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- Title
- Abandon all ships!: Economic changes and their relation to intentional vessel abandonment at the Shields Point Cove.
- Author
- Roy, Michael Dillon
- Abstract/Description
-
The site of an intentionally abandoned vessel will differ greatly from the site of a shipwreck lost unintentionally. Relatedly, the processes of site development will also differ greatly between these two types of sites. This research illustrates these differences by studying historical contexts of four abandoned vessels located in a cove known as Shields Point found on the Blackwater River in Santa Rosa, Florida. Previous models of shipwreck site development are adapted to include sites of...
Show moreThe site of an intentionally abandoned vessel will differ greatly from the site of a shipwreck lost unintentionally. Relatedly, the processes of site development will also differ greatly between these two types of sites. This research illustrates these differences by studying historical contexts of four abandoned vessels located in a cove known as Shields Point found on the Blackwater River in Santa Rosa, Florida. Previous models of shipwreck site development are adapted to include sites of intentionally abandoned vessels.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2020, 2020
- Identifier
- 1220930685, WFE0000731
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Assessment of bancs and streambank erosion rates in the northwest Florida Panhandle.
- Author
- Finch, Bryce Douglas
- Abstract/Description
-
A previous study performed in the Northwest Florida Panhandle found the bank assessment of non-point source consequences of sediment (BANCS) model to be a relatively poor predictor of streambank erosion rates. Concern for whether these errors were related to how the project was constructed prompted the need for additional research. Some of the presumed errors were associated with the size of the study area and sites' exposure to extreme weather events during the study period. This study aims...
Show moreA previous study performed in the Northwest Florida Panhandle found the bank assessment of non-point source consequences of sediment (BANCS) model to be a relatively poor predictor of streambank erosion rates. Concern for whether these errors were related to how the project was constructed prompted the need for additional research. Some of the presumed errors were associated with the size of the study area and sites' exposure to extreme weather events during the study period. This study aims to utilize the BANCS model across a smaller study area than previously practiced with a focus on identifying specific flow events and drainage watersheds that are primarily undeveloped. Flow events were identified through the use of constructed gages and watersheds were verified with aerial imagery. Erosion incurred at the 18 study sites selected was measured over a given year following identified flood and bankfull events. These practices resulted in an improvement of BANCS' ability to predict streambank erosion rates. In particular, the bank erosion hazard index (BEHI) demonstrates strong relationships with erosion rates when plotted independently. The findings of the study indicate that a better understanding of return intervals of specific flow events, such as bankfull and floods, would enhance the capability to predict streambank erosion.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2020, 2020
- Identifier
- 1232475100, WFE0000738
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Characterizing elasmobranchs in Pensacola Bay system using environmental DNA metabarcoding.
- Author
- Hebert, Melissa M.
- Abstract/Description
-
Estuaries are often used as foraging habitats and nursery grounds by many elasmobranch species due to the protection as well as an abundance of nutrients and available prey that estuaries provide. However, identifying essential habitats for elasmobranchs has been a challenge due to frequent migrations of elasmobranchs into estuaries and coastal waters. Therefore, essential habitats for many elasmobranchs have not been identified. Traditional survey methods make it difficult to obtain accurate...
Show moreEstuaries are often used as foraging habitats and nursery grounds by many elasmobranch species due to the protection as well as an abundance of nutrients and available prey that estuaries provide. However, identifying essential habitats for elasmobranchs has been a challenge due to frequent migrations of elasmobranchs into estuaries and coastal waters. Therefore, essential habitats for many elasmobranchs have not been identified. Traditional survey methods make it difficult to obtain accurate results because elasmobranchs are highly mobile; thus the resolution lies with using molecular tools such as environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding. Environmental DNA metabarcoding refers to the identification of multiple species from a single environmental sample using a generalist molecular marker. This molecular tool has shown to represent the biodiversity present in a collected sample and has been more efficient than traditional in situ sampling. Environmental DNA metabarcoding revealed 266 total fish detections from 57 different species with only three elasmobranch species (Rostoraja eglanteria, Hypanus sabinus, Rhinoptera bonasus) being detected. Elasmobranch DNA was primarily detected in spring, with only one detection in both winter and summer and no detections in fall. These results imply that elasmobranchs may not be utilizing the Pensacola Bay System often or they were not present during time of sampling.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2020, 2020
- Identifier
- 1233042127, WFE0000741
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Comparisons of mortuary data and demography for AME Zion cemetery and the Poor Farm in Pensacola, Florida.
