Showing papers by "University of North Carolina at Wilmington published in 2002"

Mobile commerce: framework, applications and networking support

Abstract: Advances in e-commerce have resulted in significant progress towards strategies, requirements, and development of e-commerce applications. However, nearly all e-commerce applications envisioned and developed so far assume fixed or stationary users with wired infrastructure. We envision many new e-commerce applications that will be possible and significantly benefit from emerging wireless and mobile networks. To allow designers, developers, and researchers to strategize and create mobile commerce applications, we propose a four-level integrated framework for mobile commerce. Since there are potentially an unlimited number of mobile commerce applications, we attempt to identify several important classes of applications such as mobile financial applications, mobile inventory management, proactive service management, product location and search, and wireless re-engineering. We discuss how to successfully define, architect, and implement the necessary hardware/software infrastructure in support of mobile commerce. Also, to make mobile commerce applications a reality, we address networking requirements, discuss support from wireless carriers, and present some open research problems.

Nutrient Enrichment on Coral Reefs: Is It a Major Cause of Coral Reef Decline?

Abstract: Coral reefs are degrading worldwide at an alarming rate. Nutrient over-enrichment is considered a major cause of this decline because degraded coral reefs generally exhibit a shift from high coral cover (low algal cover) to low coral cover with an accompanying high cover and biomass of fleshy algae. Support for such claims is equivocal at best. Critical examination of both experimental laboratory and field studies of nutrient effects on corals and coral reefs, including the Elevated Nutrient on Coral Reefs Experiment (ENCORE) enrichment experiment conducted on the Great Barrier Reef, does not support the idea that the levels of nutrient enrichment documented at anthropogenically-enriched sites can affect the physiology of corals in a harmful way, or for most cases, be the sole or major cause of shifts in coral- algal abundance. Factors other than nutrient enrichment can be significant causes of coral death and affect algal cover, and include decreased abundance of grazing fishes by fishing, and of grazing sea urchins to disease; grazing preferences of remaining grazers; temperature stress that kills coral (i.e., coral bleaching) and creates more open substrate for algal colonization; sedimentation stress that can weaken adult corals and prevent coral recruitment; coral diseases that may be secondary to coral bleaching; and outbreaks of coral predators and sea urchins that may be secondary effects of overfishing. Any factor that leads to coral death or reduces levels of herbivory will leave more substrate open for algal colonization or make the effects of even low-level enrichment more severe. Factors that contribute to an imbalance between production and consumption will result in community structure changes similar to those expected from over- enrichment. Over-enrichment can be and has been the cause of localized coral reef degradation, but the case for widespread effects is not substantiated.

Working with Natural Cohesive Sediments

Abstract: Summary of Stabilizing and Destabilizing Biotic Influenceson Natural Cohesive Sediment STABILIZING DESTABILIZINGEPS secretion : Extracellularpolymeric substances bybacteria and microphytobenthosenhances cohesion, promotesflocculation and hence deposition Blistering : Trapping ofoxygen bubbles in biofilmsincreases buoyancy of thebiofilm to such an extentthat it pulls away fromthe sediment Sediment compaction :Burrowingmacrofauna increasesediment densityand hence stability Pelletization : Theformationof faeces and psuedo-faeces can enhanceerodibility Increased drainage : Burrowand channel formationpromotes dewatering Grazing : Organismsfeedingon intertidal flats causesphysical disturbance andresuspensionof the sediment andreduces the stabilizinginfluence ofmicrophytobenthos Network effects : Filamentous biotaramify through the sediment matrixbinding sediment particles together Burrow cleaning : Somebenthic fauna cleantubes they inhabit inthe sediment giving riseto a localizedbenthic flux Flow effects

Categorization, concept learning, and behavior analysis: An introduction

Abstract: Categorization and concept learning encompass some of the most important aspects of behavior, but historically they have not been central topics in the experimental analysis of behavior To introduce this special issue of the Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior (JEAB), we define key terms; distinguish between the study of concepts and the study of concept learning; describe three types of concept learning characterized by the stimulus classes they yield; and briefly identify several other themes (eg, quantitative modeling and ties to language) that appear in the literature As the special issue demonstrates, a surprising amount and diversity of work is being conducted that either represents a behavior-analytic perspective or can inform or constructively challenge this perspective

Tilapia Production Systems in the Americas: Technological Advances, Trends, and Challenges

