Near-inertial kinetic energy budget of the mixed layer and shear evolution in the transition layer in the Arabian Sea during the monsoons

Author Posting. © American Geophysical Union, 2015. This article is posted here by permission of American Geophysical Union for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans 120 (2015): 6492–6507, doi:10.1002/2014JC010198.We present the horizontal kinetic energy (KE) balance of near-inertial currents in the mixed layer and explain shear evolution in the transition layer using observations from a mooring at 15.26° N in the Arabian Sea during the southwest monsoon. The highly sheared and stratified transition layer at the mixed-layer base varies between 5 m and 35 m and correlates negatively with the wind stress. Results from the mixed layer near-inertial KE (NIKE) balance suggest that wind energy at times can energize the transition layer and at other times is fully utilized within the mixed layer. A simple two layer model is utilized to study the shear evolution in the transition layer and shown to match well with observations. The shear production in this model arises from alignment of wind stress and shear. Although the winds are unidirectional during the monsoon, the shear in the transition layer is predominantly near-inertial. The near-inertial shear bursts in the observations show the same phasing and magnitude at near-inertial frequencies as the wind-shear alignment term.NASA Grant Number: NNX12AD47G, NSF Grant Number: 0928138, ONR Grant Numbers: N00014-11-1-0429 and N00014-10-1-0273, NSF Grant Number: OCE-07455082016-03-2

The Distribution and Reproductive Success of the Western Snowy Plover along the Oregon Coast - 2009

From 3 April – 23 September 2009 we monitored the distribution, abundance and productivity of the federally Threatened Western Snowy Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus nivosus) along the Oregon coast. From north to south, we surveyed and monitored plover activity at Sutton Beach, Siltcoos River estuary, the Dunes Overlook, North Tahkenitch Creek, Tenmile Creek, Coos Bay North Spit, Bandon Beach, New River, and Floras Lake. Our objectives for the Oregon coastal population in 2009 were to: 1) estimate the size of the adult Snowy Plover population, 2) locate plover nests, 3) continue selective use of mini-exclosures (MEs) to protect nests from predators and evaluate whether exclosure use can be reduced, 4) determine nest success, 5) determine fledgling success, 6) monitor brood movements, 7) collect general observational data about predators, and 8) evaluate the effectiveness of predator management. We observed an estimated 199-206 adult Snowy Plovers; a minimum of 149-150 individuals was known to have nested. The adult plover population was the highest estimate recorded since monitoring began in 1990, and we found 236 nests in 2009. Overall Mayfield nest success was 23%. Exclosed nests (n = 34) had a 76% success rate, and unexclosed nests (n = 202) had a 25% success rate. Nest failures were attributed to unknown depredation (29%), rodent depredation (21%), unknown cause (17%), oneegg nests (12%), corvid depredation (8%), abandonment (7%), wave overwash (2%), infertility (1%), wind (1%), canine depredation (1%), and raccoon depredation (1%). We monitored 88 broods, including eight from unknown nests, and documented a minimum of 106 fledglings. Overall brood success was 73%, fledgling success was 50%, and 1.33 fledglings per male were produced. Continued predator management, habitat improvement and maintenance, and management of recreational activities at all sites are recommended to achieve recovery goals

The Distribution and Reproductive Success of the Western Snowy Plover along the Oregon Coast - 2012

From 5 April – 21 September 2012 we monitored the distribution, abundance and productivity of the federally Threatened Western Snowy Plover (Charadrius nivosus nivosus) along the Oregon coast. From north to south, we surveyed and monitored plover activity at Sutton Beach, Siltcoos River estuary, the Dunes Overlook, North Tahkenitch Creek, Tenmile Creek, Coos Bay North Spit, Bandon Snowy Plover Management Area, New River HRA and adjacent lands, and Floras Lake. Our objectives for the Oregon coastal population in 2012 were to: 1) estimate the size of the adult Snowy Plover population, 2) locate plover nests, 3) determine nest success, 4) use mini-exclosures (MEs) to protect nests from predators as needed, 5) determine fledging success, 6) monitor brood movements, 7) collect general observational data about predators, and 8) evaluate the effectiveness of predator management. We observed an estimated 290-91 adult Snowy Plovers; a minimum of 231-238 individuals was known to have nested. The adult plover population was the highest estimate recorded since monitoring began in 1990. We monitored 314 nests in 2012; the highest number of nests since monitoring began in 1990. Overall apparent nest success was 45%. Exclosed nests (n = 22) had an 82% apparent nest success rate, and unexclosed nests (n = 289) had a 42% apparent nest success rate. Nest failures were attributed to unknown depredation, unknown cause, corvid depredation, abandonment, one egg nests, wind/weather, mammalian depredation, overwashing, adult plover depredation, and infertility. We monitored 154 broods, including 11 from unknown nests, and documented a minimum of 173 fledglings. Overall brood success was 70%, fledging success was 43%, and 1.37 fledglings per male were produced. Continued predator management, habitat improvement and maintenance, and management of recreational activities at all sites are recommended to achieve recovery goals

