Digna Tibisay Rueda Roa- Biological Oceanographer / Marine Biologist
- Research Scientist at University of South Florida
Digna Tibisay Rueda Roa
- Biological Oceanographer / Marine Biologist
- Research Scientist at University of South Florida
About
40
Publications
16,406
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Introduction
I am an Oceanographer/Marine Biologist interested on coastal and ocean biological changes related to physical, chemical, and geological processes. I make extensive use of remote sensing and field observations, and of time-series statistical analyses. My research spans processes such as coastal upwelling, open-ocean mixing and circulation, and the interactions ocean-atmosphere, to understand biodiversity, the temporal and spatial distribution of organisms, and primary and secondary productivity.
Current institution
Additional affiliations
December 2014 - June 2021
Position
- Research Associate
Description
- Ocean biological changes in the context of physical, chemical, and geological processes. I make extensive use of remote sensing and field observations, and of time-series statistical analyses. My research is interdisciplinary and spans processes such as coastal upwelling, open-ocean mixing and circulation, and the interactions ocean-atmosphere, to understand biodiversity, the temporal and spatial distribution of organisms, and primary and secondary productivity.
August 2014 - December 2014
Position
- Professor (Associate)
Description
- Non-major class of Environmental Sciences.
Education
August 2004 - August 2012
September 1996 - January 2000
Publications
Publications (40)
The Sardinella aurita fishery off northeastern Venezuela, region of seasonal wind-driven coastal-upwelling, accounts for 90% of the Caribbean Sea small pelagic catch. This law-protected artisanal fishery takes place up to ~10 km offshore. The spatial distribution, number of schools, and biomass of S. aurita were studied using eight hydro-acoustic s...
The southern Caribbean Sea experiences strong coastal upwelling between December and April due to the seasonal strengthening of the trade winds. A second upwelling was recently detected in the southeastern Caribbean during June–August, when local coastal wind intensities weaken. Using synoptic satellite measurements and in situ data, this mid-year...
The CARIACO (Carbon Retention in a Colored Ocean) Ocean Time-Series Program station, located at 10.50°N, 64.66°W, observed biogeochemical and ecological processes in the Cariaco Basin of the southwestern Caribbean Sea from November 1995 to January 2017. The program completed 232 monthly core cruises, 40 sediment trap deployment cruises, and 40 micr...
Starting in 2011, coastal areas of the Caribbean Sea and tropical Atlantic Ocean began to experience extraordinary yearly accumulations of pelagic Sargassum brown alga. Historical reports place large quantities of Sargassum only in the North Atlantic (mostly in the Gulf of Mexico and the Sargasso Sea). Accumulations of Sargassum in the tropical Atl...
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in coastal waters is integral to biogeochemical cycling, but global and regional drivers of DOC are still uncertain. In this study we explored spatial and temporal differences in DOC concentrations and stocks across the global coastal ocean, and how these relate to temperature and salinity. We estimated a global media...
Coastal wetlands are vulnerable to accelerated sea-level rise, yet knowledge about their extent and distribution is often limited. We developed a land cover classification of wetlands in the coastal plains of the southern United States along the Gulf of Mexico (Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida) using 6161 very-high (2 m per pixel...
The presented pilot for the Synthesis Product for Ocean Time Series (SPOTS) includes data from 12 fixed ship-based time-series programs. The related stations represent unique open-ocean and coastal marine environments within the Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, Nordic Seas, and Caribbean Sea. The focus of the pilot has been placed...
Measurements of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), nitrogen (DON), and phosphorus (DOP) concentrations are used to characterize the dissolved organic matter (DOM) pool and are important components of biogeochemical cycling in the coastal ocean. Here, we present the first edition of a global database (CoastDOM v1; available at 10.1594/PANGAEA.964012, L...
An extreme Saharan dust storm (named Godzilla ) arrived to the Caribbean region in June 2020, deteriorating the air quality to hazardous levels and unhealthy conditions for sensitive groups of people. Our main objective was to characterize populations at risk for Saharan Dust by analyzing distribution and levels of dust events in Puerto Rico, and b...