Abstract: Tilapia is the common name applied to three genera of fish in the family Cichlidae: Oreochromis, Sarotherodon, and Tilapia. The species that are most important for aquaculture are in the genus Oreochromis, including the Nile tilapia, O. niloticus, the Mozambique tilapia, O. mossambicus, the blue tilapia, O. aureus, and O. urolepis hornorum. Fish farmers are now growing many strains of these parent species along with many hybrid strains. Native to Africa and the Middle East, these species have become the second most common farm raised food fish in the world. In the 1960s and 1970s tilapia culture was aimed at the production of food for local consumption, utilizing primarily extensive or semiintensive culture methods with minimal inputs of fertilizer or feeds. However, tilapia culture has expanded rapidly during the last decade as a result of technological advances associated with the intensification of culture practices. These include the development of new strains and hybrids, monosex male culture, formul...

Multiple defensive roles for triterpene glycosides from two Caribbean sponges

Abstract: Despite their high nutritional value and a lack of physical defenses, most marine sponges appear to be minimally affected by predators, competitors, and fouling organisms, possibly due to sponge chemical defenses. In the last 15 years, several triterpene glycosides have been isolated from sponges, but their ecological or physiological roles are largely unknown. We tested triterpene glycosides from Erylus formosus and Ectyoplasia ferox, Caribbean sponges belonging to two different orders, in field and laboratory assays for effects on fish feeding, attachment by potential biofilm-forming bacteria, fouling by invertebrates and algae, and overgrowth by neighboring sponges. Formoside and other triterpene glycosides from Erylus formosus deterred predation, microbial attachment, and fouling by invertebrates and algae. Triterpene glycosides from Ectyoplasia ferox were found to be antipredatory and allelopathic. Thus, triterpene glycosides in these sponges appear to have multiple ecological functions. Tests with different triterpene glycosides at several concentrations indicated that small differences in molecular structure affect ecological activity. In order to establish whether triterpene glycosides could be involved in water-borne versus surface-mediated interactions, the presence of triterpene glycosides in the seawater surrounding live sponges was measured using two in situ sampling methods followed by HPLC and NMR spectral analysis. Water-borne triterpene glycosides were below detection limits for both species. However, top sponge layers and swabs of the surfaces of both sponges contained sufficiently high concentrations of triterpene glycosides to deter bacterial settlement and fouling of Erylus formosus surfaces and overgrowth of Ectyoplasia ferox by neighboring sponges. Enemies of these sponges appear to be deterred by surface contact of triterpene glycosides rather than by water-borne interactions. The dual strategy of employing one group of compounds for multiple purposes and minimizing the loss of compounds into seawater suggests that these organisms utilize chemical defenses with efficiency.

A competitive ELISA to detect brevetoxins from Karenia brevis (formerly Gymnodinium breve) in seawater, shellfish, and mammalian body fluid

Abstract: We developed a competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to analyze brevetoxins, using goat anti-brevetoxin antibodies obtained after immunization with keyhole limpet hemocyanin-brevetoxin conjugates, in combination with a three-step signal amplification process. The procedure, which used secondary biotinylated antibodies, streptavidine-horseradish peroxidase conjugate, and chromogenic enzyme substrate, was useful in reducing nonspecific background signals commonly observed with complex matrices. This competitive ELISA detected brevetoxins in seawater, shellfish extract and homogenate, and mammalian body fluid such as urine and serum without pretreatment, dilution, or purification. We investigated the application of this technique for shellfish monitoring by spiking shellfish meat with brevetoxins and by analyzing oysters from two commercial shellfish beds in Florida that were exposed to a bloom of Karenia brevis (formerly Gymnodinium breve). We performed brevetoxin analysis of shellfish extracts and homogenates by ELISA and compared it with the mouse bioassay and receptor binding assay. The detection limit for brevetoxins in spiked oysters was 2.5 microg/100 g shellfish meat. This assay appears to be a useful tool for neurotoxic shellfish poisoning monitoring in shellfish and seawater, and for mammalian exposure diagnostics, and significantly reduces the time required for analyses.

Pollutant removal efficacy of three wet detention ponds.

