Thesis (Ph.D.). / Written for the Dept. of Geography. Title from title page of PDF (viewed 2008/08/04). Includes bibliographical references.

Harmful algal blooms (HABs) along the Florida coast have been reported for many decades. Karenia brevis is a red tide species on the West Florida Shelf, producing a suite of toxins called brevetoxins that adversely affect marine organisms and humans. Dinoflagellate cysts have been studied as a tool for red tide studies since the location where cysts accumulate in the sediments and the size of the seed beds can be important for potential blooms. However, little attention has been paid on the dinoflagellate cysts on the West Florida Coast. This study describes the distribution of dinoflagellate cysts along the West Florida Coast and proposes the possibility of Karenia brevis cysts. Samples were collected with a box corer July 17-29 and October 5-17, 2009. Overall cyst concentrations are low. The sediments along the West Florida Coast compose of coarse-sized grains that generate large-sized pores. Thus, cysts in the coarse-grained sediments might easily move along with turbulence or water movements flowing above the sediments. Cyst concentrations gradually increased shoreward. The hydrographic features along the West Florida Coast are influenced by the coastal current. Southward coastal current flowed during two cruises might drive a subsequent offshore Ekman transport which might lead to a coastal upwelling, thereby transporting bottom sediments closer to the coast. Thus, cyst concentration was higher inshore compared to that offshore. The average concentration of heterotrophic dinoflagellate cysts was higher in July than that in October, whereas autotrophic dinoflagellate cysts did not have a noticeable difference between July and October. The heterotrophic group is dominated by a protoperidinioid group that mainly feeds on diatoms. The abundance of protoperidinioid was higher in July than in October and other groups have similar abundance between two periods. The highest abundance of diatoms is in June, July and August, whereas the lowest was in October, November and May. Therefore, the decrease in the abundance of protoperidinioid cysts correlates with the lower food supply for their motile cells. Based on a morphological similarity to a Karenia brevis cyst detected in culture by Walker (1982) and a morphological difference from other species belonging to the same genus, cysts that are probably Karenia brevis have been identified.

<p>Through the analysis of the stratigraphic and spatial distribution of organic walled dinoflagellate cysts (dinocysts) from climatologically and oceanographically key sites, this project aims to contribute to a better understanding of the Eocene-Oligocene (E/O) environmental changes and their timing. A central issue is to identify the global environmental changes which are responsible for the Eocene cooling and its underlying mechanisms with the focus on the Oligocene isotope-1 (Oi-1) event, thought to mark the onset of major Antarctic glaciation.</p><p>Two low-latitude sites were selected, Blake Nose (western North Atlantic) and Massignano (central Italy). For the first time a coherent taxonomy and biostratigraphy of dinocysts was established for the late Eocene at these latitudes. A high resolution correlation was established between the Massignano E/O Stratotype Section and the stratigraphically more extended ‘Massicore’. The composite section was used to analyse sea surface temperature (SST) change across the greenhouse-icehouse transition by means of dinocyst distribution.</p><p>At Massignano, the Oi-1 event was recognised both qualitatively and quantitatively. In the power spectrum of the SST_dino the ~100 and ~400 kyr eccentricity cycles may be distinguished and correlated with La04. When orbitally tuned, the E/O GSSP dates ~100 kyr older than the Oi-1 event. The boundary’s age could either be ~33.75 or ~34.1 Ma, both differ significantly from the ~33.9 Ma age in the GTS 2004.</p><p>Furthermore, when the data from the low-latitude sites were combined with extensive datasets from the Proto North Atlantic and adjacent regions, a suite of species sensitive to changes in SST was recognised. Their first and last occurrences reflect seven distinct phases of decreasing SSTs during the Middle Eocene to earliest Oligocene.</p><p>These results clearly indicate that atmospheric cooling together with higher frequency orbital forcing played a key role in the transition from the Greenhouse to the Icehouse world.</p>

