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School of Ocean Science and Engineering Master's Theses

Theses from 2025 2025

Movement Ecology and Trophic Dynamics in the northern Gulf of Mexico: Implications for Fisheries Management, Calvin Chee

Theses from 2024 2024

NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS FOR FLOOD RISK MITIGATION: MAPPING AND HYDROLOGICAL MODELING IN AN UNDER-RESOURCED URBAN AREA ON THE MISSISSIPPI GULF COAST, Jennifer Makenzie Holifield

Examining the Effects of Food Supply on Eastern Oyster (Crassostrea virginica) Larval Performance and Settlement Potential in Delaware Bay and Mississippi Sound, James C. Klein

Development of a Flow Cytometry Method for the Identification and Enumeration of Enterococcus faecalis, Riza Magbitang

Investigating Nekton Response to Changing Salinities in the Mississippi Sound: An Experimental and Statistical Approach, Adam Murray

Investigating the Response of the Eastern Oyster (Crassostrea virginica) to Low Dissolved Oxygen Conditions, Abiola Obafemi

Biometric Assessment of Spotted Seatrout (Cynoscion nebulosus) from Recreational and Commercial Fisheries in Mississippi, USA, Nimah Folake Osho-Abdulgafar

Understanding The Variability Of Circulation And Water Quality At Experimental Oyster Leases In The Mississippi Sound Using A High-Resolution Nested Modeling Approach, Shihab Hossain Saran

Projected Range Shift of the Atlantic Surfclam, Spisula solidissima, and the Ocean Quahog, Arctica islandica, Under Climate-Induced Benthic Warming: Forecasting Fishery Influence in the Mid-Atlantic Bight Throughout the 21st Century, Molly Mae Spencer

Juvenile and subadult Gulf Sturgeon (Acipenser desotoi) use of the Pascagoula River estuary, Sarah Stovall

Investigation of the Microbiome of a Recirculating Aquaculture System (RAS) for Crassostrea virginica Larvae, Isabelle Townsend

Modeling Hourly Storm Surges using Deep Learning Techniques, Md Abu Zafor

Theses from 2023 2023

MULTISPECIES USE OF VARIOUS HABITATS IN THE MISSISSIPPI SOUND WITH AN EMPHASIS ON FUTURE OYSTER REEF CONSTRUCTION, Austin Draper

Habitat use of Gulf Sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus desotoi) in Pascagoula River holding areas and in estuarine and marine environments including Ship Island, Mississippi and Mobile Bay, Alabama, Elizabeth M. Greenheck

Estimation of Angular Response Curves Using a Phase Differencing Bathymetric Sonar, Kandice Gunning

UNDERSTANDING THE PHYSICAL OCEANOGRAPHY OF THE MISSISSIPPI SOUND: OBSERVATIONAL CLIMATOLOGIES, TRENDS AND RELATIONSHIPS IN THE SOUND AND COMPARISON OF THE SURFACE CURRENTS OF OCEAN MODELS WITH HIGH FREQUENCY RADAR DATA, TASNIM ISLAM

Determining the Refractive Index of Phytoplankton via Direct Measurement of Cellular Structures, Michael Kamowski

ESTIMATION OF QUANTITATIVE GENETIC PARAMETERS OF THE EASTERN OYSTER (CRASSOSTREA VIRGINICA) IN THE GULF OF MEXICO, Heather King

GENETIC PARAMETERS FOR HEAT AND SALINITY STRESS TOLERANCE IN NORTHERN GULF OF MEXICO EASTERN OYSTER, CRASSOSTREA VIRGINICA, Paul McDonald

ASSESSING DYNAMICS AND TRENDS OF CO2 FLUX ON THE LOUISIANA SHELF, Claire McGuire

BENTHIC HABITAT MAPPING OF MOUNTAIN TOP BANK WITHIN THE NORTHERN GULF OF MEXICO THROUGH INTEGRATED GEOPHYSICAL AND VISUAL DATA ANALYSIS, Bethany Pertain

UNDERSTANDING THE FLOW DYNAMICS OF THE PEARL RIVER, MS, THROUGH HYDRODYNAMIC MODELING, Nahruma Mehzabeen Pieu

THE IMPACT OF SEA-LEVEL RISE ON COASTAL WETLANDS USING IN-SITU MESOCOSM EXPERIMENTS, LANDSCAPE MODELING, AND TRADITIONAL ECOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE MAPPING, Kelly San Antonio

