Establishing National Ocean Service Priorities for Estuarine, Coastal, and Ocean Modeling: Capabilities, Gaps, and Preliminary Prioritization Factors

This report was developed to help establish National Ocean Service priorities and chart new directions for research and development of models for estuarine, coastal and ocean ecosystems based on user-driven requirements and supportive of sound coastal management, stewardship, and an ecosystem approach to management. (PDF contains 63 pages

Colton Formation (Eocene: Fluviatile) and Associated Lacustrine Beds, Gunnison Plateau, Central Utah

Author Institution: Department of Geology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210The Colton Formation consists mostly of fluvial (floodplain and channel) deposits that are less resistant and more highly colored than the adjacent lacustrine beds of the Flagstaff and Green River Formations. The contrast between the fluviatile and lacustrine strata is indicated by several lithic and faunal characteristics that occur in a short stratigraphic interval, and that permit precise and regionally persistent recognition of the limits of the Colton Formation. The Colton is distinguished by: 1) red, yellow, or brown, fine- to medium-grained, micaceous, feldspathic subangular sandstones that are crossbedded, thick-bedded, laterally non-persistent, and typically lens-shaped in cross-section; 2) red, green, or purple, somewhat silty or sandy mudrocks and shales that are poorly fossiliferous and poorly bedded; 3) limestone beds, locally of pastel colors, that are generally less than 1 foot thick, non-persistent, tough, platy and poorly fossiliferous; 4) far fewer fossil snails and clams than the regionally continuous carbonate units of the middle and upper Flagstaff Formation. In contrast, lacustrine beds that bound the Colton Formation are characterized by the following features; 1) pale grey, fine-grained, subrounded sandstones, without crossbedding, that are rather thin and widespread (Flagstaff only); 2) yellow-brown or gray, thin-bedded, tough and platy limy shales that are fossiliferous and interbedded with limestone and dolomite units; 3) limestones and dolomites of several petrographic types that are two feet thick or more, and laterally persistent. When distinguished by the sum of these characteristics, the Colton consists in the central Gunnison Plateau of a northward-thinning wedge. From a thickness of 800 feet at South Maple Canyon, it thins to less that 550 feet at Wales Canyon, north of which it has been removed by erosion. The formation becomes much more clastic toward the north in the area studied

Ionized Gas Motions and the Structure of Feedback Near a Forming Globular Cluster in NGC 5253

We observed Brackett $\alpha$ 4.05$\mu$m emission towards the supernebula in NGC 5253 with NIRSPEC on Keck II in adaptive optics mode, NIRSPAO, to probe feedback from its exciting embedded super star cluster (SSC). NIRSPEC's Slit-Viewing Camera was simultaneously used to image the K-band continuum at $\sim$$0.1''$ resolution. We register the IR continuum with HST imaging, and find that the visible clusters are offset from the K-band peak, which coincides with the Br $\alpha$ peak of the supernebula and its associated molecular cloud. The spectra of the supernebula exhibit Br $\alpha$ emission with a strong, narrow core. The linewidths are 65-76 km s$^{-1}$, FWHM, comparable to those around individual ultra-compact HII regions within our Galaxy. A weak, broad (FWHM$\simeq$150-175 km s$^{-1}$) component is detected on the base of the line, which could trace a population of sources with high-velocity winds. The core velocity of Br $\alpha$ emission shifts by +13 km s$^{-1}$ from NE to SW across the supernebula, possibly indicating a bipolar outflow from an embedded object, or linked to a foreground redshifted gas filament. The results can be explained if the supernebula comprises thousands of ionized wind regions around individual massive stars, stalled in their expansion due to critical radiative cooling and unable to merge to drive a coherent cluster wind. Based on the absence of an outflow with large mass loss, we conclude that feedback is currently ineffective at dispersing gas, and the SSC retains enriched material out of which it may continue to form stars.Comment: 24 pages, 9 figure

Basement and Regional Structure Along Strike of the Queen Charlotte Fault in the Context of Modern and Historical Earthquake Ruptures