Changes in the vertical structure of pH (total proton scale at 25 °C or pH T), total alkalinity, total CO 2 (TCO 2), and partial pressure of CO 2 (pCO 2) were examined at the CARIACO Ocean Time Series station (10º30'N, 64º40'W) from December 1995 to January 2017. Long-term trends were studied in the three water masses present in the Cariaco Basin:...
The measurements of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), nitrogen (DON), and phosphorus (DOP) are used to characterize the dissolved organic matter (DOM) pool and are important components of biogeochemical cycling in the coastal ocean. Here, we present the first edition of a global database (CoastDOM v1; available at https://figshare.com/s/512289eb43c4f...
The presented pilot for the “Synthesis Product for Ocean Time-Series” (SPOTS) includes data from 12 fixed ship-based time-series programs. The related stations represent unique marine environments within the Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, Nordic Seas, and Caribbean Sea. The focus of the pilot has been placed on biogeochemical ess...
The nesting characteristics (number of nests and eggs, time of year, nesting initiation, and nesting length) of leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea) and hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) sea turtles of the southern Caribbean Sea (specifically in the Gulf of Paria in Venezuela), were examined in association with weekly precipitation averages and numb...
The Global South is a term largely referring to the regions of Latin America, Asia, Africa, and Oceania. Today, the Exclusive Economic Zones of the Global South (GSEEZ) are the most populated and touristic and inhabited marine regions, with much of the world’s population depending on its resources and wealth. Throughout the GSEEZ, megadiverse and p...
Environmental conditions influence fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) levels, which are routinely used to characterize recreational water quality. This study examined 15 years of environmental and FIB data at Puntarenas and Jacó beach, Costa Rica. FIB relationships with sea level, wave height, precipitation, direct normal irradiance (DNI), wind, and tu...
Coastal aquaculture is faced with extreme variation in water quality. The Deeba Triangle on Lake Manzala is the largest marine coastal aquaculture-producing area on the Egyptian Mediterranean. We tested the hypothesis that there is no spatial or temporal variation in water quality of the fish ponds. We conclude that municipal effluents significantl...
Enterococci concentration variability at Escambron Beach, San Juan, Puerto Rico, was examined in the context of environmental conditions observed during 2005–2015. Satellite-derived sea surface temperature (SST), turbidity, direct normal irradiance, and dew point were combined with local precipitation, winds, and mean sea level (MSL) observations i...
The Cariaco Basin, located on the continental margin of the south-eastern Caribbean Sea, has been a site of extensive oceanographic research since the early 1950s. Here we examined the seasonal and spatial variability in satellite wind, sea surface temperature (SST), surface chlorophyll (CHL), and primary production (PP) within the Cariaco Basin (1...
Abstract. The Cariaco Basin is a semi-enclosed basin of tectonic origin composed of two ~ 1400 m deep sub-basins, aligned in an east-west direction. In the eastern sub-basin, the CARIACO Ocean Time-Series project has been taking biogeochemical and ecological measurements on a regular basis since 1995. However, relatively little is known about the w...
We organized environmental observations (Sea Surface Temperature, chlorophyll concentration, and primary productivity) and biological diversity indices based on reconstructed fisheries landings obtained from the Sea Around Us project to address two objectives. One was to understand whether adjacent Large Marine Ecosystems (LMEs) of the Americas may...
a b s t r a c t We examined the variability of sea surface carbon dioxide fugacity (fCO 2sea) and its relation to temperature at the Cariaco Basin ocean time-series location (10130 0 N, 64140 0 W) for the period from 1996 through 2008. Periods of warm (positive) and cold (negative) anomalies at the station were related to variability in coastal upw...
See full Thesis at:
http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=5413&context=etd
The Southern Caribbean Sea experiences a strong upwelling process along the coast from about 61°W to 75.5°W and 10-13°N. In this dissertation three aspects of this upwelling system are examined: (A) A mid-year secondary upwelling that was previously obs...
