Cross-Hemispheric Genetic Diversity and Spatial Genetic Structure of Callinectes sapidus Reovirus 1 (CsRV1).

The Legacy of Oil Spills

For species of conservation concern, somatic growth and age at maturation are key parameters in models used to evaluate population dynamics, as spatial and temporal variability in growth rates may be particularly important for predicting population recovery. Following an oceanic juvenile developmental stage, endangered Kemp’s ridley sea turtlesLepidochelys kempiioccupy neritic habitats in 2 primary regions, the Gulf of Mexico (GoM) and along the US Atlantic coast. Results of prior studies suggest that somatic growth rates differ between these groups, which has the potential to influence maturation trajectories and relative reproductive contributions. To determine the nature and extent of potential regional differences, we conducted skeletal growth mark analysis (skeletochronology) with complementary annual bone growth increment-specific stable nitrogen isotope analysis that allowed delineation of oceanic-to-neritic habitat shifts for turtles stranded from 1993 to 2016. Results demonstrate that in the GoM, the oceanic-to-neritic habitat transition is associated with younger ages and faster somatic growth rates than in US Atlantic waters. Overall, US Atlantic somatic growth response was depressed relative to that in the GoM throughout all juvenile life stages, and this disparity persisted for more than 20 yr. This discrepancy translated into regional divergence in size-at-age relationships and maturation trajectories, with the prediction that US Atlantic Kemp’s ridleys would mature on average 2 to 3 yr later than their GoM counterparts. These analyses provide important baseline information on somatic growth rates and predicted age at maturation that can facilitate the evaluation of factors contributing to recent fluctuations in reproductive output for this endangered population.

Chapter Twenty Morphodynamics of muddy environments along the Atlantic coasts of North and South America

Salt marshes may be characterized on the basis of the frequency of tidal inundation into (a) regularly flooded — flooded by most high tides and (b) irregularly flooded — flooded infrequently in a pattern not related entirely to the local tidal regime (Uhler and Hotchkiss, 1968). Regularly flooded marshes are typically dominated by Spartina alterniflora (saltmarsh cordgrass) and have been extensively studied along the US Atlantic coast and Gulf of Mexico (see summaries by Day, Smith, Wagner and Wilmer, 1973; Cooper, 1974; Pomeroy and Wiegert, 1981). The black needlerush (Juncus roemerianus) is the dominant marsh plant of irregularly flooded marshes. Though considerable information has been developed concerning the structure and function of Gulf coast irregularly flooded marshes (Stout, 1984), little work beyond vegetational descriptions and primary productivity studies has been provided for Atlantic Juncus marshes (Marshall, 1974). Basic features of the two marsh types have been compared by de la Cruz (1980).

Host specificity is a key variable of the niche breath of parasites that can be an important determinant of a parasite’s ability to invade new areas. There is increasing evidence that many parasite species may comprise a variety of genetically variable lineages, which differ in host specificity and geographic range. In this study, we (1) explored the extent of diversity in the invasive parasitic barnacle Loxothylacus panopaei (Rhizocephala) infecting mud crabs (2) examined the geographic origin for the invasive lineage and (3) assessed if further southward spread of the parasite may be impeded. Along the US Atlantic coast, L. panopaei infects different hosts in its invaded range (Chesapeake Bay to north of Cape Canaveral) compared to one portion of the native range in Southeast Florida. This difference was reflected in genetic lineages on two independent loci, mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I and nuclear cytochrome c. Both loci were concordant in that they showed one lineage infecting crabs of the genus Panopeus in the native range and one lineage infecting Eurypanopeus depressus and Rhithropanopeus harrisii hosts in the invaded range and in the Gulf of Mexico, thus indicating Gulf of Mexico populations as the most likely source of introduction into Chesapeake Bay. Interestingly, the nuclear marker resolved an additional lineage of parasites infecting panopeid hosts in the native range. All three parasite lineages were well supported, but a decision about species status must await further analyses. Since its introduction in the 1960s, the invasive L. panopaei lineage has expanded its range southward along the US Atlantic coast, now almost reaching the northern limit of native Panopeus-infecting lineages at Cape Canaveral, Florida. We hypothesized that parasite-free E. depressus in Southeast Florida, living in sympatry with infected panopeid populations, might be resistant to infection by the invasive lineage. Our infection experiments rejected this hypothesis, suggesting that any impediment to further southward range expansion might be expected from temperature regimes of the subtropical zoogeographic region south of Cape Canaveral.