The Queen Charlotte fault (QCF) is a dextral transform system located offshore of southeastern Alaska and western Canada, accommodating similar to 4.4 cm/yr of relative motion between the Pacific and North American plates. Oblique convergence along the fault increases southward, and how this convergence is accommodated is still debated. Using seismic reflection data, we interpret offshore basement structure, faulting, and stratigraphy to provide a geological context for two recent earthquakes, an M-w 7.5 strike-slip event near Craig, Alaska, and an M-w 7.8 thrust event near Haida Gwaii, Canada. We map downwarped Pacific oceanic crust near 54 degrees N, between the two rupture zones. Observed downwarping decreases north and south of 54 degrees N, parallel to the strike of the QCF. Bending of the Pacific plate here may have initiated with increased convergence rates due to a plate motion change at similar to 6 Ma. Tectonic reconstruction implies convergence-driven Pacific plate flexure, beginning at 6 Ma south of a 10 degrees bend the QCF (which is currently at 53.2 degrees N) and lasting until the plate translated past the bend by similar to 2 Ma. Normal-faulted approximately late Miocene sediment above the deep flexural depression at 54 degrees N, topped by relatively undeformed Pleistocene and younger sediment, supports this model. Aftershocks of the Haida Gwaii event indicate a normal-faulting stress regime, suggesting present-day plate flexure and underthrusting, which is also consistent with reconstruction of past conditions. We thus favor a Pacific plate underthrusting model to initiate flexure and accommodation space for sediment loading. In addition, mapped structures indicate two possible fault segment boundaries along the QCF at 53.2 degrees N and at 56 degrees N.USGS Earthquake Hazards External Grants ProgramNational Earthquake Hazards Reduction ProgramUTIG Ewing/Worzel FellowshipInstitute for Geophysic

The Dynamical Masses, Densities, and Star Formation Scaling Relations of Lyman Alpha Galaxies

We present the first dynamical mass measurements for Lyman alpha galaxies at high redshift, based on velocity dispersion measurements from rest-frame optical emission lines and size measurements from HST imaging, for a sample of nine galaxies drawn from four surveys. These measurements enable us to study the nature of Lyman alpha galaxies in the context of galaxy scaling relations. The resulting dynamical masses range from 1e9 to 1e10 solar masses. We also fit stellar population models to our sample, and use them to plot the Lyman alpha sample on a stellar mass vs. line width relation. Overall, the Lyman alpha galaxies follow well the scaling relation established by observing star forming galaxies at lower redshift (and without regard for Lyman alpha emission), though in 1/3 of the Lyman alpha galaxies, lower-mass fits are also acceptable. In all cases, the dynamical masses agree with established stellarmass-linewidth relation. Using the dynamical masses as an upper limit on gas mass, we show that Lyman alpha galaxies resemble starbursts (rather than "normal" galaxies) in the relation between gas mass surface density and star formation activity, in spite of relatively modest star formation rates. Finally, we examine the mass densities of these galaxies, and show that their future evolution likely requires dissipational ("wet") merging. In short, we find that Lyman alpha galaxies are low mass cousins of larger starbursts.Comment: Submitted to The Astrophysical Journal. 23 pp including three figures and four table

Research design of job satisfaction in an East African medical research center

For years, I-O research has used surveys and scales to measure job satisfaction; however, a traditional survey may not always be the best option. Therefore, our research team utilized interviews as well as surveys to understand job satisfaction at the National Institute of Medical Research, Amani Centre (NIMR-AC). The Centre is in Muheza, Tanzania, a rural town one hour from the East African coast. We used a mixed methods approach with an aim to distinguish the key characteristics and variations of job satisfaction among the employees of NIMR-AC. The nature of the surveys, one-on-one interviews, and a focus group discussion were inductive. Due to the cultural context and the limited amount of I-O related research done in the region, we wanted to take a holistic approach in the search for significant themes. The current project discusses the influence that language and culture had on our research design. The end goal of the instrumentation design was for it to be culturally literate for the participants. We started the design process with a literature review of both job satisfaction and the few papers similar to the I-O psychology field that were in the East African context. This enabled us to better understand job satisfaction and how we could best investigate it for this site. Then, we gathered information regarding the interpersonal dynamics of the employees at NIMR-AC and the culture of the region’s workplaces to further direct our research. This gave us a better idea of what words and phrases would be best to use when translating to Swahili. Since we conducted the interviews and administered the surveys in Swahili, we had to pay careful attention to the translation of all the instrumentation. Lastly, and repeatedly throughout the design process, we sought the advice from experts in seemingly unrelated fields. The data will be analyzed using MAXQDA and SPSS in order to find themes. Analyses will provide the lab with real data pinpointing problems with job satisfaction and illuminating solutions. The current study aims to distinguish some of the differences of the design process when researching in a foreign context with the ultimate goal of encouraging other I-O researchers to investigate the workplace outside the Western world