THE INFLUENCE OF RANGE SHIFTS AND WIND ENERGY ON THE ATLANTIC SURFCLAM (SPISULA SOLIDISSIMA) AND OCEAN QUAHOG (ARCTICA ISLANDICA) FISHERIES ON THE U.S. OUTER CONTINENTAL SHELF, Stephanie Stromp

ESTIMATION OF MORTALITY RATES FOR THE GULF MENHADEN STOCK AND REFERENCE POINT IMPLEMENTATION FOR THE FISHERY, Catherine Wilhelm

EVALUATING HABITAT USE BY NEKTON IN WIDGEON GRASS (RUPPIA MARITIMA), SHOAL GRASS (HALODULE WRIGHTII), AND UNVEGETATED BOTTOM HABITATS IN THE GRAND BAY NATIONAL ESTUARINE RESEARCH RESERVE, Jessica Woodall

Theses from 2022 2022

INDUCED SPAWNING OF CAPTIVE TRIPLETAIL LOBOTES SURINAMENSIS, Nicholas Adams

CHANGES IN THE MORPHOLOGY OF WIDGEON GRASS (RUPPIA MARITIMA) WITH THE ONSET OF REPRODUCTION AND IMPACTS ON FISH ASSEMBLAGES AT THE CHANDELEUR ISLANDS, LA, Matthew Byrnes

Plant productivity and diversity in coastal wetlands in Mississippi – impact of hydrological extremes, Kodi Feldpausch

Sensitivity of a LAMP Assay for Detection of the Dinoflagellate Amyloodinium ocellatum in Simulated Field Conditions and Freeze Tolerance of the Parasite, Robert Gonzales

TROPHIC ECOLOGY OF SAILFISH LARVAE IN THE GULF OF MEXICO: AN ANALYSIS OF DIET, PREY AVAILABILITY, PREY QUALITY, AND INFLUENCES ON LARVAL GROWTH, April Hugi

Upland Migration of Coastal Marshes as a Response to Sea Level Rise and Fire Management: Past, Present, and Predicted, Devin Jen

INVESTIGATING THE CONTRIBUTION OF MARINE VIRUSES TO OPTICAL BACKSCATTER IN THE <0.2 µM FRACTION OF SEAWATER, Kacey Mae Lange

INVESTIGATION OF DEAD OCEAN QUAHOGS (ARCTICA ISLANDICA) SHELLS ON THE MID-ATLANTIC BIGHT CONTINENTAL SHELF, Alyssa LeClaire

Understanding Biogeochemical and Physical Controls on Methane Air-Sea Exchange Fluxes in the Pacific Ocean, Sarah Raney

Effects of shoreline development and freshwater discharge on nekton assemblage and trophic structure in a northern Gulf of Mexico estuary, Glenn Schumacher

THE INFLUENCE OF SPATIALHETEROGENEITY ON OCEAN QUAHOG (ARCTICA ISLANDICA) POPULATION DYNAMICS ALONG THE MID-ATLANTIC BIGHT, Jillian Sower

A Comparison of Natural, Living, and Hardened Shorelines Ability to Prevent Coastal Erosion and Maintain a Healthy Ecosystem, Gabrielle Spellmann

Effects of Pier Shading on Salt Marsh Plants in Mississippi, Daniel Taylor

Recovery from Minor Tropical Cyclones: the Response of Faith-based Organizations and Government Agencies to Minor Tropical Cyclones in Biloxi, Mississippi, Camilla Witherspoon

Theses from 2021 2021

Exploring the Influence of Diurnal Forcing on Tidal Inlet Exchange and the Impact on the movement of Oxygen Depleted Waters in the Mississippi Sound and Bight Region, Courtney Bouchard

Population Parameter Estimation and Stable Isotope Analysis of Gulf Sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus desotoi) in the Pascagoula River, Alfonso Cohuo

The Effects of Vertical Diel Thermocline Movement on the Settling of Marine Snow in a River Influenced Marine Environment, Nadine Doiron

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons and the Microbiomes of Two Benthic Species, Samantha Ells

Trophic Ecology of Mesopelagic Fish Larvae and Juveniles in the Northern Gulf of Mexico, Emily Gipson