Our knowledge of how oil spills affect coastal environments is severely limited by the shortage of research that addresses the impact of these events on phytoplankton, the single most important group of organisms in the marine ecosystem. This scarcity of knowledge is mainly attributed to the absence of baseline data, preventing the comparison of pre- and post-spill populations. This unique study aims to identify how dinoflagellates and diatoms, the two major groups of phytoplankton in coastal marine environments, have been affected by the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill in Prince William Sound (PWS), Alaska. To do this, sedimentary records of dinoflagellate cysts, produced during a dinoflagellate's life cycle and preserved in the sediment, and biogenic silica, a proxy for diatom abundance, were analyzed prior to, during and after the oil spill. The analysis of two well-dated cores in PWS reveals marked increases during the oil spill in the concentrations of total cysts of the species Operculodinium centrocarpum sensu Wall and Dale, (1966) and Dubridinium spp. Total cyst concentrations doubled in core P-10 from 362 to 749 per g, while in core P-12 the increase was from 1175 to 1771 cysts g-1. During this peak in cyst concentrations, total concentrations were 3 and 2 standard deviations greater than the mean in cores P-10 and P-12, respectively. Dubridinium spp. showed a five and sevenfold increase in concentrations in cores P-10 (4 to 20 cysts g-1) and P-12 (16 to 110 cysts g-1), respectively, while O. centrocarpum sensu Wall and Dale, (1966) doubled in concentrations in the two cores (P-10: 117 to 276 cysts g-1; P-12: 268 to 495 cysts g-1). Biogenic silica values did not show significant changes throughout the cores, with values varying between 8% and 9% in core P-10 and 9.0% to 10.9% in core P-12. These changes lie within or very close to the standard deviation of the analyzed standards, suggesting that much of the changes could be analytical noise. The dinoflagellate cyst signals seen in this study are comparable to those seen as a result of nutrient enrichment in estuarine systems, suggesting that the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill and its remediation had a stimulatory effect on some taxa of cyst- producing dinoflagellates. This impact appears to be short-lived, with cyst concentrations returning to pre-spill levels within two years of the event. The lack of change in diatom abundance, on the other hand, suggest that diatom abundance remained relatively constant during the entirety of the sample period. / Graduate / 2020-07-10

The first high resolution record of dinoflagellate cysts ~110-155 kyr over Termination II and the last interglacial in the Santa Barbara Basin, California from ODP Hole 893A details a complex paleoceanographic history. Changes in cyst abundances, concentrations, diversity, and assemblages reflect climatic and ocean circulation changes, and are successfully used to make quantitative reconstructions of past sea surface temperatures and annual primary productivity with the modern analogue technique based on a dinoflagellate cyst database from the northeast Pacific. The dominance of heterotrophic dinoflagellate cyst taxa Brigantedinium spp. throughout most of the section indicates coastal upwelling is an important influence on the basin. Based on the dinoflagellate cyst assemblages, five cyst zones are identified and approximately correspond to the marine isotope stage boundaries and their associated changes in sea surface temperatures and sea level. Cooler intervals, MIS 6 and MIS 5d, are characterized by cold-water indicator species Selenopemphix undulata whereas thermophyllic taxon Spiniferites mirabilis characterizes MIS 5e. In contrast to other studies in the Pacific, the data shows a one to two-thousand-year cooling event ~129 kyr that correlates to the Termination II sea level still-stand of the two-step deglaciation. A significant increase in cyst concentrations of heterotrophic and autotrophic taxa in the latest MIS 5e implies enhanced primary productivity as a result of increased seasonal upwelling and the warm, nutrient rich waters entering the basin after sea level stabilizes near modern levels. The hydrological evolution and cyst signal of the last interglacial is similar to the development of the Holocene in the Santa Barbara Basin, but the sustained presence of Spiniferites mirabilis across MIS 5e indicates sea surface temperatures were higher than modern conditions. The quantitative reconstructions appear to be less reliable, and show wide sea surface temperature changes across MIS 6 to 5d (~6.2-10.7°C in February; ~12.6-20.3°C in August) similar to modern ranges, while annual primary productivity was confined to a higher narrower range (~456-586 g C m-2 yr-1). / Graduate / 2020-04-18