- Author
- Hutson, Allison M.
- Abstract/Description
-
Populations from two historic cemeteries in Pensacola, Florida were researched, analyzed, and compared through the use of archival and site survey records in order to understand connections between causes of death, ages at death, and socioeconomic status (SES). A total of 1,267 individuals were analyzed within this research (404 from AME Zion and 863 from the Escambia County Poor Farm) to answer 1) how the socioeconomic status (SES) of a selection of a population connects to their eventual...
Show morePopulations from two historic cemeteries in Pensacola, Florida were researched, analyzed, and compared through the use of archival and site survey records in order to understand connections between causes of death, ages at death, and socioeconomic status (SES). A total of 1,267 individuals were analyzed within this research (404 from AME Zion and 863 from the Escambia County Poor Farm) to answer 1) how the socioeconomic status (SES) of a selection of a population connects to their eventual cause of death and age at death; and 2), how SES is or is not reflected in the burial practices evident through extant surface material at cemetery site(s). The goal of this research was to better understand how the life experiences of people in the past affected their representations in death. Initial analysis of the overall populations (AME Zion n=404; Poor Farm n=863) showed higher rates of infant deaths and males at the Poor Farm than was seen in the AME Zion Pre1970 population sample of all ages. For these full samples, susceptibility to the most frequent causes of death categories (Illness and Disease) were the same at each site. With these similar levels however, individuals at neither site were living substantially longer than the other even when individuals at the Poor Farm had a significantly average SES. Analysis of the cause of death and age at death analysis samples (AME Zion n=240; Poor Farm n=419) as well as analysis of the SES subsamples (AME Zion n=133; Poor Farm n=408) highlighted sex and SES differences between the sites where the Poor Farm had a higher frequency of males and higher wages, on average. Conclusions found no connection between SES and the existence or absence of extant surface materials at AME Zion or the Poor Farm but brought to light the possibility of other cultural factors such as church affiliations and burial associations.
Show less - Identifier
- 1298231672, WFE0000782
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Habitat use of seagrass-associated fauna in St. Joseph Bay.
- Author
- Czaja, Raymond Edward
- Abstract/Description
-
Anthropogenic disturbances, such as habitat fragmentation, can disrupt seagrass microhabitat availability and increase the availability of seagrass bed edges. This research focused on microhabitat selection and substrate use of seagrass-associated invertebrates in St. Joseph Bay, Florida, emphasizing edge effects and habitat selection of the sea urchin Lytechinus variegatus. Monthly field surveys were conducted in Thalassia testudinum beds in St. Joseph Bay, Florida, in 2017 and 2018....