Complementary Patents and Market Structure

Many high technology goods are based on standards that require several essential patents owned by different IP holders. This gives rise to a complements and a double mark-up problem. We compare the welfare effects of two different business strategies dealing with these problems. Vertical integration of an IP holder and a downstream producer solves the double mark-up problem between these firms. Nevertheless, it may raise royalty rates and reduce output as compared to non-integration. Horizontal integration of IP holders solves the complements problem but not the double mark-up problem. Vertical integration discourages entry and reduces innovation incentives, while horizontal integration always benefits from entry and innovatio

Use of Shared Faculty in U.S. and Canadian Dental Schools

Dental schools are facing substantial financial challenges and a shortage of faculty members. One solution to address these issues has been to hire “shared” faculty members, i.e., faculty members whose primary appointment is at one institution who are hired by another institution to teach a course or part of a course. This is a controversial concept. A survey of academic deans at U.S. and Canadian dental schools was conducted for this study; thirty-nine (54 percent) of the seventy-two academic deans completed the online survey. This survey found that the use of shared faculty members is not rare amongst U.S. and Canadian dental schools and that the opinions of the academic deans about the use of shared faculty members ranged widely—from strong support to strong disapproval. Using shared faculty members has advantages and disadvantages for students, the shared faculty members, and both institutions. Many of the disadvantages could be potentially minimized by stakeholders’ working together to develop collaborative arrangements. Networks could be developed in which institutions coordinate hiring of shared faculty members based on what expertise is needed. Financial challenges and shortages of faculty members are unlikely to be resolved in the near future, but use of shared faculty members is one promising approach to begin to meet these challenges

Are ultrahigh energy cosmic rays signals of supersymmetry?

We investigate the possibility that cosmic rays of energy larger than the Greisen-Zatsepin-Kuzmin cutoff are not nucleons, but a new stable, massive, hadron that appears in many extensions of the standard model. We focus primarily on the S^0, a uds-gluino bound state. The range of the S^0 through the cosmic background radiation is significantly longer than the range of nucleons, and therefore can originate from sources at cosmoglogical distances.Comment: 20 page LaTeX file with 5 PostScript figures included with epsf. Discussion of acceleration mechanisms has been elaborated and some new references have been added. No change in conclusions or figure

Modification of upper-ocean temperature structure by subsurface mixing in the presence of strong salinity stratification

Author Posting. © The Oceanography Society, 2016. This article is posted here by permission of The Oceanography Society for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Oceanography 29, no. 2 (2016): 62–71, doi:10.5670/oceanog.2016.39.The Bay of Bengal has a complex upper-ocean temperature and salinity structure that is, in places, characterized by strong salinity stratification and multiple inversions in temperature. Here, two short time series from continuously profiling floats, equipped with microstructure sensors to measure subsurface mixing, are used to highlight implications of complex hydrography on upper-ocean heat content and the evolution of sea surface temperature. Weak mixing coupled with the existence of subsurface warm layers suggest the potential for storage of heat below the surface mixed layer over relatively long time scales. On the diurnal time scale, these data demonstrate the competing effects of surface heat flux and subsurface mixing in the presence of thin salinity-stratified mixed layers with temperature inversions. Pre-existing stratification can amplify the sea surface temperature response through control on the vertical extent of heating and cooling by surface fluxes. In contrast, subsurface mixing entrains relatively cool water during the day and relatively warm water during the night, damping the response to daytime heating and nighttime cooling at the surface. These observations hint at the challenges involved in improving monsoon prediction at longer, intraseasonal time scales as models may need to resolve upper-ocean variability over short time and fine vertical scales.This work was funded by Office of Naval Research grants N00014-14-1-0236 (ELS, JNM), N00014-13-1-0483 (DLR), N00014-13-1- 0453 (JTF), and N00014-12-1-0938 (SKV, AG)

The Distribution and Reproductive Success of the Western Snowy Plover along the Oregon Coast - 2014

We monitored the distribution, abundance and productivity of the federally threatened Western Snowy Plover (Charadrius nivosus nivosus) along the Oregon coast from 1 April – 15 September 2014. From north to south, we surveyed and monitored plover activity at Sutton Beach, Siltcoos River estuary, the Dunes Overlook, North and South Tahkenitch Creek, Tenmile Creek, Coos Bay North Spit, Bandon Snowy Plover Management Area, New River HRA and adjacent lands, and Floras Lake. Our objectives in 2014 were to: 1) estimate the size of the adult Snowy Plover population along the Oregon coast, 2) locate plover nests, 3) determine nest success, 4) use mini-exclosures (MEs) to protect nests from predators as needed, 5) determine fledging success, 6) monitor brood movements, and 7) collect general observational data about predators. We observed an estimated 338 adult Snowy Plovers; a minimum of 280 individuals were known to have nested. The adult plover population was the highest estimate recorded since monitoring began in 1990. We monitored 346 nests in 2014. Overall apparent nest success was 60%. Nest failures were attributed to unknown depredation, unknown cause, mammalian depredation, abandonment, wind/weather, one-egg nests, avian depredation, overwashed, infertility, and corvid depredation. We monitored 221 broods, including 12 from unknown nests, and documented a minimum of 272 fledglings. Overall brood success was 77%, fledging success was 48%, and 1.68 fledglings per male were produced

Informe de Gobierno, agosto de 1998 - julio de 1999

Informe de Gobierno correspondiente al año 1998-1999, en el que se da cuenta de las principales acciones y logros de la institución durante el año en lo referente a programas educativos, investigación, vinculación y desarrollo institucional