Hurricanes often cause severe damage and loss of life, and storms that intensify close to the coast pose a particularly serious threat. While changes in hurricane intensification and environment have been examined at basin scales previously, near‐coastal changes have not been adequately explored. In this study, we address this using a suite of observations and climate model simulations. Over the 40‐year period of 1979–2018, the mean 24‐hr hurricane intensification rate increased by ∼1.2 kt 6‐hr−1 near the US Atlantic coast. However, a significant increase in intensification did not occur near the Gulf coast over the same period. The enhanced hurricane intensification along the Atlantic coast is consistent with an increasingly favorable dynamic and thermodynamic environment there, which is well simulated by climate models over the historical period. Further, multi‐model projections suggest a continued enhancement of the storm environment and hurricane intensification near the Atlantic coast in the future.

The western North-Atlantic coast experienced major coastal floods in recent years. Coastal floods are primarily composed of tides and storm surges due to tropical (TCs) and extra-tropical cyclones (ETCs). We present a reanalysis from 1988 to 2015 of extreme sea levels that explicitly include TCs for the western North-Atlantic coastline. Validation shows a good agreement between modeled and observed sea levels and demonstrates that the framework can capture large-scale variability in extreme sea levels. We apply the 28-year reanalysis to analyze spatiotemporal patterns. Along the US Atlantic coasts the contribution of tides can be significant, with the average contribution of tides during the 10 largest events up to 55% in some locations, whereas along the Mexican Southern Gulf coast, the average contribution of tides over the largest 10 events is generally below 25%. At the US Atlantic coast, ETCs are responsible for 8.5 out of the 10 largest extreme events, whereas at the Gulf Coast and Caribbean TCs dominate. During the TC season more TC-driven events exceed a 10-year return period. During winter, there is a peak in ETC-driven events. Future research directions include coupling the framework with synthetic tropical cyclone tracks and extension to the global scale.

AimPhylogeographical ‘breaks’ often occur at biogeographical province boundaries, suggesting common causative factors. Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, on the US Atlantic coast, separates water masses of sharply differing temperature and divides the Virginian and Carolinian provinces, but has not often been detected as a phylogeographical break. We studied the black sea bass, Centropristis striata (Linnaeus, 1758), a species with philopatric adults but long‐lived planktonic larvae. An earlier study of only two Atlantic populations, and lower‐resolution mitochondrial RFLP markers, showed strong separation between the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic, but not across Cape Hatteras.LocationOver 300 adults were collected from populations from the Gulf of Mexico, the US south Atlantic (North Carolina south of Cape Hatteras, the east coast of Florida, and South Carolina), and the US mid‐Atlantic (North Carolina north of Cape Hatteras, Virginia, Delaware, New Jersey and Massachusetts).MethodsWe sequenced the mitochondrial control region, analysed DNA sequence and haplotype frequency differentiation and haplotype networks, and performed coalescent analyses of population sizes and migration rates.ResultsSequences formed three clusters – Gulf of Mexico, south Atlantic and mid‐Atlantic – the Atlantic clusters being divided at Cape Hatteras. Analyses of molecular variance (AMOVA) showed that 31% of sequence variation was between populations on opposite sides of Cape Hatteras, while only 5% was between populations on the same side, yet migrate analysis detected asymmetric migration across the Cape, greater from north to south than in the opposite direction. A transitional population with roughly equal frequencies of south and mid‐Atlantic haplotypes occupied a narrow stretch between Cape Hatteras and the Virginia border.Main conclusionsStrong barriers to gene flow exist between the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic, and across Cape Hatteras. Adult migratory and spawning behaviours that separate mid‐Atlantic and south Atlantic populations, limited larval exchange, and selection imposed by thermal gradients are each potentially responsible. In addition, these data indicate that fishery stocks of black sea bass north and south of Cape Hatteras are genetically distinct, supporting their separate management.

Context The white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) is a large, highly migratory, apex predator typically found in coastal, continental shelf and pelagic environments of temperate and subtropical waters worldwide. In the western North Atlantic (WNA), white sharks have been studied for decades through catch data and other observations along the US Atlantic coast. Aims Beginning in 2012, OCEARCH has coordinated a comprehensive, long-term study of this population that includes tagging sharks with satellite-linked and acoustic tags to track their movements, understand their life history, and map their critical habitats. Methods Tagging occurred between Nova Scotia, Canada, and Jacksonville, Florida, USA, on the Atlantic coast. Four life stages (young-of-the-year, juvenile, subadult, adult) were tagged, showing the migratory cycles of this WNA population from age zero through maturity. Key results A combination of satellite-linked and acoustic tags showed all four life stages enter the Gulf of Mexico (GoM) through the Straits of Florida and use this habitat primarily during the overwintering period. Of 92 white sharks tagged, 57 (62.0%) showed activity in the GoM or the Straits of Florida, spending most of their time (91.2%) in epipelagic waters and moving mainly from the Florida Keys north along the outer West Florida Shelf. Specific areas of extensive habitat use and evidence of philopatry were identified, particularly in the Pulley Ridge area off south-western Florida. Some animals crossed into the western GoM and into Mexican coastal waters; movements along the northern coast of Cuba were also noted. Conclusions These tagging results clearly demonstrated the importance of this region as an overwintering habitat for white sharks, particularly in shelf edge waters of the eastern GoM, and indicated a more widespread and persistent use of the GoM by this recovering species than previously known. Implications Our results demonstrated the wide-ranging nature of the WNA white shark population and the faunal connectivity between Atlantic Canada and the GoM, including territorial waters of other nations. Continued monitoring of this population, fine-scale analysis of movements in critical habitats, and further research on the drivers of migration are needed for science-based policy to conserve this vulnerable species.