Abstract: Monthly inflow and outflow data were collected from three wet detention ponds in Wilmington, North Carolina, for a 29-mo period. Two ponds drained urban areas consisting primarily of residential, mixed services, and retail usage, while the third mainly drained residential and golf course areas. One of the urban ponds achieved significant reductions in total nitrogen, nitrate, ammonium, total phosphorus, orthophosphate, and fecal coliform bacterial counts. This pond was characterized by a high length to width ratio, with most inputs directed into the upper area, and extensive coverage by a diverse community of aquatic macrophyte vegetation. The second urban pond achieved significant reductions in turbidity and fecal coliform bacterial counts, but there were no significant differences between inflowing and outflowing water nutrient concentrations. There were substantial suburban runoff inputs entering the mid- and lower-pond areas that short-circuited pollutant removal contact time. The golf course pond showed significant increases in nitrate, ammonium, total phosphorus, and orthophosphate in the outflow relative to the inflow, probably as a result of course fertilization. However, nutrient concentrations in the outflow water were low compared with discharges from a selection of other area golf courses, possibly a result of the outflow passing through a wooded wetland following pond discharge. To achieve good reduction in a variety of pollutants, wet pond design should include maximizing the contact tires of inflowing water with rooted vegetation and organic sediments. This can be achieved through a physical pond design that provides a high length to width ratio, and planting of native macrophyte species.

Chromium speciation in rainwater: Temporal variability and atmospheric deposition

Abstract: The concentrations of the various chromium species were determined in 89 rainwater samples collected in Wilmington, NC, from October 1, 1999, to December 31, 2001. Volume-weighted annual average concentrations of Crtotal, particulate Cr, Cr(III)(aq), and Cr(VI)(aq) were 4.6, 2.2, 0.8, and 1.2 nM, respectively. There was distinct seasonal and diurnal variability in the concentrations of the various chromium species. Chromium emissions to the global atmosphere by both natural and anthropogenic sources are estimated to be 2.2 × 109 mol/yr. Using our rainwater concentration data along with other published rainwater Cr concentrations and an estimate for total global annual rain, the total global flux of chromium removed from the atmosphere via wet deposition is 2.1 × 109 mol/yr. This represents complete removal of Cr and indicates that essentially all chromium released into the global atmosphere is removed via rain. About half this chromium is dissolved with roughly equal concentrations of toxic Cr(VI) and rel...

Mechanism and Kinetics of δ-Lysin Interaction with Phospholipid Vesicles†

Abstract: δ-Lysin is a 26 amino acid, hemolytic peptide toxin secreted by Staphylococcus aureus. It has been reported to form an amphipathic helix upon binding to lipid bilayers and is often cited as a typical example of the barrel-stave model for pore formation in lipid bilayer membranes. However, the exact mechanism by which it lyses cells and the physical basis of its target specificity are still unknown. Moreover, the evidence for δ-lysin insertion and pore formation in the membrane stems largely from theoretical modeling of the toxin and lacks experimental confirmation. We investigated binding and insertion of δ-lysin into phospholipid bilayer vesicles. The kinetics of these processes were studied by stopped-flow fluorescence with two types of experiments: (a) carboxyfluorescein release from the vesicles upon peptide−vesicle interaction, with concomitant relief of dye self-quenching; (b) fluorescence energy transfer from the intrinsic tryptophan of the peptide to a membrane-bound lipid probe. We formulated a ...

Hydrodynamics and Sediment Transport Through Tidal Marsh Canopies

Abstract: Flow dynamics on the vegetated surfaces of coastal wetlands may impact a wide range of processes including geochemical exchanges at the sediment water interface, larval recruitment and dispersion, and sediment deposition and retention. Nevertheless, little field data exist which describe flow behavior through emergent vegetated wetlands and its control over sediment transport and deposition. The goal of this paper is to describe canopy flow dynamics and suspended particulate transport for a variety of marshes that differ with respect to vegetation type and tidal regime. In situ measurements of tidal currents were collected in micro-, meso-, and macrotidal marshes of the Pacific, Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic coasts of the US and in a UK marsh on the North Sea. Mean flow speeds, vertical velocity profiles, and turbulence intensities were evaluated as were canopy characteristics and total suspended solid (TSS) levels. Broad scale flow characteristics exhibited little variation among sites. Mean flow ...

