynamics trends after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, derived from passive acoustic-monitoring data gathered before and after the spill in the vicinity of the accident, are presented.

  19. MUG-OBS - Multiparameter Geophysical Ocean Bottom System : a new instrumental approach to monitor earthquakes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    hello, yann; Charvis, Philippe; Yegikyan, Manuk; verfaillie, Romain; Rivet, Diane

    2016-04-01

    Real time monitoring of seismic activity is a major issue for early warning of earthquakes and tsunamis. It can be done using regional scale wired nodes, such as Neptune in Canada and in the U.S, or DONET in Japan. Another approach to monitor seismic activity at sea is to deploying repeatedly OBS array like during the amphibious Cascadia Initiative (four time 1-year deployments), the Japanese Pacific Array (broadband OBSs "ocean-bottom broadband dispersion survey" with 2-years autonomy), the Obsismer program in the French Lesser Antilles (eight time 6-months deployments) and the Osisec program in Ecuador (four time 6-months deployments). These autonomous OBSs are self-recovered or recovered using an ROV. These systems are costly including ship time, and require to recover the OBS before to start working on data. Among the most recent alternative we developed a 3/4 years autonomy ocean bottom system with 9 channels (?) allowing the acquisition of different seismic or environmental parameters. MUG-OBS is a free falling instrument rated down to 6000 m. The installation of the sensor is monitored by acoustic commands from the surface and a health bulletin with data checking is recovered by acoustic during the installation. The major innovation is that it is possible to recover the data any time on demand (regularly every 6-months or after a crisis) using one of the 6 data-shuttles released from the surface by acoustic command using a one day fast cruise boat of opportunity. Since sensors stayed at the same location for 3 years, it is a perfect tool to monitor large seismic events, background seismic activity and aftershock distribution. Clock, drift measurement and GPS localization is automatic when the shuttle reaches the surface. For remote areas, shuttles released automatically and a seismic events bulletin is transmitted. Selected data can be recovered by two-way Iridium satellite communication. After a period of 3 years the main station is self-recovered by

  20. Multibeam Mapping of the West Florida Shelf, Gulf of Mexico, Twin Ridges Area

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — XYZ ASCII format high-resolution bathymetry data generated from the 2002 multibeam sonar survey of the West Florida Shelf, Gulf of Mexico.

  1. Multibeam Mapping of the West Florida Shelf, Gulf of Mexico, Madison Swanson Area

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — XYZ ASCII format high-resolution bathymetry data generated from the 2002 multibeam sonar survey of the West Florida Shelf, Gulf of Mexico.

  2. Quantifying uncertainty in Gulf of Mexico forecasts stemming from uncertain initial conditions

    KAUST Repository

    Iskandarani, Mohamed; Le Hé naff, Matthieu; Srinivasan, Ashwanth; Knio, Omar

    2016-01-01

    Polynomial Chaos (PC) methods are used to quantify the impacts of initial conditions uncertainties on oceanic forecasts of the Gulf of Mexico circulation. Empirical Orthogonal Functions are used as initial conditions perturbations with their modal

  3. Genetic signature analysis of Perkinsus marinus in Mexico suggests possible translocation from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific coast of Mexico.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ek-Huchim, Juan Pablo; Aguirre-Macedo, Ma Leopoldina; Améndola-Pimenta, Monica; Vidal-Martínez, Victor Manuel; Pérez-Vega, Juan Antonio; Simá-Alvarez, Raúl; Jiménez-García, Isabel; Zamora-Bustillos, Roberto; Rodríguez-Canul, Rossanna

    2017-08-02

    The protozoan Perkinsus marinus (Mackin, Owen & Collier) Levine, 1978 causes perkinsosis in the American oyster Crassostrea virginica Gmelin, 1791. This pathogen is present in cultured C. virginica from the Gulf of Mexico and has been reported recently in Saccostrea palmula (Carpenter, 1857), Crassostrea corteziensis (Hertlein, 1951) and Crassostrea gigas (Thunberg, 1793) from the Mexican Pacific coast. Transportation of fresh oysters for human consumption and repopulation could be implicated in the transmission and dissemination of this parasite across the Mexican Pacific coast. The aim of this study was two-fold. First, we evaluated the P. marinus infection parameters by PCR and RFTM (Ray's fluid thioglycollate medium) in C. virginica from four major lagoons (Términos Lagoon, Campeche; Carmen-Pajonal-Machona Lagoon complex, Tabasco; Mandinga Lagoon, Veracruz; and La Pesca Lagoon, Tamaulipas) from the Gulf of Mexico. Secondly, we used DNA sequence analyses of the ribosomal non-transcribed spacer (rNTS) region of P. marinus to determine the possible translocation of this species from the Gulf of Mexico to the Mexican Pacific coast. Perkinsus marinus prevalence by PCR was 57.7% (338 out of 586 oysters) and 38.2% (224 out of 586 oysters) by RFTM. The highest prevalence was observed in the Carmen-Pajonal-Machona Lagoon complex in the state of Tabasco (73% by PCR and 58% by RFTM) and the estimated weighted prevalence (WP) was less than 1.0 in the four lagoons. Ten unique rDNA-NTS sequences of P. marinus [termed herein the "P. marinus (Pm) haplotype"] were identified in the Gulf of Mexico sample. They shared 96-100% similarity with 18 rDNA-NTS sequences from the GenBank database which were derived from 16 Mexican Pacific coast infections and two sequences from the USA. The phylogenetic tree and the haplotype network showed that the P. marinus rDNA-NTS sequences from Mexico were distant from the rDNA-NTS sequences of P. marinus reported from the USA. The ten r

  4. 78 FR 43146 - Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-07-19

    ... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration RIN 0648-XC763 Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS... d. Recommendation of ABC 4. Overview of ongoing Coastal Migratory Pelagics Amendments a. CMP...

  5. Simulating environmental effects on brown shrimp production in the northern Gulf of Mexico

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Brown shrimp (Farfantepenaeus aztecus) are a commercially important fishery species of the northern Gulf of Mexico. Young shrimp settle in estuarine salt marsh...

  6. NCEP Global Ocean Data Assimilation System (GODAS)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The GODAS dataset is a real-time ocean analysis and a reanalysis. It is used for monitoring, retrospective analysis as well as for providing oceanic initial...

  7. Data collected by the R/V Gyre in the Gulf of Mexico to support the Stability and Change in the Gulf of Mexico Chemosynthetic Communities Program, 1996 - 2002 (NODC Accession 0000788)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — A multidisciplinary team of marine scientists has completed a program entitled Stability and Change in Gulf of Mexico Chemosynthetic Communities. The program was...

  8. 33 CFR 162.65 - All waterways tributary to the Atlantic Ocean south of Chesapeake Bay and all waterways tributary...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... Atlantic Ocean south of Chesapeake Bay and all waterways tributary to the Gulf of Mexico east and south of... All waterways tributary to the Atlantic Ocean south of Chesapeake Bay and all waterways tributary to..., which are tributary to or connected by other waterways with the Atlantic Ocean south of Chesapeake Bay...

  9. Proposal for the diagnosis and monitoring of quality, based on key performance indicators, that may lead to generate improvements in the Servicio de Radiologia of Hospital Mexico

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brenes Acosta, Carolina; Cortes Barquero, Jorge

    2014-01-01

    Key performance indicators are proposed for the diagnosis, monitoring of quality and to generate improvements in the Servicio de Radiologia of Hospital Mexico. Critical performance key indicators are identified for service improvement. A method for collection of information is proposed of the individual production of medical assistants from Servicio de Radiologia of Hospital Mexico. Waiting times for patients in the ultrasound are measured in the Radiology Service, as indicator of patient experience and level of service. The satisfaction of treating physicians and their perception about the level quality of the service provided are identified with respect to the reports generated by the Departamento de Radiologia of Hospital Mexico. A peer review system is established to measure the clinical performance of the studies. A structured radiological report template is proposed for radiological practice in the Hospital Mexico, to facilitate its reading and guarantee a minimum standard of quality in information [es

  10. Grain Size Data from the Brine Disposal Program, Gulf of Mexico

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — These data are part of the Brine Disposal Program funded by NOAA in the US Gulf of Mexico, compiled by NOAA/CEAS and partially conducted by R. W. Hann of Texas A and...

  11. The challenge and countermeasure for radioactivity monitor in ocean--the reflection derived from Fukushima nuclear power plant accident

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu Guangshan

    2014-01-01

    Environmental radioactivity monitor (ERM) follows with interest raising level, sink and transportation of radioactive materials in the environment. There are two kinds of challenges for marine radioactivity monitor (MRM), for which one concerned with facilities and methods that lead the very difficult measurement of MRM. Up to now, the bulk of sample must collected and prepared for most MRM by radiometry (counting method) and long acquisition period is needed. The long time from sampling to derived results postponed the time of the scientists and government officials learning contamination distribution information. Developing accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) can overcome above difficulty because AMS method need one tenth of sample and one tenth measuring time needed by radiometric method. The second challenge is lack of the behavior research of radionuclide in the ocean. In the ocean, radionuclide behavior is constrained by physical and biogeochemical process, following that the radionuclides are transported from released sea area to where far from source area, from upper water to deep and bottom waters, and buried to sediment. There are some reports about radionuclide transportation with physical oceanographical process, but few paper about radionuclide biogeochemistry has been found. Lesser theory knowledge and lesser investigation data make scientists worked on MRM puzzling. The radionuclide behavior in the ocean can be studied by the method used in marine biogeochemistry. (author)

  12. Binational collaboration to study Gulf of Mexico's harmful algae

    Science.gov (United States)

    Soto, Inia; Hu, Chuanmin; Steidinger, Karen; Muller-Karger, Frank; Cannizzaro, Jennifer; Wolny, Jennifer; Cerdeira-Estrada, Sergio; Santamaria-del-Angel, Eduardo; Tafoya-del-Angel, Fausto; Alvarez-Torres, Porfirio; Herrera Silveira, Jorge; Allen, Jeanne

    2012-01-01

    Blooms of the toxic marine dinoflagellate Karenia brevis cause massive fish kills and other public health and economic problems in coastal waters throughout the Gulf of Mexico [Steidinger, 2009]. These harmful algal blooms (HABs) are a gulf-wide problem that require a synoptic observing system for better serving decision-making needs. The major nutrient sources that initiate and maintain these HABs and the possible connectivity of blooms in different locations are important questions being addressed through new collaborations between Mexican and U.S. researchers and government institutions. These efforts were originally organized under the U.S./Mexico binational partnership for the HABs Observing System (HABSOS), led by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Gulf of Mexico Program (EPAGMP) and several agencies in Veracruz, Mexico, since 2006. In 2010 these efforts were expanded to include other Mexican states and institutions with the integrated assessment and management of the Gulf of Mexico Large Marine Ecosystem (GoMLME) program sponsored by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the Secretaría de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (SEMARNAT), and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

  13. Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force---Gulf of Mexico Ecosystem Science Assessment and Needs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Walker, Shelby; Dausman, Alyssa M.; Lavoie, Dawn L.

    2012-01-01

    The Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force (GCERTF) was established by Executive Order 13554 as a result of recommendations from “America’s Gulf Coast: A Long-term Recovery Plan after the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill” by Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus (Mabus Report). The GCERTF consists of members from 11 Federal agencies and representatives from each State bordering the Gulf of Mexico. The GCERTF was charged to develop a holistic, long-term, science-based Regional Ecosystem Restoration Strategy for the Gulf of Mexico. Federal and State agencies staffed the GCERTF with experts in fields such as policy, budgeting, and science to help develop the Strategy. The Strategy was built on existing authorities and resources and represents enhanced collaboration and a recognition of the shared responsibility among Federal and State governments to restore the Gulf Coast ecosystem. In this time of severe fiscal constraints, Task Force member agencies and States are committed to establishing shared priorities and working together to achieve them.As part of this effort, three staffers, one National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) scientist and two U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists, created and led a Science Coordination Team (SCT) to guide scientific input into the development of the Gulf of Mexico Regional Ecosystem Restoration Strategy. The SCT leads from the GCERTF coordinated more than 70 scientists from the Federal and State Task Force member agencies to participate in development of a restoration-oriented science document focused on the entire Gulf of Mexico, from inland watersheds to the deep blue waters. The SCT leads and scientists were organized into six different working groups based on expanded goals from the Mabus Report: Coastal habitats are healthy and resilient.Living coastal and marine resources are healthy, diverse, and sustainable.Coastal communities are adaptive and resilient.Storm buffers are sustainable.Inland habitats and

  14. Ship Sensor Observations for Deep Sea Medicines 2003 - Office of Ocean Exploration

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Hourly measurements made by selected ship sensors on the NOAA ship Ronald H. Brown during the "Deep Sea Medicines 2003: Exploration of the Gulf of Mexico" expedition...

  15. In-situ monitoring of deformation of clayey and volcanic sequences in the lacustrine plain of Iztapalapa, Mexico City

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carreon-Freyre, D.; Cerca, M.; Barrientos, B.; Gutierrez, R.; Blancas, D.

    2012-12-01

    Major cities of Central Mexico with lowering of land elevation problems are located in inter-volcanic and fault bounded basins within the central Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt (TMVB). The most representative and studied case of ground deformation is Mexico City, where the Iztapalapa Municipality presents the highest population density. This area is located over the geological contact between the "Sierra de Santa Catarina" volcanic range and a lacustrine plain. Filling of lacustrine basins includes silty and clayey sediments as well as pyroclastic deposits (coarse and fine grained) and volcanic rocks layers. We used Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) and MASW prospection to evaluate contrasts in the physical properties of fine grained soils and identify geometry of the deformational features and implemented a mechanical system for in situ monitoring in fractured sites. Deformational features in this basin reflect an interplay between the geological history (depositional conditions), load history, seismic activity, and faulting. Plastic mechanical behaviour predominates in these clayey sediments and differential deformation locally triggers brittle fracturing and/or subsidence of the surface. In this work we present the results of monitoring and characterization of ground deformation and fracturing in different sequences, our results show a dynamic interplay between the mechanisms of ground fracturing and the stress history of sedimentary sequences. Relating the mechanical behaviour of the studied sequences with variations of physical and geological properties should be taken into account to estimate land level lowering and risk of fracturing for urban development planning.

  16. Nature Run for the North Atlantic Ocean Hurricane Region: System Evaluation and Regional Applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kourafalou, V.; Androulidakis, I.; Halliwell, G. R., Jr.; Kang, H.; Mehari, M. F.; Atlas, R. M.

    2016-02-01

    A prototype ocean Observing System Simulation Experiments (OSSE) system, first developed and data validated in the Gulf of Mexico, has been applied on the extended North Atlantic Ocean hurricane region. The main objectives of this study are: a) to contribute toward a fully relocatable ocean OSSE system by expanding the Gulf of Mexico OSSE to the North Atlantic Ocean; b) demonstrate and quantify improvements in hurricane forecasting when the ocean component of coupled hurricane models is advanced through targeted observations and assimilation. The system is based on the Hybrid Coordinate Ocean Model (HYCOM) and has been applied on a 1/250 Mercator mesh for the free-running Nature Run (NR) and on a 1/120 Mercator mesh for the data assimilative forecast model (FM). A "fraternal twin" system is employed, using two different realizations for NR and FM, each configured to produce substantially different physics and truncation errors. The NR has been evaluated using a variety of available observations, such as from AVISO, GDEM climatology and GHRSST observations, plus specific regional products (upper ocean profiles from air-borne instruments, surface velocity maps derived from the historical drifter data set and tropical cyclone heat potential maps derived from altimetry observations). The utility of the OSSE system to advance the knowledge of regional air-sea interaction processes related to hurricane activity is demonstrated in the Amazon region (salinity induced surface barrier layer) and the Gulf Stream region (hurricane impact on the Gulf Stream extension).

  17. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Publishes Misleading Information on Gulf of Mexico "Dead Zone"

    OpenAIRE

    Courtney, Michael W.; Courtney, Joshua M.

    2013-01-01

    Mississippi River nutrient loads and water stratification on the Louisiana-Texas shelf contribute to an annually recurring, short-lived hypoxic bottom layer in areas of the northern Gulf of Mexico comprising less than 2% of the total Gulf of Mexico bottom area. Many publications demonstrate increases in biomass and fisheries production attributed to nutrient loading from river plumes. Decreases in fisheries production when nutrient loads are decreased are also well documented. However, the Na...

  18. Jaguar surveying and monitoring in the United States

    Science.gov (United States)

    Culver, Melanie

    2016-06-10

    Because of the jaguar’s (Panthera onca) endangered status under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) of 1973 throughout its range (from Arizona in the north to Argentina in the south), jaguar individuals and populations are monitored to varying degrees throughout their range. Knowledge gained from monitoring jaguars is helpful for wildlife managers who are responsible for conserving this species. The University of Arizona (UA) has conducted a multiyear surveying and monitoring effort for jaguars and ocelots in southern Arizona and New Mexico. The purpose of this work was to establish an effective surveying and monitoring system for jaguars along the United States-Mexico border. Surveying and monitoring in this study focused on the United States side of the border, but the methods could also be used in Mexico. The intent was to develop and implement a surveying and monitoring system that would provide the greatest probability of recording jaguar presence in, and passage through, the border area.

  19. Current direction and bathythermograph (xbt) data from moored current meter casts and other instruments in the Gulf of Mexico, Northwest Atlantic Ocean, and North American Coastline-South as part the North Carolina Frontal Eddy Dynamics Experiment (FRED) project, 1985-01-23 to 1987-01-31 (NODC Accession 8900214)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Current direction and bathythermograph (xbt) data were collected using moored current meter casts and other instruments in the Gulf of Mexico, Northwest Atlantic...

  20. Estuarine Living Marine Resources: Gulf of Mexico Regional Distribution and Abundance (NCEI Accession 0163993)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This is the original (1992) Gulf of Mexico regional component of NOAA's Estuarine Living Marine Resources (ELMR) Project, a national database of ecologically and...

  1. Atlantic and Pacific Ocean synergistic forcing of the Mesomerican monsoon over the last two millennia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lachniet, M. S.; Asmerom, Y.; Polyak, V. J.; Bernal, J. P.

    2015-12-01

    We present a new replicated, high resolution (~2 yrs) and precisely-dated (± 4 yr) wet season hydroclimate reconstruction for the Mesoamerican sector of the North American Monsoon over the past 2250 years. Our new reconstruction is based on two aragonite stalagmites from southwestern Mexico which replicate oxygen isotope variations over the 950-1950 CE interval, and are calibrated to instrumental rainfall variations in the Basin of Mexico. Such data complement existing dendroclimatic reconstructions of early wet season and winter drought severity. Comparisons to indices of ocean-atmosphere circulation show a combined forcing by the North Atlantic Oscillation and the El Niño/Southern Oscillation. Monsoon strengthening coincided with synergistic forcing of a La Niña-like mode and a negative North Atlantic Oscillation, and vice versa for droughts. Although drought is commonly invoked as an stressor leading to societal change, the role of intensified monsoon onto cultural development is rarely explored. We observe that prominent transitions from drought to pluvial conditions are associated with population increases in three of the major highland Mexico civilizations of Teotihuacan, Tula Grande, and the Aztecs. These data suggest a role for ocean-atmosphere dynamics arising from the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans on Mesoamerican monsoon strength.

  2. Field application of smart SHM using field programmable gate array technology to monitor an RC bridge in New Mexico

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Azarbayejani, M; Jalalpour, M; Reda Taha, M M; El-Osery, A I

    2011-01-01

    In this paper, an innovative field application of a structural health monitoring (SHM) system using field programmable gate array (FPGA) technology and wireless communication is presented. The new SHM system was installed to monitor a reinforced concrete (RC) bridge on Interstate 40 (I-40) in Tucumcari, New Mexico. This newly installed system allows continuous remote monitoring of this bridge using solar power. Details of the SHM component design and installation are discussed. The integration of FPGA and solar power technologies make it possible to remotely monitor infrastructure with limited access to power. Furthermore, the use of FPGA technology enables smart monitoring where data communication takes place on-need (when damage warning signs are met) and on-demand for periodic monitoring of the bridge. Such a system enables a significant cut in communication cost and power demands which are two challenges during SHM operation. Finally, a three-dimensional finite element (FE) model of the bridge was developed and calibrated using a static loading field test. This model is then used for simulating damage occurrence on the bridge. Using the proposed automation process for SHM will reduce human intervention significantly and can save millions of dollars currently spent on prescheduled inspection of critical infrastructure worldwide

  3. Field application of smart SHM using field programmable gate array technology to monitor an RC bridge in New Mexico

    Science.gov (United States)

    Azarbayejani, M.; Jalalpour, M.; El-Osery, A. I.; Reda Taha, M. M.

    2011-08-01

    In this paper, an innovative field application of a structural health monitoring (SHM) system using field programmable gate array (FPGA) technology and wireless communication is presented. The new SHM system was installed to monitor a reinforced concrete (RC) bridge on Interstate 40 (I-40) in Tucumcari, New Mexico. This newly installed system allows continuous remote monitoring of this bridge using solar power. Details of the SHM component design and installation are discussed. The integration of FPGA and solar power technologies make it possible to remotely monitor infrastructure with limited access to power. Furthermore, the use of FPGA technology enables smart monitoring where data communication takes place on-need (when damage warning signs are met) and on-demand for periodic monitoring of the bridge. Such a system enables a significant cut in communication cost and power demands which are two challenges during SHM operation. Finally, a three-dimensional finite element (FE) model of the bridge was developed and calibrated using a static loading field test. This model is then used for simulating damage occurrence on the bridge. Using the proposed automation process for SHM will reduce human intervention significantly and can save millions of dollars currently spent on prescheduled inspection of critical infrastructure worldwide.

  4. Cross-Calibration of the Oceansat-2 Ocean Colour Monitor (OCM) with Terra and Aqua MODIS

    Science.gov (United States)

    Angal, Amit; Brinkmann, Jake; Kumar, A. Senthil; Xiong, Xiaoxiong

    2016-01-01

    The Ocean Colour Monitor (OCM) sensor on-board the Oceansat-2 spacecraft has been operational since its launch in September, 2009. The Oceansat 2 OCM primary design goal is to provide continuity to Oceansat-1 OCM to obtain information regarding various ocean-colour variables. OCM acquires Earth scene measurements in eight multi-spectral bands in the range from 402 to 885 nm. The MODIS sensor on the Terra and Aqua spacecraft has been successfully operating for over a decade collecting measurements of the earth's land, ocean surface and atmosphere. The MODIS spectral bands, designed for land and ocean applications, cover the spectral range from 412 to 869 nm. This study focuses on comparing the radiometric calibration stability of OCM using near-simultaneous TOA measurements with Terra and Aqua MODIS acquired over the Libya 4 target. Same-day scene-pairs from all three sensors (OCM, Terra and Aqua MODIS) between August, 2014 and September, 2015 were chosen for this analysis. On a given day, the OCM overpass is approximately an hour after the Terra overpass and an hour before the Aqua overpass. Due to the orbital differences between Terra and Aqua, MODIS images the Libya 4 site at different scan-angles on a given day. Some of the high-gain ocean bands for MODIS tend to saturate while viewing the bright Libya 4 target, but bands 8-10 (412 nm - 486 nm) provide an unsaturated response and are used for comparison with the spectrally similar OCM bands. All the standard corrections such as bidirectional reflectance factor (BRDF), relative spectral response mismatch, and impact for atmospheric water-vapor are applied to obtain the reflectance differences between OCM and the two MODIS instruments. Furthermore, OCM is used as a transfer radiometer to obtain the calibration differences between Terra and Aqua MODIS reflective solar bands.

  5. BLM/OCS Ecological Investigations of Petroleum Production Platforms in the Central Gulf of Mexico

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The Ecological Investigations of Petroleum Production Platforms in the Central Gulf of Mexico Project was conducted by Texas A and M University under contract to...

  6. Multibeam Mapping of the West Florida Shelf-The Edges, Gulf of Mexico, Appalachicola, Florida.

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — XYZ ASCII format high-resolution bathymetry data generated from the 2010 multibeam sonar survey of the West Florida Shelf-The Edges, Gulf of Mexico, Appalachicola,...

  7. Petrology and geochemistry of meta-ultramafic rocks in the Paleozoic Granjeno Schist, northeastern Mexico: Remnants of Pangaea ocean floor

    Science.gov (United States)

    Torres-Sánchez, Sonia Alejandra; Augustsson, Carita; Jenchen, Uwe; Rafael Barboza-Gudiño, J.; Alemán Gallardo, Eduardo; Ramírez Fernández, Juan Alonso; Torres-Sánchez, Darío; Abratis, Michael

    2017-08-01

    The Granjeno Schist is a meta-volcanosedimentary upper Paleozoic complex in northeastern Mexico. We suggest different tectonic settings for metamorphism of its serpentinite and talc-bearing rocks based on petrographic and geochemical compositions. According to the REE ratios (LaN/YbN = 0.51 -20.0 and LaN/SmN = 0.72-9.1) and the enrichment in the highly incompatible elements Cs (0.1 ppm), U (2.8 ppm), and Zr (60 ppm) as well as depletion in Ba (1 - 15 ppm), Sr (1 -184 ppm), Pb (0.1 -14 ppm), and Ce (0.1 -1.9 ppm) the rocks have mid-ocean ridge and subduction zones characteristics. The serpentinite contains Al-chromite, ferrian chromite and magnetite. The Al-chromite is characterized by Cr# of 0.48 to 0.55 suggesting a MORB origin, and Cr# of 0.93 to 1.00 for the ferrian chromite indicates a prograde metamorphism. We propose at least two serpentinization stages of lithospheric mantle for the ultramafic rock of the Granjeno Schist, (1) a first in an ocean-floor environment at sub-greenschist to greenschist facies conditions and (2) later a serpentinization phase related to the progressive replacement of spinel by ferrian chromite and magnetite at greenschist to low amphibolite facies conditions during regional metamorphism. The second serpentinization phase took place in an active continental margin during the Pennsylvanian. We propose that the origin of the ultramafic rocks is related to an obduction and accretional event at the western margin of Pangea.

  8. Petrology and geochemistry of meta-ultramafic rocks in the Paleozoic Granjeno Schist, northeastern Mexico: Remnants of Pangaea ocean floor

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Torres-Sánchez Sonia Alejandra

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available The Granjeno Schist is a meta-volcanosedimentary upper Paleozoic complex in northeastern Mexico. We suggest different tectonic settings for metamorphism of its serpentinite and talc-bearing rocks based on petrographic and geochemical compositions. According to the REE ratios (LaN/YbN = 0.51 –20.0 and LaN/SmN = 0.72–9.1 and the enrichment in the highly incompatible elements Cs (0.1 ppm, U (2.8 ppm, and Zr (60 ppm as well as depletion in Ba (1 – 15 ppm, Sr (1 –184 ppm, Pb (0.1 –14 ppm, and Ce (0.1 –1.9 ppm the rocks have mid-ocean ridge and subduction zones characteristics. The serpentinite contains Al-chromite, ferrian chromite and magnetite. The Al-chromite is characterized by Cr# of 0.48 to 0.55 suggesting a MORB origin, and Cr# of 0.93 to 1.00 for the ferrian chromite indicates a prograde metamorphism. We propose at least two serpentinization stages of lithospheric mantle for the ultramafic rock of the Granjeno Schist, (1 a first in an ocean-floor environment at sub-greenschist to greenschist facies conditions and (2 later a serpentinization phase related to the progressive replacement of spinel by ferrian chromite and magnetite at greenschist to low amphibolite facies conditions during regional metamorphism. The second serpentinization phase took place in an active continental margin during the Pennsylvanian. We propose that the origin of the ultramafic rocks is related to an obduction and accretional event at the western margin of Pangea.

  9. Intra-Specific Variation Reveals Potential for Adaptation to Ocean Acidification in a Cold-Water Coral from the Gulf of Mexico

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Melissa D. Kurman

    2017-05-01

    acidification in the long term, it is possible that some genotypes may prove to be more resilient than others, particularly to short perturbations of the carbonate system. These results provide evidence that populations of L. pertusa in the Gulf of Mexico may contain the genetic variability necessary to support an adaptive response to future ocean acidification.

  10. Ocean Science for Decision-Making: Current Activities of the National Research Council's Ocean Studies Board

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roberts, S.; Glickson, D.; Mengelt, C.; Forrest, S.; Waddell, K.

    2012-12-01

    The National Research Council is a private, nonprofit organization chartered by Congress in 1916 as an expansion of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences. Its mission is to improve the use of science in government decision making and public policy, increase public understanding, and promote the acquisition and dissemination of knowledge in matters involving science, engineering, technology, and health. Within the National Research Council, the Ocean Studies Board (OSB) mission is to explore the science, policies, and infrastructure needed to understand, manage, and conserve coastal and marine environments and resources. OSB undertakes studies and workshops on emerging scientific and policy issues at the request of federal agencies, Congress, and others; provides program reviews and guidance; and facilitates communication on oceanographic issues among different sectors. OSB also serves as the U.S. National Committee to the international, nongovernmental Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research (SCOR). OSB has produced reports on a wide range of topics of interest to researchers and educators, the federal government, the non-profit sector, and industry. Recent reports have focused on ecosystem services in the Gulf of Mexico after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, sea level rise on the U.S. west coast, scientific ocean drilling needs and accomplishments, requirements for sustained ocean color measurements, critical infrastructure for ocean research, tsunami warning and preparedness, ocean acidification, and marine and hydrokinetic power resource assessments. Studies that are currently underway include responding to oil spills in the Arctic, evaluating the effectiveness of fishery stock rebuilding plans, and reviewing the National Ocean Acidification Research Plan. OSB plays an important role in helping create policy decisions and disseminating important information regarding various aspects of ocean science.

  11. [Child wellbeing and development indicators in Mexico].

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Castro, Filipa; Allen-Leigh, Betania; Katz, Gregorio; Salvador-Carulla, Luis; Lazcano-Ponce, Eduardo

    2013-01-01

    To provide evidence and input for monitoring child welfare and wellbeing in Mexico. Adjusting for sampling design, information from ENSANUT 2012 for children <10 years was compared with national and international parameters and goals. While 8.37% of infants were born with low birth weight (<2,500 g), neonatal screening was not performed on 9.4% of newborns. Of children <5 years, 78.03% were breastfed until at least four months. Among mothers of newborns, 69.5% received training in early stimulation. At the national level, 28% of children (23% in rural areas) received five medical consultations to monitor their early development. 29% of children either had a disability or were at risk of developing one. Progress has been made in Mexico in terms of services promoting early child development and wellbeing but important challenges persist. National standards and a system for monitoring, screening, referring and providing care for child development and wellbeing are necessary.

  12. The Gulf of Mexico research initiative: It takes a village

    Science.gov (United States)

    Colwell, Rita R.