Recruitment, survival, and parasitism of monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) in milkweed gardens and conservation areas

Monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) are suffering from declining populations and conservationists have encouraged planting milkweed gardens in urban and suburban landscapes to help offset habitat loss across the breeding range. The effectiveness of gardens as a conservation strategy depends on their ability to attract ovipositing adults and the survival of monarch larvae in these gardens. Larvae are susceptible to a variety of predators as well as to parasitism by a tachinid fly (Lespesia archippivora) and a protozoan parasite (Ophryocystis elektroscirrha) which cause lethal or sublethal effects, yet the severity of these risks in gardens is not well understood. We compared egg abundance and larval survival in traditional conservation areas to gardens that incorporated milkweed to attract monarchs. Additionally, we collected late instar larvae and reared them in the lab to compare parasitism rates between monarch gardens and conservation areas. Both gardens and conservations sites varied widely in recruitment and survival of monarchs and there were no significant differences between the garden and conservation sites. Tachinid fly parasitism ranged from 30% of larvae from conservation sites in 2016 to 55% of larvae from gardens in 2017, but did not differ between the two categories of sites. Parasitism by O. elektroscirrha was detected in fewer than 2% of larvae. The density of milkweed had no effect on the number of monarch eggs in conservation areas or gardens in either year. Milkweed density had no effect on tachinid parasitism in conservation areas but had a significant effect in gardens with lower numbers of milkweed stems increasing tachinid parasitism in 2016. Gardeners planted a variety of species of milkweed and Asclepias syriaca was the most commonly used host plant for monarch larvae (85%). Overall, our results suggest that milkweed gardens have the potential to contribute to successful monarch reproduction. However, the variation among sites and the lack of recruitment from some gardens emphasizes that the realization of this potential contribution will depend on the quality of gardens

Working Healthy Enrollees Report New and Persisting Challenges

Working Healthy participants are sent an annual satisfaction survey to evaluate their experiences with the program. Participants have consistently said that Working Healthy is a good program that allows them to work and maintain their health benefits, which reduces their stress and eliminates worry about whether or not they will be able to afford the health care and medication they need. Working Healthy not only benefits the state through premium collection and increased taxes paid, participants say it improves their mental health and quality of lif

Nanoparticle growth following photochemical α‐ and β‐pinene oxidation at Appledore Island during International Consortium for Research on Transport and Transformation/Chemistry of Halogens at the Isles of Shoals 2004

Nanoparticle events were observed 48 times in particle size distributions at Appledore Island during the International Consortium for Atmospheric Research on Transport and Transformation/Chemistry of Halogens on the Isles of Shoals (ICARTT/CHAiOS) field campaign from 2 July to 12 August of 2004. Eighteen of the nanoparticle events showed particle growth and occurred during mornings when peaks in mixing ratios of α‐ and β‐pinene and ozone made production of condensable products from photochemical oxidation probable. Many pollutants and other potential precursors for aerosol formation were also at elevated mixing ratios during these events, including NO, HNO3, NH3, HCl, propane, and several other volatile organic carbon compounds. There were no consistent changes in particle composition, although both submicron and supermicron particles included high maximum concentrations of methane sulfonate, sulfate, iodide, nitrate, and ammonium during these events. Nanoparticle growth continued over several hours with a nearly linear rate of increase of diameter with time. The observed nanoparticle growth rates varied from 3 to 13 nm h−1. Apparent nanoparticle aerosol mass fractions (yields) were estimated to range from less than 0.0005 to almost 1 using α‐ and β‐pinene as the presumed particle source. These apparent high aerosol mass fractions (yields) at low changes in aerosol mass are up to two orders of magnitude greater than predictions from extrapolated laboratory parameterizations and may provide a more accurate assessment of secondary organic aerosol formation for estimating the growth of nanoparticles in global models