Geographic variation in rates of vocal production of free‐ranging bottlenose dolphins

Abstract: Echolocation and whistle production, group sizes, and activities of free-ranging bottlenose dolphins were compared across four regions (Wilmington, NC Intracoastal Waterway [ICW]; Wilmington coastline; Southport, NC coastline; and Sarasota, FL inshore waters). Number of whistles and echolo-cation bouts differed significantly across sites. Dolphins whistled significantly more in Southport than in the other sites, independent of group size. Unlike at the other sites, dolphin vocalizations in Southport did not vary significantly across activities; this difference may be due to the fact that Southport animals were often found behind shrimp-trawling vessels, which may affect their behavior. Resident Sarasota dolphins vocalized significantly less than dolphins at the NC sites. At most sites, echolocation production per dolphin decreased as group size increased, supporting the idea that echolocation information is shared. In the ICW and Sarasota, echolocation production per dolphin was highest while feeding, indicating that echolocation is used in foraging. At all sites but Southport, whistle production per dolphin was highest while socializing, indicating that whistles are used in communication. Overall, these data show that dolphins have different vocal and activity patterns at different sites; thus, caution should be used when extrapolating results from one study site to another.

Ontogenetic allometry and body composition of harbour porpoises ( Phocoena phocoena , L.) from the western North Atlantic

Abstract: North Atlantic harbour porpoises Phocoena phocoena (L.) face considerable energetic challenges, as they are relatively small marine mammals with an intense reproductive schedule and a cold-water habitat. Postnatal growth of these porpoises was described using ontogenetic allometry and body composition techniques. The cross-sectional sample contained robust calves, immature, and mature porpoises (n = 122) incidentally killed in commercial fishing operations between 1992 and 1998. Total mass and the mass of 26 body components were measured using a standard dissection protocol. Most body components grew similarly in female and male porpoises. Blubber, brain and skull were negatively allometric, while muscle and reproductive tissues exhibited positive allometry. Female heart, liver, intestine and mesenteric lymph node grew at significantly higher rates than in males. Male locomotor muscle and pelvic bones grew significantly faster than in females. High growth rates for visceral and reproductive organs in porpoises, relative to other mammals, may underlie their early maturation and support their intensive, annual reproductive schedule. Relative to other cetaceans, porpoises seem to allocate a larger percentage of their total body mass to blubber. This allocation to blubber, which is greatest in calves (37% of body mass), may provide harbour porpoises with the thermal insulation required to live in cold water. The factors influencing growth rates and differential investments in body composition seem to change at various stages of a porpoise’s life. Energy allocation in porpoises seems to shift from an emphasis on developing an insulative blubber layer in young animals to preparing the body for annual reproduction at sexual maturity.

Does the odor from sponges of the genus Ircinia protect them from fish predators

Abstract: Caribbean sponges of the genus Ircinia contain high concentrations of linear furanosesterterpene tetronic acids (FTAs) and produce and exude low-molecular-weight volatile compounds (e.g., dimethyl sulfide, methyl isocyanide, methyl isothiocyanate) that give these sponges their characteristic unpleasant garlic odor. It has recently been suggested that FTAs are unlikely to function as antipredatory chemical defenses, and this function may instead be attributed to bioactive volatiles. We tested crude organic extracts and purified fractions isolated from Ircinia campana, I. felix, and I. strobilina at naturally occurring concentrations in laboratory and field feeding assays to determine their palatability to generalist fish predators. We also used a qualitative technique to test the crude volatile fraction from I. felix and I. strobilina and dimethylsulfide in laboratory feeding assays. Crude organic extracts of all three species deterred feeding of fishes in both aquarium and field experiments. Bioassay-directed fractionation resulted in the isolation of the FTA fraction as the sole active fraction of the nonvolatile crude extract for each species, and further assays of subfractions suggested that feeding deterrent activity is shared by the FTAs. FTAs deterred fish feeding in aquarium assays at concentrations as low as 0.5 mg/ml (fraction B, variabilin), while the natural concentrations of combined FTA fractions were >5.0 mg/ml for all three species. In contrast, natural mixtures of volatiles transferred from sponge tissue to food pellets and pure dimethylsulfide incorporated into food pellets were readily eaten by fish in aquarium assays. Although FTAs may play other ecological roles in Ircinia spp., these compounds are effective as defenses against potential predatory fishes. Volatile compounds may serve other defensive functions (e.g., antimicrobial, antifouling) but do not appear to provide a defense against fish predators.

New fish-killing alga in coastal Delaware produces neurotoxins.