Eight acoustic surveys (1995-1998) of exploratory fisheries research were conducted to calculate the spanish sardine (Sardinella aurita) abundance and distribution in the southeastern Caribbean Sea (10ºN-12ºN and 61.5ºW-65ºW), an area that comprises ~ 95% of the Caribbean sardine fisheries. We compared the survey’s track data of spanish sardine rel...
Coral reefs are facing increasing pressure from natural and anthropogenic stressors that have already caused significant worldwide declines. In January 2010, coral reefs of Florida, United States, were impacted by an extreme cold-water anomaly that exposed corals to temperatures well below their reported thresholds (16°C), causing rapid coral morta...
Caribbean sardine fisheries are concentrated in Eastern Venezuela (95%); area with seasonal upwelling which leads to important plankton blooms (sardine’s food source). Sardine abundance and distribution was estimated with eight Acoustic Surveys (1995-1998). Analysis of concurrent Sea Surface Temperature imagery showed that during upwelling (Jan-May...
As we enter the new millennium, only a handful of multiyear time series of observations are available to study the connection between surface primary production; the nutrient cycles of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus; and the settling flux of particulate matter to the bottom of the ocean. The CArbon Retention In A Colored Ocean (CARIACO) ocean tim...
The CARIACO Basin Ocean Time-Series (10° 30'N, 64° 40'W) was initiated in November of 1995 as a collaboration between Venezuelan, U.S., and other international scientists to under-stand relationships between hydrography, plankton commu-nity composition and production, microbial activity, terri-genous inputs, particle and other fl uxes, and processe...
We describe the contribution of alongshore Ekman transport and Ekman pumping to coastal upwelling in the Southeastern Caribbean (62°W-64.75°W). Alongshore wind-driven upwelling during December-April is known in the southeastern Caribbean, but a pulse around June-July, when coastal-wind is weaker, has not been explained. Satellite-derived offshore-w...
The most important sardine species in Venezuelan coasts for ecological and economic reasons is Sardinella aurita. Its distribution and the distribution of associated small pelagic species, as well as their relation with environmental conditions (especially the presence and intensity of local upwelling) were studied through acoustic surveys, hydrolo...
About 15 years of data, including satellite-derived Sea Surface Height (SSH) from Altimetry data, Sea Surface Temperature (SST) from AVHRR data, and QuikSCAT wind data, as well as local hydrographic and tide gauge data, are analyzed in order to evaluate potential forcing mechanisms for the observed pattern of upwelling along the southeastern Caribb...
Strong trade wind-driven upwelling during winter and early spring has been extensively described in the Southern Caribbean. The two main upwelling areas are: the Southeastern region (Peninsulas of Paria and Araya) and the South-central Caribbean region (Peninsulas of Paraguaná and La Guajira). However, the existence of a secondary short-lived upwel...
Continental margins play an important role in the global carbon cycle, accounting for about 10-15% of the carbon produced in oceanic systems, and 40% of carbon deposition on the global ocean floor. In an effort to understand some of the processes operating along a wind-driven coastal upwelling margin, the CARIACO time-series project (CArbon Retenti...
Application of in situ membrane introduction mass spectrometry (MIMS) to quantification of aqueous chemicals was evaluated in the laboratory and the field. Laboratory experiments were performed to examine the influence of sampling parameters on mass-resolved time-series data. Results were applied to field data to quantify concentrations in a chemic...
Palabras clave: Litopenaeus schmitti. Parasitología. Camarón. Patología. Maracaibo. Estado Zulia. Venezuela. RESUMEN En el presente trabajo se determinó la prevalencia, abundancia e intensidad promedio de los parásitos encontrados en el intestino de juveniles de Litopenaeus schmitti en las localidades de Curarire (Municipio Cañada de Urdaneta) y Sa...
A fin de caracterizar una cepa autóctona del rotífero Brachionus plicatilis se realizó una descripción de hembras, machos y diferentes tipos de huevos, así como de los principales parámetros poblacionales de la especie. Se estudió además el efecto de la salinidad sobre el comportamiento y el crecimiento poblacional del rotífero. La cepa pertenece a...
