Weather patterns associated with green turtle hypothermic stunning events in St. Joseph Bay and Mosquito Lagoon, Florida

Roberts, Kimberly A.; Collins, Jennifer; Paxton, Charles H.; Hardy, Robert; Downs, Joni A.

doi:10.1080/02723646.2014.898573

Cited by 27 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…On 12 January 2010, a frontal remnant passed over the bay in the morning, and moderate northwesterly winds (>2.5 ms −1 ) sustained throughout the day. Furthermore, the bay experienced a severe "cold stun" event (7-14 January 2010) when water temperature fell below 10 • C affecting marine life for several days [77]. Apalachicola River discharge was about 1.5 times higher than the mean discharge of study period (Figure 11a).…”

Section: Turbidity Maps During Extreme Events In Apalachicola Baymentioning

confidence: 99%

Turbidity in Apalachicola Bay, Florida from Landsat 5 TM and Field Data: Seasonal Patterns and Response to Extreme Events

et al. 2017

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Synoptic monitoring of estuaries, some of the most bio-diverse and productive environments on Earth, is essential to study small-scale water dynamics and its role on spatiotemporal variation in water quality important to indigenous marine species and surrounding human settlements. We present a detailed study of turbidity, an optical index of water quality, in Apalachicola Bay, Florida (USA) using historical in situ measurements and Landsat 5 TM data archive acquired from 2004 to 2011. Data mining techniques such as time-series decomposition, principal component analysis, and classification tree-based models were utilized to decipher time-series for examining variations in physical forcings, and their effects on diurnal and seasonal variability in turbidity in Apalachicola Bay. Statistical analysis showed that the bay is highly dynamic in nature, both diurnally and seasonally, and its water quality (e.g., turbidity) is largely driven by interactions of different physical forcings such as river discharge, wind speed, tides, and precipitation. River discharge and wind speed are the most influential forcings on the eastern side of river mouth, whereas all physical forcings were relatively important to the western side close to the major inlet, the West Pass. A bootstrap-optimized and atmospheric-corrected single-band empirical relationship (Turbidity (NTU) = 6568.23 × (Reflectance (Band 3)) 1.95 ; R 2 = 0.77 ± 0.06, range = 0.50-0.91, N = 50) is proposed with seasonal thresholds for its application in various seasons. The validation of this relationship yielded R 2 = 0.70 ± 0.15 (range = −0.96-0.97; N = 38; RMSE = 7.78 ± 2.59 NTU; Bias (%) = −8.70 ± 11.48). Complex interactions of physical forcings and their effects on water dynamics have been discussed in detail using Landsat 5 TM-based turbidity maps during major events between 2004 and 2011. Promising results of the single-band turbidity algorithm with Landsat 8 OLI imagery suggest its potential for long-term monitoring of water turbidity in a shallow water estuary such as Apalachicola Bay.

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Section: Turbidity Maps During Extreme Events In Apalachicola Baymentioning

confidence: 99%

Turbidity in Apalachicola Bay, Florida from Landsat 5 TM and Field Data: Seasonal Patterns and Response to Extreme Events

et al. 2017

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“…A recent study suggested that it is not the rate of water temperature decrease but the duration and magnitude of the drop that drives the severity of the phenomenon (Roberts et al 2014). Sea turtles often die from hypothermia, unless rescued, rehabilitated, and later released.…”

Section: Hypothermic (Cold) Stunning Of Sea Turtlesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Kemp's ridleys, loggerheads, green turtles, and hawksbills have been affected by hypothermic stunning in waters along the northern Gulf of Mexico in Texas and Florida (Hildebrand 1982;Shaver 1990b;Foley et al 2007;Roberts et al 2014). However, historically, green turtles, especially juveniles, have been most affected by hypothermic stunning (Figure 11.48).…”

Section: Hypothermic (Cold) Stunning Of Sea Turtlesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sea Turtles of the Gulf of Mexico

Valverde

Holzwart

2017

Habitats and Biota of the Gulf of Mexico: Before the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

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“…This thermal inertia allows diving ectotherms to maintain internal body temperature warmer than the external environment for extended periods of time-further increasing dive duration and/ or depth [33,37,45]. However, thermal inertia is ineffective at maintaining core body temperature even in larger turtles after prolonged exposure to water temperatures below 8-10 °C [35,41,61].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characterizing response of East Pacific green turtles to changing temperatures: using acoustic telemetry in a highly urbanized environment

et al. 2016

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Background: Ocean water temperature is changing as a result of anthropogenic influences on the marine environment. Highly mobile marine ectotherms, such as sea turtles, may be particularly susceptible to these changes. However, our current understanding of location-specific thermal tolerances, especially at coastal foraging or over-wintering areas, is limited. Human-induced changes, such as thermal effluent from power plants, appear to have a suite of influences on species that reside in affected areas. Here, we describe a study of green turtle habitat use related to changing water temperature at a coastal foraging site that has recently experienced a power plant closure, leading to a transition to cooler ambient water temperature. We used a combination of active and passive acoustic telemetry to monitor green turtle distribution in relation to water temperature in this dynamic thermal environment.Results: Both before and after closure of the power plant, turtles were distributed in significantly warmer waters than surrounding environments during winter months (December-February). Turtles in winter were rarely detected in water temperatures lower than 14.5 °C. Body size was negatively correlated with water temperature after closure of the power plant, with larger turtles found in cooler waters, while smaller turtles remained within warmer areas. There was not a significant relationship between body size and water temperature before closure of the power plant as water temperature was more constant during operation. Conclusions: Green turtles in San DiegoBay experienced a shift in water temperature following the loss of thermal effluent from a power plant. The effects of this shift were particularly evident during winter months, when ambient water temperatures were coolest. Water temperatures in the southern region of San Diego Bay were significantly warmer during winter before the closure of the power plant, and turtles were detected in significantly warmer water. Turtles in San Diego Bay may associate with or seek out thermal refugia, when possible, to avoid low water temperatures. The cold water temperature inactivity threshold for East Pacific green turtles may be lower than previously thought. There was a significant negative relationship between turtle size and water temperature after power plant closure. East Pacific green turtles exhibit clear responses in habitat use to changes in water temperature at a foraging site near the edge of their geographic range.

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Weather patterns associated with green turtle hypothermic stunning events in St. Joseph Bay and Mosquito Lagoon, Florida

Cited by 27 publications

References 27 publications

Turbidity in Apalachicola Bay, Florida from Landsat 5 TM and Field Data: Seasonal Patterns and Response to Extreme Events

Turbidity in Apalachicola Bay, Florida from Landsat 5 TM and Field Data: Seasonal Patterns and Response to Extreme Events

Sea Turtles of the Gulf of Mexico

Characterizing response of East Pacific green turtles to changing temperatures: using acoustic telemetry in a highly urbanized environment

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