    2016-07-01

    The Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI) was established at the time of one of the most significant ecological events in recent memory, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Defined by the discharge of over 150 million gallons of crude oil and the introduction of over 1.8 million gallons of chemical dispersants into the Gulf system, the impacts of the Deepwater Horizon disaster reached the Gulf Coast's wetlands and beaches and impacted the surface and deep ocean. The ecological story of the event reveals a strong linkage between the deep sea research community and research priorities in the Gulf of Mexico (coastal processes, human health, etc.). Deep Sea research efforts have revealed critical parts of the story, providing information on transport, fate, and effects of the Deepwater Horizon oil release and subsequent recovery of the Gulf of Mexico ecosystems.

  13. Environmental Assessment of the Buccaneer Oil Field in the Northwestern Gulf of Mexico 1978-1979

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This data set contains analytical data from samples acquired from the Northwestern Gulf of Mexico area under contract to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)...

  14. Migrants in transit: the importance of monitoring HIV risk among migrant flows at the Mexico-US border.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martinez-Donate, Ana P; Hovell, Melbourne F; Rangel, Maria Gudelia; Zhang, Xiao; Sipan, Carol L; Magis-Rodriguez, Carlos; Gonzalez-Fagoaga, J Eduardo

    2015-03-01

    We conducted a probability-based survey of migrant flows traveling across the Mexico-US border, and we estimated HIV infection rates, risk behaviors, and contextual factors for migrants representing 5 distinct migration phases. Our results suggest that the influence of migration is not uniform across genders or risk factors. By considering the predeparture, transit, and interception phases of the migration process, our findings complement previous studies on HIV among Mexican migrants conducted at the destination and return phases. Monitoring HIV risk among this vulnerable transnational population is critical for better understanding patterns of risk at different points of the migration process and for informing the development of protection policies and programs.

  15. Long-Term Monitoring at the East and West Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary in the Gulf of Mexico, 2002 (NCEI Accession 0127071)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The Long-Term Monitoring at the East and West Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary 2002-2006 data include biological and oceanographic measurements...

  16. More troubles in Gulf of Mexico

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Winter, K.

    1980-08-01

    According to K. Winter of the University of Texas Marine Science Institute, tanker operators are conducting illegal cleaning operations in the Gulf of Mexico because they believe residual Ixtoc I oil will camouflage their actions. Oil has been spotted coming ashore recently, most of which has not been from the Ixtoc I well. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/U.S. Bureau of Land Management dispute over responsibility for studies of the effects of the Ixtoc I spill is briefly discussed.

  17. Perspectives for Expanded Ocean Observing on the Southeast Florida Shelf and between Cuba and the Bahamas and the US

    Science.gov (United States)

    Soloviev, A.; Dodge, R. E.; Proni, J.

    2012-12-01

    A long term ocean observing system was established on the Southeast Florida shelf near Ft. Lauderdale by the Nova Southeastern University Oceanographic Center (NSUOC) in late 1990s as a cooperative agreement between the NSU Oceanographic Center and USF College of Marine Science. The system has been supported and upgraded during a number of projects funded by the US federal government and private industries. Currently it consists of two ADCP moorings deployed at 240 m and 11 m isobath and coastal meteorological station and primarily serves to support the Office of Naval Research and other Federal agencies projects. During active observational phases, the area is monitored using the new generation of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites (TerraSAR-X, Cosmo SkyMed, ALOS PALSAR, RADARSAT 2). The NSUOC Ocean observing system is a component of SECOORA, which has been integrating coastal and ocean observing data in the Southeast United States as a part of IOOS. In this paper we overview the results obtained during more than a decade of observations and discuss perspectives for expanded ocean observing on the Southeast Florida Shelf and between Cuba, Bahamas and US. Increased ocean observations are needed of the major western boundary current, known as the Loop Current in the Gulf of Mexico and the Florida Current in the Straits Florida. This ocean current occurs to the west and north of Cuba and along the southeast US. Observations will provide better understanding of the processes that maintain, and account for, the current variability and will be useful in myriad practical applications. A major application is the need to monitor the occurrence of, and to forecast entrainment, trajectories, and detrainment of, potential oil spills that may propagate from Cuban drilling sites located along the north coast of Cuba as well as from proposed drilling in the Bahamas. Such ocean observation information can be used as input for operational response models and result in best

  18. Pacific Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program: Subsurface Temperature Recorders (STRs) at selected coral reef locations across the Pacific Ocean from 2001 to 2012

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Water temperature data are collected using subsurface temperature recorders (STRs) that aid in the monitoring of seawater temperature variability at permanent coral...

  19. Quantifying and predicting historical and future patterns of carbon fluxes from the North American Continent to Ocean

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tian, H.; Zhang, B.; Xu, R.; Yang, J.; Yao, Y.; Pan, S.; Lohrenz, S. E.; Cai, W. J.; He, R.; Najjar, R. G.; Friedrichs, M. A. M.; Hofmann, E. E.

    2017-12-01

    Carbon export through river channels to coastal waters is a fundamental component of the global carbon cycle. Changes in the terrestrial environment, both natural (e.g., climatic change, enriched CO2 concentration, and elevated ozone concentration) and anthropogenic (e.g, deforestation, cropland expansion, and urbanization) have greatly altered carbon production, stocks, decomposition, movement and export from land to river and ocean systems. However, the magnitude and spatiotemporal patterns of lateral carbon fluxes from land to oceans and the underlying mechanisms responsible for these fluxes remain far from certain. Here we applied a process-based land model with explicit representation of carbon processes in stream and rivers (Dynamic Land Ecosystem Model: DLEM 2.0) to examine how changes in climate, land use, atmospheric CO2, and nitrogen deposition have affected the carbon fluxes from North American continent to Ocean during 1980-2015. Our simulated results indicated that terrestrial carbon export shows substantially spatial and temporal variability. Of the five sub-regions (Arctic coast, Pacific coast, Gulf of Mexico, Atlantic coast, and Great lakes), the Arctic sub-region provides the highest DOC flux, whereas the Gulf of Mexico sub-region provided the highest DIC flux. However, terrestrial carbon export to the arctic oceans showed increasing trends for both DOC and DIC, whereas DOC and DIC export to the Gulf of Mexico decreased in the recent decades. Future pattern of riverine carbon fluxes would be largely dependent on the climate change and land use scenarios.

  20. 76 FR 26252 - Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-05-06

    ... Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) Advisory Panel will meet to discuss operation, design, usage of vessel monitoring systems (VMS), and resulting data from these systems. The Advisory Panel will discuss the current.... SUMMARY: The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council will convene a meeting of the Vessel Monitoring...

  1. Bathymetry Mapping of the West Florida Shelf (Steamboat Lumps), Gulf of Mexico (NODC Accession 0001410)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — XYZ ASCII format data generated from the 2001 multibeam sonar survey of the West Florida Shelf, Gulf of Mexico. The data include high-resolution bathymetry and...

  2. Backscatter Mapping of the West Florida Shelf (Southern Region), Gulf of Mexico (NODC Accession 0001410)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — XYZ ASCII format data generated from the 2001 multibeam sonar survey of the West Florida Shelf, Gulf of Mexico. The data include high-resolution bathymetry and...

  3. CURRENT DIRECTION, CURRENT SPEED and other data from UNKNOWN in the Gulf of Mexico from 1977-02-01 to 1978-09-30 (NCEI Accession 8100479)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Current meter data from the South West Gulf of Mexico (Ixtoc Area) was submitted by the Centro de Ciencias del Mar y Limnologia, Unam, Mexico as part of the CILAT-I...

  4. Temperature, salinity, and other measurements collected using gliders in the Gulf of Mexico (NODC Accession 0065238)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Glider oceanographic data (temperature, salinity) collected in support of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill event in the Gulf of Mexico (NODC Accession 0065238).

  5. The Potential and Challenges of Using Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP Sea Surface Salinity to Monitor Arctic Ocean Freshwater Changes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wenqing Tang

    2018-06-01

    response to discharge anomalies from the Ob’ and Yenisei rivers between 2015 and 2016, providing an assessment of runoff impact in a region where no in situ salinity data are available for validation. The Kara Sea SSS anomaly observed by SMAP is missing in the HYCOM SSS, which assimilates climatological runoffs without interannual changes. We explored the feasibility of using SMAP SSS to monitor the sea surface salinity variability at the major Arctic Ocean gateways. Results show that although the SMAP SSS is limited to about 1 psu accuracy, many large salinity changes are observable. This may lead to the potential application of satellite SSS in the Arctic monitoring system as a proxy of the upper ocean layer freshwater exchanges with subarctic oceans.

  6. Facilitation of the Estuary/Ocean Subgroup for Federal Research, Monitoring, and Evaluation, FY09 Annual Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Johnson, Gary E.

    2009-10-22

    This document is the annual report for fiscal year 2009 (FY09) for the project called Facilitation of the Estuary/Ocean Subgroup (EOS). The EOS is part of the research, monitoring, and evaluation (RME) effort developed by the Action Agencies (Bonneville Power Administration [BPA], U.S. Army Corps of Engineers [Corps or USACE], U.S. Bureau of Reclamation) in response to obligations arising from the Endangered Species Act as a result of operation of the Federal Columbia River Power System (FCRPS).

  7. Site Management and Monitoring Plan (SMMP) for the Mouth of Columbia River- Deep and Shallow Water Ocean Dredged Material Disposal Sites, OR/WA

    Science.gov (United States)

    This SMMP is intended to provide management and monitoring strategies for disposal in the Mouth of Columbia River- Deep and Shallow Ocean Dredged Material Disposal Sites on the border of Oregon and Washington.

  8. Dissolved oxygen, temperature, salinity, and other variables measured from profile observations using CTD and other instruments from NOAA Ship Ronald H. Brown in the East Coast of the United States and Gulf of Mexico during the second Gulf of Mexico and East Coast Carbon (GOMECC-2) Cruise from 2012-07-24 to 2012-08-13 (NODC Accession 0117943)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The second Gulf of Mexico and East Coast Carbon (GOMECC-2) Cruise on board NOAA Ship Ronald H. Brown from Miami, took place in the Gulf of Mexico and then along the...

  9. Ocean Striations Detecting and Its Features

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guan, Y. P.; Zhang, Y.; Chen, Z.; Liu, H.; Yu, Y.; Huang, R. X.

    2016-02-01

    Over the past 10 years or so, ocean striations has been one of the research frontiers as reported in many investigators. With suitable filtering subroutines, striations can be revealed from many different types of ocean datasets. It is clear that striations are some types of meso-scale phenomena in the large-scale circulation system, which in the form of alternating band-like structure. We present a comprehensive study on the effectiveness of the different detection approaches to unveiling the striations. Three one-dimensional filtering methods: Gaussian smoothing, Hanning and Chebyshev high-pass filtering. Our results show that all three methods can reveal ocean banded structures, but the Chebyshev filtering is the best choice. The Gaussian smoothing is not a high pass filter, and it can merely bring regional striations, such as those in the Eastern Pacific, to light. The Hanning high pass filter can introduce a northward shifting of stripes, so it is not as good as the Chebyshev filter. On the other hand, striations in the open ocean are mostly zonally oriented; however, there are always exceptions. In particular, in coastal ocean, due to topography constraint and along shore currents, striations can titled in the meridional direction. We examined the band-like structure of striation for some selected regions of the open ocean and the semi-closed sub-basins, such as the South China sea, the Gulf of Mexico, the Mediterranean Sea and the Japan Sea. A reasonable interpretation is given here.

  10. Long-Term Monitoring at the East and West Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary in the Gulf of Mexico, 2002-2006 (NODC Accession 0012632)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The Long-Term Monitoring at the East and West Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary 2002-2006 data include biological and oceanographic measurements...

  11. Long-Term Monitoring at the East and West Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary in the Gulf of Mexico, November 2004 (NCEI Accession 0127073)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The Long-Term Monitoring at the East and West Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary 2002-2006 data include biological and oceanographic measurements...

  12. Long-Term Monitoring at the East and West Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary in the Gulf of Mexico, August 2003 (NCEI Accession 0127072)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The Long-Term Monitoring at the East and West Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary 2002-2006 data include biological and oceanographic measurements...

  13. Long-Term Monitoring at the East and West Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary in the Gulf of Mexico, June 2006 (NCEI Accession 0127075)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The Long-Term Monitoring at the East and West Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary 2002-2006 data include biological and oceanographic measurements...

  14. Climate Prediction Center (CPC)Oceanic Nino Index

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The Oceanic Nino Index (ONI) is one of the primary indices used to monitor the El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). The ONI is calculated by averaging sea surface...

  15. Bottlenose dolphin age structure and growth in the Mississippi Sound region of the Gulf of Mexico

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Teeth were collected from bottlenose dolphins that stranded within the north-central Gulf of Mexico between 1986-2003. These teeth were sectioned and growth rings...

  16. Radon-in-soil concentration levels in Mexico

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Segovia, N.; Tamez, E.; Mena, M.

    1992-01-01

    Radon-in-soil surveys in Mexico have been carried out since 1974 both for uranium prospecting and to correlate mean values of the gas emanation with local telluric behaviour. The mapping covers the northern uranium mining region, the Mexican Neovolcanic Belt, the coastal areas adjacent to the zone of subduction of the Cocos Plate under the North American Plate, some of the active volcanoes of Southern Mexico and several sedimentary valleys in Central Mexico. Recording of 222 Rn alpha decay is systematically performed with LR115 track detectors. Using mean values averaged over different observation periods at fixed monitoring stations, a radon-in-soil map covering one third of the territory of Mexico is presented. The lowest mean values occur in areas associated with active volcanoes. The highest levels are found in uranium ore zones. Intermediate values are obtained in regions with enhanced hydrothermal activity and stations associated with intrusive rocks. (author)

  17. Long-Term Monitoring at the East and West Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary in the Gulf of Mexico, 2007-2008 (NODC Accession 0070125)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The Long-Term Monitoring at the East and West Flower Garden Banks 2007-2008 dataset includes biological and oceanographic measurements collected to satisfy the...

  18. Temperature and salinity profile data from CTD casts by the National Ocean Service's Navigation Response Team No. 2, January - May 2001 (NODC Accession 0000646)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — CTD and other data were collected by the National Ocean Service's Response Team No. 2 in the Gulf of Mexico from 25 January 2001 to 05 May 2001. Data include...

  19. Renewable energy systems in Mexico: Installation of a hybrid system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pate, Ronald C.

    1993-05-01

    Sandia has been providing technical leadership on behalf of DOE and CORECT on a working level cooperative program with Mexico on renewable energy (PROCER). As part of this effort, the Sandia Design Assistance Center (DAC) and the solar energy program staff at Instituto de Investigaciones Electricas (IIE) in Cuernavaca, Mexico, recently reached agreement on a framework for mutually beneficial technical collaboration on the monitoring and field evaluation of renewable energy systems in Mexico, particularly village-scale hybrid systems. This trip was made for the purpose of planning the details for the joint installation of a data acquisition system (DAS) on a recently completed PV/Wind/Diesel hybrid system in the village of Xcalac on the Southeast coast of the state of Quintana Roo, Mexico. The DAS installation will be made during the week of March 15, 1993. While in Mexico, discussions were also held with personnel from.the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) Solar Energy Laboratory and several private sector companies with regard to renewable energy project activities and technical and educational support needs in Mexico.

  20. Numerical Simulation of Salinity and Dissolved Oxygen at Perdido Bay and Adjacent Coastal Ocean

    Science.gov (United States)

    Environmental Fluid Dynamic Code (EFDC), a numerical estuarine and coastal ocean circulation hydrodynamic model, was used to simulate the distribution of the salinity, temperature, nutrients and dissolved oxygen (DO) in Perdido Bay and adjacent Gulf of Mexico. External forcing fa...

  1. Preliminary results of fisheries investigation associated with Skylab-3. [remotely sensed distribution and abundance of gamefish in Gulf of Mexico

    Science.gov (United States)

    Savastano, K. J. (Principal Investigator); Pastula, E. J., Jr.; Woods, G.; Faller, K.

    1974-01-01

    The author has identified the following significant results. This investigation is to establish the feasibility of utilizing remotely sensed data acquired from aircraft and satellite platforms to provide information concerning the distribution and abundance of oceanic gamefish. Data from the test area in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico has made possible the identification of fisheries significant environmental parameters for white marlin. Predictive models based on catch data and surface truth information have been developed and have demonstrated potential for reducing search significantly by identifying areas which have a high probability of being productive. Three of the parameters utilized by the model, chlorophyll-a, sea surface temperature, and turbidity have been inferred from aircraft sensor data. Cloud cover and delayed receipt have inhibited the use of Skylab data. The first step toward establishing the feasibility of utilizing remotely sensed data to assess amd monitor the distribution of ocean gamefish has been taken with the successful identification of fisheries significant oceanographic parameters and the demonstration of the capability of measuring most of these parameters remotely.

  2. Rays in the northern Gulf of Mexico: Aerial Survey and Satellite Telemetry 2008-2012 (NCEI Accession 0129495)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The dataset contains distribution and abundance data for rays in the Gulf of Mexico collected through aerial surveys and satellite telemetry. Aerial survey data...

  3. Open-Ocean and Coastal Properties of Recent Major Tsunamis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rabinovich, A.; Thomson, R.; Zaytsev, O.

    2017-12-01

    The properties of six major tsunamis during the period 2009-2015 (2009 Samoa; 2010 Chile; 2011 Tohoku; 2012 Haida Gwaii; 2014 and 2015 Chile) were thoroughly examined using coastal data from British Columbia, the U.S. West Coast and Mexico, and offshore open-ocean DART and NEPTUNE stations. Based on joint spectral analyses of the tsunamis and background noise, we have developed a method to suppress the influence of local topography and to use coastal observations to determine the underlying spectra of tsunami waves in the deep ocean. The "reconstructed" open-ocean tsunami spectra were found to be in close agreement with the actual tsunami spectra evaluated from the analysis of directly measured open-ocean tsunami records. We have further used the spectral estimates to parameterize tsunamis based on their integral open-ocean spectral characteristics. Three key parameters are introduced to describe individual tsunami events: (1) Integral open-ocean energy; (2) Amplification factor (increase of the mean coastal tsunami variance relative to the open-ocean variance); and (3) Tsunami colour, the frequency composition of the open-ocean tsunami waves. In particular, we found that the strongest tsunamis, associated with large source areas (the 2010 Chile and 2011 Tohoku) are "reddish" (indicating the dominance of low-frequency motions), while small-source events (the 2009 Samoa and 2012 Haida Gwaii) are "bluish" (indicating strong prevalence of high-frequency motions).

  4. History of nonnative Monk Parakeets in Mexico.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hobson, Elizabeth A; Smith-Vidaurre, Grace; Salinas-Melgoza, Alejandro

    2017-01-01

    Nonnative Monk Parakeets have been reported in increasing numbers across many cities in Mexico, and were formally classified as an invasive species in Mexico in late 2016. However, there has not been a large-scale attempt to determine how international pet trade and national and international governmental regulations have played a part in colonization, and when the species appeared in different areas. We describe the changes in regulations that led the international pet trade market to shift to Mexico, then used international trade data to determine how many parakeets were commercially imported each year and where those individuals originated. We also quantified the recent increases in Monk Parakeet (Myiopsitta monachus) sightings in Mexico in both the scientific literature and in citizen science reports. We describe the timeline of increased reports to understand the history of nonnative Monk Parakeets in Mexico. As in other areas where the species has colonized, the main mode of transport is through the international pet trade. Over half a million Monk Parakeets were commercially imported to Mexico during 2000-2015, with the majority of importation (90%) occurring in 2008-2014, and almost all (98%) were imported from Uruguay. The earliest record of a free-flying Monk Parakeet was observed during 1994-1995 in Mexico City, but sightings of the parakeets did not become geographically widespread in either the scientific literature or citizen science databases until 2012-2015. By 2015, parakeets had been reported in 97 cities in Mexico. Mexico City has consistently seen steep increases in reporting since this species was first reported in Mexico. Here we find that both national and international legal regulations and health concerns drove a rise and fall in Monk Parakeet pet trade importations, shortly followed by widespread sightings of feral parakeets across Mexico. Further monitoring of introduced Monk Parakeet populations in Mexico is needed to understand the

  5. Strategic Plan for Federal Research and Monitoring of Ocean Acidification

    Science.gov (United States)

    On July 19, 2010, the President signed an Executive Order establishing the nation’s first comprehensive National Policy for the Stewardship of the Ocean, Our Coasts, and Great Lakes and adopted the Final Recommendations of the Ocean Policy Task Force (OPTF 2010). The Final Recom...

  6. Monitoring Anthropogenic Ocean Sound from Shipping Using an Acoustic Sensor Network and a Compressive Sensing Approach †

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harris, Peter; Philip, Rachel; Robinson, Stephen; Wang, Lian

    2016-01-01

    Monitoring ocean acoustic noise has been the subject of considerable recent study, motivated by the desire to assess the impact of anthropogenic noise on marine life. A combination of measuring ocean sound using an acoustic sensor network and modelling sources of sound and sound propagation has been proposed as an approach to estimating the acoustic noise map within a region of interest. However, strategies for developing a monitoring network are not well established. In this paper, considerations for designing a network are investigated using a simulated scenario based on the measurement of sound from ships in a shipping lane. Using models for the sources of the sound and for sound propagation, a noise map is calculated and measurements of the noise map by a sensor network within the region of interest are simulated. A compressive sensing algorithm, which exploits the sparsity of the representation of the noise map in terms of the sources, is used to estimate the locations and levels of the sources and thence the entire noise map within the region of interest. It is shown that although the spatial resolution to which the sound sources can be identified is generally limited, estimates of aggregated measures of the noise map can be obtained that are more reliable compared with those provided by other approaches. PMID:27011187

  7. The Coastal Ocean Prediction Systems program: Understanding and managing our coastal ocean

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Eden, H.F.; Mooers, C.N.K.

    1990-06-01

    The goal of COPS is to couple a program of regular observations to numerical models, through techniques of data assimilation, in order to provide a predictive capability for the US coastal ocean including the Great Lakes, estuaries, and the entire Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The objectives of the program include: determining the predictability of the coastal ocean and the processes that govern the predictability; developing efficient prediction systems for the coastal ocean based on the assimilation of real-time observations into numerical models; and coupling the predictive systems for the physical behavior of the coastal ocean to predictive systems for biological, chemical, and geological processes to achieve an interdisciplinary capability. COPS will provide the basis for effective monitoring and prediction of coastal ocean conditions by optimizing the use of increased scientific understanding, improved observations, advanced computer models, and computer graphics to make the best possible estimates of sea level, currents, temperatures, salinities, and other properties of entire coastal regions

  8. Lipid biomarkers preserved in hydrate-associated authigenic carbonate rocks of the Gulf of Mexico

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Pancost, R.D.; Zhang, C.L.; Tavacoli, J.; Talbot, H.M.; Farrimond, P.; Schouten, S.; Sinninghe Damsté, J.S.; Sassen, R.

    2005-01-01

    Anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) is common in ocean-margin sediments, where it is mediated by consortia of Archaea and Bacteria and can result in the formation of authigenic carbonate, including extensive carbonate crusts. Previous work indicates that AOM is associated with Gulf of Mexico

  9. Mexico.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Semaan, Leslie

    The text explores Mexico's history, geography, art, religion, and lifestyles in the context of its complex economy. The text focuses on Mexico's economy and reasons for its current situation. Part I of this teaching unit includes: Teacher Overview, Why Study Mexico, Mexico Fact Sheet, Map of Mexico, the Land and Climate, History, Government,…

  10. GULF OF MEXICO AQUATIC MORTALITY NETWORK (GMNET)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Five U.S. states share the northern coast of the Gulf, and each has a program to monitor mortalities of aquatic organisms (fish, shellfish, birds). However, each state has different standards, procedures, and documentation of mortality events. The Gulf of Mexico Aquatic Mortality...

  11. Satellite SAR inventory of Gulf of Mexico oil seeps and shallow gas hydrates

    Science.gov (United States)

    Garcia, O.; MacDonald, I. R.; Zimmer, B.; Shedd, W.; Frye, M.

    2009-04-01

    Satellite synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images from the RADARSAT platform were used to detect and inventory persistent layers of oil released from natural seeps in the Gulf of Mexico. Previously published inventories of natural oil seeps in the Gulf have been limited in scope and have relied on manual interpretation of satellite images (Mitchell et al. 1999; De Beukelaer et al. 2003). We developed a texture classifying neural network algorithm (TCNNA) to rapidly identify floating oil-layers in a semi-supervised operation. Oil layers, known as slicks, were recognized as long (10 km), narrow (100 m), often curvilinear streaks with distinct points of origin where oil reaches the ocean surface. After training the TCNNA over known seep areas and under a range of environmental and viewing conditions, the procedure was applied to 426 separate images that covered ocean areas of 100x100 km (Standard Beam Mode), 102 images that covered ocean areas of 450x450 km(ScanSAR Wide Beam Mode), and 84 images that covered ocean areas of 300x300 km (ScanSAR Narrow Beam Mode). This image data-set was collected between 1994 and 2007. It covered the entire Gulf of Mexico with a repeat rate of 4 to109, with the highest concentration over the continental slope. This effort identified a total of 4957 slicks among all the images. Of these, 287 appeared a single time in isolated locations and may therefore be false targets. The remaining slicks appeared in groups of up to 9 separate features, clustered in areas of 1 to 6.5 km across. When slicks appear within the same area in repeated images, they are judged to have a persistent source—a bubbling vent on the seafloor (MacDonald et al. 2002). Persistent sources represent geologic formations defined by migrating hydrocarbons that may include multiple separate vents. A total of 559 formations were defined by repeated imaging; these comprised a maximum of 1995 and a minimum of 1263 individual vents. This total was distributed between U

  12. Radioactivity in the ocean: laws and biological effects

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hunsaker, C.T.

    1985-01-01

    This paper summarizes the literature on US laws and international agreements, experimental and monitoring data, and ongoing studies to provide background information for environmental assessment and regulatory compliance activities for ocean dumping of low-level radioactive waste. The Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act is the major US legislation governing ocean disposal of radioactive waste. The major international agreement on ocean dumping is the Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and other Matter. The United States ended its ocean dumping of radioactive wastes in 1970, but other countries have continued ocean dumping under international supervision in the northeast Atlantic. Monitoring of former US disposal sites has neither revealed significant effects on marine biota nor indicated a hazard to human health. Also, no effects on marine organisms have been found that could be attributed to routine discharges into the Irish Sea from the Windscale reprocessing plant. We must improve our ability to predict the oceanic carrying capacity and the fate and effects of ionizing radiation in the marine environment.

  13. Radioactivity in the ocean: laws and biological effects

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hunsaker, C.T.

    1985-01-01

    This paper summarizes the literature on US laws and international agreements, experimental and monitoring data, and ongoing studies to provide background information for environmental assessment and regulatory compliance activities for ocean dumping of low-level radioactive waste. The Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act is the major US legislation governing ocean disposal of radioactive waste. The major international agreement on ocean dumping is the Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and other Matter. The United States ended its ocean dumping of radioactive wastes in 1970, but other countries have continued ocean dumping under international supervision in the northeast Atlantic. Monitoring of former US disposal sites has neither revealed significant effects on marine biota nor indicated a hazard to human health. Also, no effects on marine organisms have been found that could be attributed to routine discharges into the Irish Sea from the Windscale reprocessing plant. We must improve our ability to predict the oceanic carrying capacity and the fate and effects of ionizing radiation in the marine environment

  14. 2007 USGS/NPS/NASA Experimental Advanced Airborne Research Lidar (EAARL): Northern Gulf of Mexico Barrier Islands

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — A bare earth elevation map (also known as a Digital Elevation Model, or DEM) of the northern Gulf of Mexico barrier islands and Naval Live Oaks was produced from...

  15. Chemical, benthic organisms, and other data from moored current meter casts and other instruments in the Gulf of Mexico during the Gulf of Mexico North Continental Slope Study (MNCSS) project, 11 November 1983 - 13 November 1984 (NODC Accession 8400119)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Chemical, benthic organisms, and other data were collected using moored current meter casts and other instruments in the Gulf of Mexico from November 11, 1983 to...

  16. Interoperable Access to Near Real Time Ocean Observations with the Observing System Monitoring Center

    Science.gov (United States)

    O'Brien, K.; Hankin, S.; Mendelssohn, R.; Simons, R.; Smith, B.; Kern, K. J.

    2013-12-01

    The Observing System Monitoring Center (OSMC), a project funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Climate Observations Division (COD), exists to join the discrete 'networks' of In Situ ocean observing platforms -- ships, surface floats, profiling floats, tide gauges, etc. - into a single, integrated system. The OSMC is addressing this goal through capabilities in three areas focusing on the needs of specific user groups: 1) it provides real time monitoring of the integrated observing system assets to assist management in optimizing the cost-effectiveness of the system for the assessment of climate variables; 2) it makes the stream of real time data coming from the observing system available to scientific end users into an easy-to-use form; and 3) in the future, it will unify the delayed-mode data from platform-focused data assembly centers into a standards- based distributed system that is readily accessible to interested users from the science and education communities. In this presentation, we will be focusing on the efforts of the OSMC to provide interoperable access to the near real time data stream that is available via the Global Telecommunications System (GTS). This is a very rich data source, and includes data from nearly all of the oceanographic platforms that are actively observing. We will discuss how the data is being served out using a number of widely used 'web services' (including OPeNDAP and SOS) and downloadable file formats (KML, csv, xls, netCDF), so that it can be accessed in web browsers and popular desktop analysis tools. We will also be discussing our use of the Environmental Research Division's Data Access Program (ERDDAP), available from NOAA/NMFS, which has allowed us to achieve our goals of serving the near real time data. From an interoperability perspective, it's important to note that access to the this stream of data is not just for humans, but also for machine-to-machine requests. We'll also delve into how we

  17. Oceanic Storm Characteristics off the Kennedy Space Center Coast

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilson, J. G.; Simpson, A. A.; Cummins, K. L.; Kiriazes, J. J.; Brown, R. G.; Mata, C. T.

    2014-01-01

    Natural cloud-to-ground lightning may behave differently depending on the characteristics of the attachment mediums, including the peak current (inferred from radiation fields) and the number of ground strike locations per flash. Existing literature has raised questions over the years on these characteristics of lightning over oceans, and the behaviors are not yet well understood. To investigate this we will obtain identical electric field observations over adjacent land and ocean regions during both clear air and thunderstorm periods. Oceanic observations will be obtained using a 3-meter NOAA buoy that has been instrumented with a Campbell Scientific electric field mill and New Mexico Techs slow antenna, to measure the electric fields aloft. We are currently obtaining measurements from this system on-shore at the Florida coast, to calibrate and better understand the behavior of the system in elevated-field environments. Sometime during winter 2013, this system will be moored 20NM off the coast of the Kennedy Space Center. Measurements from this system will be compared to the existing on-shore electric field mill suite of 31 sensors and a coastal slow antenna. Supporting observations will be provided by New Mexico Techs Lightning Mapping Array, the Eastern Range Cloud to Ground Lightning Surveillance System, and the National Lightning Detection Network. An existing network of high-speed cameras will be used to capture cloud-to-ground lightning strikes over the terrain regions to identify a valid data set for analysis. This on-going project will demonstrate the value of off-shore electric field measurements for safety-related decision making at KSC, and may improve our understanding of relative lightning risk to objects on the ground vs. ocean. This presentation will provide an overview of this new instrumentation, and a summary of our progress to date.