Show moreAnthropogenic disturbances, such as habitat fragmentation, can disrupt seagrass microhabitat availability and increase the availability of seagrass bed edges. This research focused on microhabitat selection and substrate use of seagrass-associated invertebrates in St. Joseph Bay, Florida, emphasizing edge effects and habitat selection of the sea urchin Lytechinus variegatus. Monthly field surveys were conducted in Thalassia testudinum beds in St. Joseph Bay, Florida, in 2017 and 2018. Microhabitat use pertained to edge effects and substrate use pertained to usage of pen shells, mussels, and seagrass by sea urchins. Settlement plates were deployed to analyze the importance of the semi-infaunal bivalve Atrina rigida (pen shells) for sessile invertebrates in seagrass habitat. Results show that L. variegatus prefers interior seagrass habitat compared to edge habitat, whereas other epibenthic macrofauna displayed mixed results for microhabitat selection. Sea urchins displayed a preference for Modiolus americanus mussel substrate. A sea urchin mortality event occurred during a cold spell. Results also suggest that sessile fauna utilize A. rigida as hard substrate due to a lack of alternative options. The results have implications for seagrass overgrazing events, seagrass-associated faunal responses to climate change, and habitat destruction.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2019, 2019
- Identifier
- 1152893868, WFE0000691
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- I can barrel-ly contain myself: identifying types of wooden casks within the Emanuel Point II artifact assemblage.
- Author
- Elmore, John Robert III
- Abstract/Description
-
Wooden casks served as essential tools for economic development for thousands of years by storing and transporting various commodities. Though they no longer play as significant of a role for commerce in the modern era, their utility is still remembered because of their long-lasting reign of use. Historians and archaeologists alike study both casks as well as the individuals who make them (coopers) to further understand the significance each held as contributors toward economic growth....
Show moreWooden casks served as essential tools for economic development for thousands of years by storing and transporting various commodities. Though they no longer play as significant of a role for commerce in the modern era, their utility is still remembered because of their long-lasting reign of use. Historians and archaeologists alike study both casks as well as the individuals who make them (coopers) to further understand the significance each held as contributors toward economic growth. Archaeologists have recovered numerous types of wooden casks from across the globe, with each discovery shedding light on the cultural significance held by different cask types during different eras. Though archaeologists have yet to recover a fully intact cask from any of the archaeological sites affiliated with the Tristan de Luna expedition of 1559, one of the site's artifact assemblages (the Emanuel Point II's (EPII)) contains a collection of objects identified as wooden cask components. An analysis of these components contributes toward the identification of cask types within the EPII artifact assemblage, thereby shedding light on the types of casks utilized by 16th-century Spanish colonists.
Show less - Identifier
- 1296381613, WFE0000780
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Infant mortality and structural determinants of health in Northwest Florida.
- Author
- Atwell, Ashley Lena Marie
- Abstract/Description
-
The Northwest Florida Counties of Escambia, Santa Rosa, and Okaloosa are connected by land and industry but possess very different public health outcomes. In this study, I examine the possible causes behind a greater-than national level infant mortality rate for two of the counties and why one of these counties possesses a much lower rate. Through semi-structured interviews and geospatial analysis, I examine indicators of health that contribute to higher infant mortality. A theoretical lens...
Show moreThe Northwest Florida Counties of Escambia, Santa Rosa, and Okaloosa are connected by land and industry but possess very different public health outcomes. In this study, I examine the possible causes behind a greater-than national level infant mortality rate for two of the counties and why one of these counties possesses a much lower rate. Through semi-structured interviews and geospatial analysis, I examine indicators of health that contribute to higher infant mortality. A theoretical lens of structural violence, habitus, and structural determinants of health brings attention to the invisible violence that is causing infant death within Northwest Florida. Research questions include the following: What factors are contributing to infant mortality in NWFL? How might health care access and literacy contribute to poor infant health outcomes? What interventions could help improve health literacy and health care access for those experiencing significant barriers to care in NWFL? Indicators that were found as possible contributors to higher infant mortality rates were poor health literacy, poor access to resources like health care, transportation, education, and poverty.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2019, 2019
- Identifier
- 1152891788, WFE0000688
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Late Neogene to quaternary soil evolution across relict terraces in Northwest Florida.
- Author
- Randall, Chelsea Joel
- Abstract/Description
-
Delineation of relict terraces along the Northwest Florida coast can facilitate investigation of soil development within the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) coastal plain. Previous work to define terraces has primarily relied on topographic studies with little consensus on the number and extent of terraces. Research investigating soil development within the GOM coastal plain is also limited. The present study utilizes Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and a LiDAR derived Digital Elevation Model (DEM)...
