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Quantifying the effects of boat wakes on intertidal oyster reefs in a shallow estuary
Title
Quantifying the effects of boat wakes on intertidal oyster reefs in a shallow estuary.
Creator
Campbell, Donna, Walters, Linda, Quintana-Ascencio, Pedro, Jachec, Steven, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
There have long been concerns about the negative impacts of recreational boating activity in the Indian River Lagoon system (IRL), especially in Mosquito Lagoon (ML), the northernmost part of the IRL. My research is focused on the impacts of boat wakes on intertidal reefs formed by the eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica. There has been a 24% loss of oyster habitat in ML since 1943, where natural oyster reefs have been replaced by dead oyster reefs which do not serve the same ecological...
Show moreThere have long been concerns about the negative impacts of recreational boating activity in the Indian River Lagoon system (IRL), especially in Mosquito Lagoon (ML), the northernmost part of the IRL. My research is focused on the impacts of boat wakes on intertidal reefs formed by the eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica. There has been a 24% loss of oyster habitat in ML since 1943, where natural oyster reefs have been replaced by dead oyster reefs which do not serve the same ecological function. While there is anecdotal and correlative evidence that this loss is a result of boat wakes, no studies to date have confirmed dead reefs can be a direct result of boat wakes. Therefore, I addressed the following questions: (1) What wake heights are generated by a range of boat types, and (2) What amount of oyster movement and erosion occurs as a result of these boat wakes? A series of boat pass experiments addressed the first question; these results were utilized in experiments at Florida Institute of Technology's wave tank to observe sediment erosion and oyster movement as a result of specific wake heights. Model selection was used for both the field and wave tank experiments to determine which variables contributed most to explaining the wake heights, erosion, and oyster movement that occurred. Wake heights ranging from 0.05 cm to 20.80 cm were documented contacting the oyster reefs from the boat passes, with a mean of 2.95 cm. Boat type was less important than speed or distance when determining wake height. My wave tank results document that wake heights as small as 2 cm contacting oysters are capable of moving individual and clusters of oysters. Minimum distances for boats to travel in order to maintain wakes smaller than 2 cm at reefs are suggested for management purposes based on regression equations. This could minimize the amount of movement that occurs when oysters are subjected to boat wakes. The results of this study can help resource managers implement boating policies in Mosquito Lagoon, and contribute greatly to conserving this important ecosystem engineer.
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Date Issued
2015
Identifier
CFE0005584, ucf:50242
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005584
A Study of Confidence in Individuals who Actively Work with Returning Military Personnel
Title
A Study of Confidence in Individuals who Actively Work with Returning Military Personnel.
Creator
Slayter, LaDonna, Hirumi, Atsusi, Gunter, Glenda, Campbell, Laurie, Brophy-Ellison, James, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
This study sought to explore if training significantly increased community workers' perceived level of confidence and their ability to provide services to returning military personnel in two locations. To measure community workers' perceived level of confidence, participants N = 143 (n = 63 Norfolk, VA) and (n= 80 Fayetteville, NC) responded to an instrument containing 40 items. Inferential and descriptive statistics were used to analyze the study variables. Analyses of variance (ANOVA) were...
Show moreThis study sought to explore if training significantly increased community workers' perceived level of confidence and their ability to provide services to returning military personnel in two locations. To measure community workers' perceived level of confidence, participants N = 143 (n = 63 Norfolk, VA) and (n= 80 Fayetteville, NC) responded to an instrument containing 40 items. Inferential and descriptive statistics were used to analyze the study variables. Analyses of variance (ANOVA) were used to compare the reliability of means between the groups from 2011 to 2012 (i.e., pre-intervention to post-intervention). A Bonferroni Correction was applied to control the familywise error rate. A one-tailed p-value for each analysis was used based on the hypothesis that the intervention produced greater agreement with each item. Means for each item and range of ratings for each item were also calculated. To examine community workers' ability to provide improved service to veterans, qualitative data from (n=81) participants were analyzed. Comments were transcribed and grouped into clusters, then the data were themed and categorized according to participants' reported change in the way they thought about themselves as community service workers. Themes related to the study of confidence for better service to veterans were included in the results.The results of the hypothesis were that overall statistically significant improvement was found for individuals who actively work with military personnel in Fayetteville, NC. Results for the Norfolk, VA site demonstrated statistically significant improvement in confidence on 7 survey questions, but statistical significance was not found overall. Overall practical significance for the community provider setting in both cities was surmised from the results.Results of the data analysis for the research question indicated participants were applying knowledge acquired to their work with reintegrating veterans and their families. The study and the resulting information can inform instructional designers, instructors, course developers, and the research community. Opportunities for future research are briefly discussed.
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Date Issued
2018
Identifier
CFE0007100, ucf:51960
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007100