  18. Independent monitoring of a release from the waste isolation pilot plant in New Mexico, USA. Results and purpose

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Thakur, Punam; Ballard, Sally [Carlsbad Environmental Monitoring and Research Center, Carlsbad, NM (United States)

    2015-07-01

    The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) is a transuranic (TRU) waste repository operated by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The repository is emplacing defense-related transuranic (TRU) wastes into a bedded salt formation approximately 655 m (2150 ft.) below the surface of the Earth. Located near Carlsbad, New Mexico, an area with less than 30,000 people, the WIPP facility is licensed to accept TRU waste with activity concentrations of alpha-emitting isotopes >3700 Bq/m{sup 3} (> 100 nCi/g) and half-life >20 years. The upper waste acceptance limit is 0.85 TBq/liter (<23 Ci/liter) of total activity and 10 Sv/hr dose rate on contact. The repository, which opened in March 1999 will eventually contain the equivalent of ∝176,000 m{sup 3} of TRU waste. The vast majority of the waste disposed in the WIPP repository is ''contact-handled'' waste, meaning it has a surface dose rate less than 2 mSv per hour. Local acceptance of WIPP is in part due to an independent environmental monitoring program that began before and continues after WIPP began receiving nuclear waste. This independent monitoring is being conducted by the Carlsbad Environmental Monitoring and Research Center (CEMRC), which is associated with New Mexico State University. CEMRC is funded by DOE through a grant process that respects its independence in carrying out and reporting the results of environmental monitoring at and near the WIPP site. The primary focus of CEMRC monitoring is on airborne radioactive particulate; however other pathways are also monitored. Pre-disposal baseline data of various anthropogenic radionuclides present in the WIPP environment is essential for the proper evaluation of the WIPP integrity. These data are compared against disposal phase data to assess whether or not there is any radiological impact from the presence of WIPP on workers and on the regional public. The program has capabilities to detect radionuclides rapidly in case of accidental releases

  19. Paleoenvironmental conditions across the Jurassic-Cretaceous boundary in central-eastern Mexico

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martínez-Yáñez, Mario; Núñez-Useche, Fernando; López Martínez, Rafael; Gardner, Rand D.

    2017-08-01

    The Padni section of central-eastern Mexico is characterized by pelagic, organic-rich carbonates and shales dated in this study by calpionellid biostratigraphy to the late Tithonian-late Berriasian time interval. Microfacies, pyrite framboid size, spectrometric gamma-ray and mineralogical data are herein integrated in order to reconstruct the paleoenvironmental change during the Jurassic-Cretaceous boundary. Deposits of the late Tithonian-early Berriasian are characterized by laminated, organic-rich facies with abundant radiolarian, tiny pyrite framboids and low Th/U ratios. They are linked to upwelling in a semi-restricted basin, high marine productivity and anoxic bottom waters. The early incursions of Tethyan oceanic waters into the proto-Gulf of Mexico occurred during late Tithonian as attested the appearance of calpionellids. Short and intermittent accumulations of saccocomids during early Berriasian suggest episodes of sporadic connection between the Tethys, the proto-Atlantic and the Pacific ocean during sea-level rise events. A full and stable connection between the Tethys and proto-Gulf of Mexico was established until the late Berriasian. This event is supported by the presence of open marine and bioturbated facies with a framboid population typical of dysoxic conditions, higher Th/U ratios and a decreasing pattern of the total organic carbon content. In addition to highlighting the replenishment of the oxygen supply to the basin, this facies also points to a younger age for the finalization of the Yucatán Block rotation and the end of the Gulf of Mexico opening. Deposition of the studied section occurred mostly during a Tithonian-Berriasian arid phase reported in other Tethyan and Atlantic regions. The similarity between the discrete segments of the standard gamma-ray curve defined in the studied outcrop and those reported from subsurface implies their regional continuity allowing their use for correlation purposes.

  20. Current direction, bathythermograph (xbt), CTD, and other data from moored current meter casts and other instruments in the Gulf of Mexico during the Gulf of Mexico Physical Oceanography (GMPO) project, 1985-06-11 to 1986-09-03 (NODC Accession 8900186)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Current direction, bathythermograph (xbt), CTD, and other data were collected using moored current meter casts and other instruments in the Gulf of Mexico from June...

  1. Gulf of Mexico Kemps ridley sea turtle age and growth from 1988 to 2010 (NCEI Accession 0160329)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This dataset involves analysis of skeletal growth marks in humerus bones of 333 Kemps ridley sea turtles stranded dead along the Gulf of Mexico US coast (hatchling...

  2. Deep-water northern Gulf of Mexico hydrocarbon plays

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Peterson, R.H.; Cooke, D.W.

    1995-01-01

    The geologic setting in the deep-water (depths greater than 1,500 feet) Gulf of Mexico is very favorable for the existence of large, commercial hydrocarbon accumulations. These areas have active salt tectonics that create abundant traps, underlying mature Mesozoic source rocks that can be observed expelling oil and gas to the ocean surface, and good quality reservoirs provided by turbidite sand deposits. Despite the limited amount of drilling in the deep-water Gulf of Mexico, 11 deep-water accumulations have been discovered which, when developed, will rank in the top 100 largest fields in the Gulf of Mexico. Proved field discoveries (those with announced development plans) have added over 1 billion barrels of oil equivalent to Gulf of Mexico reserves, and unproved field discoveries may add to additional billion barrels of oil equivalent. The Minerals Management Service, United States Department of the Interior, has completed a gulf-wide review of over 1,086 oil and gas fields and placed every pay sand in each field into a hydrocarbon play (plays are defined by chronostratigraphy, lithostratigraph, structure, and production). Seven productive hydrocarbon plays were identified in the deep-water northern Gulf of Mexico. Regional maps illustrate the productive limits of each play. In addition, field data, dry holes, and wells with sub-economic pay were added to define the facies and structural limits for each play. Areas for exploration potential are identified for each hydrocarbon play. A type field for each play is chosen to demonstrate the play's characteristics

  3. Near-coastal ocean variability off southern Tamaulipas - northern Veracruz, western Gulf of Mexico, during spring-summer 2013

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rivas, David

    2016-04-01

    Six months of observations from a near-coastal mooring deployed off southern Tamaulipas-northern Veracruz coast (western Gulf of Mexico) during spring-summer 2013 provides velocity, temperature, salinity, sea level, and dissolved oxygen series in a region which ocean dynamics is still poorly understood. As shown in a preceding analysis of this region's winter circulation for winter 2012-2013, coastal trapped motions associated with the regional invasion of synoptic cold fronts modulate the local variability; this pattern remains in the spring 2013, when even more intense events of alongshore flow (>50 cm/s) are observed. This intensified flow is associated with a significant decrease in the dissolved oxygen, most probably related to an influence of hypoxic waters coming from the northern Gulf. In late spring-mid summer, the wind pattern corresponds to persistent southeasterly winds that favor the occurrence of a local upwelling, which maintains a local thermal reduction (>3 degrees Celsius) and is associated with a persistent northward flow (>30 cm/s). The late summer was characterized by a significant tropical-cyclone activity, when a depression, a storm, and a hurricane affected the western Gulf. These tropical systems caused an intense precipitation and hence an important intensification of the local riverine discharge, and the winds enhanced the mixing of such riverine waters, via mostly kinetic stirring and Ekman pumping.

  4. Growth rate and age distribution of deep-sea black corals in the Gulf of Mexico

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prouty, N.G.; Roark, E.B.; Buster, N.A.; Ross, Steve W.

    2011-01-01

    Black corals (order Antipatharia) are important long-lived, habitat-forming, sessile, benthic suspension feeders that are found in all oceans and are usually found in water depths greater than 30 m. Deep-water black corals are some of the slowest-growing, longest-lived deep-sea corals known. Previous age dating of a limited number of black coral samples in the Gulf of Mexico focused on extrapolated ages and growth rates based on skeletal 210Pb dating. Our results greatly expand the age and growth rate data of black corals from the Gulf of Mexico. Radiocarbon analysis of the oldest Leiopathes sp. specimen from the upper De Soto Slope at 300 m water depth indicates that these animals have been growing continuously for at least the last 2 millennia, with growth rates ranging from 8 to 22 µm yr–1. Visual growth ring counts based on scanning electron microscopy images were in good agreement with the 14C-derived ages, suggestive of annual ring formation. The presence of bomb-derived 14C in the outermost samples confirms sinking particulate organic matter as the dominant carbon source and suggests a link between the deep-sea and surface ocean. There was a high degree of reproducibility found between multiple discs cut from the base of each specimen, as well as within duplicate subsamples. Robust 14C-derived chronologies and known surface ocean 14C reservoir age constraints in the Gulf of Mexico provided reliable calendar ages with future application to the development of proxy records.

  5. Global Ocean Phytoplankton

    Science.gov (United States)

    Franz, B. A.; Behrenfeld, M. J.; Siegel, D. A.; Werdell, P. J.

    2014-01-01

    Marine phytoplankton are responsible for roughly half the net primary production (NPP) on Earth, fixing atmospheric CO2 into food that fuels global ocean ecosystems and drives the ocean's biogeochemical cycles. Phytoplankton growth is highly sensitive to variations in ocean physical properties, such as upper ocean stratification and light availability within this mixed layer. Satellite ocean color sensors, such as the Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS; McClain 2009) and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS; Esaias 1998), provide observations of sufficient frequency and geographic coverage to globally monitor physically-driven changes in phytoplankton distributions. In practice, ocean color sensors retrieve the spectral distribution of visible solar radiation reflected upward from beneath the ocean surface, which can then be related to changes in the photosynthetic phytoplankton pigment, chlorophyll- a (Chla; measured in mg m-3). Here, global Chla data for 2013 are evaluated within the context of the 16-year continuous record provided through the combined observations of SeaWiFS (1997-2010) and MODIS on Aqua (MODISA; 2002-present). Ocean color measurements from the recently launched Visible and Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS; 2011-present) are also considered, but results suggest that the temporal calibration of the VIIRS sensor is not yet sufficiently stable for quantitative global change studies. All MODISA (version 2013.1), SeaWiFS (version 2010.0), and VIIRS (version 2013.1) data presented here were produced by NASA using consistent Chla algorithms.

  6. The Engineering Strong Ground Motion Network of the National Autonomous University of Mexico

    Science.gov (United States)

    Velasco Miranda, J. M.; Ramirez-Guzman, L.; Aguilar Calderon, L. A.; Almora Mata, D.; Ayala Hernandez, M.; Castro Parra, G.; Molina Avila, I.; Mora, A.; Torres Noguez, M.; Vazquez Larquet, R.

    2014-12-01

    The coverage, design, operation and monitoring capabilities of the strong ground motion program at the Institute of Engineering (IE) of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) is presented. Started in 1952, the seismic instrumentation intended initially to bolster earthquake engineering projects in Mexico City has evolved into the largest strong ground motion monitoring system in the region. Today, it provides information not only to engineering projects, but also to the near real-time risk mitigation systems of the country, and enhances the general understanding of the effects and causes of earthquakes in Mexico. The IE network includes more than 100 free-field stations and several buildings, covering the largest urban centers and zones of significant seismicity in Central Mexico. Of those stations, approximately one-fourth send the observed acceleration to a processing center in Mexico City continuously, and the rest require either periodic visits for the manual recovery of the data or remote interrogation, for later processing and cataloging. In this research, we document the procedures and telecommunications systems used systematically to recover information. Additionally, we analyze the spatial distribution of the free-field accelerographs, the quality of the instrumentation, and the recorded ground motions. The evaluation criteria are based on the: 1) uncertainty in the generation of ground motion parameter maps due to the spatial distribution of the stations, 2) potential of the array to provide localization and magnitude estimates for earthquakes with magnitudes greater than Mw 5, and 3) adequacy of the network for the development of Ground Motion Prediction Equations due to intra-plate and intra-slab earthquakes. We conclude that the monitoring system requires a new redistribution, additional stations, and a substantial improvement in the instrumentation and telecommunications. Finally, we present an integral plan to improve the current network

  7. Mesozoic Continental Sediment-dispersal Systems of Mexico Linked to Development of the Gulf of Mexico

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lawton, T. F.; Molina-Garza, R. S.; Barboza-Gudiño, R.; Rogers, R. D.

    2013-05-01

    continental-margin arc blocked westward drainage and detritus was captured in rift basins. Latest Middle Jurassic fluvial systems formed as the Yucatan block rotated counterclockwise and the Gulf of Mexico began to open. Sediment dispersal, partly equivalent to salt deposition in the Gulf, was largely southward in southern Oaxaquia, but large-volume braided river systems on the Maya (Yucatan) block, represented by the Todos Santos Formation in Chiapas, evidently flowed northward along graben axes toward the western part of the Gulf of Mexico Basin. River systems of nuclear Mexico, or Oaxaquia, occupied a broad sedimentary basin west and south of a divide formed adjacent to the translating Maya block. Despite their big-river characteristics, these deposits contain mainly Grenville and Permo-Triassic grains derived from Oaxaquia basement and subordinate Early and Middle Jurassic grains derived from volcanic rocks and plutons of the arc. Early Late Jurassic (Oxfordian) marine flooding of the entire Gulf rim and nuclear Mexico, evidently resulting in part from marginal subsidence adjoining newly-formed oceanic crust, terminated fluvial deposition adjacent to the young Gulf of Mexico.

  8. Monitoring of ocean surface algal blooms in coastal and oceanic waters around India.

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Tholkapiyan, M.; Shanmugam, P.; Suresh, T.

    of the MODIS-Aqua-derived OSABI (ocean surface algal bloom index) and its seasonal composite images report new information and comprehensive pictures of these blooms and their evolution stages in a wide variety of events occurred at different times of the years...

  9. Oceanic Platform of the Canary Islands: an ocean testbed for ocean energy converters

    Science.gov (United States)

    González, Javier; Hernández-Brito, Joaquín.; Llinás, Octavio

    2010-05-01

    The Oceanic Platform of the Canary Islands (PLOCAN) is a Governmental Consortium aimed to build and operate an off-shore infrastructure to facilitate the deep sea research and speed up the technology associated. This Consortium is overseen by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation and the Canarian Agency for Research and Innovation. The infrastructure consists of an oceanic platform located in an area with depths between 50-100 meters, close to the continental slope and four kilometers off the coast of Gran Canaria, in the archipelago of the Canary Islands. The process of construction will start during the first months of 2010 and is expected to be finished in mid-year 2011. PLOCAN serves five strategic lines: an integral observatory able to explore from the deep ocean to the atmosphere, an ocean technology testbed, a base for underwater vehicles, an innovation platform and a highly specialized training centre. Ocean energy is a suitable source to contribute the limited mix-energy conformed in the archipelago of the Canary Islands with a total population around 2 million people unequally distributed in seven islands. Islands of Gran Canaria and Tenerife support the 80% of the total population with 800.000 people each. PLOCAN will contribute to develop the ocean energy sector establishing a marine testbed allowing prototypes testing at sea under a meticulous monitoring network provided by the integral observatory, generating valuable information to developers. Reducing costs throughout an integral project management is an essential objective to be reach, providing services such as transportation, customs and administrative permits. Ocean surface for testing activities is around 8 km2 with a depth going from 50 to 100 meters, 4km off the coast. Selected areas for testing have off-shore wind power conditions around 500-600 W/m2 and wave power conditions around 6 kW/m in the East coast and 10 kW/m in the North coast. Marine currents in the Canary Islands are

  10. Long-Term Monitoring at the East and West Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary in the Gulf of Mexico, June and November 2005 (NCEI Accession 0127074)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The Long-Term Monitoring at the East and West Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary 2002-2006 data include biological and oceanographic measurements...

  11. Far-Field Tsunami Hazard Assessment Along the Pacific Coast of Mexico by Historical Records and Numerical Simulation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ortiz-Huerta, Laura G.; Ortiz, Modesto; García-Gastélum, Alejandro

    2018-03-01

    Historical records of the Chile (22 May 1960), Alaska (27 March 1964), and Tohoku (11 March 2011) tsunamis recorded along the Pacific Coast of Mexico are used to investigate the goodness of far-field tsunami modeling using a focal mechanism consisting in a uniform slip distribution on large thrust faults around the Pacific Ocean. The Tohoku 2011 tsunami records recorded by Deep ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunami (DART) stations, and at coastal tide stations, were used to validate transoceanic tsunami models applicable to the harbors of Ensenada, Manzanillo, and Acapulco on the coast of Mexico. The amplitude resulting from synthetic tsunamis originated by M w 9.3 earthquakes around the Pacific varies from 1 to 2.5 m, depending on the tsunami origin region and on the directivity due to fault orientation and waveform modification by prominent features of sea bottom relief.

  12. Far-Field Tsunami Hazard Assessment Along the Pacific Coast of Mexico by Historical Records and Numerical Simulation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ortiz-Huerta, Laura G.; Ortiz, Modesto; García-Gastélum, Alejandro

    2018-04-01

    Historical records of the Chile (22 May 1960), Alaska (27 March 1964), and Tohoku (11 March 2011) tsunamis recorded along the Pacific Coast of Mexico are used to investigate the goodness of far-field tsunami modeling using a focal mechanism consisting in a uniform slip distribution on large thrust faults around the Pacific Ocean. The Tohoku 2011 tsunami records recorded by Deep ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunami (DART) stations, and at coastal tide stations, were used to validate transoceanic tsunami models applicable to the harbors of Ensenada, Manzanillo, and Acapulco on the coast of Mexico. The amplitude resulting from synthetic tsunamis originated by M w 9.3 earthquakes around the Pacific varies from 1 to 2.5 m, depending on the tsunami origin region and on the directivity due to fault orientation and waveform modification by prominent features of sea bottom relief.

  13. The Northern Gulf of Mexico During OAE2 and the Relationship Between Water Depth and Black Shale Development

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lowery, Christopher M.; Cunningham, Robert; Barrie, Craig D.; Bralower, Timothy; Snedden, John W.

    2017-12-01

    Despite their name, Oceanic Anoxic Events (OAEs) are not periods of uniform anoxia and black shale deposition in ancient oceans. Shelf environments account for the majority of productivity and organic carbon burial in the modern ocean, and this was likely true in the Cretaceous as well. However, it is unlikely that the mechanisms for such an increase were uniform across all shelf environments. Some, like the northwest margin of Africa, were characterized by strong upwelling, but what might drive enhanced productivity on shelves not geographically suited for upwelling? To address this, we use micropaleontology, carbon isotopes, and sedimentology to present the first record of Oceanic Anoxic Event 2 (OAE2) from the northern Gulf of Mexico shelf. Here OAE2 occurred during the deposition of the well-oxygenated, inner neritic/lower estuarine Lower Tuscaloosa Sandstone. The overlying organic-rich oxygen-poor Marine Tuscaloosa Shale is entirely Turonian in age. We trace organic matter enrichment from the Spinks Core into the deepwater Gulf of Mexico, where wireline log calculations and public geochemical data indicate organic enrichment and anoxia throughout the Cenomanian-Turonian boundary interval. Redox change and organic matter preservation across the Gulf of Mexico shelf were driven by sea level rise prior to the early Turonian highstand, which caused the advection of nutrient-rich, oxygen-poor waters onto the shelf. This results in organic matter mass accumulation rates 1-2 orders of magnitude lower than upwelling sites like the NW African margin, but it likely occurred over a much larger geographic area, suggesting that sea level rise was an important component of the overall increase in carbon burial during OAE2.

  14. Monitoring the impacts of Ocean Acidification on coral reef bioerosion: challenges, methods, recommendations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Enochs, I.; Manzello, D.; Carlton, R.

    2013-05-01

    Coral reef habitats exist as a dynamic balance between the additive process of calcification and the destructive effects of erosion. A disruption to either the positive or negative side of the coral reef carbonate budget can push a reef system towards rapid collapse. It is well understood that Ocean Acidification (OA) may impair calcification and emerging experimental evidence suggests that it will likely increase the erosive potential of a diverse suite of bioeroding taxa. This may lead to previously unforeseen scenarios where reef framework degradation occurs at a faster pace than that predicted by more simplistic models, resulting from the multifaceted impacts of both slower coral growth and enhanced rates of habitat erosion. As such, it is of paramount importance that monitoring plans tasked with assessing reef resilience to climate change and OA incorporate methods for quantifying bioerosion. This is a complex undertaking as reef ecosystem bioerosion is the result of numerous behaviors, employed by diverse flora and fauna, operating at vastly different scales. Furthermore, these erosive processes are highly variable, dependent on seasonal fluctuations and differing between reef regions, species, individuals, and even the physical characteristics of the substrates acted upon. The strengths and weaknesses of existing bioerosion monitoring methodologies are discussed, ranging from quantification of single species erosion rates to multi-phyletic census-based approaches. Traditional techniques involving the weight change of carbonate blocks are compared alongside more modern methodologies such as micro computed tomography. Finally, recommendations are made for a comprehensive monitoring strategy, incorporating multiple methodologies in a time and cost-effective manner.

  15. Current direction, bathythermograph (xbt), CTD, and other data from moored current meter casts and other instruments in the Gulf of Mexico as part of the Gulf of Mexico Physical Oceanography (GMPO) project, 1987-04-04 to 1988-11-02 (NODC Accession 8900259)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Current direction, bathythermograph (xbt), CTD, and other data were collected using moored current meter casts and other instruments in the Gulf of Mexico from April...

  16. STRONG-MOTION OBSERVATION DEMONSTRATION OF THE LONG-PATH EFFECTS FROM THE PACIFIC OCEAN TO MEXICO CITY

    OpenAIRE

    Masahiro, IIDA; Yoshinori, FURUMOTO; Hitoshi, TANIGUCHI; Carlos, GUTIERREZ; Earthquake Res. Inst., University of Tokyo; Sumitomo Heavy Industries, Ltd.; United Nations, Centre for Regional Development; National Disaster Prevention Center

    1997-01-01

    During the 1985 Michoacan earthquake (M=8.1), seismic waves were remarkably amplified in the lakebed zone of Mexico City, approximately 400 km from the epicenter, and the long duration of the lakebed seismograms was a great surprise. Many researchers thought that the origin of the long coda seen in the lakebed zone was surface waves caused by the deep Mexico basin and the soft surficial layers, but this explanation was not adequate. Another possible cause of the long coda is the long-distance...

  17. Current meter, phytoplankton, and wind data from moored current meter casts and other instruments in the North Pacific Ocean as part of the Deep Ocean Mining and Environmental Study (DOMES) project, 1975-08-29 to 1977-02-24 (NODC Accession 7700458)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Current meter, phytoplankton, and wind data were collected using moored current meter casts and other instruments in the Gulf of Mexico from August 29, 1975 to...

  18. Advancing Ocean Monitoring Near Coral Reefs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heron, Scott F.; Steinberg, Craig R.; Heron, Mal L.; Mantovanelli, Alessandra; Jaffrés, Jasmine B. D.; Skirving, William J.; McAllister, Felicity; Rigby, Paul; Wisdom, Daniel; Bainbridge, Scott

    2010-10-01

    Corals, the foundation of tropical marine ecosystems, exist in a symbiotic relationship with zooxanthellae (algae). The corals obtain much of their energy by consuming compounds derived from photosynthesis by these microorganisms; the microorganisms, which reside in the coral tissue, in turn use waste products from the corals to sustain photosynthesis. This symbiosis is very sensitive to subtle changes in environment, such as increased ocean acidity, temperature, and light. When unduly stressed, the colorful algae are expelled from the corals, causing the corals to “bleach” and potentially die [e.g., van Oppen and Lough, 2009].

  19. [Monitoring strategy for control of tobacco in Mexico: advertising, promotion and sponsorship, packaging and labeling].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rodríguez-Bolaños, Rosibel; Reynales-Shigematsu, Luz Myriam; Ibañez-Hernández, Norma A; Santos-Luna, René; Valdés-Salgado, Raydel; Avila-Tang, Erika; Stillman, Frances

    2010-01-01

    To describe strategies used in the publicity, marketing, and sale, of tobacco products in 12 cities in Mexico. Tobacco products points of sale (POS) were identified within a 500 m radius of Global Youth Tobacco Survey (2005-2006) schools. We used observational surveys and an online Geographic Information System (GIS). In the 257 schools visited, we found, on average, 8.3 stores and 5 street vendors around each of them. Forty-four percent of the stores had interior tobacco publicity, 8.3% had tobacco products at children's eye level, 6.5% had some promotion, 33.6% had a no selling to minors sign, and 44.4% of stores and 58.8% of street vendors sold single cigarettes. Tobacco products are largely publicized and marketed around schools. There is no compliance of tobacco control legislation in regards to selling to minors and single cigarettes. It is necessary to implement a surveillance system to monitor strategies for tobacco control and the tobacco industry.

  20. Pronounced centennial-scale Atlantic Ocean climate variability correlated with Western Hemisphere hydroclimate

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thirumalai, Kaustubh; Quinn, Terrence M.; Okumura, Yuko; Richey, Julie; Partin, Judson W.; Poore, Richard Z.; Moreno-Chamarro, Eduardo

    2018-01-01

    Surface-ocean circulation in the northern Atlantic Ocean influences Northern Hemisphere climate. Century-scale circulation variability in the Atlantic Ocean, however, is poorly constrained due to insufficiently-resolved paleoceanographic records. Here we present a replicated reconstruction of sea-surface temperature and salinity from a site sensitive to North Atlantic circulation in the Gulf of Mexico which reveals pronounced centennial-scale variability over the late Holocene. We find significant correlations on these timescales between salinity changes in the Atlantic, a diagnostic parameter of circulation, and widespread precipitation anomalies using three approaches: multiproxy synthesis, observational datasets, and a transient simulation. Our results demonstrate links between centennial changes in northern Atlantic surface-circulation and hydroclimate changes in the adjacent continents over the late Holocene. Notably, our findings reveal that weakened surface-circulation in the Atlantic Ocean was concomitant with well-documented rainfall anomalies in the Western Hemisphere during the Little Ice Age.

  1. Pronounced centennial-scale Atlantic Ocean climate variability correlated with Western Hemisphere hydroclimate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thirumalai, Kaustubh; Quinn, Terrence M; Okumura, Yuko; Richey, Julie N; Partin, Judson W; Poore, Richard Z; Moreno-Chamarro, Eduardo

    2018-01-26

    Surface-ocean circulation in the northern Atlantic Ocean influences Northern Hemisphere climate. Century-scale circulation variability in the Atlantic Ocean, however, is poorly constrained due to insufficiently-resolved paleoceanographic records. Here we present a replicated reconstruction of sea-surface temperature and salinity from a site sensitive to North Atlantic circulation in the Gulf of Mexico which reveals pronounced centennial-scale variability over the late Holocene. We find significant correlations on these timescales between salinity changes in the Atlantic, a diagnostic parameter of circulation, and widespread precipitation anomalies using three approaches: multiproxy synthesis, observational datasets, and a transient simulation. Our results demonstrate links between centennial changes in northern Atlantic surface-circulation and hydroclimate changes in the adjacent continents over the late Holocene. Notably, our findings reveal that weakened surface-circulation in the Atlantic Ocean was concomitant with well-documented rainfall anomalies in the Western Hemisphere during the Little Ice Age.

  2. Phytoplankton Monitoring Network (PMN)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The Phytoplankton Monitoring Network (PMN) is a part of the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS). The PMN was created as an outreach program to connect...

  3. The Cenomanian-Turonian Oceanic Anoxic Event 2 (OAE2) in the Western Interior US and Gulf of Mexico: Decoupled Black Shale Deposition and Carbon Isotope Excursion

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lowery, C.; Snedden, J.; Cunningham, R.; Barrie, C.; Leckie, R. M.

    2016-12-01

    The largest carbon isotope excursions (CIEs) of the Cretaceous are associated with widespread evidence for marine anoxia and have been termed Oceanic Anoxic Events (OAEs). OAEs were originally thought to be globally-correlative intervals of black shales, but black shale deposition is an inherently provincial phenomenon driven by local conditions, and black shales associated with individual OAEs are often slightly diachronous and can be absent in some regions. Workers currently favor a definition of OAEs that is focused on the positive carbon isotope excursion driven by the global burial of organic matter and resulting carbon cycle perturbation; i.e., recording the global, rather than local, changes. While this is certainly the best way to define a global event, differences in the expression of the event between regions can be used to study the nature of the event itself. The greater Gulf of Mexico region in southern North America offers an excellent example of the diachroneity of black shale deposition and anoxia during one of the largest OAEs, the Cenomanian-Turonian OAE2. The Western Interior Seaway (WIS), flooded the interior of North America from the Gulf of Mexico up through the Canadian Arctic. In Texas and elsewhere across the WIS, high marine organic matter deposition and proxies for anoxia (especially benthic foraminifera and redox sensitive trace metals) are common before the event, but decrease at its onset, and in some places increase again after the event. Further south, across the Mexican shelf, deeper shelf environments remain dysoxic/anoxic through the event, while several carbonate platforms remain oxygenated during the event, but drown and record anoxic bottom waters shortly afterward. Here, we present new bulk carbonate and organic carbon isotopes and planktic and benthic foraminiferal populations from a 90 m core in southern Mississippi, USA, to present the first record of OAE2 from the northern Gulf of Mexico. In particular, we use

  4. 77 FR 74838 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Northern New Mexico

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-12-18

    ...This notice announces a combined meeting of the Environmental Monitoring, Surveillance and Remediation Committee and Waste Management Committee of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Northern New Mexico (known locally as the Northern New Mexico Citizens' Advisory Board [NNMCAB]). The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that public notice of this meeting be announced in the Federal Register.

  5. 78 FR 10612 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Northern New Mexico

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-02-14

    ...This notice announces a combined meeting of the Environmental Monitoring, Surveillance and Remediation Committee and Waste Management Committee of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Northern New Mexico (known locally as the Northern New Mexico Citizens' Advisory Board [NNMCAB]). The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that public notice of this meeting be announced in the Federal Register.

  6. 77 FR 64800 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Northern New Mexico

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-10-23

    ...This notice announces a combined meeting of the Environmental Monitoring, Surveillance and Remediation Committee and Waste Management Committee of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Northern New Mexico (known locally as the Northern New Mexico Citizens' Advisory Board [NNMCAB]). The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that public notice of this meeting be announced in the Federal Register.

  7. 78 FR 4140 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Northern New Mexico

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-01-18

    ...This notice announces a combined meeting of the Environmental Monitoring, Surveillance and Remediation Committee and Waste Management Committee of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Northern New Mexico (known locally as the Northern New Mexico Citizens' Advisory Board [NNMCAB]). The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that public notice of this meeting be announced in the Federal Register.