Spatial and Seasonal Patterns of Above- and Belowground Vegetation Biomass and Potential Drivers in the Pascagoula River Delta, MS, Evan Grimes

Small-Scale Resuspension and Redistribution of Surface Sediments in the Northeast Gulf of Mexico, Austin Harris

Evaluating Marsh Restoration Success Using Structural and Trophic Metrics on Deer Island, MS, Emelia Marshall

How Historic Shipwrecks Influence Dispersal of Deep-Sea Microbiomes, Rachel Moseley

Assessing the Rates of Post-Depositional Change Within 2004 Indian Ocean Sediments: Implications for Long-Term Records of Paleotsunamis, Lillian Pearson

Theses from 2020 2020

Maturation Spawning and Larviculture of Atlantic Croaker (Micropogonias undulatus) at Low Salinity, Edithrose Fairweather

The Effect of Constant Relative Growth Rate Versus Constant Specific Growth Rate on Oocystis SP, Rachel Kriner

Microplastic Abundance, Distribution and Impacts on Sargassum-Associated Juvenile Fishes in the Gulf of Mexico, Olivia Lestrade

Assessing the Recalibration Interval for Nearshore Sediment Assemblages after Hurricane Irma: implications for Developing Long-term Records of Overwash Deposits, Stephen Mitchell

Vegetative Community and Health Assessment of a Constructed Juncus-Dominated Salt Marsh in The Northern Gulf Of Mexico, Nickolas R. Murphy

Sediment Provenance of Tsunami Deposits: Implications for Assessing the Relative Intensity of Paleotsunamis from the Sendai Coastline of Japan, Tiffany Otai

Interrelationships Among Monorchiid Trematodes with Special Emphasis on Some Northwestern Atlantic Genera, Apryle Panyi

An Analysis of Dredge Efficiency for Surfclam and Ocean Quahog Commercial Dredges, Leanne Poussard

Freshwater Endmembers Impacting Carbonate Chemistry in the Mississippi Sound, Allison Savoie

Effects of Infection of the Protist Parasite, Dermomycoides sp., in Dusky Gopher Frog Tadpoles, Jaime Smith

Contribution of Submarine Groundwater Discharge to Select Biogeochemical Fluxes in St. Louis Bay, Mississippi, Haley Spaid

Assessing the Nursery-Role Function of Pelagic Sargassum for Juvenile Fishes in the Northern Gulf of Mexico, Courtney Stachowiak

Theses from 2019 2019

Investigating Diel Periodicity in Export Flux in the Gulf of Mexico Using a Particulate Imaging System, Justin Edward Blancher

The Effect of Historic Shipwrecks on Sediment Microbiomes in the Northern Gulf of Mexico, Melissa Brock

Distribution, Abundance, and Trophic Ecology of Anguilliform Leptocephali in the Northern Gulf of Mexico, Lillian Collins

The Variability of High-Frequency Motions and Their Interactions with the Mesoscale on the Mississippi Shelf, Jordan Earls

The Effects of Salinity on Zootechnical Performance of Spotted Seatrout (Cynoscion nebulosus) in Recirculating Aquaculture Systems, Eric Gigli

Changes in Antarctic Bottom Water Formation During Interglacial Periods, Samuel Glasscock

Response and Recovery of Horn and Petit Bois Islands, Mississippi, USA to Tropical Cyclone Impacts: 2004 – 2016, Shara Gremillion

Evaluating Alternate Management Strategies for Spotted Seatrout (Cynoscion nebulosus) in the North-Central Gulf of Mexico, Nathaniel Wallace Jermain

The Effects of Aqueous Atorvastatin on Steroidogenesis of Xenopus laevis at Environmentally Relevant Concentrations, Jeremy Johnson

Early Recruitment of Crassostrea virginica to Restored and Natural Oyster Reefs in the Western Mississippi Sound: Larval Supply and Post-Settlement Success, Leah Morgan

Theses from 2018 2018

Life-History Characteristics and Fishery Dynamics of Red Drum (Sciaenops ocellatus), in the North-Central Gulf of Mexico, Corbin Bennetts

Spatial Variation in Basal Resources and Trophic Position of Selected Fishes of the North-Central Gulf of Mexico, Christopher Fleming