Show moreDelineation of relict terraces along the Northwest Florida coast can facilitate investigation of soil development within the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) coastal plain. Previous work to define terraces has primarily relied on topographic studies with little consensus on the number and extent of terraces. Research investigating soil development within the GOM coastal plain is also limited. The present study utilizes Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and a LiDAR derived Digital Elevation Model (DEM) to apply a Surface Classification Model (SCM) for selection of terrace surfaces based on slope and surface roughness. The SCM output was analyzed for peaks in pixel count by elevation. Five terraces were defined between the following elevation ranges: 0-3.6 m, 4-9 m, 16-27 m, 29.5-51 m, and 57-64 m. Soil properties known to exhibit time related trends were analyzed across the delineated terraces. At increasing elevations, and presumably ages, soils exhibited a thickening of both the solum and Bt horizon, an increase in clay content, and a decrease in organic matter content. Bt horizons were observed at increasingly greater depths, with the exception of terrace 5, which was at shallower depth. Likely due to erosion associated with the high elevation and greater exposure of the surface.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2019, 2019
- Identifier
- 1153152792, WFE0000697
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Looking through the glass: Booker Fish Camp, an archaeological investigation.
- Author
- Preston, JodiLyn
- Abstract/Description
-
Booker Fish Camp project is an archaeological study applying a multi-method approach to explore the terrestrial and submerged aspects of a twentieth century fish camp in Escambia County, Florida. It explores the dichotomy of a site that is both residential and commercial, and remote yet part of a community. The duality of this land/water and residential/commercial endeavor is explored through an analysis of a large surface trash midden and viewed through the lenses of maritime cultural...
Show moreBooker Fish Camp project is an archaeological study applying a multi-method approach to explore the terrestrial and submerged aspects of a twentieth century fish camp in Escambia County, Florida. It explores the dichotomy of a site that is both residential and commercial, and remote yet part of a community. The duality of this land/water and residential/commercial endeavor is explored through an analysis of a large surface trash midden and viewed through the lenses of maritime cultural landscape and waterscape archaeology. The analysis provides a fascinating look at the intertwined relationship of land and water, residence and commerce, and home and community.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2018
- Identifier
- 1117308278, WFE0000644
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Mahogany and iron: the construction of the Nuestra Senora del Rosario y Santiago Apostol: the construction of the Nuestra Señora del Rosario y Santiago Apostòl.
- Author
- Henderson, Kad Michael
- Abstract/Description
-
Constructed in 1696 in Alvaredo, Mexico, the Nuestra Señora del Rosario y Santiago Apostòl was created to protect Spanish shipping and colonies in the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico. Rosario served in this purpose for nine years until it was wrecked on the shores of Santa Rosa Island in September of 1705. Between 1998 and 2002 the University of West Florida excavated the remains of Rosario. The information recovered from these excavations has allowed for a detailed analysis of the...
Show moreConstructed in 1696 in Alvaredo, Mexico, the Nuestra Señora del Rosario y Santiago Apostòl was created to protect Spanish shipping and colonies in the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico. Rosario served in this purpose for nine years until it was wrecked on the shores of Santa Rosa Island in September of 1705. Between 1998 and 2002 the University of West Florida excavated the remains of Rosario. The information recovered from these excavations has allowed for a detailed analysis of the construction of the vessel. From this analysis it appears that while Rosario was constructed in the New World using local materials and labor, the design of the ship aligns closely with the historical record of Spanish warships constructed in that era in Spain.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2020, 2020
- Identifier
- 1202025487, WFE0000717
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Mapping colonial strategies: a comparison of British and Spanish Pensacola.
- Author
- James, Cody B.