  8. Dissolved inorganic carbon, total alkalinity, pH, fugacity of carbon dioxide, and other variables from surface observations using Niskin bottle, flow through pump and other instruments from NOAA Ship Ronald H. Brown in the Gulf of Mexico and East Coast of the United States during the second Gulf of Mexico and East Coast Carbon (GOMECC-2) Cruise from 2012-07-22 to 2012-08-13 (NODC Accession 0117971)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This archival package contains ocean acidification related data from the second Gulf of Mexico and East Coast Carbon (GOMECC-2) Cruise on board NOAA Ship Ronald H....

  9. Otolith chemistry discriminates natal signatures of yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) in the Atlantic Ocean

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kitchens, L. L.; Rooker, J. R.

    2016-02-01

    In this study, the otolith chemistry of young-of-the-year (YOY) yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) was examined to determine whether chemical signatures are distinct across different putative spawning areas in the Atlantic Ocean. Yellowfin tuna is a highly migratory species that is currently managed as a single panmictic stock in the Atlantic Ocean; however, uncertainty remains regarding the population structure of yellowfin in this region, particularly concerning the degree of mixing between spawning populations. Analysis of naturally occurring chemical tracers in otoliths provides a valuable means to reconstruct a fish's environmental history and is thus a promising approach for delineating stock structure of Atlantic yellowfin tuna. YOY yellowfin tuna otoliths were collected from 5 locations in the Atlantic Ocean (Gulf of Mexico, SE Caribbean, Brazil, Cape Verde, and Gulf of Guinea) from 2013-2015 and trace element (Li, Mg, Mn, Co, Cu, Sr, Zn, and Ba) and stable isotope (δ13C and δ18O) analyses were conducted to investigate regional variation in otolith chemical composition. Results show significant differences among nursery areas in both trace element (MANOVA, p<0.001) and δ13C and δ18O signatures (ANOVA, p=0.017 and p=0.001, respectively). Particularly high spatial separation was observed based on eastern Atlantic (Gulf of Guinea + Cape Verde) and western Atlantic (Gulf of Mexico + Brazil + Martinique) nursery areas, indicating the approach has promise for distinguishing migrants displaying trans-ocean movement. These chemical signatures will be used to assign adult yellowfin tuna to their nursery of origin, ultimately providing an improved understanding of the stock structure and movement of yellowfin tuna in the Atlantic Ocean.

  10. Petroleum drilling and production operations in the Gulf of Mexico

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fang, C.S.

    1991-01-01

    Decades of offshore and inland petroleum drilling and production in the Gulf of Mexico and on the Gulf Coast have provided the much needed energy and chemical feedstocks to the nation, and also have made an impact on the environment in the area. Our study showed deposits of contaminated sediment on the ocean floor around offshore platforms, old reserve pits, and dump sites next to many surface facilities and compressor stations. The substances found on the ocean floor and in dump sites are simple or emulsified mixtures of silt, hydrocarbons, and water. The cleaning of the ocean floor and pits is an economic and technical challenge. Hydrocarbons are from crude oil and chemical additions fro various operational necessities, including additions of biocides, corrosion inhibitors, antifreezes, and coagulants. When the new government regulations lower the allowable maximum total organic carbon level to the 50 ppm range, these hydrocarbons can no longer be ignored by drilling and production operators

  11. A real-time ocean reanalyses intercomparison project in the context of tropical pacific observing system and ENSO monitoring

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xue, Yan; Wen, C.; Kumar, A.; Balmaseda, M.; Fujii, Y.; Alves, O.; Martin, M.; Yang, X.; Vernieres, G.; Desportes, C.; Lee, T.; Ascione, I.; Gudgel, R.; Ishikawa, I.

    2017-12-01

    An ensemble of nine operational ocean reanalyses (ORAs) is now routinely collected, and is used to monitor the consistency across the tropical Pacific temperature analyses in real-time in support of ENSO monitoring, diagnostics, and prediction. The ensemble approach allows a more reliable estimate of the signal as well as an estimation of the noise among analyses. The real-time estimation of signal-to-noise ratio assists the prediction of ENSO. The ensemble approach also enables us to estimate the impact of the Tropical Pacific Observing System (TPOS) on the estimation of ENSO-related oceanic indicators. The ensemble mean is shown to have a better accuracy than individual ORAs, suggesting the ensemble approach is an effective tool to reduce uncertainties in temperature analysis for ENSO. The ensemble spread, as a measure of uncertainties in ORAs, is shown to be partially linked to the data counts of in situ observations. Despite the constraints by TPOS data, uncertainties in ORAs are still large in the northwestern tropical Pacific, in the SPCZ region, as well as in the central and northeastern tropical Pacific. The uncertainties in total temperature reduced significantly in 2015 due to the recovery of the TAO/TRITON array to approach the value before the TAO crisis in 2012. However, the uncertainties in anomalous temperature remained much higher than the pre-2012 value, probably due to uncertainties in the reference climatology. This highlights the importance of the long-term stability of the observing system for anomaly monitoring. The current data assimilation systems tend to constrain the solution very locally near the buoy sites, potentially damaging the larger-scale dynamical consistency. So there is an urgent need to improve data assimilation systems so that they can optimize the observation information from TPOS and contribute to improved ENSO prediction.

  12. Atlantic Ocean Acidification Test-Bed -- OA Time-Series, Cheeca Rocks, Florida Reef Tract FY2012

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The AOAT project is engaged in monitoring/modeling efforts designed to: a) establish methodologies for monitoring, assessing, and modeling the impacts of Ocean...

  13. Data Validation Package May 2016 Groundwater Sampling at the Bluewater, New Mexico, Disposal Site, September 2016

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Johnson, Dick; Tsosie, Bernadette

    2016-01-01

    Groundwater samples were collected from monitoring wells at the Bluewater, New Mexico, Disposal Site to monitor groundwater contaminants as specified in the 1997 Long-Term Surveillance Plan for the DOE Bluewater (UMTRCA Title II) Disposal Site Near Grants, New Mexico (LTSP). Sampling and analyses were conducted as specified in the Sampling and Analysis Plan for U.S. Department of Energy Office of Legacy Management Sites (LMS/PRO/S04351, continually updated). A duplicate sample was collected from location 16(SG).

  14. Data Validation Package May 2016 Groundwater Sampling at the Bluewater, New Mexico, Disposal Site, September 2016

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Johnson, Dick [Navarro Nevada Environmental Services (NNES), Las Vegas, NV (United States); Tsosie, Bernadette [US Department of Energy, Washington, DC (United States)

    2016-09-01

    Groundwater samples were collected from monitoring wells at the Bluewater, New Mexico, Disposal Site to monitor groundwater contaminants as specified in the 1997 Long-Term Surveillance Plan for the DOE Bluewater (UMTRCA Title II) Disposal Site Near Grants, New Mexico (LTSP). Sampling and analyses were conducted as specified in the Sampling and Analysis Plan for U.S. Department of Energy Office of Legacy Management Sites (LMS/PRO/S04351, continually updated). A duplicate sample was collected from location 16(SG).

  15. Long-term GPS tracking of ocean sunfish Mola mola offers a new direction in fish monitoring.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sims, David W; Queiroz, Nuno; Humphries, Nicolas E; Lima, Fernando P; Hays, Graeme C

    2009-10-09

    Satellite tracking of large pelagic fish provides insights on free-ranging behaviour, distributions and population structuring. Up to now, such fish have been tracked remotely using two principal methods: direct positioning of transmitters by Argos polar-orbiting satellites, and satellite relay of tag-derived light-level data for post hoc track reconstruction. Error fields associated with positions determined by these methods range from hundreds of metres to hundreds of kilometres. However, low spatial accuracy of tracks masks important details, such as foraging patterns. Here we use a fast-acquisition global positioning system (Fastloc GPS) tag with remote data retrieval to track long-term movements, in near real time and position accuracy of GPS tagging to provide tracks of unparalleled accuracy for monitoring movements of large pelagic fish, and with nearly four times as many locations obtained by the GPS tag than by a conventional Argos transmitter. The results signal the potential of GPS-tagged pelagic fish that surface regularly to be detectors of resource 'hotspots' in the blue ocean and provides a new capability for understanding large pelagic fish behaviour and habitat use that is relevant to ocean management and species conservation.

  16. Radon in soil concentration levels in Mexico

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Segovia, N.; Tamez, E.; Mena, M.

    1991-09-01

    Radon in soil surveys in Mexico have been carried out since 1974 both for uranium prospectus and to correlate mean values of the gas emanation with local telluric behaviour. The mapping includes the northern uranium mining region, the Mexican Neo volcanic Belt, the coastal areas adjacent to the zone of subduction of the Cocos Plate under the North American Plate, some of the active volcanoes of Southern Mexico and several sedimentary valleys in Central Mexico. Recording of 222 Rn alpha decay is systematically performed with LR115 track detectors. Using mean values averaged over different observation periods at fixed monitoring stations, a radon in soil map covering one third of the Mexican territory is presented. The lowest mean values have been found in areas associated with active volcanoes. The highest levels are found in uranium ore zones. Intermediate values are obtained in regions with enhanced hydrothermal activity and stations associated with intrusive rocks. (Author)

  17. Radiological surveillance in Mexico, derived of the accident of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant; Vigilancia radiologica en Mexico, derivado del accidente en la central nuclear de Fukushima Daiichi

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Aguirre G, J.; Nohpal J, X., E-mail: jaguirre@cnsns.gob.mx [Comision Nacional de Seguridad Nuclear y Salvaguardias, Departamento de Vigilancia Radiologica, Dr. Barragan No. 779, Col. Narvarte, 03020 Mexico D. F. (Mexico)

    2012-10-15

    March 11, 2011 an earthquake of 9.0 grades in the Richter scale, originated in the coast of Tohoku, Japan, in the Pacific Ocean gave origin to a tsunami that caused an accident in the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. Due to this accident, derived of the loss of the reactor cooling system, as well as of the prolonged absence of alternating and direct current, radiological protection actions were realized without being able to avoid the liberation of radioactive material to the atmosphere and ocean. The radiological impact of these liberations, not only in Japan but around the world, mainly in the north hemisphere of the Earth, was analyzed by means of environmental dose measurements and radionuclide concentrations in soil and water, among others. In the Mexico case, air samples data were obtained, as well as environmental dose celerity and full-length counts of the people coming from Japan near the disaster area. The present work contains the obtained results of the realized measurements in Mexico, same that have been used to make a summary and analysis of the dispersion in the environment in several countries of the world. (Author)

  18. Manufacturing poverty: the maquiladorization of Mexico.

    Science.gov (United States)

    La Botz, D

    1994-01-01

    Based on interviews with social workers, attorneys, feminists, union activists, and factory workers, the author argues that the maquiladora free trade zone of Northern Mexico portends developments under the North American Free Trade Agreement. Today some 500,000 Mexican workers labor in 2,000 factories for $4.50 a day in Mexico's maquiladoras. Two-thirds of the workers are women, many single women who head their households. These women work in the new, modern manufacturing plants in industrial parks, but live in squalid shantytowns without adequate water, sewage, or electricity. On the job, workers face exposures to toxic chemicals and dangerous work processes. The Mexican government does not have the political will, the trained personnel, or the equipment to monitor these occupational health problems. While Mexico's Constitution and labor laws guarantee workers the right to organize, bargain collectively, and strike, in practice the state controls the unions and opposes worker activism. In the face of employer and state repression workers are forced to organize secretly to fight for higher wages and safer conditions.

  19. The Centers for Ocean Science Education Excellence (COSEE) initiative

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cook, S.; Rom, E.

    2003-04-01

    Seven regional Centers for Ocean Science Education Excellence have recently been established to promote the integration of ocean science research into high-quality education programs aimed at both formal and informal audiences throughout the United States. The regional Centers include two complementary partnerships in California, a New England regional effort, a Mid-Atlantic partnership, a Southeastern collaborative, a Florida initiative and a central Gulf of Mexico alliance. A Central Coordinating Office in Washington DC will help the group develop into a cohesive and focused national network. Initial funding has been provided by the National Science Foundation with complementary support from the Office of Naval Research and multiple units within the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (specifically the National Ocean Service, the Office of Ocean Exploration and the National SeaGrant Office). Under an umbrella of common goals and objectives, the first cohort of Centers in the COSEE network is remarkably diverse in terms of geography, organizational structure and programmatic focus. NSF’s presentation will describe these partnerships, the different approaches that are being taken by the individual Centers and the expectations that NSF has for the network as a whole.

  20. Long-term GPS tracking of ocean sunfish Mola mola offers a new direction in fish monitoring.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    David W Sims

    Full Text Available Satellite tracking of large pelagic fish provides insights on free-ranging behaviour, distributions and population structuring. Up to now, such fish have been tracked remotely using two principal methods: direct positioning of transmitters by Argos polar-orbiting satellites, and satellite relay of tag-derived light-level data for post hoc track reconstruction. Error fields associated with positions determined by these methods range from hundreds of metres to hundreds of kilometres. However, low spatial accuracy of tracks masks important details, such as foraging patterns. Here we use a fast-acquisition global positioning system (Fastloc GPS tag with remote data retrieval to track long-term movements, in near real time and position accuracy of <70 m, of the world's largest bony fish, the ocean sunfish Mola mola. Search-like movements occurred over at least three distinct spatial scales. At fine scales, sunfish spent longer in highly localised areas with faster, straighter excursions between them. These 'stopovers' during long-distance movement appear consistent with finding and exploiting food patches. This demonstrates the feasibility of GPS tagging to provide tracks of unparalleled accuracy for monitoring movements of large pelagic fish, and with nearly four times as many locations obtained by the GPS tag than by a conventional Argos transmitter. The results signal the potential of GPS-tagged pelagic fish that surface regularly to be detectors of resource 'hotspots' in the blue ocean and provides a new capability for understanding large pelagic fish behaviour and habitat use that is relevant to ocean management and species conservation.

  1. 77 FR 39648 - Atlantic Highly Migratory Species; Commercial Gulf of Mexico Non-Sandbar Large Coastal Shark Fishery

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-07-05

    ... Large Coastal Shark Fishery AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and... commercial fishery for non-sandbar large coastal sharks (LCS) in the Gulf of Mexico region. This action is.... SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Atlantic shark fisheries are managed under the 2006 Consolidated Atlantic Highly...

  2. EX1202L1: Gulf of Mexico Exploration on NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer between 20120227 and 20120314

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — EX1202 Leg I of NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer (EX) is focused on exploration of North Eastern region of Gulf of Mexico using the ships’ Kongsberg EM302 multibeam...

  3. Reproductive data from Atlantic sharpnose sharks collected from Gulf of Mexico from 2011-02-24 to 2011-05-29 (NCEI Accession 0150634)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Reproductive data from Atlantic sharpnose sharks were collected from specimens captured throughout the northern Gulf of Mexico on various research vessels. Data...

  4. Collaborative Oceanographic Research Opportunities with Schmidt Ocean Institute

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zykov, V.

    2014-12-01

    Schmidt Ocean Institute (http://www.schmidtocean.org/) was founded by Dr. Eric Schmidt and Wendy Schmidt in 2009 to support frontier oceanographic research and exploration to expand the understanding of the world's oceans through technological advancement, intelligent, data-rich observation and analysis, and open sharing of information. Schmidt Ocean Institute operates a state-of-the-art globally capable research vessel Falkor (http://www.schmidtocean.org/story/show/47). After two years of scientific operations in the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean, Eastern and Central Pacific, R/V Falkor is now preparing to support research in the Western Pacific and Eastern Indian Oceans in 2015 and 2016. As part of the long term research program development for Schmidt Ocean Institute, we aim to identify initiatives and projects that demonstrate strong alignment with our strategic interests. We focus on scientific opportunities that highlight effective use of innovative technologies to better understand the oceans, such as, for example, research enabled with remotely operated and autonomous vehicles, acoustics, in-situ sensing, telepresence, etc. Our technology-first approach to ocean science gave rise to infrastructure development initiatives, such as the development of a new full ocean depth Hybrid Remotely Operated Vehicle, new 6000m scientific Autonomous Underwater Vehicle, live HD video streaming from the ship to YouTube, shipboard high performance supercomputing, etc. We also support projects focusing on oceanographic technology research and development onboard R/V Falkor. We provide our collaborators with access to all of R/V Falkor's facilities and instrumentation in exchange for a commitment to make the resulting scientific data openly available to the international oceanographic community. This presentation aims to expand awareness about the interests and capabilities of Schmidt Ocean Institute and R/V Falkor among our scientific audiences and further

  5. Seasonality in ocean microbial communities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Giovannoni, Stephen J; Vergin, Kevin L

    2012-02-10

    Ocean warming occurs every year in seasonal cycles that can help us to understand long-term responses of plankton to climate change. Rhythmic seasonal patterns of microbial community turnover are revealed when high-resolution measurements of microbial plankton diversity are applied to samples collected in lengthy time series. Seasonal cycles in microbial plankton are complex, but the expansion of fixed ocean stations monitoring long-term change and the development of automated instrumentation are providing the time-series data needed to understand how these cycles vary across broad geographical scales. By accumulating data and using predictive modeling, we gain insights into changes that will occur as the ocean surface continues to warm and as the extent and duration of ocean stratification increase. These developments will enable marine scientists to predict changes in geochemical cycles mediated by microbial communities and to gauge their broader impacts.

  6. Non-riverine pathways of terrigenous carbon to the ocean

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dittmar, T.

    2007-12-01

    The extent and nature of non-riverine fluxes of carbon from land to ocean are poorly understood. Tidal pumping from highly productive coastal environments, atmospheric deposition and submarine groundwater discharge can be significant transport mechanisms for carbon to the ocean. Evidence is mounting that tidally-induced porewater fluxes ("outwelling") of dissolved organic matter (DOM) from mangroves and salt marshes alone may be similar in magnitude as the global riverine flux of DOM. Tidal pumping of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) might exceed organic carbon fluxes by far, but the existing knowledge on DIC outwelling is too scarce for a first global estimate. Results from two case studies on the biogeochemistry of DOM outwelling are presented, from the mangroves in Northern Brazil and the salt marshes in the Northern Gulf of Mexico. Ongoing research in the Northern Gulf of Mexico indicates that outwelling and groundwater inputs probably exceed riverine DOM fluxes in this region. Similar observations were made in Northern Brazil. There, the fate of mangrove-derived DOM could be traced from its source in the mangrove sediments to the outer North Brazil shelf by using a combination of isotopic and molecular approaches. Reversed-phase liquid chromatography / mass spectrometry (LC/MS) provided a multifaceted array of information that mirrors the molecular complexity of DOM. Statistical analyses on these data revealed significant differences between mangrove and open-ocean DOM which successively disappeared by irradiating the samples with natural sunlight. Nuclear magnetic resonance analyses yielded concurrent results. Ultrahigh-resolution Fourier transform-ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS) is the only technique capable of resolving and identifying individual elemental compositions in these complex mixtures. We applied this technique for characterizing mangrove-derived DOM and to assess the molecular changes that occur in the initial stages of

  7. 2013 Gulf of Mexico Vessel Tracklines

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Automatic Identification Systems (AIS) are a navigation safety device that transmits and monitors the location and characteristics of many vessels in U.S. and...

  8. 2011 Gulf of Mexico Vessel Tracklines

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Automatic Identification Systems (AIS) are a navigation safety device that transmits and monitors the location and characteristics of many vessels in U.S. and...

  9. 77 FR 68147 - Gulf of Mexico, Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), Western Planning Area (WPA), Oil and Gas Lease...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-11-15

    ... Environmental Impact Statement (Multisale FEIS). Authority: This NOA is published pursuant to the regulations... NEPA process. The Multisale FEIS evaluated the environmental and socioeconomic impacts for WPA Lease... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Gulf of Mexico, Outer Continental...

  10. 77 FR 50672 - Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic; Snapper-Grouper Fishery Off the...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-08-22

    ... National Environmental Policy Act, including biological, economic, social, administrative, and cumulative... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 50 CFR Part 622 RIN 0648-BC30 Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic; Snapper-Grouper Fishery Off the...

  11. 75 FR 5950 - Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic; Snapper and Grouper Off the...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-02-05

    ... States AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration... United States. This would include reef fish, red drum, coastal migratory pelagics, stone crab, and lobsters in the Gulf of Mexico, and snapper-grouper, coastal migratory pelagics, dolphin and wahoo, and...

  12. Evaluation of the energy potential, biogenesis and essential characteristics of the geothermal submarine systems in Mexico; Evaluacion del potencial, biogenesis y caracteristicas esenciales de los sistemas geotermicos submarinos en Mexico

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Suarez Arriaga, Mario Cesar [Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolas Hidalgo, Morelia, Michoacan (Mexico)

    2004-12-01

    Geothermal energy in Mexico embraces both near-surface traditional reservoirs located between 500 and 3000 meters depth, and deep geothermal resources over 3000 meters in depth. Non-traditional geothermal energy sources in Mexico include the deep portions and boundaries of traditional hydrothermal reservoirs, systems in hot dry or wet rock, geo-pressured reservoirs in the Gulf of Mexico and hydrothermal submarine systems mainly located close to the northern Mexican coast of the Pacific Ocean. Deep submarine energy is related to the existence of hydrothermal vents emerging in many places along the oceanic spreading centers between tectonic plates. These systems have a total length of about 65,000 km in the Earth's oceanic crust. There are two kinds of ocean systems in the Gulf of California: deep resources, located along the rifts between tectonic plates of oceanic crust over 2000 m below sea level, and shallow resources near continental platforms at 20-50 m depth. The shallow, submarine heat is related to faults and fractures in the sea bottom close to some coasts. This type of shallow, sub-sea system is found offshore at Punta Banda in Ensenada, Baja California. The preliminary energy potential of such reservoirs is estimated at an average of 1120 MWt per cubic kilometer of sub-sea rock. The specific chemical characteristics of the submarine hydrothermal waters found in those systems indicate that water-oceanic rock interactions occur under high-temperature and high-pressure conditions. At the same time, submarine geothermal energy supports rich biological communities at depths where living organisms find no sunlight for photosynthesis. Recent research suggests that possible locations for the synthesis of chemical needed for the origin of life include submarine hydrothermal systems. [Spanish] La energia geotermica en Mexico abarca todos los tipos de sistemas conocidos. Desde los grandes reservorios tradicionales, localizados entre 500 y 3000 metros de

  13. BPA genetic monitoring - BPA Genetic Monitoring Project

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Initiated in 1989, this study monitors genetic changes associated with hatchery propagation in multiple Snake River sub-basins for Chinook salmon and steelhead. We...

  14. Bibliography on ocean waste disposal. second edition. Final report 1976

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stanley, H.G.; Kaplanek, D.W.

    1976-09-01

    This research bibliography is restricted to documents relevant to the field of ocean waste disposal. It is primarily limited to recent publications in the categories of: ocean waste disposal; criteria; coastal zone management; monitoring; pollution control; dredge spoil; dredge spoin disposal; industrial waste disposal; radioactive waste; oil spills; bioassay; fisheries resources; ocean incineration; water chemistry; and, Water pollution

  15. Partial pressure (or fugacity) of carbon dioxide, salinity and other variables collected from Surface underway observations using Carbon dioxide (CO2) gas analyzer, Shower head chamber equilibrator for autonomous carbon dioxide (CO2) measurement and other instruments from NOAA Ship GORDON GUNTER in the Gulf of Mexico, North Atlantic Ocean and Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary from 2013-04-30 to 2013-12-05 (NCEI Accession 0157243)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — NCEI Accession 0157243 includes Surface underway, chemical, meteorological and physical data collected from NOAA Ship GORDON GUNTER in the Gulf of Mexico, North...

  16. Financing options in Mexico`s energy industry

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    McKenna, J.J. [PricewaterhouseCoopers Securities, Houston, TX (United States)

    1999-10-01

    A series of brief notes accompanied this presentation which was divided into seven sections entitled: (1) capital markets update, (2) Mexican financial market update, (3) financing options in the energy industry, (4) the Venezuelan experience at La Apertura, (5) private and strategic equity alternatives, (6) Pricewaterhouse Coopers Securities, and (7) Mexico energy 2005 prediction. The paper focused on how the financial crisis and merger activity in Latin America will impact electricity reform in Mexico. It was noted that under Mexico`s Policy Proposal for Electricity Reform of the Mexican Electricity Industry, the financial community will seek to back companies in power generation, transportation and distribution. The difficulty of financing government businesses undergoing privatization was also discussed with particular emphasis on the challenge of accepting political and regulatory risks. The Latin private equity market and Canadian investment in Mexico was also reviewed. Since NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) went into affect in 1994, Canadian investment in Mexico has more than tripled. Canadian companies have invested more than C$1.7 billion in Mexico since NAFTA. Pricewaterhouse Coopers Securities is a global investment bank which sees large opportunities in the Mexican energy market. They predict that in five years, Mexico will experience a gradual liberalization of the oil and gas sector, and a full liberalization of the gas pipeline and distribution business and the power generation, transmission and distribution business. 3 figs.

  17. Retrospective satellite ocean color analysis of purposeful and natural ocean iron fertilization

    Science.gov (United States)

    Westberry, Toby K.; Behrenfeld, Michael J.; Milligan, Allen J.; Doney, Scott C.

    2013-03-01

    Significant effort has been invested in understanding the role of iron in marine ecosystems over the past few decades. What began as shipboard amendment experiments quickly grew into a succession of in situ, mesoscale ocean iron fertilization (OIF) experiments carried out in all three high nutrient low chlorophyll (HNLC) regions of the world ocean. Dedicated process studies have also looked at regions of the ocean that are seasonally exposed to iron-replete conditions as natural OIF experiments. However, one problem common to many OIF experiments is determination of biological response beyond the duration of the experiment (typicallyfloristic shifts in the phytoplankton community. Further, a consistent pattern of decreased satellite fluorescence efficiency (FLH:Chl or ϕf) following OIF is observed that is in agreement with current understanding of phytoplankton physiological responses to relief from iron stress. The current study extends our ability to retrieve phytoplankton physiology from space-based sensors, strengthens the link between satellite fluorescence and iron availability, and shows that satellite ocean color analyses provide a unique tool for monitoring OIF experiments.

  18. Benthic organisms collected using sediment sampler from the EXCELLENCE in the Gulf of Mexico for 1979-12-19 (NODC Accession 8000603)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Benthic organisms were collected using sediment sampler casts from the EXCELLENCE in the Gulf of Mexico from 19 December 1979 to 19 December 1979. Data were...

  19. Coral reef connectivity within the Western Gulf of Mexico

    Science.gov (United States)

    Salas-Monreal, David; Marin-Hernandez, Mark; Salas-Perez, Jose de Jesus; Salas-de-Leon, David Alberto; Monreal-Gomez, Maria Adela; Perez-España, Horacio

    2018-03-01

    The yearlong monthly mean satellite data of the geostrophic velocities, the sea surface temperature and the chlorophyll-a values were used to elucidate any possible pathway among the different coral reef systems of the Western Gulf of Mexico (WGM). The geostrophic current velocities suggested different pathways connecting the coral reef areas. The typical coastal alongshore pathway constricted to the continental shelf, and two open ocean pathway, the first connecting the Campeche Reef System (CRS) with the Veracruz (VRS) and Tuxpan-Lobos Reef Systems (TLRS), and the second pathway connecting the Tuxpan-Lobos Reef System with the Flower Garden Reef System (FGRS). According to the pathways there should be more larvae transport from the southern Gulf of Mexico reef systems toward the FGRS than the other way. The connection from the southern Gulf of Mexico toward the FGRS took place during January, May, July, August and September (2015), while the connection from the FGRS toward the southern Gulf of Mexico reef system took place during January and February (2015), this was also suggested via model outputs. The density radio (R) was used as a first approximation to elucidate the influence of the freshwater continental discharges within the continental shelf. All coral reef areas were located where the Chlorophyll-a monthly mean values had values bellow 1 mg m- 2 with a density radio between 0 and 1, i.e. under the influence of continental discharges.

  20. Benthic organisms collected using sediment sampler from the CAPT. BRADY J in the Gulf of Mexico from (NODC Accession 8300082)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Benthic organisms were collected using sediment sampler casts from the CAPT. BRADY J and CAJUN SPECIAL in the Gulf of Mexico from 03 May 1982 to 13 October 1982....

  1. Oil Spill Disasters Detection and Monitoring by RST Analysis of Optical Satellite Radiances: the Case of Deepwater Horizon Platform in the Gulf of Mexico

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pergola, N.; Grimaldi, S. C.; Coviello, I.; Faruolo, M.; Lacava, T.; Tramutoli, V.

    2010-12-01

    term of sensitivity (to the presence even of thin/old oil films) and reliability (up to zero occurrence of false alarms), mainly due to the RST invariance regardless of local and environmental conditions. Exploiting its complete independence on the specific satellite platform, RST approach has been successfully exported to the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard Terra and Aqua satellites. In this paper, results obtained applying the proposed methodology to the recent oil spill disaster of Deepwater Horizon Platform in the gulf of Mexico, that discharged over 5 million barrels (550 million litres) in the ocean, will be shown. A dense temporal series of RST-based oil spill maps, obtained by using MODIS TIR records, are commented, emphasizing and discussing main peculiarities and specific characteristics of this event. Preliminary findings, possible residual limits and future perspectives will be also presented and discussed.

  2. Atmospheric electric field effects of cosmic rays detected in Mexico City

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gonzalez, L. X; Valdes-Galicia, J. F [Instituto de Geofisica, Universidad National Autonoma de Mexico, Mexico D.F(Mexico)

    2006-10-15

    We studied the possible effects of atmospheric electric fields, generated in thunderstorms, on the cosmic ray intensity detected at the Earth's surface by investigating the variations of the counting rates of the cosmic-ray nucleonic component, obtained from the neutron monitor installed in Mexico City, for thunderstorms during 1996 and 1997. These were years of minimum solar activity. We compare our experimental results with the general theory of cosmic ray meteorological effects by Dorman (1995). The observed intensity variation is about 0.2%. According to Dorman (1995), the effect should be between 0.27% and 0.81% on the counting rate of the neutron monitor when the atmospheric electric field intensities are around 100 to 300 Vcm-1.Our results show that either the electric field in Mexico City had less intensity than assumed by Dorman (1995), or the electric field is not uniform in time and height during the development of the thunderstorm. [Spanish] Estudiamos los posibles efectos de los campos electricos atmosfericos, generados en las tormentas electricas, sobre la intensidad de los rayos cosmicos detectados en la superficie terrestre, analizando las variaciones de las razones de conteo de la componente nucleonica de los rayos cosmicos, obtenidas por el monitor de neutrones instalado en la ciudad de Mexico, durante tormentas electricas ocurridas entre 1996 y 1997, anos del minimo solar. Comparamos nuestros resultados experimentales con la teoria general de los efectos meteorologicos en los rayos cosmicos, desarrollada por Dorman (1995). Se observo una variacion en la intensidad de alrededor de 0.2%. De acuerdo con Dorman (1995), el efecto puede estar entre 0.27 % y 0.81% en las razones de conteo del monitor de neutrones cuando las intensidades del campo electrico atmosferico se encuentran al rededor de 100 a 300 Vcm-1. Nuestros resultados muestran que los campos electricos en la ciudad de Mexico tuvieron menos intensidad que los campos electricos asumidos

  3. PIR Marine Turtle Ocean Captures & Observations

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Effective management of marine turtle data is essential to maximize their research value and enable timely population assessments and recovery monitoring. To provide...

