Anomalous Distributions of Calanoid Copepod Species during July 2003 in Coastal Waters off Chincoteague, VA Carrie Miller (B.S. in Biological Oceanography, 2004) Currently a graduate student at the Texas A&M University

Abstract

Hydrographic and biological parameters were collected on July 17, 2003, along a transect starting at Chincoteague Inlet, VA, and extending 42.5 km offshore. Vertical profiles of temperature and fluorescence (index of algal biomass) were measured at 14 stations with a Seabird Sealogger 25 CTD, nitrate and phosphate were measured from bottle samples, and vertical tows of zooplankton (small copepod crustaceans) were collected. The dominant feature was a deep chlorophyll maximum (DCM) layer, which extended along the entire transect at depths of 6 to 14 meters and occurred just beneath the seasonal thermocline. The 14-station transect was divided into 3 main regions: the well-mixed inlet, a frontal zone where isotherms approached the surface, and the stratified deeper ocean. Nitrate and phosphate were low at all stations, < 2 uM. Nutrients had probably been much higher, since high chlorophyll and zooplankton concentrations (60 animals L-1) were found in the frontal zone. Zooplankton samples included northern calanoid copepod species, which are not typically seen off Chincoteague Inlet, and probably represented significant onshore water transport prior to our sampling. A transition between dominant copepod species could be seen, with Acartia tonsa dominant in nearshore waters and Temora longicornis as well as Pseudocalanus spp. offshore. Since 2003 was a positive North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), the Labrador Current may have extended further south and come closer to shore than during a negative NAO year. Southerly winds prior to July 17, 2003 were favorable for coastal upwelling. These conditions may have facilitated the movement of the northern copepod species into the transect area.

From Illegal Dumping to Water Research

Dr. Andrew Muller

Article from the Millersville Exchange

What do Wallops Island, Chincoteague Bay, and Millersville University have in common? Wallops Island and Chincoteague Bay are two locations where MU students and faculty conduct research on water quality and beach dynamics.

MU is a member of the Marine Science Consortium, a cooperative educational venture, where member institutions pool resources to offer courses and provide facilities to students from all member institutions. The Consortium maintains the Wallops Island Marine Science Center and the Marine Science Consortium Research Center, both in Virginia.

The equipment is being calibrated and carefully packed in Brossman Building by Dr. Andrew Muller, a professor of oceanography in MU’s earth sciences department, and his students. Muller and the students will soon be leaving for a three-week field study class in marine science at the Consortium’s center in Greenbackville, Virginia.

“We’ll be conducting research on the physical and chemical characteristics of Chincoteague Bay, and beach dynamics of Assateague Island, Virginia” said Muller. “We’ll also be looking at pollution caused by residents from Greenbackville and surrounding areas. The marsh has become an illegal dumping ground and we will be investigating how that has affected Chincoteague Bay.”

Muller and previous classes have documented everything from oil pans and refrigerators being illegally dumped in Greenbackville to the dumpsters being placed too close to the ocean.

“Greenbackville is a rural, isolated area of Virginia,” explained Muller. “We will be mapping and documenting the environmental impacts to this area over the next several years.

The Wallops Island Center is a residential marine field station near Chincoteague and Assateague Islands in Virginia. The Center consists of over 57 acres containing classrooms, wet and dry laboratories, computer laboratory, residence buildings, faculty and staff residences, cafeteria, library, recreational facilities and an administrative building. The second campus is located directly on Chincoteague Bay at Greenbackville, Va. This campus, devoted largely to research, contains a flow-through sea water system, wet and dry laboratories and residence capabilities.

Muller plans to publish articles on their research in Virginia. Some of the articles will be educational in nature. He says there is a good job market for oceanographers and he hopes to entice high school students in Pennsylvania to enter the program. MU offers a degree in oceanography.