- Abstract/Description
-
When interpreted alongside written documentary evidence, cartography informs a view of how colonists directed expansion across the landscape. The qualities and content of maps illuminate significant details about their culture of origin; the attributes captured and omitted in cartography can shed light on the content considered relevant at the time of a map creation. For this research, a comparison between Spanish and British colonial maps from mid-18th-century Pensacola reveals a varied...
Show moreWhen interpreted alongside written documentary evidence, cartography informs a view of how colonists directed expansion across the landscape. The qualities and content of maps illuminate significant details about their culture of origin; the attributes captured and omitted in cartography can shed light on the content considered relevant at the time of a map creation. For this research, a comparison between Spanish and British colonial maps from mid-18th-century Pensacola reveals a varied assemblage of attributes, accuracy, detail, and scale that portray modest development for the First Spanish and rapid, organized expansion in the subsequent British period. Using historic maps, two divergent modes, and experiences of colonization can be traced, revealing how environment, socioeconomics, and relations with native peoples influenced the settlement of Pensacola's frontier.
Show less - Identifier
- 1129043933, WFE0000659
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Microplastics in sandy environments in the Florida Keys and the Panhandle of Florida and ingestion by sea cucumbers and sand dollars.
- Author
- Plee, Tara Ashley
- Abstract/Description
-
Microplastic pollution is an increasing problem in the marine environment. This study had five research objectives: establish if seagrass habitats are accumulating more microplastics compared to sandy habits in the Florida Keys; determine if there are microplastics present in sea cucumbers in the Florida Keys; determine the number of microplastics in Pensacola Beach sediment; determine the number of microplastics in St. Joseph Bay sediment; determine if there are microplastics present in sand...
Show moreMicroplastic pollution is an increasing problem in the marine environment. This study had five research objectives: establish if seagrass habitats are accumulating more microplastics compared to sandy habits in the Florida Keys; determine if there are microplastics present in sea cucumbers in the Florida Keys; determine the number of microplastics in Pensacola Beach sediment; determine the number of microplastics in St. Joseph Bay sediment; determine if there are microplastics present in sand dollars in the panhandle of Florida; and conduct a laboratory experiment on the sand dollar Mellita tenuis to determine if it is selecting for microplastics. Microplastics were extracted from samples using a saturated CaCl2 solution and visual examination. Both seagrass beds and sandy areas in the Florida Keys contained microplastics. Sediment near Pensacola Beach and in St. Joseph Bay contained microplastics. Sea cucumbers collected in the Florida Keys and sand dollars collected in the panhandle of Florida had microplastics as part of their gut content. In the laboratory, M. tenuis ingested microbeads in slightly lower proportions compared to surrounding sediment. Both sea cucumbers and sand dollars may make useful animals for monitoring sandy environments for microplastics pollution.
Show less - Identifier
- 1129598452, WFE0000667
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Overshadowed: history, public engagement, and conflict archaeology at Florida's natural bridge.
- Author
- Johnston, Janene Whitley
- Abstract/Description
-
The Civil War Battle of Natural Bridge was fought within miles of Tallahassee, Florida, in March of 1865. The site, which is now the Natural Bridge Battlefield Historic State Park, was the subject of a historical and archaeological investigation incorporating documentary evidence, metal detection survey, trench excavations, LiDAR, and firearms identification analysis. The survey was conducted with the help of a wide range of volunteers and community stakeholders including students, members of...
Show moreThe Civil War Battle of Natural Bridge was fought within miles of Tallahassee, Florida, in March of 1865. The site, which is now the Natural Bridge Battlefield Historic State Park, was the subject of a historical and archaeological investigation incorporating documentary evidence, metal detection survey, trench excavations, LiDAR, and firearms identification analysis. The survey was conducted with the help of a wide range of volunteers and community stakeholders including students, members of Florida State Park Service, the local archaeological society, and Civil War reenactors. The results from the survey are being utilized to provide an updated analysis of the conflict which demonstrates how the Confederate forces expertly utilized the landscape to their tactical advantage. Additionally, this project can be used as a guide for on-site interpretation or future research involving the recent acquisition of the remainder of the battlefield.