  4. Revealing the timing of ocean stratification using remotely sensed ocean fronts

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miller, Peter I.; Loveday, Benjamin R.

    2017-10-01

    Stratification is of critical importance to the circulation, mixing and productivity of the ocean, and is expected to be modified by climate change. Stratification is also understood to affect the surface aggregation of pelagic fish and hence the foraging behaviour and distribution of their predators such as seabirds and cetaceans. Hence it would be prudent to monitor the stratification of the global ocean, though this is currently only possible using in situ sampling, profiling buoys or underwater autonomous vehicles. Earth observation (EO) sensors cannot directly detect stratification, but can observe surface features related to the presence of stratification, for example shelf-sea fronts that separate tidally-mixed water from seasonally stratified water. This paper describes a novel algorithm that accumulates evidence for stratification from a sequence of oceanic front maps, and discusses preliminary results in comparison with in situ data and simulations from 3D hydrodynamic models. In certain regions, this method can reveal the timing of the seasonal onset and breakdown of stratification.

  5. 78 FR 45557 - Gulf of Mexico, Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), Western Planning Area (WPA) Oil and Gas Lease Sale...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-07-29

    ... Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (WPA 233/ CPA 231 Supplemental EIS). WPA Lease Sale 233, scheduled... EIS evaluated the environmental and socioeconomic impacts for WPA Lease Sale 233. SUPPLEMENTARY... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Ocean Energy Management [MMAA104000] Gulf of Mexico, Outer...

  6. 78 FR 9731 - Gulf of Mexico, Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), Central Planning Area (CPA) Oil and Gas Lease Sale...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-02-11

    ... Environmental Impact Statement (Multisale FEIS). Authority: This NOA is published pursuant to the regulations... the NEPA process. The Multisale FEIS evaluated the environmental and socioeconomic impacts for CPA... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Gulf of Mexico, Outer Continental...

  7. Western Gulf of Mexico June 1994 Ocean Currents, Geographic NAD83, MMS (1999) [ocean_currents_wgom_Jun_MMS_1994

    Data.gov (United States)

    Louisiana Geographic Information Center — This is one data set of a data package consisting of thirteen point data sets that have as attributes the direction and velocity of ocean currents in the western...

  8. Eastern Gulf of Mexico April 1997 Ocean Currents, Geographic NAD83, MMS (1999) [ocean_currents_egom_Apr_MMS_1997

    Data.gov (United States)

    Louisiana Geographic Information Center — This is one data set of a data package consisting of thirteen point data sets that have as attributes the direction and velocity of ocean currents in the 'eastern'...

  9. Eastern Gulf of Mexico November 1997 Ocean Currents, Geographic NAD83, MMS (1999) [ocean_currents_egom_Nov_MMS_1997

    Data.gov (United States)

    Louisiana Geographic Information Center — This is one data set of a data package consisting of thirteen point data sets that have as attributes the direction and velocity of ocean currents in the 'eastern'...

  10. Eastern Gulf of Mexico February 1997 Ocean Currents, Geographic NAD83, MMS (1999) [ocean_currents_egom_Feb_MMS_1997

    Data.gov (United States)

    Louisiana Geographic Information Center — This is one data set of a data package consisting of thirteen point data sets that have as attributes the direction and velocity of ocean currents in the 'eastern'...

  11. Eastern Gulf of Mexico March 1997 Ocean Currents, Geographic NAD83, MMS (1999) [ocean_currents_egom_Mar_MMS_1997

    Data.gov (United States)

    Louisiana Geographic Information Center — This is one data set of a data package consisting of thirteen point data sets that have as attributes the direction and velocity of ocean currents in the 'eastern'...

  12. Western Gulf of Mexico October 1994 Ocean Currents, Geographic NAD83, MMS (1999)[ocean_currents_wgom_Oct_MMS_1994

    Data.gov (United States)

    Louisiana Geographic Information Center — This is one data set of a data package consisting of thirteen point data sets that have as attributes the direction and velocity of ocean currents in the western...

  13. Eastern Gulf of Mexico May 1997 Ocean Currents, Geographic NAD83, MMS (1999) [ocean_currents_egom_May_MMS_1997

    Data.gov (United States)

    Louisiana Geographic Information Center — This is one data set of a data package consisting of thirteen point data sets that have as attributes the direction and velocity of ocean currents in the 'eastern'...

  14. Western Gulf of Mexico July 1994 Ocean Currents, Geographic NAD83, MMS (1999) [ocean_currents_wgom_Jul_MMS_1994

    Data.gov (United States)

    Louisiana Geographic Information Center — This is one data set of a data package consisting of thirteen point data sets that have as attributes the direction and velocity of ocean currents in the western...

  15. Western Gulf of Mexico May 1994 Ocean Currents, Geographic NAD83, MMS (1999) [ocean_currents_wgom_May_MMS_1994

    Data.gov (United States)

    Louisiana Geographic Information Center — This is one data set of a data package consisting of thirteen point data sets that have as attributes the direction and velocity of ocean currents in the western...

  16. Eastern Gulf of Mexico August 1997 Ocean Currents, Geographic NAD83, MMS (1999) [ocean_currents_egom_Aug_MMS_1997

    Data.gov (United States)

    Louisiana Geographic Information Center — This is one data set of a data package consisting of thirteen point data sets that have as attributes the direction and velocity of ocean currents in the 'eastern'...

  17. Eastern Gulf of Mexico October 1997 Ocean Currents, Geographic NAD83, MMS (1999) [ocean_currents_egom_Oct_MMS_1997

    Data.gov (United States)

    Louisiana Geographic Information Center — This is one data set of a data package consisting of thirteen point data sets that have as attributes the direction and velocity of ocean currents in the 'eastern'...

  18. Western Gulf of Mexico August 1994 Ocean Currents, Geographic NAD83, MMS (1999) [ocean_currents_wgom_Aug_MMS_1994

    Data.gov (United States)

    Louisiana Geographic Information Center — This is one data set of a data package consisting of thirteen point data sets that have as attributes the direction and velocity of ocean currents in the western...

  19. Western Gulf of Mexico April 1994 Ocean Currents, Geographic NAD83, MMS (1999) [ocean_currents_wgom_Apr_MMS_1994

    Data.gov (United States)

    Louisiana Geographic Information Center — This is one data set of a data package consisting of thirteen point data sets that have as attributes the direction and velocity of ocean currents in the western...

  20. Eastern Gulf of Mexico September 1997 Ocean Currents, Geographic NAD83, MMS (1999) [ocean_currents_egom_Sep_MMS_1997

    Data.gov (United States)

    Louisiana Geographic Information Center — This is one data set of a data package consisting of thirteen point data sets that have as attributes the direction and velocity of ocean currents in the 'eastern'...

  1. Western Gulf of Mexico January 1994 Ocean Currents, Geographic NAD83, MMS (1999) [ocean_currents_wgom_Jan_MMS_1994

    Data.gov (United States)

    Louisiana Geographic Information Center — This is one data set of a data package consisting of thirteen point data sets that have as attributes the direction and velocity of ocean currents in the western...

  2. Eastern Gulf of Mexico June 1997 Ocean Currents, Geographic NAD83, MMS (1999) [ocean_currents_egom_Jun_MMS_1997

    Data.gov (United States)

    Louisiana Geographic Information Center — This is one data set of a data package consisting of thirteen point data sets that have as attributes the direction and velocity of ocean currents in the 'eastern'...

  3. Eastern Gulf of Mexico July 1997 Ocean Currents, Geographic NAD83, MMS (1999) [ocean_currents_egom_Jul_MMS_1997

    Data.gov (United States)

    Louisiana Geographic Information Center — This is one data set of a data package consisting of thirteen point data sets that have as attributes the direction and velocity of ocean currents in the 'eastern'...

  4. Western Gulf of Mexico March 1994 Ocean Currents, Geographic NAD83, MMS (1999) [ocean_currents_wgom_Mar_MMS_1994

    Data.gov (United States)

    Louisiana Geographic Information Center — This is one data set of a data package consisting of thirteen point data sets that have as attributes the direction and velocity of ocean currents in the western...

  5. Western Gulf of Mexico September 1994 Ocean Currents, Geographic NAD83, MMS (1999) [ocean_currents_wgom_Sep_MMS_1994

    Data.gov (United States)

    Louisiana Geographic Information Center — This is one data set of a data package consisting of thirteen point data sets that have as attributes the direction and velocity of ocean currents in the western...

  6. Western Gulf of Mexico February 1994 Ocean Currents, Geographic NAD83, MMS (1999) [ocean_currents_wgom_Feb_MMS_1994

    Data.gov (United States)

    Louisiana Geographic Information Center — This is one data set of a data package consisting of thirteen point data sets that have as attributes the direction and velocity of ocean currents in the western...

  7. Eastern Gulf of Mexico December 1997 Ocean Currents, Geographic NAD83, MMS (1999) [ocean_currents_egom_Dec_MMS_1997

    Data.gov (United States)

    Louisiana Geographic Information Center — This is one data set of a data package consisting of thirteen point data sets that have as attributes the direction and velocity of ocean currents in the 'eastern'...

  8. Western Gulf of Mexico November 1994 Ocean Currents, Geographic NAD83, MMS (1999) [ocean_currents_wgom_Nov_MMS_1994

    Data.gov (United States)

    Louisiana Geographic Information Center — This is one data set of a data package consisting of thirteen point data sets that have as attributes the direction and velocity of ocean currents in the western...

  9. Eastern Gulf of Mexico January 1997 Ocean Currents, Geographic NAD83, MMS (1999) [ocean_currents_egom_Jan_MMS_1997

    Data.gov (United States)

    Louisiana Geographic Information Center — This is one data set of a data package consisting of thirteen point data sets that have as attributes the direction and velocity of ocean currents in the 'eastern'...

  10. Western Gulf of Mexico December 1994 Ocean Currents, Geographic NAD83, MMS (1999) [ocean_currents_wgom_Dec_MMS_1994

    Data.gov (United States)

    Louisiana Geographic Information Center — This is one data set of a data package consisting of thirteen point data sets that have as attributes the direction and velocity of ocean currents in the western...

  11. Northern Gulf Littoral Initiative (NGLI), Geology and Physical Properties of Marine Sediments in the N.E. Gulf of Mexico: Data Report

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The Northern Gulf Littoral Initiative (NGLI), Geology and Physical Properties of Marine Sediments in the N.E. gulf of Mexico: Data Report, was produced by the U.S....

  12. Respiratory tract toxicity in rats exposed to Mexico City air.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moss, O R; Gross, E A; James, R A; Janszen, D B; Ross, P W; Roberts, K C; Howard, A M; Harkema, J R; Calderón-Garcidueñas, L; Morgan, K T

    2001-03-01

    The rat has been used extensively as a health sentinel, indicator, or monitor of environmental health hazards, but this model has not been directly validated against human exposures. Humans in Mexico City show upper respiratory tract lesions and evidence of pulmonary damage related to their environmental inhalation exposure. In this study, male and female F344 rats were exposed (23 hr/day) in Mexico City to local Mexico City air (MCA)* for up to seven weeks. Controls were maintained at the same location under filtered air. Prior to these exposures, several steps were taken. First, the nasal passages of normal male rats shipped from the United States and housed in Mexico City were examined for mycoplasma infection; no evidence of infection was found. In addition, a mobile exposure and monitoring system was assembled and, with an ozone (O3) exposure atmosphere, was tested along with supporting histopathology techniques and analysis of rat nasal and lung tissues. Last, the entire exposure model (equipment and animals) was transported to Mexico City and validated for a three-week period. During the seven-week study there were 18 one-hour intervals during which the average O3 concentration of MCA in the exposure chamber exceeded the US National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) of 0.120 ppm 03 (hourly average, not to be exceeded more than once per year). This prolonged exposure of healthy F344 rats to MCA containing episodically low to moderate concentrations of 03 (as well as other urban air pollutants) did not induce inflammatory or epithelial lesions in the nasal airways or lung as measured by qualitative histologic techniques or quantitative morphometric techniques. These findings agree with those of previous controlled O3 inhalation studies, but they are in contrast to reports indicating that O3-polluted MCA causes significant nasal mucosal injury in adults and children living in southwestern Mexico City. Taken together, these findings may suggest that human

  13. Response of the Mississippi Bight and Sound to the Passage of Tropical Storm Cindy Through the Northern Gulf of Mexico

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hode, L. E.; Howden, S. D.; Diercks, A. R.; Cambazoglu, M. K.; Jones, E. B.; Martin, K. M.

    2017-12-01

    Damage inflicted by tropical storms and hurricanes on coastal communities and industries has become a growing concern in recent decades. Consequently, utilizing products from existing ocean observing platforms, ocean modeling forecasts and satellite data helps to identify the effects of individual storms on the northern Gulf of Mexico. Using data from the jointly-operated United States Geological Survey and Mississippi Department of Marine Resources (USGS-MDMR) hydrological stations, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) tide gages, and the Central Gulf of Mexico Ocean Observing System (CenGOOS) high frequency radar (HFR) network, we tracked temperature, salinity, water level and surface current changes in the Mississippi Sound and Bight during June 2017. We performed time series analyses and compared conditions during the buildup and passage of tropical storm Cindy to climatological values as well as to satellite observations and results from a regional application of the Navy Coastal Ocean Model (NCOM). Elevated salinities proceeded Cindy's landfall on June 22, 2017, while anomalously fresh water marked all Mississippi Sound stations afterwards. Onshore surface currents dominated the Mississippi Bight, and current speeds exceeded more than four times the climatological average in the southeastern Bight. Indeed, regions of enhanced current speeds were observed throughout the month of June 2017. Tidal ranges in the Mississippi Sound were on average half a meter higher than predicted, and Shell Beach (Louisiana) and the Bay Waveland Yacht Club (Mississippi) saw extended periods where tides exceeded one meter above predicted values. These results help to quantify the tidal inundation caused by Cindy but also illustrate the massive riverine discharge driven by the storm's precipitation. Model results provide information on areas of the study region not covered by measurements; additionally, comparing observations to model products helps estimate model

  14. Actionable Science in the Gulf of Mexico: Connecting Researchers and Resource Managers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lartigue, J.; Parker, F.; Allee, R.; Young, C.

    2017-12-01

    The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) RESTORE Science Program was established in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill to to carry out research, observation, and monitoring to support the long-term sustainability of the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem, including its fisheries. Administered in partnership with the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the Science Program emphasizes a connection between science and decision-making. This emphasis translated into an engagement process that allowed for resource managers and other users of information about the ecosystem to provide direct input into the science plan for the program. In developing funding opportunities, the Science Program uses structured conversations with resource managers and other decision makers to focus competitions on specific end user needs. When evaluating proposals for funding, the Science Program uses criteria that focus on applicability of a project's findings and products, end user involvement in project planning, and the approach for transferring findings and products to the end user. By including resource managers alongside scientific experts on its review panels, the Science Program ensures that these criteria are assessed from both the researcher and end user perspectives. Once funding decisions are made, the Science Program assigns a technical monitor to each award to assist with identifying and engaging end users. Sharing of best practices among the technical monitors has provided the Science Program insight on how best to bridge the gap between research and resource management and how to build successful scientist-decision maker partnerships. During the presentation, we will share two case studies: 1) design of a cooperative (fisheries scientist, fisheries managers, and fishers), Gulf-wide conservation and monitoring program for fish spawning aggregations and 2) development of habitat-specific ecosystem indicators for use by federal and state resource managers.

  15. Significance of detrital zircons in upper Devonian ocean-basin strata of the Sonora allochthon and Lower Permian synorogenic strata of the Mina Mexico foredeep, central Sonora, Mexico

    Science.gov (United States)

    Poole, F.G.; Gehrels, G.E.; Stewart, John H.

    2008-01-01

    U-Pb isotopic dating of detrital zircons from a conglomeratic barite sandstone in the Sonora allochthon and a calciclastic sandstone in the Mina Mexico foredeep of the Minas de Barita area reveals two main age groups in the Upper Devonian part of the Los Pozos Formation, 1.73-1.65 Ga and 1.44-1.42 Ga; and three main age groups in the Lower Permian part of the Mina Mexico Formation, 1.93-1.91 Ga, 1.45-1.42 Ga, and 1.1-1.0 Ga. Small numbers of zircons with ages of 2.72-2.65 Ga, 1.30-1.24 Ga, ca. 2.46 Ga, ca. 1.83 Ga, and ca. 0.53 Ga are also present in the Los Pozos sandstone. Detrital zircons ranging in age from 1.73 to 1.65 Ga are considered to have been derived from the Yavapai, Mojave, and Mazatzal Provinces and their transition zones of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. The 1.45-1.30 Ga detrital zircons were probably derived from scattered granite bodies within the Mojave and Mazatzal basement rocks in the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, and possibly from the Southern and Eastern Granite-Rhyolite Provinces of the southern United States. The 1.24-1.0 Ga detrital zircons are believed to have been derived from the Grenville (Llano) Province to the east and northeast or from Grenvilleage intrusions or anatectites to the north. Several detrital zircon ages ranging from 2.72 to 1.91 Ga were probably derived originally from the Archean Wyoming Province and Early Paleoproterozoic rocks of the Lake Superior region. These older detrital zircons most likely have been recycled one or more times into the Paleozoic sandstones of central Sonora. The 0.53 Ga zircon is believed to have been derived from a Lower Cambrian granitoid or meta-morphic rock northeast of central Sonora, possibly in New Mexico and Colorado, or Oklahoma. Detrital zircon geochronology suggests that most of the detritus in both samples was derived from Laurentia to the north, whereas some detritus in the Permian synorogenic foredeep sequence was derived from the

  16. Historical oceanographic data and climatologies in support of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill event in the Gulf of Mexico (NODC Accession 0064867)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Data products and in situ oceanographic data collected as part of the Deepwater Horizon Event in the Gulf of Mexico (May 2010). The climatological fields detailed...

  17. 77 FR 37330 - Reef Fish Fishery of the Gulf of Mexico; 2012 Commercial Accountability Measure and Closure for...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-06-21

    ... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 50 CFR Part 622 [Docket No. 120417412-2412-01] RIN 0648-XCO76 Reef Fish Fishery of the Gulf of Mexico; 2012 Commercial Accountability...: NMFS implements accountability measures (AMs) for the commercial sector of gray triggerfish in the Gulf...

  18. LAND COVER - CLASSIFICATION and Other Data from FIXED PLATFORM From Coastal Waters of Gulf of Mexico from 19880101 to 19891231 (NODC Accession 9100034)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Wetland Assessment Data was collected from Coastal waters of Gulf of Mexico by Louisiana State and the Louisiana Geological Service under MMS Cooperative Agreement...

  19. Atlantic Ocean Acidification Test-Bed -- Net Ecosystem Calcification and Net Ecosystem Productivity, Flower Garden Banks, FY2015

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The AOAT project is engaged in monitoring/modeling efforts designed to: a) establish methodologies for monitoring, assessing, and modeling the impacts of Ocean...

  20. C-GLORSv5: an improved multipurpose global ocean eddy-permitting physical reanalysis

    OpenAIRE

    A. Storto; S. Masina

    2016-01-01

    Global ocean reanalyses combine in situ and satellite ocean observations with a general circulation ocean model to estimate the time-evolving state of the ocean, and they represent a valuable tool for a variety of applications, ranging from climate monitoring and process studies to downstream applications, initialization of long-range forecasts and regional studies. The purpose of this paper is to document the recent upgrade of C-GLORS (version 5), the latest ocean reanalysi...

  1. Establishing demographic parameters for loggerhead turtles in the northeastern Pacific Ocean: growth rates, age determination, annual habitat use, and population connectivity

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Loggerhead turtles nesting in Japan (i.e. the source rookery for individuals along the U.S. West coast and Pacific Mexico) have recently been declared a Distinct...

  2. Deepwater Horizon - baseline fisheries surveys conducted in the Gulf of Mexico from 1987-04-16 to 2010-08-01 (NCEI Accession 0150631)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — In 2010, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill occurred in the Gulf of Mexico and the Natural Resources Damage Assessment (NRDA) was initiated to determine the extent of...

  3. WATER TEMPERATURE and other data from NOAA Ship RESEARCHER, NOAA Ship MILLER FREEMAN and other platforms in the Gulf of Mexico, NW Atlantic and NE Pacific from 1987-01-08 to 1987-07-01 (NODC Accession 8700254)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Temperature profile data were collected using XBT and BT casts from NOAA Ship RESEARCHER and other platforms in the Gulf of Mexico and Northwest Atlantic Ocean from...

  4. Airborne Optical Remote Sensing of Ocean Surface Current Variability

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anderson, S. P.; Zuckerman, S.; Stuart, G.

    2016-02-01

    Accurate and timely knowledge of open ocean surface currents are needed for a variety of engineering and emergency missions, as well as for improving scientific understanding of ocean dynamics. This paper presents surface current observations from a new airborne current measurement capability called the Remote Ocean Current Imaging System (ROCIS). ROCIS exploits space-time processing of airborne ocean wave imagery to produce real-time maps of surface currents every 1 km along the flight track. Post-processing of the data allows for more in depth sensitivity studies than can be undertaken with the real-time measurements alone, providing swaths of current retrievals at higher spatial resolutions. Currents can be calculated on scales down to 100 m, across swaths 3 km wide, along the entire flight path. Here, we report on results for multiple ROCIS data collection flights over the Gulf of Mexico conducted in 2012, 2014 and 2015. We show comparisons to in situ current measurements, explore performance as a function of altitude, dwell, wind speed, and wave height, and discuss sources of error. We present examples of current retrievals revealing mesoscale and submesoscale variability. Lastly, we present horizontal kinetic energy spectra from select flights covering a range of spatial scales from hundreds of meters to hundreds of kilometers.

  5. Year-long comparison of two techniques to monitor outdoor radon concentrations at Shiprock, New Mexico

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Novak, E.F.

    1988-08-01

    The US Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Remedial Action and Waste Technology established the Technical Measurements Center (TMC) at the DOE Grand Junction Projects Office (GJPO) in Grand Junction, Colorado, to standardize, calibrate, and compare measurements made in support of DOE remedial action programs. Outdoor radon concentration measurements were made by the TMC in Shiprock, New Mexico, to compare two different methods of measuring radon in an attempt to determine the feasibility of using passive alpha-track detectors to assess the adequacy of remedial action undertaken at the Shiprock uranium mill tailings pile. The results of the first three quarters of monitoring have been detailed in previous reports. An analysis of the data from the fourth quarter of monitoring at Shiprock reveals a somewhat poorer correlation between the two sets of measurements than was seen in the third quarter of this study, but a better correlation than was found for the first and second quarters. The results of a nearly year-long exposure of alpha-track detectors were in much better agreement with the annual-average results of the second measurement method than were any of the quarterly results. The results of a calibration exposure of several alpha-track detectors in an environmentally controlled radon chamber differed significantly from the detector manufacturer's calibrations. The most significant conclusion is that alpha-track detectors require a year-long exposure to provide a reliable estimate of the annual-average outdoor radon concentration. Annual averages calculated from quarterly exposures are more prone to errors occurring during the track-counting process. 7 refs., 5 figs., 5 tabs

  6. 76 FR 41764 - Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic; Coral and Coral Reefs off the...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-07-15

    ... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration [RIN 0648-XA491] Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic; Coral and Coral Reefs off the Southern Atlantic... sanctuaries, special management zones, or artificial reefs without additional authorization. A report on the...

  7. Groundfish/Shrimp and Red Snapper trawl surveys conducted in the Gulf of Mexico from 1990-01-01 to 2014-12-30 (NCEI Accession 0147703)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The Southeast Fisheries Science Center Mississippi Laboratories has conducted standardized groundfish trawl surveys in the Gulf of Mexico since 1987. Prior to 1987,...

  8. Crust and mantle of the gulf of Mexico

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moore, G.W.

    1972-01-01

    A SEEMING paradox has puzzled investigators of the crustal structure of the Gulf of Mexico since Ewing et al.1 calculated that a unit area of the rather thick crust in the gulf contains less mass than does a combination of the crust and enough of the upper mantle to make a comparable thickness in the Atlantic Ocean. They also noted that the free-air gravity of the gulf is essentially normal and fails by a large factor to be low enough to reflect the mass difference that they calculated. We propose a solution to this problem. ?? 1972 Nature Publishing Group.

  9. Tobacco and cancer: epidemiology and new perspectives of prevention and monitoring in Mexico.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reynales-Shigematsu, Luz Myriam

    2016-04-01

    Tobacco smoking is causal risk factor of at least 16 different types of cancer. In Mexico, smoking causes 6 035 premature deaths annually of lung cancer and 5 154 from other types. Additionally, 16 408 new smoking- attributable cases are diagnosed, causing high costs in the Mexican health sector. The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control is the global strategy to reduce morbidity and mortality caused by this risk factor. Four more cost-effective strategies to ensure the population benefit are: i) increase tobacco taxes, ii) create 100% smoke-free environments, iii) warn damage through health warnings with pictograms and iv) total ban of advertising and promotion. Mexico is call upon to implement with determination this comprehensive strategy to reduce cancer mortality and assuring the health population.

  10. Remote Sensing of Ocean Color

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dierssen, Heidi M.; Randolph, Kaylan

    The oceans cover over 70% of the earth's surface and the life inhabiting the oceans play an important role in shaping the earth's climate. Phytoplankton, the microscopic organisms in the surface ocean, are responsible for half of the photosynthesis on the planet. These organisms at the base of the food web take up light and carbon dioxide and fix carbon into biological structures releasing oxygen. Estimating the amount of microscopic phytoplankton and their associated primary productivity over the vast expanses of the ocean is extremely challenging from ships. However, as phytoplankton take up light for photosynthesis, they change the color of the surface ocean from blue to green. Such shifts in ocean color can be measured from sensors placed high above the sea on satellites or aircraft and is called "ocean color remote sensing." In open ocean waters, the ocean color is predominantly driven by the phytoplankton concentration and ocean color remote sensing has been used to estimate the amount of chlorophyll a, the primary light-absorbing pigment in all phytoplankton. For the last few decades, satellite data have been used to estimate large-scale patterns of chlorophyll and to model primary productivity across the global ocean from daily to interannual timescales. Such global estimates of chlorophyll and primary productivity have been integrated into climate models and illustrate the important feedbacks between ocean life and global climate processes. In coastal and estuarine systems, ocean color is significantly influenced by other light-absorbing and light-scattering components besides phytoplankton. New approaches have been developed to evaluate the ocean color in relationship to colored dissolved organic matter, suspended sediments, and even to characterize the bathymetry and composition of the seafloor in optically shallow waters. Ocean color measurements are increasingly being used for environmental monitoring of harmful algal blooms, critical coastal habitats

  11. Biogeochemical studies of selenium in the Indian Ocean

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hattori, H.; Nakaguchi, Y.; Hiraki, K.; Kimura, M.; Koike, Y.

    1999-01-01

    Selenium that is a one of trace essential elements exists mainly in the chemical form of Se(IV), Se(VI) and organic selenium in ocean. Moreover, the monitoring of the selenium species has become a matter of interest as a mean of estimating their influence in biological processes in ocean. In recent works, some investigators reported that Se(IV) shows nutrient-type especially like silica's behavior, Se(VI) shows an approximately constant value, and the biological activities control the distribution of organic selenium. However, these reports were not included the whole world's oceans. It is necessary to research several oceans for the explication of fate on selenium. We investigated at the most interesting area - the Eastern Indian Ocean where should play a key role in global ocean's cycle for acquiring the new knowledge of selenium species at first

  12. Tropical Cyclone Induced Air-Sea Interactions Over Oceanic Fronts

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shay, L. K.

    2012-12-01

    Recent severe tropical cyclones underscore the inherent importance of warm background ocean fronts and their interactions with the atmospheric boundary layer. Central to the question of heat and moisture fluxes, the amount of heat available to the tropical cyclone is predicated by the initial mixed layer depth and strength of the stratification that essentially set the level of entrainment mixing at the base of the mixed layer. In oceanic regimes where the ocean mixed layers are thin, shear-induced mixing tends to cool the upper ocean to form cold wakes which reduces the air-sea fluxes. This is an example of negative feedback. By contrast, in regimes where the ocean mixed layers are deep (usually along the western part of the gyres), warm water advection by the nearly steady currents reduces the levels of turbulent mixing by shear instabilities. As these strong near-inertial shears are arrested, more heat and moisture transfers are available through the enthalpy fluxes (typically 1 to 1.5 kW m-2) into the hurricane boundary layer. When tropical cyclones move into favorable or neutral atmospheric conditions, tropical cyclones have a tendency to rapidly intensify as observed over the Gulf of Mexico during Isidore and Lili in 2002, Katrina, Rita and Wilma in 2005, Dean and Felix in 2007 in the Caribbean Sea, and Earl in 2010 just north of the Caribbean Islands. To predict these tropical cyclone deepening (as well as weakening) cycles, coupled models must have ocean models with realistic ocean conditions and accurate air-sea and vertical mixing parameterizations. Thus, to constrain these models, having complete 3-D ocean profiles juxtaposed with atmospheric profiler measurements prior, during and subsequent to passage is an absolute necessity framed within regional scale satellite derived fields.

  13. Forecasting the Ocean’s Optical Environment: Development of the BioCast System

    Science.gov (United States)

    2014-09-01

    Gulf of Mexico (data not shown). Additional advancements in ocean optical forecasting will also result from the integration of BioCast with other...uniformed sailors and marines would have been rather conspicuous against the turbid gray waves marking the entryway to the riotous North Sea. Two...Detection of underwater mines with airborne, towed, or autonomous under- water platforms can be severely impeded by sustained water column turbidity

  14. ATSH CIS IP DIET (stomach contents of Atlantic sharpnose shark in Crooked Island Sound and Gulf of Mexico side of St. Vincent Island, FL)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Atlantic sharpnose shark Rhizoprionodon terraenovae diet is described from Crooked Island Sound, an embayment of the northeast Gulf of Mexico. Diet was assessed by...

  15. Investigation of hurricane Ivan using the coupled ocean-atmosphere-wave-sediment transport (COAWST) model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zambon, Joseph B.; He, Ruoying; Warner, John C.

    2014-01-01

    The coupled ocean–atmosphere–wave–sediment transport (COAWST) model is used to hindcast Hurricane Ivan (2004), an extremely intense tropical cyclone (TC) translating through the Gulf of Mexico. Sensitivity experiments with increasing complexity in ocean–atmosphere–wave coupled exchange processes are performed to assess the impacts of coupling on the predictions of the atmosphere, ocean, and wave environments during the occurrence of a TC. Modest improvement in track but significant improvement in intensity are found when using the fully atmosphere–ocean-wave coupled configuration versus uncoupled (e.g., standalone atmosphere, ocean, or wave) model simulations. Surface wave fields generated in the fully coupled configuration also demonstrates good agreement with in situ buoy measurements. Coupled and uncoupled model-simulated sea surface temperature (SST) fields are compared with both in situ and remote observations. Detailed heat budget analysis reveals that the mixed layer temperature cooling in the deep ocean (on the shelf) is caused primarily by advection (equally by advection and diffusion).