Abstract: Ten fish mortality events, involving primarily Atlantic menhaden, occurred from early July through September 2000 in several bays and creeks in Delaware, USA. Two events involved large mortalities estimated at 1–2.5 million fish in Bald Eagle Creek, Rehoboth Bay. Samples from Indian Inlet (Bethany Beach), open to the Atlantic, as well as from an enclosed area of massive fish kills at nearby Bald Eagle Creek and Torque Canal were collected and sent to our laboratory for analysis. Microscopic examination of samples from the fish kill site revealed the presence of a single-cell Raphidophyte alga Chattonella cf. verruculosa at a maximum density of 1.04 × 107 cells/L. Naturally occurring brevetoxins were also detected in the bloom samples. Besides the Chattonella species, no other known brevetoxin-producing phytoplankton were present. Chromatographic, immunochemical, and spectroscopic analyses confirmed the presence of brevetoxin PbTx-2, and PbTx-3 and -9 were confirmed by chromatographic and immunochemical analyses. This is the first confirmed report in the United States of brevetoxins associated with an indigenous bloom in temperate Atlantic estuarine waters and of C. cf. verruculosa as a resident toxic organism implicated in fish kills in this area. The bloom of Chattonella continued throughout September and eventually declined in October. By the end of October C. cf. verruculosa was no longer seen, nor was toxin measurable in the surface waters. The results affirm that to avoid deleterious impacts on human and ecosystem health, increased monitoring is needed for brevetoxins and organism(s) producing them, even in areas previously thought to be unaffected. Key words: brevetoxins, Chattonella cf. verruculosa, Delaware, fish kills, harmful agal blooms. Environ Health Perspect 110:465–470 (2002). [Online 1 April 2002] http://ehpnet1.niehs.nih.gov/docs/2002/110p465-470bourdelais/abstract.html

Thermal evidence of water exchange through a coastal aquifer: Implications for nutrient fluxes

Abstract: [1] We report the discovery of a semi-confined, high permeability zone (HPZ) 2 meters below the sea bed where exchanges between coastal aquifers and the ocean occur. A temperature probe placed in the HPZ recorded a 1°C semidiurnal cycle. The cycle was in phase with the tide, indicating tidal pumping was driving water exchange through the HPZ. We use these temperature variations to quantify water exchange between the HPZ and the ocean. Water in the HPZ is enriched in nutrients and radium; both total dissolved nitrogen and phosphorus correlate strongly with dissolved 226Ra. We use these correlations and previously quantified subterranean fluxes of 226Ra to demonstrate that this system may be a significant source of nutrients to the coastal ocean.

Antecedents to boundary‐spanner perceived organizational support

Abstract: Owing to their growing numbers and importance, both managers and researchers are increasingly concerned with the work experiences of boundary‐spanning employees. Employee perceptions of organizational support (POS) may be particularly relevant to this crucial employee group. Thus reports a study of the relations between two individual‐level and two organizational‐level antecedents to boundary‐spanner POS. The results indicate that employee gender, amount of formal organizational recognition received, and the quality of task‐related training are associated with POS. However, type of employee pay plan is not. Concludes with a discussion of these findings and their implications for effectively managing boundary‐spanning employee POS.

The Effect of Introducing a New Brand on Consumer Perceptions of Current Brand Similarity: The Roles of Product Knowledge and Involvement

Abstract: This study examines how the introduction of a new and differing brand may significantly impact similarity perceptions consumers have concerning existing brands. A total of 192 students participated...

Flow dynamics and sedimentation in spartina alterniflora and phragmites australis marshes of the chesapeake bay

Abstract: The introduction of invasive species such as Phragmites australis in the Chesapeake Bay has been viewed to be deleterious to habitat quality. Little is known, however, on the extent to which the replacement of Spartina alterniflora by Phragmites affects hydrodynamics and sediment trapping on the surface of impacted marshes. This study examined sediment deposition, sediment mobility, and flow conditions in adjacent Phragmites australis and Spartina alternifora marshes in Prospect Bay, Maryland, USA in order to determine if differences in plant morphology affect surficial flow properties and particle dispersion patterns. Measures of fine-scale flow dynamics, total suspended sediment (TSS) concentration, and particulate deposition were obtained at various distances from open water across the marsh surface over four sequential tidal cycles in Fall 1999. The hydrodynamic data indicate that both the gross and fine-scale properties of tidal flows were similar in both types of vegetation and that flow conditions were conductive to particle deposition. TSS concentrations did not differ between canopy types and decreased over time in both systems. There was no difference in TSS reduction over distance between Spartina and Phragmites. The sediment trap data indicate that maximum deposition occurs closer to open water in both Spartina and Phragmites and that the organic content of deposited matter increased with distance into the marsh interior. This study provides the first in situ, high resolution, over-marsh flow data for marshes dominated by Phragmites. The data provided herein suggest that differences in vegetative cover do not significantly affect flow regime, sediment transport, and sediment deposition patterns in the marsh systems examined.

