Impacts Of Beach Nourishment On Sand Compaction And Sea Turtle Nesting On The Atlantic Coast Of Florida PDF Download

High sand compaction restricts gas diffusion between clutch and atmosphere. This accumulates carbon dioxide in the clutch and prevents oxygen from reaching the eggs. This combination of gases is detrimental to sea turtle development and leads to lower hatching and emerging successes. In the second experiment I found that high concentrations of unbound sand calcium carbonate reduced clutch carbon dioxide concentrations during the second half of incubation. This buffering effect maintained incubation gases within safe physiological levels and reduced clutch mortality. However, hatchlings emerging from these nests had significantly smaller body depths, higher packed cell volumes, higher total protein levels, and higher triglycerides. This physiological data indicate these hatchlings were more dehydrated and metabolized more yolk than controls. Their physiological condition worsened after crawling 10 meters, intended to replicate traversing the beach to ocean. Data show that although clutch carbon dioxide levels can be reduced by unbound sand calcium carbonate, high sand compaction has a consistently negative impact on diffusion of oxygen and carbon dioxide molecules. Differences in atmospheric concentrations, diffusion rates, and solubility of oxygen and carbon dioxide molecules, intensify this effect for the latter. Regulation of specific sand characteristics is paramount for beach nourishment projects. Engineers and regulators should incorporate the information emanating from this dissertation into future beach restoration projects because it relates human needs to the consequences beach sand can have on the incubation of loggerhead sea turtles.