Thesis (M.S.)--Wisconsin. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 115).

published_or_final_version / Ecology and Biodiversity / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

The Tropical Pacific Warm Pool International Cloud Experiment (TWP-ICE) took place in Darwin, Australia in early 2006. C-band radar data from this experiment were used to characterize tropical anvil areal coverage, height, and thickness during the month-long field campaign. The morphology, evolution, and longevity of the anvil were analyzed as well as the relationship of the anvil to the rest of the precipitating system. In addition, idealized in-cloud radiative heating profiles were created based on the anvil observations. The anvil was separated into mixed (i.e., echo base below 6 km) and ice only categories. The experiment areal average coverage for both types of anvil was between 4-5% of the radar grid. Ice anvil thickness averaged 2.8 km and mixed anvil thickness averaged 6.7 km. No consistent diurnal signal was seen in the anvil, implying that the life cycle of the parent convection was of first order importance in determining the anvil height, thickness, and area. Areal peaks show that mixed anvil typically formed out of the stratiform region. Peak production in ice anvil usually followed the mixed anvil peak by 1-3 hr. Anvil typically lasted 4-10 hr after the initial convective rain area peak. The TWP-ICE experienced three distinct regimes: the active monsoon, dry monsoon, and break periods. During the entire experiment (except the active monsoon period) there was a strong negative correlation between ice anvil thickness and ice anvil height, a strong positive correlation between ice anvil area and thickness, and a greater variance in ice anvil bottom than ice anvil top. Anvil produced during the active regime had the most dramatic in-cloud radiative response with a maximum cooling of 0.45° K day-1 at 12 km, a maximum heating of 3° K day-1 at 9 km, and a secondary maximum heating of 1.2° K day-1 at 5 km.

This study examines the global tropical cyclones (TC) patterns and distributions from 2001-2010. The objective of the study was to find out the possible relationship between the TC activities between different oceans. The TC track record was obtained from the Hurricane Data Centre at Unisys Weather webpage and it has been plotted and transferred to a spread sheet format. By combining the data with the oceanic maps from General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans (GEBCO) digital Atlas, we could conclude the trend and distributions of the TC in each year. Various data were also collected from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Climate Prediction Center and Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) so as to further explain the TC relationships in different regions. It is concluded that the TC distributions has no significant relationship between oceans in the same hemisphere but it shows certain pattern throughout the ten years record. / published_or_final_version / Applied Geosciences / Master / Master of Science

No description available.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1967. / Vita. Typescript. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S. in Systems Engineering Management)--Naval Postgraduate School, Sept. 2004. / Thesis Advisor(s): Kenneth L. Davidson. Includes bibliographical references (p. 83-85). Also available online.

published_or_final_version / Ecology and Biodiversity / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

The breeding behaviour of the Blue-throated Bee-eater was studied at two colonies in Peninsula Malaysia during 3 breeding seasons, with particular emphasis on pair behaviour, mixed reproductive strategies and nestling competition. This is the first study of vertebrate social behaviour and ecology to contain the documentation of a relational database. This was designed to store and manipulate all data obtained from regular captures and biometric measurements of adults and nestlings and from observations of adults. DNA fingerprinting was used to establish the true genetic relationships between nestlings and their social parents: most nestlings were genetic offspring (72%). Nestlings were classified as illegitimate offspring using 95% confidence intervals of the band sharing coefficient and number of unexplained nestling bands as criteria. Very few if any nestlings were sired by an extra-pair male (fewer than 5%). Behavioural evidence of strong cooperation between pair members throughout the breeding season supports the DNA fingerprinting results of no confirmed case of offspring fathered by extra-pair males (extra-pair offspring; EPO). The Blue-throated Bee-eater probably has a near monogamous mating system. Most illegitimate nestlings had been 'dumped'. They were either the result of intra-specific nest parasitism (INP; 7%) or of 'quasi' parasitism (the offspring of the pair-male and an extra-pair female; 7-12%). INP by relatives of the hosts could have explained some intermediate band sharing coefficients. Anti-INP behaviour was demonstrated when experimentally 'dumped' eggs were almost always expelled before the onset of laying, but never afterwards. DNA fingerprinting showed that relatives may roost together and that related males may nest close together. Compared with other colonial Bee-eaters, M. viridis had low levels of helping-at-the-nest and EPO, but similar or higher levels of INP. The high nestling mortality in Blue-throated Bee-eaters was explained by a combination of three hypotheses, some of which were tested by experiment. (1) Insurance: extra-eggs are needed to counter hatch failure. (2) Brood reduction (including resource tracking): in times of food constraint, the laterhatched nestlings in asynchrously hatched broods starve. (3) Anti-INP hypothesis: these later-hatched nestlings are eliminated because they are likely to be illegitimate. Hatching failure was about 1 in 3 eggs overall. Help from the male allows an early onset of incubation which results in asynchronous hatching. Nestling hunger was shown to be a proximate factor affecting runt mortality both directly through competition and indirectly through nestling aggression. The demise of runts was delayed when conditions improved. Blue-throated Bee-eater broods are severely limited by food. Under this severe brood size constraint, breeding females may increase reproductive output by 'dumping' their last egg. This leads to the high frequency of INP observed in Blue-throated Bee-eaters. An early onset of incubation also gives the first-laid egg(s) a temporal developmental advantage over subsequently 'dumped' parasitic eggs. The 'dumped' nestlings are eliminated by starvation and siblicide, which may itself be an adaptation to INP to eliminate of unrelated nestlings.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 1995. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 167-170). / Microfiche. / xx, 170 leaves, bound ill. 29 cm