  16. Data Validation Package, December 2015, Groundwater Sampling at the Bluewater, New Mexico, Disposal Site, September 2016

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tsosie, Bernadette [U. S. Department of Energy, Washington, DC (United States). Office of Legacy Management; Johnson, Richard [Navarro Research and Engineering, Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

    2016-09-01

    Groundwater samples were collected from monitoring wells at the Bluewater, New Mexico, Disposal Site to monitor groundwater contaminants as specified in the 1997 Long-Term Surveillance Plan for the DOE Bluewater (UMTRCA Title II) Disposal Site Near Grants, New Mexico (LTSP). Sampling and analyses were conducted as specified in the Sampling and Analysis Plan for U.S. Department of Energy Office of Legacy Management Sites (LMS/PRO/S04351, continually updated). A duplicate sample was collected from location HMC-951. Alluvium wells are completed in the alluvial sediments in the former channel of the Rio San Jose, which was covered by basalt lava flows known as the El Malpais, and are identified by the suffix (M). Bedrock wells are completed in the San Andres Limestone/Glorieta Sandstone hydrologic unit (San Andres aquifer) and are identified by the suffix (SG). Wells HMC-951 and OBS-3 are also completed in the San Andres aquifer. The LTSP requires monitoring for molybdenum, selenium, uranium, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs); PCB monitoring occurs only during November sampling events. This event included sampling for an expanded list of analytes to characterize the site aquifers and to support a regional groundwater investigation being conducted by the New Mexico Environment Department.

  17. Textural and geochemical features of freshwater microbialites from Laguna Bacalar, Quintana Roo, Mexico

    OpenAIRE

    Castro-Contreras, Set I.; Gingras, Murray K.; Pecoits, Ernesto; Aubet, Natalie R.; Petrash, Daniel; Castro-Contreras, Saulo M.; Dick, Gregory; Planavsky, Noah J.; Konhauser, Kurt O.

    2014-01-01

    Microbialites provide some of the oldest direct evidence of life on Earth. They reached their peak during the Proterozoic and declined afterward. Their decline has been attributed to grazing and/or burrowing by metazoans, to changes in ocean chemistry, or to competition with other calcifying organisms. The freshwater microbialites at Laguna Bacalar (Mexico) provide an opportunity to better understand microbialite growth in terms of interaction between grazing organisms versus calcium carb...

  18. Ocean transport and variability studies of the South Pacific, Southern, and Indian Oceans

    Science.gov (United States)

    Church, John A.; Cresswell, G. R.; Nilsson, C. S.; Mcdougall, T. J.; Coleman, R.; Rizos, C.; Penrose, J.; Hunter, J. R.; Lynch, M. J.

    1991-01-01

    The objectives of this study are to analyze ocean dynamics in the western South Pacific and the adjacent Southern Ocean and the eastern Indian Ocean. Specifically, our objectives for these three regions are, for the South Pacific Ocean: (1) To estimate the volume transport of the east Australian Current (EAC) along the Australian coast and in the Tasman Front, and to estimate the time variability (on seasonal and interannual time scales) of this transport. (2) To contribute to estimating the meridional heat and freshwater fluxes (and their variability) at about 30 deg S. Good estimates of the transport in the western boundary current are essential for accurate estimates of these fluxes. (3) To determine how the EAC transport (and its extension, the Tasman Front and the East Auckland Current) closes the subtropical gyre of the South Pacific and to better determine the structure at the confluence of this current and the Antarctic Circumpolar Current. (4) To examine the structure and time variability of the circulation in the western South Pacific and the adjacent Southern Ocean, particularly at the Tasman Front. For the Indian Ocean: (5) To study the seasonal interannual variations in the strength of the Leeuwin Current. (6) To monitor the Pacific-Indian Ocean throughflow and the South Equatorial and the South Java Currents between northwest Australia and Indonesia. (7) To study the processes that form the water of the permanent oceanic thermocline and, in particular, the way in which new thermocline water enters the permanent thermocline in late winter and early spring as the mixed layer restratifies. For the Southern Ocean: (8) To study the mesoscale and meridional structure of the Southern Ocean between 150 deg E and 170 deg E; in particular, to describe the Antarctic frontal system south of Tasmania and determine its interannual variability; to estimate the exchanges of heat, salt, and other properties between the Indian and Pacific Oceans; and to investigate the

  19. 77 FR 32572 - Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic; Coral and Coral Reefs Off the...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-06-01

    ... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration RIN 0648-XA935 Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic; Coral and Coral Reefs Off the Southern Atlantic... conditions, various species of reef fish, crabs, and lobsters in Federal waters off South Carolina and North...

  20. 78 FR 56217 - Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic; Shrimp Fisheries of the Gulf of...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-09-12

    ... Atlantic States AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric... specified in 50 CFR part 622, Subparts A through R for reef fish, red drum, coastal migratory pelagics, and spiny lobster in the Gulf of Mexico, and snapper-grouper, coastal migratory pelagics, dolphin and wahoo...

  1. Ocean Observatories and the Integrated Ocean Observing System, IOOS: Developing the Synergy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Altalo, M. G.

    2006-05-01

    The National Office for Integrated and Sustained Ocean Observations is responsible for the planning, coordination and development of the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System, IOOS, which is both the U.S. contribution to GOOS as well as the ocean component of GEOSS. The IOOS is comprised of global observations as well as regional coastal observations coordinated so as to provide environmental information to optimize societal management decisions including disaster resilience, public health, marine transport, national security, climate and weather impact, and natural resource and ecosystem management. Data comes from distributed sensor systems comprising Federal and state monitoring efforts as well as regional enhancements, which are managed through data management and communications (DMAC) protocols. At present, 11 regional associations oversee the development of the observing System components in their region and are the primary interface with the user community. The ocean observatories are key elements of this National architecture and provide the infrastructure necessary to test new technologies, platforms, methods, models, and practices which, when validated, can transition into the operational components of the IOOS. This allows the IOOS to remain "state of the art" through incorporation of research at all phases. Both the observatories as well as the IOOS will contribute to the enhanced understanding of the ocean and coastal system so as to transform science results into societal solutions.

  2. The Coastal Ocean Prediction Systems program: Understanding and managing our coastal ocean

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1990-01-01

    The proposed COPS (Coastal Ocean Prediction Systems) program is concerned with combining numerical models with observations (through data assimilation) to improve our predictive knowledge of the coastal ocean. It is oriented toward applied research and development and depends upon the continued pursuit of basic research in programs like COOP (Coastal Ocean Processes); i.e., to a significant degree it is involved with ''technology transfer'' from basic knowledge to operational and management applications. This predictive knowledge is intended to address a variety of societal problems: (1) ship routing, (2) trajectories for search and rescue operations, (3) oil spill trajectory simulations, (4) pollution assessments, (5) fisheries management guidance, (6) simulation of the coastal ocean's response to climate variability, (7) calculation of sediment transport, (8) calculation of forces on structures, and so forth. The initial concern is with physical models and observations in order to provide a capability for the estimation of physical forces and transports in the coastal ocean. For all these applications, there are common needs for physical field estimates: waves, tides, currents, temperature, and salinity, including mixed layers, thermoclines, fronts, jets, etc. However, the intent is to work with biologists, chemists, and geologists in developing integrated multidisciplinary prediction systems as it becomes feasible to do so. From another perspective, by combining observations with models through data assimilation, a modern approach to monitoring is provided through whole-field estimation

  3. 1993 Site environmental report Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Culp, T.A.; Cheng, C.F.; Cox, W.; Durand, N.; Irwin, M.; Jones, A.; Lauffer, F.; Lincoln, M.; McClellan, Y.; Molley, K.

    1994-11-01

    This 1993 report contains monitoring data from routine radiological and nonradiological environmental surveillance activities. Summaries of significant environmental compliance programs in progress, such as National Environmental Policy Act documentation, environmental permits, environmental restoration, and various waste management programs for Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico, are included. The maximum offsite dose impact was calculated to be 0.0016 millirem. The total population within a 50-mile (80 kilometer) radius of Sandia National Laboratories/New Mexico received an estimated collective dose of 0.027 person-rem during 1993 from the laboratories operations, As in the previous year, the 1993 operations at Sandia National Laboratories/New Mexico had no discernible impact on the general public or on the environment. This report is prepared for the U.S. Department of Energy in compliance with DOE Order 5400.1

  4. AFSC/ABL: Ocean Acidification in Southeast Alaska

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This database contains information from one primary project a Southeast Alaska (SEAK) environmental monitoring study. It also includes support analyses for Kodiak...

  5. The source and distribution of thermogenic dissolved organic matter in the ocean

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dittmar, T.; Suryaputra, I. G. N. A.; Paeng, J.

    2009-04-01

    Thermogenic organic matter (ThOM) is abundant in the environment. ThOM is produced at elevated temperature and pressure in deep sediments and earth's crust, and it is also a residue of fossil fuel and biomass burning ("black carbon"). Because of its refractory character, it accumulates in soils and sediments and, therefore, may sequester carbon from active cycles. It was hypothesized that a significant component of marine dissolved organic matter (DOM) might be thermogenic. Here we present a detailed data set on the distribution of thermogenic DOM in major water masses of the deep and surface ocean. In addition, several potential sources of thermogenic DOM to the ocean were investigated: active seeps of brine fluids in the deep Gulf of Mexico, rivers, estuaries and submarine groundwaters. Studies on deep-sea hydrothermal vents and aerosol deposition are ongoing. All DOM samples were isolated from seawater via solid phase extraction (SPE-DOM). ThOM was quantified in the extracts as benzene-polycarboxylic acids (BPCAs) after nitric acid oxidation via high-performance liquid chromatography and diode array detection (HPLC-DAD). BPCAs are produced exclusively from fused ring systems and are therefore unambiguous molecular tracers for ThOM. In addition to BPCA determination, the molecular composition and structure of ThOM was characterized in detail via ultrahigh resolution mass spectrometry (FT-ICR-MS). All marine and river DOM samples yielded significant amounts of BPCAs. The cold seep system in the deep Gulf of Mexico, but also black water rivers (like the Suwannee River) were particularly rich in ThOM. Up to 10% of total dissolved organic carbon was thermogenic in both systems. The most abundant BPCA was benzene-pentacarboxylic acid (B5CA). The molecular composition of BPCAs and the FT-ICR-MS data indicate a relatively small number (5-8) of fused aromatic rings per molecule. Overall, the molecular BPCA patterns were very similar independent of the source of Th

  6. 76 FR 30554 - Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic; Queen Conch Fishery of Puerto...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-05-26

    ... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 50 CFR Part 622 [Docket No. 0907151138-1235-03] RIN 0648-AY03 Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic; Queen Conch Fishery of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands; Queen Conch Management Measures Correction In rule...

  7. Pacific Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program: Subsurface Temperature Recorders (STRs) at selected coral reef locations across the Pacific Ocean from 2001-09-20 to 2012-09-28 (NCEI Accession 0162471)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Water temperature data are collected using subsurface temperature recorders (STRs) that aid in the monitoring of seawater temperature variability at permanent coral...

  8. U.S.-Mexico Border Geographic Information System

    Science.gov (United States)

    Parcher, Jean W.

    2008-01-01

    Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and the development of extensive geodatabases have become invaluable tools for addressing a variety of contemporary societal issues and for making predictions about the future. The United States-Mexico Geographic Information System (USMX-GIS) is based on fundamental datasets that are produced and/or approved by the national geography agencies of each country, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the Instituto Nacional de Estadistica Y Geografia (INEGI) of Mexico, and the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC). The data are available at various scales to allow both regional and local analysis. The USGS and the INEGI have an extensive history of collaboration for transboundary mapping including exchanging digital technology and developing methods for harmonizing seamless national level geospatial datasets for binational environmental monitoring, urban growth analysis, and other scientific applications.

  9. Listening to the Deep-Ocean Environment (LIDO): an ESONET Initiative for the Real-Time Monitoring of Geohazards and Marine Ambient Noise

    Science.gov (United States)

    André, Michel; Favali, Paolo; Piatteli, Paolo; Miranda, Jorge; Waldmann, Christoph; Esonet Lido Demonstration Mission Team

    2010-05-01

    Understanding the link between natural and anthropogenic processes is essential for predicting the magnitude and impact of future changes of the natural balance of the oceans. Deep-sea observatories have the potential to play a key role in the assessment and monitoring of these changes. ESONET is a European Network of Excellence of deep-sea observatories that includes 55 partners belonging to 14 countries. ESONET NoE is providing data on key parameters from the subsurface down to the seafloor at representative locations that transmit them to shore. The strategies of deployment, data sampling, technological development, standardisation and data management are being integrated with projects dealing with the spatial and near surface time series. LIDO (Listening to the Deep Ocean environment) is one of these projects and proposes to establish a first nucleus of a regional network of multidisciplinary seafloor observatories contributing to the coordination of high quality research in the ESONET NoE by allowing the real-time long-term monitoring of Geohazards and Marine Ambient Noise in the Mediterranean Sea and the adjacent Atlantic waters. Specific activities address the long-term monitoring of earthquakes and tsunamis and the characterisation of ambient noise, marine mammal sounds and anthropogenic sources. The objective of this demonstration mission will be achieved through the extension of the present capabilities of the observatories working in the ESONET key-sites of Eastern Sicily (NEMO-SN1) and of the Gulf of Cadiz (GEOSTAR configured for NEAREST pilot experiment) by installing new sensor equipments related to Bioacoustics and Geohazards, as well as by implementing international standard methods in data acquisition and management.

  10. Results of Geoenvironmental Studies (2013-2014) Applied to a Monitoring Water Quality Network in Real Time in the Atoyac River (upstream) Puebla, Mexico.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rodriguez-Espinosa, P. F.; Tavera, E. M.; Morales-Garcia, S. S.; Muñoz-Sevilla, N. P.

    2014-12-01

    Results of geoenvironment studies, referents to geochemistry, weathering, size, mineral composition, and metals contained in sediments and physicochemical parameters of water in urban rivers associated with dam are presented. Emphasis on the interpretation of these results, was detect environmental susceptibility areas associated at the water quality in Upper basin of Atoyac River, Puebla, Mexico. The environmental sub secretary of the state government of Puebla, Mexico has initiated actions to clean up the urban Atoyac River, with measurements of physicochemical parameters associated of the water quality in real-time monitoring and sampling network along the river. The results identified an important role in the rivers, not only to receive and transport the contaminants associated with sedimentological and geochemical conditions, but magnified the effects of pollutant discharges. A significant concentration of hazardous metals in sediments of the dam, reflecting the geo-environmental conditions of anthropogenic Valsequillo Dam induction was determined. For example, a moderately contaminated Pb contaminated extreme class, and Cu and Zn contaminated with moderate to heavy contaminated under geoenvironment class index. Large concentration of clay minerals with larger surface areas was found there in the study, the minerals are definitely the fittest in nature to accept on their surfaces constitution of metals, metalloids and other contaminants which were reflected in the Geoenvironmental index. The results of the studies performed here enable us to locate monitoring stations and sampling network to physicochemical parameters in real time, in the areas of higher contamination found in geoenvironmental studies Atoyac High River Basin. Similarly, we can elucidate the origin of pollutants and monitoring agents reflected in BOD5 (223 mg / l) and COD (610 mg / l), suspended solids totals (136 mg / l) and dissolved solids totals (840 mg / l), in others. Recent hydrometric

  11. Texas-Mexico multimodal transportation: developments in Mexico

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boske, Leigh B.

    1994-03-01

    This presentation highlights the results of a recently completed study that examines the Texas- Mexico multimodal transport system already in place, current plans for improvements or expansion, and opportunities and constraints faced by each transport mode -- motor carriage, rail, maritime, and air. Particular emphasis is given to findings regarding transportation developments in Mexico. The study concludes that in Mexico, all modes are working at establishing new services and strategic alliances, intermodal arrangements are on the rise, and private-sector participation in infrastructure improvements is growing daily at Mexican seaports and airports as well as within that nation's highway and rail systems. This presentation looks at developments that concern privatization, deregulation, infrastructure improvements, financing arrangements, and new services in Mexico.

  12. Youth Science Ambassadors: Connecting Indigenous communities with Ocean Networks Canada tools to inspire future ocean scientists and marine resource managers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pelz, M.; Hoeberechts, M.; Hale, C.; McLean, M. A.

    2017-12-01

    This presentation describes Ocean Networks Canada's (ONC) Youth Science Ambassador Program. The Youth Science Ambassadors are a growing network of youth in Canadian coastal communities whose role is to connect ocean science, ONC data, and Indigenous knowledge. By directly employing Indigenous youth in communities in which ONC operates monitoring equipment, ONC aims to encourage wider participation and interest in ocean science and exploration. Further, the Youth Science Ambassadors act as role models and mentors to other local youth by highlighting connections between Indigenous and local knowledge and current marine science efforts. Ocean Networks Canada, an initiative of the University of Victoria, develops, operates, and maintains cabled ocean observatory systems. These include technologies developed on the world-leading NEPTUNE and VENUS observatories as well as community observatories in the Arctic and coastal British Columbia. These observatories, large and small, enable communities, users, scientists, teachers, and students to monitor real-time and historical data from the local marine environment from anywhere on the globe. Youth Science Ambassadors are part of the Learning and Engagement team whose role includes engaging Indigenous communities and schools in ocean science through ONC's K-12 Ocean Sense education program. All of the data collected by ONC are freely available over the Internet for non-profit use, including disaster planning, community-based decision making, and education. The Youth Science Ambassadors support collaboration with Indigenous communities and schools by facilitating educational programming, encouraging participation in ocean data collection and analysis, and fostering interest in ocean science. In addition, the Youth Science Ambassadors support community collaboration in decision-making for instrument deployment locations and identify ways in which ONC can help to address any areas of concern raised by the community. This

  13. Cloud amount/frequency, TRANSMISSIVITY and other data from GYRE in the Gulf of Mexico from 1994-07-18 to 1994-07-20 (NODC Accession 9400128)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The Conductivity, Temperature and Depth (CTD) and Bathythermograph (XBT) data were collected in Gulf of Mexico as part of Texas Institutions Gulf Ecosystem Research...

  14. Turbidity, SOLAR RADIATION - ATMOSPHERIC and other data from GYRE in the Gulf of Mexico from 1994-05-11 to 1994-07-20 (NODC Accession 9400157)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Conductivity, Temperature and Depth (CTD) and bathythermograph (XBT) data were collected in the Gulf of Mexico as part of Texas Institutions Gulf Ecosystem Research...

  15. Cloud amount/frequency, TRANSMISSIVITY and other data from GYRE in the Gulf of Mexico from 1994-10-19 to 1994-10-25 (NODC Accession 9500013)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The Conductivity, Temperature and Depth (CTD) and Bathythermograph (XBT) data were collected in Gulf of Mexico as part of Texas Institutions Gulf Ecosystem Research...

  16. Calendar Year 2016 Annual Groundwater Monitoring Report.

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Copland, John R. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Jackson, Timmie Okchumpulla [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Li, Jun [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Mitchell, Michael Marquand [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Skelly, Michael [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

    2017-06-01

    Sandia National Laboratories, New Mexico (SNL/NM) is a government-owned/contractoroperated laboratory. National Technology and Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Honeywell International, Inc., manages and operates SNL/NM for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). The DOE/NNSA Sandia Field Office administers the contract and oversees contractor operations at the site. Two types of groundwater surveillance monitoring are conducted at SNL/NM: (1) on a site-wide basis as part of the SNL/NM Long-Term Stewardship (LTS) Program’s Groundwater Monitoring Program (GMP) Groundwater Surveillance Task and (2) on a site-specific groundwater monitoring at LTS/Environmental Restoration (ER) Operations sites with ongoing groundwater investigations. This Annual Groundwater Monitoring Report summarizes data collected during groundwater monitoring events conducted at GMP locations and at the following SNL/NM sites through December 31, 2016: Burn Site Groundwater Area of Concern (AOC); Chemical Waste Landfill; Mixed Waste Landfill; Technical Area-V Groundwater AOC; and the Tijeras Arroyo Groundwater AOC. Environmental monitoring and surveillance programs are required by the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) and DOE Order 436.1, Departmental Sustainability, and DOE Order 231.1B, Environment, Safety, and Health Reporting.

  17. Connecting the Mississippi River with Carbon Variability in the Gulf of Mexico

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xue, Z. G.; He, R.; Fennel, K.; Cai, W. J.; Lohrenz, S. E.; Huang, W. J.; Tian, H.; Ren, W.

    2016-02-01

    To understand the linkage between landuse/land-cover change within the Mississippi basin and the carbon dynamics in the Gulf of Mexico, a three-dimensional coupled physical-biogeochemical model was used to the examine temporal and spatial variability of surface ocean pCO2 in the Gulf of Mexico (GoM). The model is driven by realistic atmospheric forcing, open boundary conditions from a data-assimilative global ocean circulation model, and freshwater and terrestrial nutrient and carbon input from major rivers provided by the Dynamic Land Ecosystem Model (DLEM). A seven-year model hindcast (2004-2010) was performed and was validated against the recently updated Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory global ocean carbon dataset. Model simulated seawater pCO2 and air-sea CO2 flux are in good agreement with in-situ measurements. An inorganic carbon budget was estimated based on the multi-year mean of the model results. Overall, the GoM is a sink of atmospheric CO2 with a flux of 0.92 × 1012 mol C yr-1, which, together with the enormous fluvial carbon input, is balanced by carbon export through the Loop Current. In a sensitivity experiment with all biological sources and sinks of carbon disabled surface pCO2 was elevated by 70 ppm, suggesting that biological uptake is the most important reason for the simulated CO2 sink. The impact from landuse and land-cover changes within the Mississippi River basin on coastal pCO2 dynamics is also discussed based on a scenario run driven by river conditions during the 1904-1910 provided by the DLEM model.

  18. WATER TEMPERATURE and other data from AIRCRAFT in the Gulf of Mexico from 1992-08-07 to 1992-10-11 (NODC Accession 9200272)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The water depth and temperature data were collected in he water depth and temperature data were collected in Gulf of Mexico as part of Louisiana-Texas (LATEX part C)...

  19. WATER TEMPERATURE and other data from AIRCRAFT in the Gulf of Mexico from 1994-05-18 to 1994-08-14 (NODC Accession 9400222)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The water depth and temperature data were collected in he water depth and temperature data were collected in Gulf of Mexico as part of Louisiana-Texas (LATEX part C)...

  20. MERSEA, the European Gate to Ocean Data

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blanc, F. P.; Manzella, G.; Maudire, G.; Bahurel, P.; Bell, M.; Haines, K.

    2004-12-01

    Mersea ('Marine Environment and Security for the European Area'), a European project to manage the oceans, aims to develop by 2008 the GMES ocean component ('Global Monitoring for Environment and Security'), a system for operational monitoring and forecasting on global and regional scales of the ocean physics, bio-geochemistry and ecosystems. Mersea project started on April 1st, 2004. This ocean monitoring system is envisioned as an operational network that systematically acquires data and disseminates information to serve the needs of intermediate users and policy makers, in support of safe and efficient off-shore activities, environmental management, security, and sustainable use of marine resources. Three real-time data streams have been identified: remote sensed from satellites, in situ from ocean observing networks, and surface forcing fields from numerical weather prediction agencies. Mersea will ensure the availability of near real time and delayed mode products over the period 2004-2008, global and regional products optimised for supporting operational oceanography. Historical data sets for the last 15 years will also be prepared. Mersea is also the European center serving Godae goals ('Global Ocean Data Assimilation Experiment', 2003-2005). The timely delivery of high quality and reliable information to many user categories is essential for the success of such integrated project. There is consequently a large effort to coordinate all delivery actions giving special attention on the users' needs. This effort will cover many issues like product presentation, products and web services catalogue and how to deal for an interdisciplinary and integrated use. A first major difficulty is to reach at many levels product coherency and standardisation, which is needed to facilitate the visibility, understanding and exchange of the ocean observing data. A first task will therefore be to write a common unified framework guide, a kind of member chart, which will require

  1. Deep Water Horizon (HB1006, EK60)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Monitor and measure the biological, chemical, and physical environment in the area of the oil spill from the deep water horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico. A wide...

  2. Cloud amount/frequency, TRANSMISSIVITY and other data from GYRE in the Gulf of Mexico from 1993-01-06 to 1993-01-14 (NODC Accession 9300028)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The Conductivity, Temperature and Depth (CTD) and other data were collected in Gulf of Mexico as part of Texas Institutions Gulf Ecosystem Research (TIGER) project....

  3. Possible Ballast Water Transfer of Lionfish to the Eastern Pacific Ocean.

    Science.gov (United States)

    MacIsaac, Hugh J; De Roy, Emma M; Leung, Brian; Grgicak-Mannion, Alice; Ruiz, Gregory M

    2016-01-01

    The Indo-Pacific Red Lionfish was first reported off the Florida coast in 1985, following which it has spread across much of the SE USA, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean Sea. Lionfish negatively impact fish and invertebrate assemblages and abundances, thus further spread is cause for concern. To date, the fish has not been reported on the Pacific coast of North or Central America. Here we examine the possibility of ballast water transfer of lionfish from colonized areas in the Atlantic Ocean to USA ports on the Pacific coast. Over an eight-year period, we documented 27 commercial vessel-trips in which ballast water was loaded in colonized sites and later discharged untreated into Pacific coast ports in the USA. California had the highest number of discharges including San Francisco Bay and Los Angeles-Long Beach. A species distribution model suggests that the probability of lionfish establishment is low for the western USA, Colombia and Panama, low to medium for Costa Rica, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Guatemala, medium to high for mainland Ecuador, and very high for western Mexico, Peru and the Galapagos Islands. Given the species' intolerance of freshwater conditions, we propose that ballast water exchange be conducted in Gatún Lake, Panama for western-bound vessels carrying 'risky' ballast water to prevent invasion of the eastern Pacific Ocean.

  4. Possible Ballast Water Transfer of Lionfish to the Eastern Pacific Ocean.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hugh J MacIsaac

    Full Text Available The Indo-Pacific Red Lionfish was first reported off the Florida coast in 1985, following which it has spread across much of the SE USA, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean Sea. Lionfish negatively impact fish and invertebrate assemblages and abundances, thus further spread is cause for concern. To date, the fish has not been reported on the Pacific coast of North or Central America. Here we examine the possibility of ballast water transfer of lionfish from colonized areas in the Atlantic Ocean to USA ports on the Pacific coast. Over an eight-year period, we documented 27 commercial vessel-trips in which ballast water was loaded in colonized sites and later discharged untreated into Pacific coast ports in the USA. California had the highest number of discharges including San Francisco Bay and Los Angeles-Long Beach. A species distribution model suggests that the probability of lionfish establishment is low for the western USA, Colombia and Panama, low to medium for Costa Rica, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Guatemala, medium to high for mainland Ecuador, and very high for western Mexico, Peru and the Galapagos Islands. Given the species' intolerance of freshwater conditions, we propose that ballast water exchange be conducted in Gatún Lake, Panama for western-bound vessels carrying 'risky' ballast water to prevent invasion of the eastern Pacific Ocean.

  5. Atlantic Ocean Acidification Test-Bed -- Net Ecosystem Calcification and Net Ecosystem Productivity, Cheeca Rocks, Florida Reef Tract FY2013

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The AOAT project is engaged in monitoring/modeling efforts designed to: a) establish methodologies for monitoring, assessing, and modeling the impacts of Ocean...

  6. S.83: A Bill to ensure the preservation of the Gulf of Mexico by establishing within the Environmental Protection Agency a Gulf of Mexico Program. Introduced in the Senate of the United States, One Hundred Third Congress, First Session, January 21, 1993

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anon.

    1993-01-01

    S. 83 may be cited as the open-quotes Gulf of Mexico Preservation Act of 1993.close quotes This Bill discusses findings pertaining to resources in the Gulf of Mexico, describes the establishment of the Gulf of Mexico Program, defines the establishment and duties of the Gulf of Mexico Program Office, and proposes a study of international issues. This Bill also includes an assessment to be prepared by the Administrator, a monitoring, management, protection and restoration plan, a grant program, authorization of appropriations, administrative provisions, and the relationship of the Bill to existing federal and state laws and international treaties

  7. 1995 Site environmental report Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shyr, L.J.; Duncan, D. [eds.; Sanchez, R.

    1996-09-01

    This 1995 report contains data from routine radiological and non-radiological environmental monitoring activities. Summaries of significant environmental compliance programs in progress, such as National Environmental Policy Act documentation, environmental permits, environmental restoration and various waste management programs at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico, are included.

  8. 1995 Site environmental report Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shyr, L.J.; Duncan, D.; Sanchez, R.

    1996-09-01

    This 1995 report contains data from routine radiological and non-radiological environmental monitoring activities. Summaries of significant environmental compliance programs in progress, such as National Environmental Policy Act documentation, environmental permits, environmental restoration and various waste management programs at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico, are included

  9. The Role of Transforms in Gulf of Mexico Opening

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lundin, E.; Doré, A. G.