The purpose of this literature review, the second in a series following one on traumatic injuries and fatigue, is to identify potential health hazards to inform a study of occupational health and safety among fish harvesters in the Gulf of Mexico (GoM). Fish harvesters are potentially at a high risk of occupational illnesses in GoM fisheries. GoM fishers engage in harvesting shrimp, finfish, oysters, crabs, and clams. Method: The method is a narrative literature review. Search terms that included safety, seafood, occupational, fishing, oyster, clam, shrimp, crab, and GoM were used to identify relevant literature in combination (i.e., a string search). Results: A total of 53 manuscripts were reviewed, of which only two regarded the GoM, but 19 were from the US Atlantic Coast. Musculoskeletal disorders are widespread across the fishing sector. Other hazards include bites and stings from aquatic animals (some of which may be life-threatening), vessel engine noise, dermatoses, and other skin afflictions (including possible strep infection of wounds), solar ray-induced eye diseases, and respiratory exposures (such as to protein aerosols) that can cause asthma. Diving poses multiple breathing and other hazards. Conclusion: While fish harvesters are protected from respiratory problems when working on the well-ventilated deck and dermal hazards by wearing gloves, musculoskeletal, bite and sting, ocular, engine-related hearing loss, and skin, lip, and eye cancer hazards are potentially serious risks among GoM fish harvesters.

A collection of Paguroidea recently obtained during deep-water expeditions along the coast of Brazil, forms the basis of this report. Of the 14 species reported from Brazil, 11 represent range extensions to the south, and one, Michelopagurus atlanticus (Bouvier, 1922), is a first record for the western Atlantic. The specimens were compared with types and western Atlantic materials deposited in various major museums. A diagnosis and illustrations are presented for each of seven species found to be poorly or insufficiently known. New material and information is reported for two additional species that occur in Brazil but not found in the recent deep-water collections: Clibanarius symmetricus (Randall, 1840) and Mixtopagurus paradoxus A. Milne-Edwards, 1880. Remarkable and unique color photographs of live or fresh specimens of Allodardanus bredini Haig & Provenzano, 1965, Bathynarius anomalus (A. Milne-Edwards & Bouvier, 1893), Pylopagurus discoidalis (A. Milne-Edwards, 1880), Paguristes spinipes A. Milne-Edwards, 1880, Parapagurus pilosimanus Smith, 1876, and P. alaminos Lemaitre, 1986, are presented. A review of published records and museum collections of the terrestrial Coenobita clypeatus (Fabricius, 1787), has shown that the southern range limit of this species does not extend beyond the southern Caribbean and Trinidad and Tobago, and thus does not occur on the Brazilian coast as previously believed. A distribution map of C. clypeatus is provided based on specimens in the collections of the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution. New distribution records in the Gulf of Mexico and southern Caribbean, and morphological information, are included for Pagurus rotundimanus Wass, 1963, a species originally described from the Florida Keys but rarely reported since. Relevant remarks on the taxonomy, morphology, and distribution of all these species are included. The revised list of Paguroidea known from Brazil is updated, and now includes a total of 62 species in the families Pylochelidae (1), Diogenidae (27), Paguridae (28), and Parapaguridae (6). A synopsis of primary taxonomic works on western Atlantic Paguroidea is also presented.

The vulnerability of coastal environments to sea-level rise varies spatially, particularly due to local land subsidence. However, high-resolution observations and models of coastal subsidence are scarce, hindering an accurate vulnerability assessment. We use satellite data from 2007 to 2020 to create high-resolution map of subsidence rate at mm-level accuracy for different land covers along the ~3,500 km long US Atlantic coast. Here, we show that subsidence rate exceeding 3 mm per year affects most coastal areas, including wetlands, forests, agricultural areas, and developed regions. Coastal marshes represent the dominant land cover type along the US Atlantic coast and are particularly vulnerable to subsidence. We estimate that 58 to 100% of coastal marshes are losing elevation relative to sea level and show that previous studies substantially underestimate marsh vulnerability by not fully accounting for subsidence.

