of a thesis at the University of Miami. Coastal Erosion poses a significant threat to several coastal communities in Florida. Ecosystem managers are tasked with both protecting the community from storm events and preserving the natural ecosystems found in the coastal zone. The most widely utilized method for shoreline protection in Florida is beach renourishment. Beach renourishment projects ar...

The blue crab, Callinectes sapidus, is a valuable resource in the Coastal Bays, supporting a steady commercial and recreational fishery. Surveys suggest that blue crab abundance fluctuates without an apparent trend, yet there is still a successful annual commercial fishery that even attracts crabbers from the Chesapeake Bay. Since 1990, commercial landings for crabs have averaged from 0.5 to 1....

The re-initiation of a 7,260 ha forested watershed study on Turkey Creek, a 3 order stream, within the Francis Marion National forest in South Carolina, completes the development of a multi-scale hydrology and ecosystem monitoring framework in the Atlantic Coastal Plain. Hydrology and water quality monitoring began on the Santee Experimental Forest in the 1960’s, and represent an important long...

Mercury (Hg) bioaccumulates in the tissues of organisms and biomagnifies within food-webs. Gray wolves (Canis lupus) in Alaska primarily acquire Hg through diet; therefore, comparing the extent of Hg exposure in wolves, in conjunction with stable isotopes, from interior and coastal regions of Alaska offers important insight into their feeding ecology. Liver, kidney, and skeletal muscle samples ...

Deposition of sea salts is commonly elevated along the coast relative to inland areas, yet little is known about the effects on terrestrial ecosystem biogeochemistry. We examined the influence of NaCl concentrations on N, C, and P leaching from a coastal Oregon forest Andisol in two laboratory studies: a rapid batch extraction (approximately 1 d) and a month-long incubation using microlysimeter...

Title of Dissertation: MACROINVERTEBRATE COMMUNITY STRUCTURE AND ECOLOGICAL FUNCTION IN MARYLAND COASTAL PLAIN STREAMS Degree Candidate: Nicholas A. Baer Degree and Year: Doctor of Philosophy, 2004 Thesis directed by: Professor William O. Lamp Department of Entomology Abiotic conditions within streams, especially those conditions impacted by human activities, often influence the community struc...

Launch of the Integrated Maritime Policy for the European Union in 2007 served as important factor that stimulates consolidation of coastal and marine information to support policy implementation. Policy’s action plan provides approaches for maritime governance, research and planning relevant to information. In particular, roadmap for maritime spatial planning stimulates development of coastal ...