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<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;text-align:center">
<b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">Oceanography Seminar<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;text-align:center">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">Matthew Ware<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;text-align:center">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">Ph.D. Biological Oceanography Candidate<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">Title</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">:</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">
The effects of beach and species management actions on the nesting and incubation environment of sea turtles in the northern Gulf of Mexico<span style="color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">Major Professor</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">:
Dr. Mariana Fuentes<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">Defense Date</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">:
Friday</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:#1F497D">,</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">
</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:#1F497D">March 29
</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">Time</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">:
12pm<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">Location</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">:
</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">CSL 1003 (Chemistry Auditorium)<span style="color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">Abstract:
</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Sandy beaches are unique environments which offer billions of dollars-worth of ecosystem services. Management of sandy beaches tends to be anthropocentric – adjusting the coastal environment
to suit the needs of human development and use. However, management actions can have important consequences for the natural functioning of these systems. Sea turtles offer an excellent case study in this balance. Understanding how the nesting and incubation
environment may change under different beach- or species management actions is critical to ensuring their appropriate use in sea turtle population recovery. This dissertation investigated how two management actions affect the nesting and reproductive output
of sea turtles: 1) sea turtle nest relocation including the assessment of inundation risk and 2) Leave No Trace ordinances. Though nest relocation is a common approach used to reduce losses due to inundation and other terrestrial threats, there are concerns
that this strategy may alter the incubating environment of the developing embryos. In Alabama, the incubating environment between original-relocated site pairs were comparable, though relocation offered a minimal net benefit as it decreased emergence success
and did not reduce the likelihood of inundation. More nests were being move than were necessary indicating additional information was needed to identify high-risk nesting sites. To better identify nests at-risk of wave exposure, a wave runup model was developed
using historical beach elevation, offshore wave, and tide data. Wave runup modeling proved effective at identifying washed over nesting sites (83%). An updated digital elevation model (DEM) was not necessary as a time-averaged DEM performed better than, or
comparable to, those using the most recent LiDAR survey. However, a more complete understanding of sea turtle embryonic tolerance to inundation would improve high-risk site identification. HOBO U20L-04 water level loggers were tested in situ to evaluate their
potential to provide this inundation tolerance information versus existing PVC-based equipment. The HOBO loggers provided high resolution observations of inundation frequency, duration, and severity; however, their high cost will limit the scale of their deployment.
Sea turtle population recovery is predicated not just on our ability to reduce losses of developing embryos, but on the continued availability of suitable nesting habitat itself. Leave No Trace ordinances are increasingly being used to combat the issue of
marine debris including abandoned beach equipment. The ordinances had mixed success – though obstructed crawls did decline after the ordinance in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, the presence of an obstruction did not influence a turtle’s decision to nest and
nesting success declined after the ordinance across the study area due to natural variation. These two management actions appeared to have only small effects on sea turtle hatchling production and population growth rates in the northern Gulf of Mexico. But
as charismatic megafauna and valuable ecosystem service providers, their continued conservation based on the provision of suitable environmental conditions serves as an important example of the need to balance anthropocentric coastal zone management with ecosystem
function.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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