    2017-12-01

    The curious pie-shaped Gulf of Mexico (GoM) may be considered a high-angle back-arc basin to the Pacific Ocean. Opening was strongly facilitated by transforms, including a terminal transform on its Pacific side. GoM also formed synchronously with the nearby Central Atlantic when Gondwanaland pulled away from Laurasia in the Jurassic. Notably, GoM's oceanic crust never connected with that of the Atlantic, and the isolated nature of this small ocean led to periodically confined conditions that influenced the petroleum system. Of particular importance are the deposition of Callovian age salt and Tithonian age source rocks. The central part of GoM is generally accepted as underlain by oceanic crust, but the position of the continent-ocean boundaries (COB) is debated, as well as the nature of intervening crust. We favor an interpretation of the COBs marked by the regional scale, large-amplitude Houston, Florida, and Campeche magnetic anomalies, in turn probably reflecting seaward dipping reflectors of magma-rich margins. GoM's unusual shape may indirectly represent utilization of pre-existing transforms during the break-up of Pangea. Transforms represent long, linear weaknesses where the crust and lithosphere is already broken. Transforms seem to have governed the break-up of several oceanic segments in the North Atlantic and Arctic. The Suwanne suture of the Rheic Ocean is a pronounced magnetic anomaly that crosses Georgia-Florida and becomes aligned with the Houston magnetic anomaly, which here is interpreted as the northern COB to GoM. The Suwanne suture is oriented at high angle to the rest of the Rheic suture along the Appalachians and probably experienced lateral motion during the transpressional closure of the Rheic Ocean. This transform arguably represents a weak element in the Ouachita-Marathon orogen that allowed the Yucatan microcontinent to easily be plucked from the North American margin during the dispersal of Pangea, forming the GoM in the process. This

  10. Critical Infrastructure for Ocean Research and Societal Needs in 2030

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    National Research Council

    2011-04-22

    The United States has jurisdiction over 3.4 million square miles of ocean expanse greater than the land area of all fifty states combined. This vast marine area offers researchers opportunities to investigate the ocean's role in an integrated Earth system, but also presents challenges to society, including damaging tsunamis and hurricanes, industrial accidents, and outbreaks of waterborne diseases. The 2010 Gulf of Mexico Deepwater Horizon oil spill and 2011 Japanese earthquake and tsunami are vivid reminders that a broad range of infrastructure is needed to advance our still-incomplete understanding of the ocean. The National Research Council (NRC)'s Ocean Studies Board was asked by the National Science and Technology Council's Subcommittee on Ocean Science and Technology, comprised of 25 U.S. government agencies, to examine infrastructure needs for ocean research in the year 2030. This request reflects concern, among a myriad of marine issues, over the present state of aging and obsolete infrastructure, insufficient capacity, growing technological gaps, and declining national leadership in marine technological development; issues brought to the nation's attention in 2004 by the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy. A 15-member committee of experts identified four themes that encompass 32 future ocean research questions enabling stewardship of the environment, protecting life and property, promoting economic vitality, and increasing fundamental scientific understanding. Many of the questions in the report (e.g., sea level rise, sustainable fisheries, the global water cycle) reflect challenging, multidisciplinary science questions that are clearly relevant today, and are likely to take decades of effort to solve. As such, U.S. ocean research will require a growing suite of ocean infrastructure for a range of activities, such as high quality, sustained time series observations or autonomous monitoring at a broad range of spatial and temporal scales

  11. 76 FR 59392 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Northern New Mexico

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-09-26

    ... Welcome and Introductions, Committee Business Items: [cir] Approve October 12, 2011, Meeting Agenda, [cir... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Northern New Mexico... meeting of the Environmental Monitoring, Surveillance and Remediation Committee and Waste Management...

  12. Characterization (environmental Signature) and Function of the Main Instrumented (monitoring Water Quality Network in Real Time) Rivers Atoyac and Zahuapan in High Atoyac Basin; in Dry, Rain and Winter Season 2013-2014; Puebla-Tlaxcala Mexico

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tavera, E. M.; Rodriguez-Espinosa, P. F.; Morales-Garcia, S. S.; Muñoz-Sevilla, N. P.

    2014-12-01

    The Zahuapan and Atoyac rivers were characterized in the Upper Atoyac through the integration of physical and chemical parameters (environmental firm) determining the behavior and function of the basin as a tool for measuring and monitoring the quality and management of water resources of the water in one of the most polluted rivers in Mexico. For the determination of the environmental signature proceeded to characterize the water through 11 physicochemical parameters: temperature (T), potential hydrogen (pH), dissolved oxygen (DO), spectral absorption coefficient (SAC), the reduction of oxide potential (ORP), turbidity (Turb), conductivity (l), biochemical oxygen demand in 5 days (BOD5), chemical oxygen demand (COD), total suspended solids (TSS) and total dissolved solids (TDS ), which were evaluated in 49 sites in the dry season, 47 for the rainy season and 23 for the winter season in the basin and Atoyac Zahuapan Alto Atoyac, Puebla-Tlaxcala, Mexico river; finding a mathematical algorithm to assimilate and better represent the information obtained. The algorithm allows us to estimate correlation greater than 0.85. The results allow us to propose the algorithm used in the monitoring stations for purposes of processing information assimilated form.This measurement and monitoring of water quality supports the project, the monitoring network in real time and the actions to clean up Atoyac River, in the urban area of the city of Puebla.

  13. Warm ocean processes and carbon cycling in the Eocene.

    Science.gov (United States)

    John, Eleanor H; Pearson, Paul N; Coxall, Helen K; Birch, Heather; Wade, Bridget S; Foster, Gavin L

    2013-10-28

    Sea surface and subsurface temperatures over large parts of the ocean during the Eocene epoch (55.5-33.7 Ma) exceeded modern values by several degrees, which must have affected a number of oceanic processes. Here, we focus on the effect of elevated water column temperatures on the efficiency of the biological pump, particularly in relation to carbon and nutrient cycling. We use stable isotope values from exceptionally well-preserved planktonic foraminiferal calcite from Tanzania and Mexico to reconstruct vertical carbon isotope gradients in the upper water column, exploiting the fact that individual species lived and calcified at different depths. The oxygen isotope ratios of different species' tests are used to estimate the temperature of calcification, which we converted to absolute depths using Eocene temperature profiles generated by general circulation models. This approach, along with potential pitfalls, is illustrated using data from modern core-top assemblages from the same area. Our results indicate that, during the Early and Middle Eocene, carbon isotope gradients were steeper (and larger) through the upper thermocline than in the modern ocean. This is consistent with a shallower average depth of organic matter remineralization and supports previously proposed hypotheses that invoke high metabolic rates in a warm Eocene ocean, leading to more efficient recycling of organic matter and reduced burial rates of organic carbon.

  14. Seasonality and flux estimates of dissolved organic carbon in tidal wetlands and estuaries in the U.S. Mid- Atlantic Bight and Gulf of Mexico from ocean color

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cao, F.; Tzortziou, M.; Hu, C.; Najjar, R.

    2016-02-01

    Tidal wetlands and estuaries are dynamic features of coastal ocean and play critical roles in the global carbon cycle. Exchanges of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) between tidal wetlands and adjacent estuaries have important implications for carbon sequestration in tidal wetlands as well as biogeochemical cycling of wetlands derived material in the coastal zones. Recent studies demonstrated that the absorption coefficients of chromophoric dissolved organic matter at λ= 275 and 295 nm, which can be derived from satellite ocean color observations, can be used to accurately retrieve dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in some coastal waters. Based on a synthesis of existing field observations collected covering wide spatial and temporal variability in the Mid-Atlantic Bight and the Gulf of Mexico, here we developed and validated new empirical models to estimate coastal DOC from remotely sensed bio-optical properties of the surface water. We focused on the interfaces between tidal wetland-estuary and estuary-shelf water domains. The DOC algorithms were applied to SeaWiFs and MODIS observations to generate long-term climatological DOC distributions from 1998 to 2014. Empirical orthogonal function analysis revealed strong seasonality and spatial gradients in the satellite retrieved DOC in the tidal wetlands and estuaries. Combined with field observations and biogeochemical models, satellite retrievals can be used to scale up carbon fluxes from individual marshes and sub-estuaries to the whole estuarine system, and improve understanding of biogeochemical exchanges between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

  15. RB-10-07 Lophelia II 2010: Oil Seeps and Deep Reefs on NOAA Ship Ronald H. Brown in the Gulf of Mexico between 20101014 and 20101104

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The Lophelia II project involves exploration and research of the northern Gulf of Mexico deepwater natural and artificial hard bottom habitats with emphasis on coral...

  16. Benthic organisms collected using sediment sampler from the EXCELLENCE in the Gulf of Mexico from 23 October 1980 to 18 February 1981 (NODC Accession 8100566)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Benthic organisms were collected using sediment sampler casts from the EXCELLENCE in the Gulf of Mexico from 23 October 1980 to 18 February 1981. Data were submitted...

  17. Ecosystem Monitoring (HB1502, EK60)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The Ecosystem Monitoring (aka Ecomon) survery uses bongo and CTD sampling to monitor and map the distribution of zooplankton, krill and smaller organisms) and the...

  18. Ecosystem Monitoring (AL9804, EK500)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The Ecosystem Monitoring (aka Ecomon) survery uses bongo and CTD sampling to monitor and map the distribution of zooplankton, krill and smaller organisms) and the...

  19. Radioactive wastes repository in Temascalapa, State of Mexico, public opinion. Determination of health effects; Repositorio de residuos radiactivos en Temascalapa Estado de Mexico, Opinion publica. Determinacion de efectos en la salud

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Solis Tinoco, E

    1998-12-31

    Nuclear waste usually concerns public about the impact on public health and the environment. In Mexico, such interest exists, particularly in the Temascalapa Municipality, Mexico where a low level waste repository recognized by the IAEA, has been functioning since 1972. Maquixco repository is located at 42 Kilometers northeast of Mexico City. Although the environmental radiological monitoring records have demonstrated negligible impact on the environment, in 1998 an unusual public polemic on radioactive health effects appeared among Temascalapa residents. This paper presents a research performed during 1998 with the participation of the National Nuclear Research Institute of Mexico and the National Autonomous University of Mexico. The research design allowed the involvement of local authorities, as a way of stimulate public participation. The research was performed in nine locations of the Temascalapa Municipality, it was focused on public polemics, associated to Maquixco repository as well as trying to identify demographic factors that exert influence on public attitudes. There are also presented the results of personal dosimetry analysis performed on a four hundred residents sample of this Municipality. (Author)

  20. Radioactive wastes repository in Temascalapa, State of Mexico, public opinion. Determination of health effects; Repositorio de residuos radiactivos en Temascalapa Estado de Mexico, Opinion publica. Determinacion de efectos en la salud

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Solis Tinoco, E

    1999-12-31

    Nuclear waste usually concerns public about the impact on public health and the environment. In Mexico, such interest exists, particularly in the Temascalapa Municipality, Mexico where a low level waste repository recognized by the IAEA, has been functioning since 1972. Maquixco repository is located at 42 Kilometers northeast of Mexico City. Although the environmental radiological monitoring records have demonstrated negligible impact on the environment, in 1998 an unusual public polemic on radioactive health effects appeared among Temascalapa residents. This paper presents a research performed during 1998 with the participation of the National Nuclear Research Institute of Mexico and the National Autonomous University of Mexico. The research design allowed the involvement of local authorities, as a way of stimulate public participation. The research was performed in nine locations of the Temascalapa Municipality, it was focused on public polemics, associated to Maquixco repository as well as trying to identify demographic factors that exert influence on public attitudes. There are also presented the results of personal dosimetry analysis performed on a four hundred residents sample of this Municipality. (Author)

  1. Improved Global Ocean Color Using Polymer Algorithm

    Science.gov (United States)

    Steinmetz, Francois; Ramon, Didier; Deschamps, ierre-Yves; Stum, Jacques

    2010-12-01

    A global ocean color product has been developed based on the use of the POLYMER algorithm to correct atmospheric scattering and sun glint and to process the data to a Level 2 ocean color product. Thanks to the use of this algorithm, the coverage and accuracy of the MERIS ocean color product have been significantly improved when compared to the standard product, therefore increasing its usefulness for global ocean monitor- ing applications like GLOBCOLOUR. We will present the latest developments of the algorithm, its first application to MODIS data and its validation against in-situ data from the MERMAID database. Examples will be shown of global NRT chlorophyll maps produced by CLS with POLYMER for operational applications like fishing or oil and gas industry, as well as its use by Scripps for a NASA study of the Beaufort and Chukchi seas.

  2. Trends in deforestation and forest degradation after a decade of monitoring in the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve in Mexico.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vidal, Omar; López-García, José; Rendón-Salinas, Eduardo

    2014-02-01

    We used aerial photographs, satellite images, and field surveys to monitor forest cover in the core zones of the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve in Mexico from 2001 to 2012. We used our data to assess the effectiveness of conservation actions that involved local, state, and federal authorities and community members (e.g., local landowners and private and civil organizations) in one of the world's most iconic protected areas. From 2001 through 2012, 1254 ha were deforested (i.e., cleared areas had <10% canopy cover), 925 ha were degraded (i.e., areas for which canopy forest decreased), and 122 ha were affected by climatic conditions. Of the total 2179 ha of affected area, 2057 ha were affected by illegal logging: 1503 ha by large-scale logging and 554 ha by small-scale logging. Mexican authorities effectively enforced efforts to protect the monarch reserve, particularly from 2007 to 2012. Those efforts, together with the decade-long financial support from Mexican and international philanthropists and businesses to create local alternative-income generation and employment, resulted in the decrease of large-scale illegal logging from 731 ha affected in 2005-2007 to none affected in 2012, although small-scale logging is of growing concern. However, dire regional social and economic problems remain, and they must be addressed to ensure the reserve's long-term conservation. The monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) overwintering colonies in Mexico-which engage in one of the longest known insect migrations-are threatened by deforestation, and a multistakeholder, regional, sustainable-development strategy is needed to protect the reserve. © 2013 Society for Conservation Biology.

  3. Powering Mexico

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anon.

    1992-01-01

    This article examines Mexico's demand for electricity and the market for independent power generation. The topics discussed in the article include the outlook for the 1990s for growth in Mexico's economy and energy demand, renewable energy, energy conservation, small-scale, off-grid renewable energy systems, and estimates of Mexico's market for electric power generating equipment

  4. Why is Improving Water Quality in the Gulf of Mexico so Critical?

    Science.gov (United States)

    The EPA regional offices and the Gulf of Mexico Program work with Gulf States to continue to maximize the efficiency and utility of water quality monitoring efforts for local managers by coordinating and standardizing state and federal water quality data

  5. PARTICULATE ORGANIC CARBON, cloud amount/frequency and other data from GYRE in the Gulf of Mexico from 1992-01-26 to 1992-03-20 (NODC Accession 9200085)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The Conductivity, Temperature and Depth (CTD) and bathythermograph (XBT) data were collected in Gulf of Mexico as part of Texas Institutions Gulf Ecosystem Research...

  6. Proceedings of a USGS Workshop on Facing Tomorrow's Challenges Along the U.S.-Mexico Border - Monitoring, Modeling, and Forecasting Change Within the Arizona-Sonora Transboundary Watersheds

    Science.gov (United States)

    Norman, Laura M.; Hirsch, Derrick D.; Ward, A. Wesley

    2008-01-01

    INTRODUCTION TO THE WORKSHOP PROCEEDINGS Competition for water resources, habitats, and urban areas in the Borderlands has become an international concern. In the United States, Department of Interior Bureaus, Native American Tribes, and other State and Federal partners rely on the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to provide unbiased science and leadership in the Borderlands region. Consequently, the USGS hosted a workshop, ?Facing Tomorrow?s Challenges along the U.S.-Mexico Border,? on March 20?22, 2007, in Tucson, Ariz., focused specifically on monitoring, modeling, and forecasting change within the Arizona-Sonora Transboundary Watersheds

  7. Turbidity, SOLAR RADIATION - ATMOSPHERIC and other data from GYRE in the Gulf of Mexico from 1990-02-19 to 1990-02-24 (NODC Accession 9000098)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The data in this accession was collected in the Gulf of Mexico using the R/V Gyre in February 1990 under the Texas Institutions Gulf Ecosystem Research (TIGER)...

  8. Benthic organisms collected using sediment sampler from the EXCELLENCE in the Gulf of Mexico from 31 March 1980 to 02 July 1980 (NODC Accession 8100471)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Benthic organisms were collected using sediment sampler casts from the EXCELLENCE in the Gulf of Mexico from 31 March 1980 to 02 July 1980. Data were submitted by...

  9. Benthic organisms collected using sediment sampler from the EXCELLENCE in the Gulf of Mexico from 30 July 1979 to 16 December 1979 (NODC Accession 8000523)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Benthic organisms were collected using sediment sampler casts from the EXCELLENCE in the Gulf of Mexico from 30 July 1979 to 16 December 1979. Data were submitted by...

  10. The Fram Strait integrated ocean observatory

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fahrbach, E.; Beszczynska-Möller, A.; Rettig, S.; Rohardt, G.; Sagen, H.; Sandven, S.; Hansen, E.

    2012-04-01

    A long-term oceanographic moored array has been operated since 1997 to measure the ocean water column properties and oceanic advective fluxes through Fram Strait. While the mooring line along 78°50'N is devoted to monitoring variability of the physical environment, the AWI Hausgarten observatory, located north of it, focuses on ecosystem properties and benthic biology. Under the EU DAMOCLES and ACOBAR projects, the oceanographic observatory has been extended towards the innovative integrated observing system, combining the deep ocean moorings, multipurpose acoustic system and a network of gliders. The main aim of this system is long-term environmental monitoring in Fram Strait, combining satellite data, acoustic tomography, oceanographic measurements at moorings and glider sections with high-resolution ice-ocean circulation models through data assimilation. In future perspective, a cable connection between the Hausgarten observatory and a land base on Svalbard is planned as the implementation of the ESONET Arctic node. To take advantage of the planned cabled node, different technologies for the underwater data transmission were reviewed and partially tested under the ESONET DM AOEM. The main focus was to design and evaluate available technical solutions for collecting data from different components of the Fram Strait ocean observing system, and an integration of available data streams for the optimal delivery to the future cabled node. The main components of the Fram Strait integrated observing system will be presented and the current status of available technologies for underwater data transfer will be reviewed. On the long term, an initiative of Helmholtz observatories foresees the interdisciplinary Earth-Observing-System FRAM which combines observatories such as the long term deep-sea ecological observatory HAUSGARTEN, the oceanographic Fram Strait integrated observing system and the Svalbard coastal stations maintained by the Norwegian ARCTOS network. A vision

  11. A framework to quantify uncertainty in simulations of oil transport in the ocean

    KAUST Repository

    Gonçalves, Rafael C.

    2016-03-02

    An uncertainty quantification framework is developed for the DeepC Oil Model based on a nonintrusive polynomial chaos method. This allows the model\\'s output to be presented in a probabilistic framework so that the model\\'s predictions reflect the uncertainty in the model\\'s input data. The new capability is illustrated by simulating the far-field dispersal of oil in a Deepwater Horizon blowout scenario. The uncertain input consisted of ocean current and oil droplet size data and the main model output analyzed is the ensuing oil concentration in the Gulf of Mexico. A 1331 member ensemble was used to construct a surrogate for the model which was then mined for statistical information. The mean and standard deviations in the oil concentration were calculated for up to 30 days, and the total contribution of each input parameter to the model\\'s uncertainty was quantified at different depths. Also, probability density functions of oil concentration were constructed by sampling the surrogate and used to elaborate probabilistic hazard maps of oil impact. The performance of the surrogate was constantly monitored in order to demarcate the space-time zones where its estimates are reliable. © 2016. American Geophysical Union.

  12. A framework to quantify uncertainty in simulations of oil transport in the ocean

    KAUST Repository

    Gonç alves, Rafael C.; Iskandarani, Mohamed; Srinivasan, Ashwanth; Thacker, W. Carlisle; Chassignet, Eric; Knio, Omar

    2016-01-01

    An uncertainty quantification framework is developed for the DeepC Oil Model based on a nonintrusive polynomial chaos method. This allows the model's output to be presented in a probabilistic framework so that the model's predictions reflect the uncertainty in the model's input data. The new capability is illustrated by simulating the far-field dispersal of oil in a Deepwater Horizon blowout scenario. The uncertain input consisted of ocean current and oil droplet size data and the main model output analyzed is the ensuing oil concentration in the Gulf of Mexico. A 1331 member ensemble was used to construct a surrogate for the model which was then mined for statistical information. The mean and standard deviations in the oil concentration were calculated for up to 30 days, and the total contribution of each input parameter to the model's uncertainty was quantified at different depths. Also, probability density functions of oil concentration were constructed by sampling the surrogate and used to elaborate probabilistic hazard maps of oil impact. The performance of the surrogate was constantly monitored in order to demarcate the space-time zones where its estimates are reliable. © 2016. American Geophysical Union.

  13. Regional Ocean Data Portal: Transforming Information to Knowledge

    Science.gov (United States)

    Howard, M. K.; Gayanilo, F. C.; Jochens, A. E.

    2009-12-01

    The mission of the Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean Observing System’s (GCOOS) regional data portal is to aggregate data and model output from distributed providers and to offer these, and derived products, through a single access point in standardized ways to a diverse set of users. The portal evolved under the NOAA-led U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) program where automated largely-unattended machine-to-machine interoperability has always been a guiding tenet for system design. Initially, the portal focused on aggregating relatively homogeneous oceanographic and marine meteorological data from the principal Gulf of Mexico data providers. Obtaining community agreements from the data providers on data formats, vocabularies, and levels of service was relatively easy because the technical barriers to participation were low and we were able to provide financial support to them to make small additions or changes to their local data systems. Over time, the portal requirements became more complex as new parameters, new providers and heterogeneous data streams were added and the spatial domain increased to include beaches and adjacent wetlands. This began to strain our resources and take us outside our science domains of expertise. During the same period, the Gulf of Mexico Alliance (GOMA), a new environmental quality initiative involving the five Gulf states and Mexico with similar goals and directives as those of our sponsor, gained momentum and demanded both our attention and participation. GOMA is working, mostly among themselves, to discover or establish community standards for various types of data sets - e.g. water quality and nutrients. In addition to aggregation, the portal is also tasked with producing products from the collected information streams. Arriving at a prioritized list of desired products has been a major part of the business conducted by the GCOOS Regional Association (RA). Numerous stakeholder (e.g. emergency responders, oil and gas

  14. Benthic organisms collected using sediment sampler from the SW RESEARCHER in the Gulf of Mexico from 22 September 1977 to 16 December 1977 (NODC Accession 8100224)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Benthic organisms were collected using sediment sampler casts from the SW RESEARCHER in the Gulf of Mexico from 22 September 1977 to 16 December 1977. Data were...

  15. Climate Change Community Outreach Initiative (CCCOI)--A Gulf of Mexico Education Partnership

    Science.gov (United States)

    Walker, S. H.; Stone, D.; Schultz, T.; LeBlanc, T.; Miller-Way, T.; Estrada, P.

    2012-12-01

    This five-year, Gulf of Mexico regional collaborative is funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)-Office of Education and represents a successful grant submitted by the FL Aquarium as a member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). This climate change effort focuses on enhanced content knowledge and the manner in which personal actions and behaviors contribute to sustainability and stewardship. Diverse audiences—represented by visitors at the informal centers listed above—have been and are involved in the following activities: social networking via responses to climate change surveys; an "ocean and climate change defender" computer game, specifically designed for this project; an average of 10 annual outreach events implemented by these facilities at community festivals; climate change lectures provided to family audiences; and professional development workshops for informal and formal educators. This presentation will provide opportunities and challenges encountered during the first two years of implementation. This regional effort is also aligned with both the Ocean Literacy: Essential Principles and the Climate Literacy: Essential Principles. Additional partners include: Normandeau Associates, Conservation Enterprises, Unlimited, and Mindclay Creative.

  16. Connecting Coastal Communities with Ocean Science: A Look at Ocean Sense and the Inclusion of Place-based Indigenous Knowledge

    Science.gov (United States)

    McLean, M. A.; Brown, J.; Hoeberechts, M.

    2016-02-01

    Ocean Networks Canada (ONC), an initiative of the University of Victoria, develops, operates, and maintains cabled ocean observatory systems. Technologies developed on the world-leading NEPTUNE and VENUS observatories have been adapted for small coastal installations called "community observatories," which enable community members to directly monitor conditions in the local ocean environment. In 2014, ONC pioneered an innovative educational program, Ocean Sense: Local observations, global connections, which introduces students and teachers to the technologies installed on community observatories. The program introduces middle and high school students to research methods in biology, oceanography and ocean engineering through hands-on activities. Ocean Sense includes a variety of resources and opportunities to excite students and spark curiosity about the ocean environment. The program encourages students to connect their local observations to global ocean processes and the observations of students in other geographic regions. The connection to place and local relevance of the program is further enhanced through an emphasis on Indigenous and place-based knowledge. ONC is working with coastal Indigenous communities in a collaborative process to include local knowledge, culture, and language in Ocean Sense materials. For this process to meaningful and culturally appropriate, ONC is relying on the guidance and oversight of Indigenous community educators and knowledge holders. Ocean Sense also includes opportunities for Indigenous youth and teachers in remote communities to connect in person, including an annual Ocean Science Symposium and professional development events for teachers. Building a program which embraces multiple perspectives is effective both in making ocean science more relevant to Indigenous students and in linking Indigenous knowledge and place-based knowledge to ocean science.

  17. Surface currents in the Bohai Sea derived from the Korean Geostationary Ocean Color Imager (GOCI)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jiang, L.; Wang, M.

    2016-02-01

    The first geostationary ocean color satellite sensor, the Geostationary Ocean Color Imager (GOCI) onboard the Korean Communication, Ocean, and Meteorological Satellite can monitor and measure ocean phenomena over an area of 2500 × 2500 km2 around the western Pacific region centered at 36°N and 130°E. Hourly measurements during the day around 9:00 to 16:00 local time are a unique capability of GOCI to monitor ocean features of higher temporal variability. In this presentation, we show some recent results of GOCI-derived ocean surface currents in the Bohai Sea using the Maximum Cross-Correlation (MCC) feature tracking method and compare the results with altimetry-inversed tidal current observations produced from Oregon State University (OSU) Tidal Inversion Software (OTIS). The performance of the GOCI-based MCC method is assessed and the discrepancies between the GOCI- and OTIS-derived currents are evaluated. A series of sensitivity studies are conducted with images from various satellite products and of various time differences, MCC adjustable parameters, and influence from other forcings such as wind, to find the best setups for optimal MCC performance. Our results demonstrate that GOCI can effectively provide real-time monitoring of not only water optical, biological, and biogeochemical variability, but also the physical dynamics in the region.

  18. Near Real Time Operational Satellite Ocean Color Products From NOAA OSPO CoastWatch Okeanos System:: Status and Challenges

    Science.gov (United States)

    Banghua Yan, B.

    2016-02-01

    Near real-time (NRT) ocean color (OC) satellite operation products are generated and distributed in NOAA Okeanos Operational Product System, by using the CWAPS including the Multi-Sensor Level (MSL) 12 and the chlorophyll-a frontal algorithms. Current OC operational products include daily chlorophyll concentration (anomaly), water turbidity, remote sensing reflectance and chlorophyll frontal products from Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS)/Aqua. The products have been widely applied to USA local and state ecosystem research, ecosystem observations, and fisheries managements for coastal and regional forecasting of ocean water quality, phytoplankton concentrations, and primary production. Users of the products have the National Ocean Service, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Weather Service, and Oceanic and Atmospheric Research. Recently, the OC products are being extended to S-NPP VIIRS to provide global NRT ocean color products to user community suh as National Weatrher Service for application for Global Data Assimilation System and Real-Time Ocean Forecast System. However, there remain some challenges in application of the products due to certain product quality and coverage issues. Recent efforts were made to provide a comprehensive web-based Quality Assurance (QA) tool for monitoring OC products quality in near real time mode, referring to http://www.ospo.noaa.gov/Products/ocean/color_new/color.htm. The new QA monitoring tool includes but not limited to the following advanced features applicable for MODIS/Aqua and NPP/VIIRS OC products: 1) Monitoring product quality in NRT mode; 2) Monitoring the availability and quality of OC products with time; 3) Detecting anomalous OC products due to low valid pixels and other quality issues. As an example, potential application and challenges of the ocean color products to oceanic oil spill detection are investigated. It is thus expected that the Okeanos ocean color operational system in

  19. Natural and unnatural oil slicks in the Gulf of Mexico

    Science.gov (United States)

    Garcia‐Pineda, O.; Beet, A.; Daneshgar Asl, S.; Feng, L.; Graettinger, G.; French‐McCay, D.; Holmes, J.; Hu, C.; Huffer, F.; Leifer, I.; Muller‐Karger, F.; Solow, A.; Silva, M.; Swayze, G.

    2015-01-01

    Abstract When wind speeds are 2–10 m s−1, reflective contrasts in the ocean surface make oil slicks visible to synthetic aperture radar (SAR) under all sky conditions. Neural network analysis of satellite SAR images quantified the magnitude and distribution of surface oil in the Gulf of Mexico from persistent, natural seeps and from the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) discharge. This analysis identified 914 natural oil seep zones across the entire Gulf of Mexico in pre‐2010 data. Their ∼0.1 µm slicks covered an aggregated average of 775 km2. Assuming an average volume of 77.5 m3 over an 8–24 h lifespan per oil slick, the floating oil indicates a surface flux of 2.5–9.4 × 104 m3 yr−1. Oil from natural slicks was regionally concentrated: 68%, 25%, 7%, and Gulf, respectively. This reflects differences in basin history and hydrocarbon generation. SAR images from 2010 showed that the 87 day DWH discharge produced a surface‐oil footprint fundamentally different from background seepage, with an average ocean area of 11,200 km2 (SD 5028) and a volume of 22,600 m3 (SD 5411). Peak magnitudes of oil were detected during equivalent, ∼14 day intervals around 23 May and 18 June, when wind speeds remained <5 m s−1. Over this interval, aggregated volume of floating oil decreased by 21%; area covered increased by 49% (p < 0.1), potentially altering its ecological impact. The most likely causes were increased applications of dispersant and surface burning operations. PMID:27774370

  20. OceanSITES format and Ocean Observatory Output harmonisation: past, present and future

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pagnani, Maureen; Galbraith, Nan; Diggs, Stephen; Lankhorst, Matthias; Hidas, Marton; Lampitt, Richard

    2015-04-01

    SITES initiative has always been truly international, and in Europe the first project to include OceanSITES as part of its outputs was ANIMATE(2002-2005), where 3 moorings and 5 partners shared equipment, methods and analysis effort and produced their final outputs in OceanSITES format. Subsequent European projects, MERSEA(2004-2008) and EuroSITES (2008-2011) built on that early success and the current European project FixO3 encompasses 23 moorings and 29 partners, all of whom are committed to producing data in OceanSITES format. The global OceanSITES partnership continues to grow; in 2014 the Australian Integrated Marine Observing System ( IMOS) started delivering data to the OceanSITES FTP, and files and India, South Korea and Japan are also active members of the OceanSITES community. As illustrated in figure 1 the OceanSITES sites cover the entire globe, and the format has now matured enough to be taken up by other user groups. GO-SHIP, a global, ship-based hydrographic program, shares technical management with OceanSITES through JCOMMOPS, and has its roots in WOCE Hydrography. This program complements OceanSITES and directly contributes to the mooring data holdings by providing repeated CTD and bottle profiles at specific locations. GO-SHIP hydrographic data adds a source of timeseries profiles and are provided in the OceanSITES file structure to facilitate full data interoperability. GO-SHIP has worked closely with the OceanSITES program, and this interaction has produced an unexpected side benefit - all data in the GO-SHIP database will be offered the robust and CF-compliant OceanSITES format beginning in 2015. The MyOcean European ocean monitoring and forecasting project has been in existence since 2009, and has successfully used the OceanSITES format as a unifying paradigm. MyOcean daily receives hundreds of data files from across Europe, and distributes the data from drifter buoys, moorings and tide gauges in OceanSITES format. These in-situ data are essential for both

  1. The Coastal Ocean Prediction Systems program: Understanding and managing our coastal ocean. Volume 1: Strategic summary

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    1990-05-15

    The proposed COPS (Coastal Ocean Prediction Systems) program is concerned with combining numerical models with observations (through data assimilation) to improve our predictive knowledge of the coastal ocean. It is oriented toward applied research and development and depends upon the continued pursuit of basic research in programs like COOP (Coastal Ocean Processes); i.e., to a significant degree it is involved with ``technology transfer`` from basic knowledge to operational and management applications. This predictive knowledge is intended to address a variety of societal problems: (1) ship routing, (2) trajectories for search and rescue operations, (3) oil spill trajectory simulations, (4) pollution assessments, (5) fisheries management guidance, (6) simulation of the coastal ocean`s response to climate variability, (7) calculation of sediment transport, (8) calculation of forces on structures, and so forth. The initial concern is with physical models and observations in order to provide a capability for the estimation of physical forces and transports in the coastal ocean. For all these applications, there are common needs for physical field estimates: waves, tides, currents, temperature, and salinity, including mixed layers, thermoclines, fronts, jets, etc. However, the intent is to work with biologists, chemists, and geologists in developing integrated multidisciplinary prediction systems as it becomes feasible to do so. From another perspective, by combining observations with models through data assimilation, a modern approach to monitoring is provided through whole-field estimation.

