The foraminiferal population of Yaquina Bay was investigated to attempt a correlation of seasonal changes in the hydrography with observed changes in the faunal distribution patterns. The results are based on data from two spatial surveys conducted in July 1966, and late February and March, 1967. The hydrography of Yaquina Bay undergoes seasonal changes closely paralleling the seasonal precipitation pattern. Except for short-term variations, the estuarine system is partly-mixed during the period of maximum river discharge (November to May) and wellmixed from June through October. Coastal upwelling (high salinity, low temperature) has a marked influence on the hydrography of the lower bay during the summer; maximum salinities and temperatures prevail in the upper reaches of the estuary during late summer and fall. Species associations were determined by the Fager-McConnaughey correlation coefficient method; similar assemblages were found for both summer and winter surveys. A marine biofacies fauna, dominated by Elphidium microgranulosum and E. frigidum, occupies the main estuary channel for about five miles upstream. The distributional patterns of the living fauna show evidence of a stronger marine influence during the summer, corresponding to a similar pattern in the hydrography. In the lower bay, the Elphidium fauna is displaced laterally by an assemblage characterized by Trochammina charlottensis and Elphidium incertum in the middle intertidal zone. This assemblages in turn gives way to an Ammobaculites exiguus -Miliammina fusca fauna in the upper intertidal area. The Elphidium assemblage gives way to a Miliammina fauna in the upstream direction. Trochammina inflata, T. macrescens, Miliammina fusca, Jadamminina polystoma, Haplophragmoides sp., H. hancocki and Siphotrochammina lobata are the principal species found in the marine marsh. Zones of environmental similarity were defined by the index of affinity association analysis. Living and total faunas of both winter and summer surveys were considered separately; several sample groups were defined in each case. Index of affinity data can also be used to provide an index of the marine influence on the foraminiferal population of the estuary. Species diversity or the average number of species/sample, ranges from 22 in the marine biofacies zone to six on the lower bay tideflats. An intermediate value (l0/sample)was found for the marine marsh. Highest standing crops were found in the marshes (summer) and on the tideflats adjacent to the lower bay channel, averaging 40 and 42/cm² respectively. Lowest values (1 to 2 cm²) were found in the middle to upper intertidal areas of the lower bay during the summer. The distribution of the total fauna is quite similar to that of the living population. Highest average values (175/cm³) are again found in the marine marsh and in the marine biofacies zone (70 to 80/cm³). Lowest values occur on the lower bay intertidal areas (3 to 9/cm³). In general, the percentage representation of agglutinated species in the total fauna increases with distance upstream in the channel and with distance laterally from the channel axis. Faunas of some marsh stations are composed entirely of agglutinated species. The percentage of calcareous hyaline species shows an inverse relation to that of the agglutinated fauna, increasing in importance with approach to marine conditions. Porcelaneous and planktonic species are generally minor constituents in the total fauna and are restricted to the marine biofacies as it is developed in the estuary. Foraminifer-ostracod ratios are extremely variable in the environments sampled in Yaquina Bay. Smooth-valved species are characteristic of the marine marsh and inner bay environments; valve ornamentation tends to increase with approach to marine conditions. Thecamoebians are present in low numbers throughout the estuary. In general however, the number of species and population size increases in the upstream direction. / Graduation date: 1968

The Lamprey Eel Decline project conducted by the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians (CTSI) combined traditional ecological knowledge, scientific research and geographic information science. CTSI wanted to learn why the Pacific lamprey (Lampetra tridentata), a culturally and ecologically important species, was declining in the streams within their native land area. The project included interviewing native elders, characterizing stream habitat, monitoring water quality, creating a geographic information system (GIS) and educating tribal members on the cultural and ecological importance of the Pacific lamprey. Dynamic segmentation, a GIS data structure, was used to link standard stream survey data on the river unit scale to a base stream coverage (1:24,000). Dynamic segmentation efficiently associates georeferenced data to a linear feature, thus allowing the data to be readily assessable on desktop computer systems. To be more useful to the tribal and local resource managers, it is recommended that these GIS coverages of aquatic habitat should be used in conjunction with additional data coverages and basic regional models for watershed analysis and better management of aquatic ecosystems. / Graduation date: 2001

This thesis investigates the feasibility of implementing a real time quality control program into a data stream of hydrometeorlogical data. The vast array of data used in the forecasting of river levels and avalanches calls for a point of entry quality control method that is both efficient from a communications standpoint and practical given the computer resources available. The first step in this process is to find a normalization scheme to enable the direct comparison of precipitation events between different stations. The normalization scheme derived uses the climatic database of historical records. The largest set of historical records available is in the daily time frame. However, the quick response needed in this type of forecasting calls for the testing of data in a hourly format. This calls for the need to develop some sort of transformation between events of differing time scales. Once the normalization scheme is in place four tests are used to analyze the data. These tests compare the incoming data to what is expected given the climate, forecasted value, previous weather, and what is occurring at neighboring stations. The results from these four tests are composited to make a final opinion of the validity of the incoming data. The data are then assigned two descriptive parameters. These parameters quantify the sophistication of the tests performed on the data, and the believed accuracy of the data. The two scores are then taken into account to give a final broad description of the program's "opinion" as to whether the data should be rejected, questioned, screened, or verified. Generally the program performs very well. The accuracy and precision of the tests are left somewhat vague at this point. The stress in the development of this test was in the modularity and portability of the program; the testing scheme is not meant to be limited to the purpose of flood forecasting or even precipitation data. The threshold parameters, therefore, need to be set by the end user. These thresholds will be defined by the type of data as well as the purpose and accuracy of the data checking needed. / Graduation date: 1997