Holocene Formation and Evolution of Horn Island, Mississippi, USA, Nina Gal

Coastal Wetland Dynamics Under Sea-level Rise and Wetland Restoration in the Northern Gulf of Mexico using Bayesian Multilevel Models and a Web Tool, Tyler Hardy

Late Quaternary Evolution and Stratigraphic Framework Influence on Coastal Systems along the North-Central Gulf of Mexico, USA, Robert Hollis

Influence of Natural and Anthropogenic Environmental Variability on Larval Fish Diet, Growth, and Condition in the Northcentral Gulf of Mexico, Angie Hoover

The Effect of Spill Contaminants on Marine Biofilms and Microbially-Induced Corrosion of Carbon Steel, Rachel Mugge

Linkages between Marsh Fragmentation, Prey Availability, and Blue Crab (Callinectes sapidus) Abundance and Mortality, Lennah Shakeri

Detection, Activity Measurement and Phylogeny of Ureolytic Bacteria Isolated from Elasmobranch Tissue, Yimu Yang

Theses from 2017 2017

Effects of Temperature on Growth and Molting in Blue Crabs (Callinectes Sapidus) and Lesser Blue Crabs (Callinectes similis), Abigail Ann Kuhn

Theses from 2016 2016

Growth and Reproduction of Southern Flounder (Paralichthys lethostigma) in the North-Central Gulf of Mexico, Morgan Marie Corey

Fishery and Population Dynamics of Mississippi’s Spotted Seatrout, David Arthur Dippold

Community Structure and Production of the Macrobenthos on Four Artificial Reefs in the Mississippi Sound in Relation to Substrate and Profile Type, Patrick Daniel Gillam

Age, Growth, Reproduction, and Diet of the Finetooth Shark, Carcharhinus isodon, in the Northern Gulf of Mexico, Jeremy Michael Higgs

Development of Genomic Resources for the Evaluation of Red Snapper, an Emerging Species Candidate for Marine Aquaculture and Stock Enhancement, Adrienne Elise Norrell

Gulf Sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus desotoi) Pre-Restoration Occupancy Patterns on Ship Island, Mississippi Sound with an Evaluation of Designated Critical Habitat Use by Eastern and Western Population Segments, Page Elizabeth Vick

Theses from 2015 2015

Observations on the Life History of the Bayou Killifish, Fundulus pulvereus (Everman 1899) in Mississippi Tidal Marshes, Leah Corrine Gaines

Habitat Selection of Gulf-Strain Striped Bass, Morone saxatilis: Relationships to Dynamic Abiotic Environmental Characteristics Within the Biloxi River, Mississippi, Jennifer Lynne Green

Effects of Pre-Release Physical Stressors on Post-Release Success of Hatchery-Reared Spotted Seatrout, Taylor Westbrook Guest

Management Strategy Evaluation for the Atlantic Surfclam, Spisula solidissima, Using a Fisheries Economics Model, Kelsey M. Kuykendall

Analyses of Indices of Abundance for Important Groundfish Species in the Northern Gulf of Mexico from 1987-2009, Relative to Shrimp Bycatch; with Age and Growth of Three Sciaenid Species, Allison Renee Odom

Deepwater Horizon Impacts on the Diet, Growth, and Condition of Larval Spanish Mackerel (Scomberomerus maculatus), John Timothy Ransom

Ichthyoplankton Composition in the Loop Current and Sargassum Habitats in the Northern Gulf of Mexico, Stephanie Morgan Taylor

Theses from 2014 2014

Characterization of Rain and Stormwater Nitrogen Inputs to the Mississippi Sound: A Landscape Approach, Joshua Michael Allen

Seasonal Differences in Diet of Two Predatory Fishes in Relation to Reef Type in the Inshore Northern Gulf of Mexico, Brinton Thomas Barnes

Taxonomy, Diversity, and Distribution Patterns of Portunid Crab Megalopae in the Northern Gulf of Mexico During Fall of 2003, Carley Rain Knight

Exploring the Glucocorticoid Actions of 1α-Hydroxycorticosterone (1α-OH-B) in the Elasmobranch Fishes, Faith Nichole Lambert

The Effects of Stocking Density and Feeding Frequency on Aggressive and Cannibalistic Behaviors in Larval Hatchery-Reared Spotted Seatrout, Cynosion nebulosus, Christopher Burton Manley