Date of Award

2019

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Natural Sciences

First Advisor

Gilchrist, Sandra

Area of Concentration

Marine Biology

Abstract

Sea turtles, sexually determined by temperature, see higher ratios of females produced with warmer temperatures. Albedo—the reflection of radiation by a surface— plays an important role in sand temperatures of nesting beaches, however, the specific variation necessary to alter nest temperatures has not been well investigated. Individual sand samples, with the first 20 cm of sand varying in albedo with light and dark sand, were measured for temperature differences at the surface and varying depths. The surfaces, heated by solar radiation and convection, were significantly different, but sand depths heated through diffusion, left depths of 20 cm and 50 cm statistically similar in temperature. It was, also, determined that dawn surface temperatures could be used as strong predictors of sand depth temperatures. These data support the notion that minor changes to surface sand albedo through nourishments or weather events would not likely alter sea turtle nest temperatures significantly.

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