Rodney King and O. J. Revisited: The Impact of Race and Defendant Empathy Induction on Judicial Decisions

Abstract: White university students participated in a study to investigate the impact of defendant race and empathetic induction on a subsequent juror decision-making task. Participants read a passage involving a Black or a White defendant in a criminal case. They were subsequently induced to feel no empathy, low empathy, or high empathy for the defendant. When compared to participants in the low- and control empathy conditions, those in the high-empathy condition reported greater target empathy, made attributions that were more situational, and assigned more lenient punishments. The results also indicate that group membership can moderate the impact of empathetic induction. When compared to the participants in the Black defendant condition, those in the White defendant condition reported greater target empathy, made attributions that were more situational, and assigned more lenient punishments. Implications for both empathy and judicial decision-making research are discussed.

Evidence for infanticide in bottlenose dolphins of the western north atlantic

Abstract: Nine bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) calves that stranded in Virginia in 1996 and 1997 died of severe blunt-force trauma. Injuries were concentrated on the head and chest and multiple rib fractures, lung lacerations, and soft tissue contusions were prominent. Skeletal and/or soft tissue trauma occurred bilaterally in all of the calves. One had a bite wound across the left mandible that exhibited deep punctures consistent with the tooth placement in an adult bottlenose dolphin. The lesions were not compatible with predation, boat strike, fisheries interactions, rough-surf injury, or blast injury. However, they were similar to traumatic injuries described in stranded bottlenose dolphin calves and harbor porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) in Great Britain attributed to violent dolphin interactions. The evidence suggests that violent dolphin behavior was the cause of the trauma in the nine calves reported here and that infanticide occurs in bottlenose dolphins of the western North Atlantic.

Top-down Versus Bottom-up Limitation in Benthic Infaunal Communities: Direct and Indirect Effects

Abstract: Top-down effects of predators and bottom-up effects related to resource availability can be important in determining community structure and function through both direct and indirect processes. Their relative influence may vary among habitats. We examined the effects of nutrient enhancement and predation in southeastern North Carolina to determine relative effects on benthic macrofaunal communities. Short-term nutrient additions and predator exclusions were conducted in two estuaries to examine main and interactive effects on benthic microalgae and infauna. This ex- perimental approach was complemented by comparisons of microalgal biomass, infaunal abundance and composition, predator abundance and predator exclusion among four estuarine systems that varied in background nutrient levels. In the short-term experiments, nutrient enhancement induced increased microalgal biomass but had limited effects on abundances or sizes of infauna. Predator exclusion increased the density of sedentary and near-surface dwelling fauna, but we did not observe interactions between predation and responses to nutrient additions, as might be predicted from a simple cascade model. General patterns of abundance were explained to a larger extent by interannual and among- estuary patterns. These results indicate a lack of simple trophic cascade responses for this community over a short time scale and little evidence for local interactive effects. The lack of interactive effects may reflect the opportunistic nature of the dominant infaunal species and potentially different time and spatial scales for the effects of predation and resource controls.

Impact of Low-Intensity Hurricanes on Regional Economic Activity

Abstract: Although low-intensity hurricanes cause far less structural damage than high-intensity hurricanes, these weaker hurricanes do impact regional economic activity through “business interruption.” Because the strike frequencies of low-intensity hurricanes are orders of magnitude greater than those of stronger storms, the cumulative impact of frequent “business interruption” may be significant. Using Chamber of Commerce survey data, we estimate industry-specific business interruption losses for three low-intensity hurricanes striking the Wilmington, N.C., region. The average, per-storm regional impacts of business interruption, including direct, indirect, and induced impacts, are equivalent to between 0.8 and 1.23% of annual regional output, between 1.11 and 1.63% of regional employment, and between 1.21 and 1.81% of annual indirect business taxes. While these per-storm losses may appear small, the high strike frequencies of low-intensity hurricanes produce a cumulative (in expectation) impact equivalent to a ...