  2. SeaWinds - Oceans, Land, Polar Regions

    Science.gov (United States)

    1999-01-01

    The SeaWinds scatterometer on the QuikScat satellite makes global radar measurements -- day and night, in clear sky and through clouds. The radar data over the oceans provide scientists and weather forecasters with information on surface wind speed and direction. Scientists also use the radar measurements directly to learn about changes in vegetation and ice extent over land and polar regions.This false-color image is based entirely on SeaWinds measurements obtained over oceans, land, and polar regions. Over the ocean, colors indicate wind speed with orange as the fastest wind speeds and blue as the slowest. White streamlines indicate the wind direction. The ocean winds in this image were measured by SeaWinds on September 20, 1999. The large storm in the Atlantic off the coast of Florida is Hurricane Gert. Tropical storm Harvey is evident as a high wind region in the Gulf of Mexico, while farther west in the Pacific is tropical storm Hilary. An extensive storm is also present in the South Atlantic Ocean near Antarctica.The land image was made from four days of SeaWinds data with the aid of a resolution enhancement algorithm developed by Dr. David Long at Brigham Young University. The lightest green areas correspond to the highest radar backscatter. Note the bright Amazon and Congo rainforests compared to the dark Sahara desert. The Amazon River is visible as a dark line running horizontally though the bright South American rain forest. Cities appear as bright spots on the images, especially in the U.S. and Europe.The image of Greenland and the north polar ice cap was generated from data acquired by SeaWinds on a single day. In the polar region portion of the image, white corresponds to the largest radar return, while purple is the lowest. The variations in color in Greenland and the polar ice cap reveal information about the ice and snow conditions present.NASA's Earth Science Enterprise is a long-term research and technology program designed to examine Earth

  3. 78 FR 79674 - Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-12-31

    ... Limits Monitoring Overview 5. Red Snapper Slot Limit Analysis 6. Alternative Red Snapper ABCs a. based on...: The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold a meeting of the ABC Control Rule... the individual meeting agendas are as follows: ABC Control Rule Working Group Agenda, Wednesday...

  4. Calendar year 2004 annual site environmental report:Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico.

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Montoya, Amber L.; Goering, Teresa Lynn; Wagner, Katrina; Koss, Susan I.; Salinas, Stephanie A.

    2005-09-01

    Sandia National Laboratories, New Mexico (SNL/NM) is a government-owned, contractor-operated facility owned by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and managed by the Sandia Site Office (SSO), Albuquerque, New Mexico. Sandia Corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Lockheed Martin Corporation, operates SNL/NM. This annual report summarizes data and the compliance status of Sandia Corporation's environmental protection and monitoring programs through December 31, 2004. Major environmental programs include air quality, water quality, groundwater protection, terrestrial surveillance, waste management, pollution prevention (P2), environmental restoration (ER), oil and chemical spill prevention, and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Environmental monitoring and surveillance programs are required by DOE Order 450.1, Environmental Protection Program (DOE 2005) and DOE Order 231.1A, Environment, Safety, and Health Reporting (DOE 2004a). (DOE 2004a).

  5. Radioactive wastes repository in Temascalapa, State of Mexico, public opinion. Determination of health effects

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Solis Tinoco, E.

    1998-01-01

    Nuclear waste usually concerns public about the impact on public health and the environment. In Mexico, such interest exists, particularly in the Temascalapa Municipality, Mexico where a low level waste repository recognized by the IAEA, has been functioning since 1972. Maquixco repository is located at 42 Kilometers northeast of Mexico City. Although the environmental radiological monitoring records have demonstrated negligible impact on the environment, in 1998 an unusual public polemic on radioactive health effects appeared among Temascalapa residents. This paper presents a research performed during 1998 with the participation of the National Nuclear Research Institute of Mexico and the National Autonomous University of Mexico. The research design allowed the involvement of local authorities, as a way of stimulate public participation. The research was performed in nine locations of the Temascalapa Municipality, it was focused on public polemics, associated to Maquixco repository as well as trying to identify demographic factors that exert influence on public attitudes. There are also presented the results of personal dosimetry analysis performed on a four hundred residents sample of this Municipality. (Author)

  6. Sustaining observations of the unsteady ocean circulation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Frajka-Williams, E

    2014-09-28

    Sustained observations of ocean properties reveal a global warming trend and rising sea levels. These changes have been documented by traditional ship-based measurements of ocean properties, whereas more recent Argo profiling floats and satellite records permit estimates of ocean changes on a near real-time basis. Through these and newer methods of observing the oceans, scientists are moving from quantifying the 'state of the ocean' to monitoring its variability, and distinguishing the physical processes bringing signals of change. In this paper, I give a brief overview of the UK contributions to the physical oceanographic observations, and the role they have played in the wider global observing systems. While temperature and salinity are the primary measurements of physical oceanography, new transbasin mooring arrays also resolve changes in ocean circulation on daily timescales. Emerging technologies permit routine observations at higher-than-ever spatial resolutions. Following this, I then give a personal perspective on the future of sustained observations. New measurement techniques promise exciting discoveries concerning the role of smaller scales and boundary processes in setting the large-scale ocean circulation and the ocean's role in climate. The challenges now facing the scientific community include sustaining critical observations in the case of funding system changes or shifts in government priorities. These long records will enable a determination of the role and response of the ocean to climate change. © 2014 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved.

  7. 4 km NODC/RSMAS AVHRR Pathfinder v5 Seasonal and Annual Day-Night Sea Surface Temperature Climatologies for 1982-2009 for the Gulf of Mexico (NODC Accession 0072888)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This accession contains a set of sea surface temperature climatologies for the Gulf of Mexico (GOM), derived from the AVHRR Pathfinder Version 5 sea surface...

  8. A Southern Ocean variability study using the Argo-based Model for Investigation of the Global Ocean (AMIGO)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lebedev, Konstantin

    2017-04-01

    The era of satellite observations of the ocean surface that started at the end of the 20th century and the development of the Argo project in the first years of the 21st century, designed to collect information of the upper 2000 m of the ocean using satellites, provides unique opportunities for continuous monitoring of the Global Ocean state. Starting from 2005, measurements with the Argo floats have been performed over the majority of the World Ocean. In November 2007, the Argo program reached coverage of 3000 simultaneously operating floats (one float in a three-degree square) planned during the development of the program. Currently, 4000 Argo floats autonomously profile the upper 2000-m water column of the ocean from Antarctica to Spitsbergen increasing World Ocean temperature and salinity databases by 12000 profiles per month. This makes it possible to solve problems on reconstructing and monitoring the ocean state on an almost real-time basis, study the ocean dynamics, obtain reasonable estimates of the climatic state of the ocean in the last decade and estimate existing intraclimatic trends. We present the newly developed Argo-Based Model for Investigation of the Global Ocean (AMIGO), which consists of a block for variational interpolation of the profiles of drifting Argo floats to a regular grid and a block for model hydrodynamic adjustment of variationally interpolated fields. Such a method makes it possible to obtain a full set of oceanographic characteristics - temperature, salinity, density, and current velocity - using irregularly located Argo measurements (the principle of the variational interpolation technique entails minimization of the misfit between the interpolated fields defined on the regular grid and irregularly distributed data; hence the optimal solution passes as close to the data as possible). The simulations were performed for the entire globe limited in the north by 85.5° N using 1° grid spacing in both longitude and latitude. At the

  9. Environmental Monitoring Plan, Nevada Test Site and support facilities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1991-11-01

    This Operational Area Monitoring Plan for environmental monitoring, is for EG ampersand G Energy Measurements, Inc. (EG ampersand G/EM) which operates several offsite facilities in support of activities at the Nevada Test Site (NTS). These facilities include: (1) Amador Valley Operations (AVO), Pleasanton, California; (2) Kirtland Operations (KO), Kirtland Air Force base, Albuquerque, New Mexico (KAFB); (3) Las Vegas Area Operations (LVAO), Remote Sensing Laboratory (RSL), and North Las Vegas (NLV) Complex at Nellis Air Force Base (NAFB), North Las Vegas, Nevada; (4) Los Alamos Operations (LAO), Los Alamos, New Mexico; (5) Santa Barbara Operations (SBO), Goleta, California; (6) Special Technologies Laboratory (STL), Santa Barbara, California; (7) Washington Aerial Measurements Department (WAMD), Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland; and, (8) Woburn Cathode Ray Tube Operations (WCO), Woburn, Massachusetts. Each of these facilities has an individual Operational Area Monitoring Plan, but they have been consolidated herein to reduce redundancy

  10. Cloud amount/frequency, NITRATE and other data from NOAA Ship WHITING in the Gulf of Mexico from 1992-04-02 to 1992-07-14 (NODC Accession 9300187)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The Conductivity, Temperature and Depth (CTD) and other data were collected in Gulf of Mexico by SEACATs deployed in the area. Data was collected from NOAA Ship...

  11. Physical, chemical, and other data from the Gulf of Mexico as part of the Deepwater project from 01 August 1999 to 01 August 2002 (NODC Accession 0002207)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Physical, chemical, and other data were collected using trawl, SeaWifs and other instruments from the GYRE from the Gulf of Mexico. Data were collected from August...

  12. WATER TEMPERATURE, Depth, and SALINITY collected from RV Walton Smith in Gulf of Mexico from 2012-07-01 to 2012-08-01 (NCEI Accession 0156594)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — 59 CTD casts made from small boats launched by the RV Walton Smith in the northern Gulf of Mexico near DeSoto Canyon in July 2012 as part of the Grand Lagrangian...

  13. Water Temperature, Conductivity, and others collected from RV Walton Smith in Gulf of Mexico from 2012-07-21 to 2012-08-01 (NCEI Accession 0156586)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This dataset contains 43 CTD casts made from the RV Walton Smith in the northern Gulf of Mexico near DeSoto Canyon in July-August 2012 as part of the Grand...

  14. 1994 Site Environmental Report Sandia National Laboratories Albuquerque, New Mexico

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shyr, L.J.; Wiggins, T.; White, B.B.

    1995-09-01

    This 1994 report contains data from routine radiological and nonradiological environmental monitoring activities. Summaries of significant environmental compliance programs in progress, such as National Environmental Policy Act documentation, environmental permits, environmental restoration, and various waste management programs for Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico, are included. The maximum off-site dose impact from air emissions was calculated to be 1.5 x 10 -4 millirem. The total population within a 50-mile radius of Sandia National Laboratories/New Mexico received an estimated collective dose of 0.012 person-rem during 1994 from the laboratories' operations. This report is prepared for the U.S. Department of Energy in compliance with DOE Order 5400.1

  15. CONDUCTIVITY, WATER TEMPERATURE, and others collected from R/V Weatherbird II in Gulf of Mexico from 2013-06-24 to 2013-06-30 (NCEI Accession 0156593)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This dataset reports conductivity, temperature and depth data collected in the Northern Gulf of Mexico during the R/V Weatherbird II cruise WB-1318 from June 24-30th...

  16. CTD data collected using CTD casts from NOAA Ship RESEARCHER in the Gulf of Mexico from 1977-07-13 to 1977-07-23 (NODC Accession 7800876)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Temperature profile and other data were collected using CTD casts from NOAA Ship RESEARCHER in the Gulf of Mexico. Data were collected from 13 July 1977 to 23 July...

  17. Monitoring Students' Academic & Disciplinary Progression.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McDonald, Fred; Kellogg, Larry J.

    This document outlines the objectives and procedures of a program at a New Mexico school district whose purpose is to enable school personnel to systematically monitor students' academic and disciplinary progression. The objectives of the program are to diagnose academic or disciplinary problems and prescribe remedies, to establish an oncampus…

  18. Ocean Sense: Student-Led, Real-Time Research at the Bottom of the Ocean - Without Leaving the Classroom

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pelz, M.; Hoeberechts, M.; McLean, M. A.; Riddell, D. J.; Ewing, N.; Brown, J. C.

    2016-12-01

    This presentation outlines the authentic research experiences created by Ocean Networks Canada's Ocean Sense program, a transformative education program that connects students and teachers with place-based, real-time data via the Internet. This program, developed in collaboration with community educators, features student-centric activities, clearly outlined learning outcomes, assessment tools and curriculum aligned content. Ocean Networks Canada (ONC), an initiative of the University of Victoria, develops, operates, and maintains cabled ocean observatory systems. Technologies developed on the world-leading NEPTUNE and VENUS observatories have been adapted for small coastal installations called "community observatories," which enable community members to directly monitor conditions in the local ocean environment. Data from these observatories are fundamental to lessons and activities in the Ocean Sense program. Marketed as Ocean Sense: Local observations, global connections, the program introduces middle and high school students to research methods in biology, oceanography and ocean engineering. It includes a variety of resources and opportunities to excite students and spark curiosity about the ocean environment. The program encourages students to connect their local observations to global ocean processes and the observations of students in other geographic regions. Connection to place and local relevance of the program is enhanced through an emphasis on Indigenous and place-based knowledge. The program promotes of cross-cultural learning with the inclusion of Indigenous knowledge of the ocean. Ocean Sense provides students with an authentic research experience by connecting them to real-time data, often within their own communities. Using the freely accessible data portal, students can curate the data they need from a range of instruments and time periods. Further, students are not restricted to their local community; if their question requires a greater range of

  19. Biodegradation of hexadecane using sediments from rivers and lagoons of the Southern Gulf of Mexico.

    Science.gov (United States)

    García-Cruz, N Ulises; Sánchez-Avila, Juan I; Valdés-Lozano, David; Gold-Bouchot, Gerardo; Aguirre-Macedo, Leopoldina

    2018-03-01

    The Southern Gulf of Mexico is an area highly impacted by crude oil extraction, refining activities and the presence of natural petroleum seepage. Oceanic currents in the Gulf of Mexico continually facilitate the transport of hydrocarbons to lagoons and rivers. This research evaluated hexadecane (HXD) degradation in marine sediment samples from lagoons and rivers that are fed by the Southern Gulf of Mexico, specifically six samples from rivers, three samples from lagoons, and one sample from a marine outfall. The highest rates of biodegradation were observed in sediments from the mouths of the Gonzalez River and the Champotón Lagoon. The lowest consumption rate was found in sediment from the mouth of the Coatzacoalcos River. With regards to the Ostión Lagoon and the Grijalva River, there was a low rate of consumption, but a high efficiency of degradation which took place at the end of the experiments. No correlation was found between the consumption rate and the environmental physicochemical parameters. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Summary of urban stormwater quality in Albuquerque, New Mexico, 2003-12

    Science.gov (United States)

    Storms, Erik F.; Oelsner, Gretchen P.; Locke, Evan A.; Stevens, Michael R.; Romero, Orlando C.

    2015-01-01

    Urban stormwater in the Albuquerque metropolitan area was sampled by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the City of Albuquerque, the Albuquerque Metropolitan Arroyo Flood Control Authority, the New Mexico Department of Transportation, and the University of New Mexico. Stormwater was sampled from a network of monitoring stations from 2003 to 2012 by following regulatory requirements for the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System stormwater permit. During this period, stormwater was sampled in the Albuquerque metropolitan area at outfalls from nine drainage basins with residential, industrial, commercial, agricultural, and undeveloped land uses. Stormwater samples were analyzed for selected physical and chemical characteristics, nutrients, major ions, metals, organic compounds, and bacteria.

  1. Climate Prediction Center - Monitoring & Data Index

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weather Service NWS logo - Click to go to the NWS home page Climate Prediction Center Site Map News Oceanic & Atmospheric Monitoring and Data Monitoring Weather & Climate in Realtime Climate Diagnostics Bulletin Preliminary Climate Diagnostics Bulletin Figures Monthly Atmospheric & Sea Surface

  2. System for Reporting High Resolution Ocean Pressures in Near Realtime for the Purposes of Tsunami Monitoring

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This invention is the NOAA Deep ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunami (DART) system, which utilizes a seafloor tsunameter linked to an ocean surface buoy via...

  3. 40 CFR 228.9 - Disposal site monitoring.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... Section 228.9 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) OCEAN DUMPING CRITERIA FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF DISPOSAL SITES FOR OCEAN DUMPING § 228.9 Disposal site monitoring. (a) The... following components: (1) Trend assessment surveys conducted at intervals frequent enough to assess the...

  4. Organochlorine pesticide residues in the northern Indian Ocean

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Shailaja, M.S.; Sarkar, A.

    periodic monitoring of the levels of the major pollutants. One on-going exercise has been to evaluate, qualitatively and quantitatively, the persistent organochlorine pesticide residues in the Northern Indian Ocean. The baseline levels of some...

  5. Southeast Regional Implementation Manual for Requirements and Procedures for Evaluation of the Ocean Disposal of Dredged Material in Southeastern U.S. Atlantic and Gulf Coast Waters

    Science.gov (United States)

    This Regional Implementation Manual was prepared by EPA Region 4 to provide guidance for applicants proposing open-water disposal of dredged material in southeastern U.S. coastal waters of the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico.

  6. [Perception over smoke-free policies amongst bar and restaurant representatives in central Mexico].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barrientos-Gutiérrez, Tonatiuh; Gimeno, David; Thrasher, James F; Reynales-Shigematsu, Luz Myriam; Amick, Benjamin C; Lazcano-Ponce, Eduardo; Hernández-Ávila, Mauricio

    2010-01-01

    To analyze the perceptions and appreciations over smoke-free environments of restaurant and bar managers from four cities in central Mexico. Managers from 219 restaurants and bars from Mexico City, Colima, Cuernavaca and Toluca were surveyed about smoke-free environments opinions and implementation. Simultaneously, environmental nicotine was monitored. The majority of surveyed managers considered public places should be smoke-free, although more than half were concerned with potential economic loses. Implementation of smoke-free environments was more frequent in Mexico City (85.4%) than in the other cities (15.3% overall), with consequently lower environmental nicotine concentrations. Managers acknowledge the need to create smoke-free environments. Concerns over economic negative effects derived from the prohibition could explain, at least partially, the rejection of this sector towards the implementation of this type of policy.

  7. Physical trajectory profile data from glider bass deployed by University of South Florida in the Gulf of Mexico from 2015-08-27 to 2015-09-04 (NCEI Accession 0145707)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This deployment is in support of understanding the complex dynamics of prediction and evolution of eastern Gulf of Mexico Harmful Algal Blooms. The National Centers...

  8. North American Land Change Monitoring System (NALCMS) Collection

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Geological Survey, Department of the Interior — The North American Land Change Monitoring System (NALCMS) is a trilateral effort between Canada, the United States, and Mexico, and is produced by the Canada Centre...

  9. Benthic organisms collected using sediment sampler from the EXCELLENCE and other platforms in the Gulf of Mexico from 1981-12-09 to 1985-08-26 (NODC Accession 8400043)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Benthic organisms were collected using sediment sampler casts from the EXCELLENCE and other platforms in the Gulf of Mexico from 09 December 1981 to 26 August 1985....

  10. Monitoring of organochlorine pesticide residue levels in adipose tissue of Veracruz, Mexico inhabitants.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Waliszewski, Stefan M; Caba, M; Herrero-Mercado, M; Saldariaga-Noreña, H; Meza, E; Zepeda, R; Martínez-Valenzuela, C; Infanzon, R; Hernández-Chalate, F

    2011-11-01

    The objective of the present study was to monitor the levels of organochlorine pesticides HCB, α-β-γ-HCH, pp'DDE, op'DDT and pp'DDT in 150 adipose tissue samples of Veracruz, Mexico inhabitants. In analyzed samples, the following pesticides were detected: p,p'-DDE in 100% of the samples at mean 1.643 mg/kg; p,p'-DDT in 99.3.% of the samples at mean 0.227 mg/kg; β-HCH in 97.3% of the samples at mean 0.063 mg/kg; and op'DDT in 93.3% of the samples at mean 0.022 mg/kg. Comparing mean, median and geometric mean concentrations of organochlorine pesticides shows a decrease in values from mean to median and to geometric mean which points out a prevalence of lower concentrations among the total samples and the existence of occasional cases of extreme exposure expressed in range values. The pooled samples divided according to sex, showed only significant differences of pp'DDE median concentrations between sexes. The other organochlorine pesticides indicated no statistical differences between sexes, including the pp'DDE/pp'DDT ratio. The samples grouped according to age, showed that the third tertile was more contaminated for both sexes, indicating age as a positively associated factor with organochlorine pesticide levels in adipose tissue of Veracruz inhabitants. Comparing organochlorine pesticide levels between 2008 and 2010 years, a decreased tendency for β-HCH, pp'DDE, Σ-DDT and pp'DDE/pp'DDT ratio levels was observed.

  11. Soil and water pollution in a banana production region in tropical Mexico

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Geissen, V.; Que Ramos, F.; Bastidas-Bastidas, de P.J.; Díaz-González, G.; Bello-Mendoza, R.; Huerta-Lwanga, E.; Ruiz-Suárez, L.E.

    2010-01-01

    The effects of abundant Mancozeb (Mn, Zn— bisdithiocarbamate) applications (2.5 kg ha-1week-1 for 10 years) on soil and surface-, subsurface- and groundwater pollution were monitored in a banana production region of tropical Mexico. In soils, severe manganese accumulation was observed, wheras the

  12. Successful integration efforts in water quality from the integrated Ocean Observing System Regional Associations and the National Water Quality Monitoring Network

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ragsdale, R.; Vowinkel, E.; Porter, D.; Hamilton, P.; Morrison, R.; Kohut, J.; Connell, B.; Kelsey, H.; Trowbridge, P.

    2011-01-01

    The Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS??) Regional Associations and Interagency Partners hosted a water quality workshop in January 2010 to discuss issues of nutrient enrichment and dissolved oxygen depletion (hypoxia), harmful algal blooms (HABs), and beach water quality. In 2007, the National Water Quality Monitoring Council piloted demonstration projects as part of the National Water Quality Monitoring Network (Network) for U.S. Coastal Waters and their Tributaries in three IOOS Regional Associations, and these projects are ongoing. Examples of integrated science-based solutions to water quality issues of major concern from the IOOS regions and Network demonstration projects are explored in this article. These examples illustrate instances where management decisions have benefited from decision-support tools that make use of interoperable data. Gaps, challenges, and outcomes are identified, and a proposal is made for future work toward a multiregional water quality project for beach water quality.

  13. Detection and Mapping of the September 2017 Mexico Earthquakes Using DAS Fiber-Optic Infrastructure Arrays

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karrenbach, M. H.; Cole, S.; Williams, J. J.; Biondi, B. C.; McMurtry, T.; Martin, E. R.; Yuan, S.

    2017-12-01

    Fiber-optic distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) uses conventional telecom fibers for a wide variety of monitoring purposes. Fiber-optic arrays can be located along pipelines for leak detection; along borders and perimeters to detect and locate intruders, or along railways and roadways to monitor traffic and identify and manage incidents. DAS can also be used to monitor oil and gas reservoirs and to detect earthquakes. Because thousands of such arrays are deployed worldwide and acquiring data continuously, they can be a valuable source of data for earthquake detection and location, and could potentially provide important information to earthquake early-warning systems. In this presentation, we show that DAS arrays in Mexico and the United States detected the M8.1 and M7.2 Mexico earthquakes in September 2017. At Stanford University, we have deployed a 2.4 km fiber-optic DAS array in a figure-eight pattern, with 600 channels spaced 4 meters apart. Data have been recorded continuously since September 2016. Over 800 earthquakes from across California have been detected and catalogued. Distant teleseismic events have also been recorded, including the two Mexican earthquakes. In Mexico, fiber-optic arrays attached to pipelines also detected these two events. Because of the length of these arrays and their proximity to the event locations, we can not only detect the earthquakes but also make location estimates, potentially in near real time. In this presentation, we review the data recorded for these two events recorded at Stanford and in Mexico. We compare the waveforms recorded by the DAS arrays to those recorded by traditional earthquake sensor networks. Using the wide coverage provided by the pipeline arrays, we estimate the event locations. Such fiber-optic DAS networks can potentially play a role in earthquake early-warning systems, allowing actions to be taken to minimize the impact of an earthquake on critical infrastructure components. While many such fiber

  14. 2002 Upper Texas Coast Lidar Point Data, Gulf of Mexico Shoreline in the Northeast 3.75-Minute Quadrant of the Lake Como 7.5-Minute Quadrangle: Post Fay Survey

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This data set contains elevation data derived from a lidar survey approximately 300m wide of the Gulf of Mexico shoreline in the Northeast Lake Como...

  15. Temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen measurements collected using CTD, bottle from multiple platforms in the Gulf of Mexico from 1992 through 2008 as part of the Southeast Area Monitoring and Assessment Program (SEAMAP) (NODC Accession 0069702)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The Southeast Area Monitoring and Assessment Program (SEAMAP) is a State/Federal/university program for collection, management and dissemination of...

  16. Calendar year 2003 annual site environmental report for Sandia National Laboratories, New Mexico.

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wagner, Katrina; Sanchez, Rebecca V.; Mayeux, Lucie; Koss, Susan I.; Salinas, Stephanie A.

    2004-09-01

    Sandia National Laboratories, New Mexico (SNL/NM) is a government-owned, contractor-operated facility owned by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and managed by the Sandia Site Office (SSO), Albuquerque, New Mexico. Sandia Corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Lockheed Martin Corporation, operates SNL/NM. This annual report summarizes data and the compliance status of Sandia Corporation's environmental protection and monitoring programs through December 31, 2003. Major environmental programs include air quality, water quality, groundwater protection, terrestrial surveillance, waste management, pollution prevention (P2), environmental restoration (ER), oil and chemical spill prevention, and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Environmental monitoring and surveillance programs are required by DOE Order 450.1, ''Environmental Protection Program'' (DOE 2003a) and DOE Order 231.1 Chg.2, ''Environment, Safety, and Health Reporting'' (DOE 1996).

  17. UMTRA project water sampling and analysis plan, Ambrosia Lake, New Mexico

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1994-02-01

    This water sampling and analysis plan (WSAP) provides the basis for ground water sampling at the Ambrosia Lake Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action (UMTRA) Project site during fiscal year 1994. It identifies and justifies the sampling locations, analytical parameters, detection limits, and sampling frequency for the monitoring locations and will be updated annually. The Ambrosia Lake site is in McKinley County, New Mexico, about 40 kilometers (km) (25 miles [mi]) north of Grants, New Mexico, and 1.6 km (1 mi) east of New Mexico Highway 509 (Figure 1.1). The town closest to the tailings pile is San Mateo, about 16 km ( 10 mi) southeast (Figure 1.2). The former mill and tailings pile are in Section 28, and two holding ponds are in Section 33, Township 14 North, Range 9 West. The site is shown on the US Geological Survey (USGS) map (USGS, 1980). The site is approximately 2100 meters (m) (7000 feet [ft]) above sea level

  18. From continental to oceanic rifting in the Gulf of California

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ferrari, Luca; Bonini, Marco; Martín, Arturo

    2017-11-01

    The continental margin of northwestern Mexico is the youngest example of the transition from a convergent plate boundary to an oblique divergent margin that formed the Gulf of California rift. Subduction of the Farallon oceanic plate during the Cenozoic progressively brought the East Pacific Rise (EPR) toward the North America trench. In this process increasingly younger and buoyant oceanic lithosphere entered the subduction zone until subduction ended just before most of the EPR could collide with the North America continental lithosphere. The EPR segments bounding the unsubducted parts of the Farallón plate remnants (Guadalupe and Magdalena microplates) also ceased spreading (Lonsdale, 1991) and a belt of the North American plate (California and Baja California Peninsula) became coupled with the Pacific Plate and started moving northwestward forming the modern Gulf of California oblique rift (Nicholson et al., 1994; Bohannon and Parsons, 1995). The timing of the change from plate convergence to oblique divergence off western Mexico has been constrained at the middle Miocene (15-12.5 Ma) by ocean floor morphology and magnetic anomalies as well as plate tectonic reconstructions (Atwater and Severinghaus, 1989; Stock and Hodges, 1989; Lonsdale, 1991), although the onset of transtensional deformation and the amount of right lateral displacement within the Gulf region are still being studied (Oskin et al., 2001; Fletcher et al., 2007; Bennett and Oskin, 2014). Other aspects of the formation of the Gulf of California remain not well understood. At present the Gulf of California straddles the transition from continental transtension in the north to oceanic spreading in the south. Seismic reflection-refraction data indicate asymmetric continent-ocean transition across conjugate margins of rift segments (González-Fernández et al., 2005; Lizarralde et al., 2007; Miller and Lizarralde, 2013; Martín-Barajas et al., 2013). The asymmetry may be related to crustal

  19. Water-resources investigations of the U.S. Geological Survey in New Mexico; fiscal year 1981

    Science.gov (United States)

    White, Robert R.; Wells, J.G.

    1983-01-01

    The Water Resources Division of the U.S. Geological Survey investigates the occurrence, quantity, quality, distribution, and movement of the Nation 's surface and underground waters, and coordinates Federal water data acquisition activities. During fiscal year 1981, the New Mexico District had 40 active projects, released 19 reports, and answered hundreds of requests of water-related information. Investigations included the following: (1) chemical quality of surface water in New Mexico; (2) chemical quality of groundwater in New Mexico; (3) sediment transport in New Mexico streams; (4) surface water supply; (5) surface water diversions for irrigation; (6) streamflow characteristics; (7) effect of urban development on storm runoff; (8) inundation from floods; (9) effects of groundwater pumping; (10) long-term monitoring of groundwater levels; (11) groundwater and surface water relationships; (12) consumptive use by phreatophytes; (13) hydrologic impacts of energy development; and (14) groundwater supplies. (Lantz-PTT)

  20. National Coral Reef Monitoring Program: Assessing and Monitoring Cryptic Reef Diversity of Colonizing Marine Invertebrates using Autonomous Reef Monitoring Structure (ARMS) Deployed at Coral Reef Sites across American Samoa from 2012 to 2015

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Autonomous Reef Monitoring Structures (ARMS) are used to assess and monitor cryptic reef diversity of colonizing marine invertebrates in the Hawaiian and Mariana...