Show less - Identifier
- 1129044081, WFE0000660
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Ropa, herramientas, y armas: comparison of the material assemblages of 16th-century Spanish probate records to the artifact assemblages at the Luna Settlement site and the Emanuel Point I Shipwreck.
- Author
- Bleuel, Casey Elizabeth
- Abstract/Description
-
Probate records, documents including wills and estate inventories and auctions, are excellent tools for historical archaeologists who want to better understand the material possessions of past peoples. Probate and archaeological data are particularly amenable to comparison because they both quantify material culture. This thesis compares a sample of 76 16th-century Spanish probate records (both inventories and auctions) compiled in Spanish America to the archaeological assemblages of the 1559...
Show moreProbate records, documents including wills and estate inventories and auctions, are excellent tools for historical archaeologists who want to better understand the material possessions of past peoples. Probate and archaeological data are particularly amenable to comparison because they both quantify material culture. This thesis compares a sample of 76 16th-century Spanish probate records (both inventories and auctions) compiled in Spanish America to the archaeological assemblages of the 1559-1561 Luna Settlement site and Emanuel Point I (EPI) Shipwreck in Pensacola, Florida excavated by the University of West Florida. The probate records of a variety of Spanish individuals were chosen to reflect the types of people that would have inhabited the site including soldiers, sailors, carpenters, blacksmiths, doctors, artisans, women, etc. This work involves the transcription and translation of historical Spanish documents and the creation of a Probate Inventory Database and an artifact database. The primary goal is to demonstrate the utility of synthesizing material culture data from both the documentary and archaeological records as well as provide an analysis of the similarities and differences between these data sources using the Luna Site and EPI as case studies. An emphasis is made on the idea of "personal property" in 16th-century Spanish America. This project is a model for synthesizing quantitative data from documentary and archaeological sources.
Show less - Identifier
- 1298231842, WFE0000783
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Shipwreck Tagging Archaeological Management Program (STAMP): a model for coastal heritage management based on community engagement and Citizen Science.
- Author
- Burkhard, Austin Leonard
- Abstract/Description
-
The Florida Public Archaeological Network began the Shipwreck Tagging Archaeological Management Program (STAMP) in 2019 and utilizes citizen scientists to assist archaeologists in tracking the movement and degradation of beached/coastal shipwreck sites and disarticulated timbers. Historically Florida's coastal regions have been some of the most treacherous navigable waterways for mariners due to high wave turbidity, oceanic currents, and meteorological phenomena. As such, thousands of ships...
Show moreThe Florida Public Archaeological Network began the Shipwreck Tagging Archaeological Management Program (STAMP) in 2019 and utilizes citizen scientists to assist archaeologists in tracking the movement and degradation of beached/coastal shipwreck sites and disarticulated timbers. Historically Florida's coastal regions have been some of the most treacherous navigable waterways for mariners due to high wave turbidity, oceanic currents, and meteorological phenomena. As such, thousands of ships have ultimately met their demise along Florida coasts. The program, partnering with the National Park Service at Gulf Islands National Seashore, has collected data in the continued enhancement of public archaeological programs.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2020, 2020
- Identifier
- 1233072902, WFE0000746
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Soil health in Northwest Florida: the effects of agricultural land use.
- Author
- Hopko, Michael Nicholas
- Abstract/Description
-
The conversion of land for agriculture is known to degrade certain characteristics of soil health, but the rate of change is not described in detail. Northwest Florida offers the opportunity to study soils that have been converted to agriculture over varying timescales to provide insight into (a) the rate of change of soil health indicators; (b) the minimum time needed for significant impacts to develop; and (c) the magnitude of change that results from conversion to agriculture. Samples were...