Through the analysis of the stratigraphic and spatial distribution of organic walled dinoflagellate cysts (dinocysts) from climatologically and oceanographically key sites, this project aims to contribute to a better understanding of the Eocene-Oligocene (E/O) environmental changes and their timing. A central issue is to identify the global environmental changes which are responsible for the Eocene cooling and its underlying mechanisms with the focus on the Oligocene isotope-1 (Oi-1) event, thought to mark the onset of major Antarctic glaciation. Two low-latitude sites were selected, Blake Nose (western North Atlantic) and Massignano (central Italy). For the first time a coherent taxonomy and biostratigraphy of dinocysts was established for the late Eocene at these latitudes. A high resolution correlation was established between the Massignano E/O Stratotype Section and the stratigraphically more extended ‘Massicore’. The composite section was used to analyse sea surface temperature (SST) change across the greenhouse-icehouse transition by means of dinocyst distribution. At Massignano, the Oi-1 event was recognised both qualitatively and quantitatively. In the power spectrum of the SSTdino the ~100 and ~400 kyr eccentricity cycles may be distinguished and correlated with La04. When orbitally tuned, the E/O GSSP dates ~100 kyr older than the Oi-1 event. The boundary’s age could either be ~33.75 or ~34.1 Ma, both differ significantly from the ~33.9 Ma age in the GTS 2004. Furthermore, when the data from the low-latitude sites were combined with extensive datasets from the Proto North Atlantic and adjacent regions, a suite of species sensitive to changes in SST was recognised. Their first and last occurrences reflect seven distinct phases of decreasing SSTs during the Middle Eocene to earliest Oligocene. These results clearly indicate that atmospheric cooling together with higher frequency orbital forcing played a key role in the transition from the Greenhouse to the Icehouse world.

Thesis (M. Sc.), Memorial University of Newfoundland, 1998. / Restricted until June 1999. Bibliography: leaves 84-95.

Extensive data sets of water quality and sediment chemistry as well as detailed historical records were used to analyze environmental factors controlling dinoflagellate cyst distribution in shallow estuaries (lagoons and embayments) of southern New England. Cyst abundance, species richness, the proportion of cysts produced by heterotrophic and autotrophic dinoflagellates, and the composition of cyst assemblages reflect spatial and temporal variation in environmental conditions. The cyst record in sediment cores from two embayments, New Bedford Harbor and Apponagansett Bay, Massachusetts demonstrates cyst sensitivity to environmental change caused by anthropogenic activity in the watersheds. Intensive industrialization and urbanization occurred during the 20th century in New Bedford Harbor resulted in extreme eutrophication and toxic pollution (heavy metals and PCBs). These conditions are reflected in declining cyst diversity and wide fluctuation in total cyst production. At the same time, the proportion of certain heterotrophic taxa increases. As impacts of extreme eutrophication and toxic pollution cannot be separated, the cyst response must be interpreted as a cumulative «pollution signal». The spatial distribution of modern dinoflagellate cysts in the area supports this signal. Cysts vary along gradients of nutrient enrichment, corresponding to distance from sewage outfalls. Dinoflagellate cysts in surface sediments from New England lagoons also were studied. A comparison of assemblages to water quality parameters, that are affected greatly by the degree of water exchange between lagoon and ocean, indicates that temperature and salinity are the main abiotic factors controlling cyst distribution in these estuaries. A new species of dinoflagellate cyst, Islandinium brevispinosum, has been identified and described. This species was found within a narrow range of water temperature and salinity, and at elevated nutrient levels. Dinoflagellate cysts reflect environmental conditions at the small spatial scales necessary to characterize variability within estuaries. However, the relative importance of abiotic factors controlling the spatial and temporal distribution of dinoflagellate cysts is likely to vary with the hydrological differences between lagoons and embayments. Therefore, dinoflagellate cysts can be useful indicators of environmental conditions in and human impacts on shallow estuaries.

No description available.

To study the ecology of organic-walled dinoflagellate cysts, the changes in species composition, diversity, and seasonal variations of cyst flux in the sediment trap deployed in the Strait of Georgia (BC, Canada) were examined. The cyst production rate varied from ~600 to 336,200 cysts m-2 day-1, with an average of 20,000 cysts m-2 day-1. Throughout the study period (March, 1996 - January, 1999), cyst assemblages were mostly dominated by cysts produced by heterotrophic dinoflagellates, such as Protoperidineaceae (Brigantedinium spp., Quinquequspis concreta, and cysts of Protoperidinium americanum). Cysts produced by heterotrophic dinoflagellates peaked in June each year, whereas cysts produced by autotrophic taxa were most abundant during August-September. The total annual dinoflagellate cyst flux was higher in 1996 than in 1997 and 1998, being enhanced by the bloom of Alexandrium spp. The warmer sea-surface temperature in 1998 had a positive effect on the production of both autotrophic and heterotrophic dinoflagellates, as inferred from the cyst fluxes.