Fine and coarse particles were collected for eight weeks during the summer of 1991, at a coastal site (Yaquina Head) and a non-industrial site (Corvallis) in Western Oregon to characterize the aerosol composition and evaluate whether the sites are appropriate for sampling "background" marine air. Concentrations of up to 11 species (S0₄²⁻, NO₃⁻, Cl⁻, Na, Fe, Ni, Pb, Cr, Co, Sb, and CH₃SO₃H) for 95 samples were determined using four chemical analysis techniques. The influences of seasalt and soil dust were identified by analyzing concentrations of Na and Fe in the aerosol samples. Relative elemental composition in fine and coarse fractions indicated that the aerosol composition at Yaquina Head was greatly affected by seasalt. "Seasalt" enrichment factors (relative to Na) indicated that seasalt is the only source of Cl⁻ and SO₄²⁻ in coarse particles at Yaquina Head. In contrast, the seasalt influence was relatively weak at the Corvallis site. "Crustal" enrichment factors suggested that soil dust was not a major source of Na⁺, Cl⁻, or S0₄²⁻ at either site. A simple conceptual model that relies on meteorological conditions was used to identify sampling periods with long range transport from either marine or continental areas as well as local influences. This model suggested that during 61% of the experiment period the aerosols were advected from marine areas. At Yaquina Head, 52% of the sampling periods are associated with the "clean" background air (marine air with no local influences). Thus, Yaquina Head represents a useful location for collecting marine background air from the Pacific Ocean. The chemical composition of the marine background air collected at the Yaquina Head site is similar to that for other remote sites around the world. At Corvallis, "clean" marine background air can occasionally (21%) be collected even though Corvallis is located 64 km from the ocean. / Graduation date: 1993

Graduation date: 1997

In 1994, the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) implemented a new audit tool developed by the US Department of Defense (DOD) called "The Environmental Assessment and Management Guide" (TEAM Guide). The TEAM Guide uses an extensive menu of checklists to determine compliance. In November 1994, the USACE Portland District conducted a TEAM audit of the North Pacific Division Laboratory in Troutdale, Oregon. The results showed serious deficiencies in environmental management and compliance that ultimately contributed to closure of the facility. Opportunities to improve the TEAM Audit process were identified and included the following: 1. Ensure that each facility develops an Environmental Management Plan using either ISO 14001 or the Global Reporting Initiative Environmental Standards 2. Utilize professionally-trained and independent auditors to examine Environmental Management Plans prior to conducting additional TEAM Audits 3. Change TEAM Audit intervals from 5-years to 3-years to increase facility oversight and be in agreement with audit intervals used by other DOD agencies 4. Continue to document "Findings" by using severity levels, photographs, and suggested corrective actions in TEAM Audit reports 5. Report environmental management and compliance audit results directly to senior management and hold managers accountable for corrective actions 6. Involve labor representatives on audits; use them to develop appropriate corrective actions; communicate to all employees the program's value. / Graduation date: 2002

Graduation date: 1964

Graduation date: 1964

The graduate student experience varies for each individual. While some graduate students decide to continue school after being away from some time, others continue with their studies immediately following the completion of their Bachelor's degree. This decision to continue one's education can be difficult and may require further assistance from the student's peers, faculty members, and student services entities. While the undergraduate student transition has been studied extensively, the graduate student transition has not been studied in as much depth. It was the intent of the researchers conducting this study to research the graduate student experience as it pertains to the graduate student transition at Oregon State University. This research was conducted using a web-based survey which was sent to academic department heads with a letter of recommendation from the Dean of the Graduate School asking them to forward this survey onto their graduate student list-serves. The survey asked students a variety of questions about their overall experience, their relationship with their major professor, their satisfaction levels with services available to them, and also included a few open-ended questions that allowed students to expand on their comments. Approximately 12.6% of the students who received the survey responded and there was about a 5.8% response rate of the entire graduate student population. Although there was a wealth of information gained from the responses, no statistical analysis was conducted nor was a statistical significance determined. The results indicated that a majority of students in most cases were either satisfied or very satisfied with their experiences at Oregon State University. / Graduation date: 2004

A field study was conducted to assess phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) concentrations of both lactating and dry cow diets on Oregon's dairies. Thirty-seven dairy farms, located in western Oregon, were grouped according to geographic region, valley (V) or coast (C), and herd size, small (S) or large (L). Farms were visited on three separate occasions. During each visit, lactating and dry cow diets were recorded and corresponding feed ingredients were collected and analyzed for P and K. For each diet recorded, fecal and urine samples were collected and analyzed for P and K. When available, milk production data was obtained. During the initial visit, a survey was issued to producers to assess P and K knowledge as well as gather herd data and management information. Survey responses received indicated that two-thirds of participants were knowledgeable about P and its affects within the environment. Knowledge of K appeared to be less than that of P. Average P concentration of the lactating cow diet was 0.40% (DM basis) and did not differ between region (P=0.12) or herd size (P=0.76). Fecal P excretion did not differ between region (P=0.08) or herd size (P=0.27), however, a trend for larger fecal excretion in V farms contributed to the lower calculated apparent P digestibility for V than C. Potassium in lactating cow diet was greater (P=0.01) for C than V, however, but no difference between herd size (P=0.10) was determined. Overfeeding of K also occurred in dry cow diet with no difference between region (P=0.40) and herd size (P=0.72). Combining the fecal and urinary fractions, an individual lactating cow consuming 0.40% P (89.8 g) and 1.71% K (384.3 g) per day will excrete 24.0 kg of manure P and 76.3 kg of manure K annually. The magnitude of plant available P and K produced; requires Oregon producers to acquire additional land, an additional two-tenths ha/cow, to be to apply P and K at agronomic rates. / Graduation date: 2004