Show moreThe conversion of land for agriculture is known to degrade certain characteristics of soil health, but the rate of change is not described in detail. Northwest Florida offers the opportunity to study soils that have been converted to agriculture over varying timescales to provide insight into (a) the rate of change of soil health indicators; (b) the minimum time needed for significant impacts to develop; and (c) the magnitude of change that results from conversion to agriculture. Samples were analyzed to quantify the effect of conversion from pine forest to agriculture on soil pH, electrical conductivity, particle size, carbon content, aggregate stability, soil respiration, color, and bulk density. With the exclusion of the 30 series soils from the dataset, carbon content, electrical conductivity, and silt content had relatively linear trends over time (R² > 0.6). When including this series, no trendline had an R² > 0.2. Aggregate stability, pH, carbon content, bulk density, and clay content were all significantly different between land uses after 33.5 years of agriculture, silt content after 75 years. The overall differences between land uses are significant for every soil characteristic tested except sand content, demonstrating the impact that agricultural management has on soil conditions.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2021
- Identifier
- 1293872265, WFE0000757
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Spatial and temporal variability in water quality in three urbanized bayous of the Pensacola Bay System, Escambia County, Florida, USA.
- Author
- Sommerville, Grace Lily
- Abstract/Description
-
Anthropogenic influence from urbanization affects the health of estuaries all over the world. Three urbanized bayous in the Pensacola Bay System (Bayou Texar, Bayou Chico, and Bayou Grande) are estuarine systems affected by their surrounding watersheds. Land use in Bayou Texar's watershed is mainly residential properties. Bayou Chico's lower watershed is mainly industrial, while the upper watershed is residential. In Bayou Grande, one shoreline is home to the Naval Air Station, Pensacola, and...
Show moreAnthropogenic influence from urbanization affects the health of estuaries all over the world. Three urbanized bayous in the Pensacola Bay System (Bayou Texar, Bayou Chico, and Bayou Grande) are estuarine systems affected by their surrounding watersheds. Land use in Bayou Texar's watershed is mainly residential properties. Bayou Chico's lower watershed is mainly industrial, while the upper watershed is residential. In Bayou Grande, one shoreline is home to the Naval Air Station, Pensacola, and the other shoreline is residential. This study examined spatial and temporal variability of water quality in these systems. Comparison of bimonthly samples with historical data provided a perspective of how water quality has changed and responded to urbanization in these systems. High nutrients and chlorophyll were observed in Bayou Chico and Bayou Texar. Seasonal variation in nutrients was smaller than expected. Mixing curves of nutrients showed non-conservative mixing reflecting spatially distributed sources and sinks. DIN to DIP ratios showed that phosphorus was the limiting nutrient in Bayous Chico and Texar, whereas in Bayou Grande there was a seasonal change in nutrient limitation from nitrogen to phosphorus. Warm temperatures, and high light availability, make these urban bayous susceptible to eutrophication.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2019, 2019
- Identifier
- 1153167804, WFE0000700
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- The steamer Columbia: recreating the life history of a Pensacola sidewheeler.
- Author
- Dvorscak, Christopher Kevin
- Abstract/Description
-
In March of 2013, faculty and students from the University of West Florida discovered an unknown shipwreck in the Blackwater River. After multiple seasons of investigation and intensive historical research, the shipwreck is determined to be the sidewheel steamer Columbia, of Pensacola. It was built in 1900 by the W. B. Wright Company, towed lumber, and functioned as an excursion vessel. A fire of unknown origin caused it to burn to the waterline and sink on March 13, 1911. This project...
Show moreIn March of 2013, faculty and students from the University of West Florida discovered an unknown shipwreck in the Blackwater River. After multiple seasons of investigation and intensive historical research, the shipwreck is determined to be the sidewheel steamer Columbia, of Pensacola. It was built in 1900 by the W. B. Wright Company, towed lumber, and functioned as an excursion vessel. A fire of unknown origin caused it to burn to the waterline and sink on March 13, 1911. This project focuses on the discovery and investigation of Columbia, describes the life history of the vessel and the region in which it functioned, and provides convincing evidence to confirm its identity.