Climate change brings intense hurricanes and storm surges to the US Atlantic coast. These disruptive meteorological events, combined with sea level rise (SLR), inundate coastal areas and adversely impact infrastructure and environmental assets. Thus, storm surge projection and associated risk quantification are needed in coastal adaptation planning and emergency management. However, the projections can have large uncertainties depending on the planning time horizon. Excessive uncertainties arise from inadequately quantified ocean-climatic processes that control hurricane formation, storm track, and SLR in time of climate change. For this challenge, we propose an objective-based analytical-statistical approach using the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA)'s Sea, Lake, and Overland Surge from Hurricanes (SLOSH) model in scenario analysis of the storm surge impacts. In this approach, synthetic hurricanes (wind profile and track direction) are simulated to yield the likely range of the maximum envelope of water (MEOW), the maximum of the maximum (MOM), local wind speed, and directions. The surge height and time progression at a location are analyzed using a validated SLOSH model for a given adaptation or planning objective with a set of uncertainty tolerance. We further illustrate the approach in three case studies at Mattapoisett (MA), Bridgeport (CT), and Lower Chesapeake Bay along the US Atlantic coast. Simulated MOMs as the worst-case surge scenarios defined the long-term climate risk to the shoreside wastewater plants in Bridgeport and environmental assets in the Lower Chesapeake Bay. The wind-surge probability envelopes in simulated MEOWs provide location-specific estimates of the storm surge probability for local adaptation analysis at four locations in Lower Chesapeake Bay and at Mattapoisett of the southeastern Massachusetts coast. Using the constraints of local bathymetry and topography, the wind-surge probability curves and time progression also provide quantitative probability estimates for emergency response planning, as illustrated in the Mattapoisett case study.

Abstract. Despite interventions intended to reduce impacts of coastal hazards, the risk of damage along the US Atlantic coast continues to rise. This reflects a long-standing paradox in disaster science: even as physical and social insights into disaster events improve, the economic costs of disasters keep growing. Risk can be expressed as a function of three components: hazard, exposure, and vulnerability. Risk may be driven up by coastal hazards intensifying with climate change, or by increased exposure of people and infrastructure in hazard zones. But risk may also increase because of interactions, or feedbacks, between hazard, exposure, and vulnerability. Using empirical records of shoreline change, valuation of owner-occupied housing, and beach-nourishment projects to represent hazard, exposure, and vulnerability, here we present a data-driven model that describes trajectories of risk at the county scale along the US Atlantic coast over the past 5 decades. We also investigate quantitative relationships between risk components that help explain these trajectories. We find higher property exposure in counties where hazard from shoreline change has appeared to reverse from high historical rates of shoreline erosion to low rates in recent decades. Moreover, exposure has increased more in counties that have practised beach nourishment intensively. The spatio-temporal relationships that we show between exposure and hazard, and between exposure and vulnerability, indicate a feedback between coastal development and beach nourishment that exemplifies the “safe development paradox”, in which hazard protections encourage further development in places prone to hazard impacts. Our findings suggest that spatially explicit modelling efforts to predict future coastal risk need to address feedbacks between hazard, exposure, and vulnerability to capture emergent patterns of risk in space and time.

Stormwater infrastructure can manage precipitation‐driven flooding when there are no obstructions to draining. Coastal areas increasingly experience recurrent flooding due to elevated water levels from storms or tides, but the inundation of coastal stormwater infrastructure by elevated water levels has not been broadly assessed. We conservatively estimated stormwater infrastructure inundation in municipalities along the Atlantic United States coast by using areas of high‐tide flooding (HTF) on roads as a proxy. We also modeled stormwater infrastructure inundation in four North Carolina municipalities and measured infrastructure inundation in one of the modeled municipalities. Combining methodologies at different scales provides context and allows the scope of stormwater infrastructure inundation to be broadly estimated. We found 137 census‐designated urban areas along the Atlantic coast with road area impacted by HTF, with a median percent of total road area subject to HTF of 0.16% (IQR: 0.02%–0.53%). Based on 2010 census block data, the median number of people per urban area that live in census blocks with HTF on roads was 1,622 (IQR: 366–5,779). In total, we estimate that over 2 million people live in census blocks where HTF occurs on roadways along the US Atlantic coast. Modeling results and water level measurements indicated that extensive inundation of underground stormwater infrastructure likely occurs at water levels within the mean tidal range. These results suggest that stormwater infrastructure inundation along the US Atlantic coast is likely widespread, affects a large number of people, occurs frequently, and increases the occurrence of urban flooding.