Show less - Identifier
- 1129014911, WFE0000654
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- A temporal study of marine microbial ecology in the coastal waters of Pensacola Beach.
- Author
- Simmering, Arianna Lee
- Abstract/Description
-
Microbial communities are greatly influenced by natural environmental factors as well as disturbance and recovery due to anthropogenic effects and events. Of equal interest is their resiliency and recovery from those disturbances. For the purpose of this study, temporal was defined in three ways: seasonal variation, daily diel variation, and disturbance event effects and response. For the past three years, we maintained a bi-weekly sampling of water from the Pensacola Beach Pier to address...
Show moreMicrobial communities are greatly influenced by natural environmental factors as well as disturbance and recovery due to anthropogenic effects and events. Of equal interest is their resiliency and recovery from those disturbances. For the purpose of this study, temporal was defined in three ways: seasonal variation, daily diel variation, and disturbance event effects and response. For the past three years, we maintained a bi-weekly sampling of water from the Pensacola Beach Pier to address long term seasonal variability in biomass, productivity community structure, and physico-chemical parameters. Diel variation was measured using periods of increased sampling frequency to every six hours over a fifty-hour timespan. These diel samples were conducted quarterly in one year to compare seasonal variation. Temperature was the largest driving force in both long term and short-term variability for Pensacola Beach for the three years studied. Response to Hurricane Nate and Hurricane Michael was evaluated in years 2 and 3. Sampling was increased to once daily before, during, and after each storm either made landfall or passed by Pensacola Beach. Data from these storm events was compared to the previously defined typical values for that time of year using the time series to determine the disturbance effect and recovery period specific to the microbial ecology due to these storms. Data from both storms showed an immediate response in microbial communities with an equally rapid recovery period.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2020, 2020
- Identifier
- 1233074794, WFE0000747
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Temporal variation of groundwater nutrient flux dynamics into Santa Rosa Sound, North West Florida.
- Author
- Leach, Dana J.
- Abstract/Description
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Submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) is a pathway of nutrient loading into marine systems. SGD is described as the direct discharge of fresh or recirculated groundwater into the near-shore environment. This study aims to qualitatively identify nutrient transformation within the subterranean estuary (STE), which is a point of mixing between fresh groundwater and seawater where several chemical reactions occur. The biogeochemical conditions in porewater were identified using a push point...
Show moreSubmarine groundwater discharge (SGD) is a pathway of nutrient loading into marine systems. SGD is described as the direct discharge of fresh or recirculated groundwater into the near-shore environment. This study aims to qualitatively identify nutrient transformation within the subterranean estuary (STE), which is a point of mixing between fresh groundwater and seawater where several chemical reactions occur. The biogeochemical conditions in porewater were identified using a push point piezometer. A pieozomanometer survey was conducted to determine the nutrient flux into Santa Rosa Sound, Gulf Breeze, Florida. Nutrient concentration data were obtained by analyzing porewater samples from two sampling dates, June 16, 2019, and September 29, 2019. Upward velocity measurements were made on January 27, 2020. When comparing the two sampling dates, the subterranean estuary shifts from freshwater input into the system and salinity plots mimic the distribution of nitrogen within the STE. Phosphorus, pH, and oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) profiles were compared. In areas with low ORP and low pH, they indicate the possibility of iron oxidation and the possible presence of an "iron curtain". In this area, dissolved phosphorus is likely to precipitate from solution. Total dissolved inorganic nitrogen from porewater averaged 0.7 mmol d-1 per m shoreline. Upward velocity measurements showed that velocity increased with distance offshore, a trend that could be explained by a change of hydraulic conductivity and the patchiness of porewater substrate, where preferential flow through SGD favors sediments further offshore.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2020, 2020
- Identifier
- 1202025463, WFE0000718
- Format
- Document (PDF)