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I dedicate this thesis to my daughter Rayetta Dawn Dvorak whose love, patience, and sacrifice will always be an inspiration for me. May this scientific undertaking and the effort required to complete it serve as motivation for her own future academic and life endeavors, whatever they may be.
AcknowledgementsI would like to thank my committee consisting of Professors Ansel Johnson, Curt Peterson, Ken Cruikshank, and Gavin Bjork. This thesis would not have been completed without their guidance and support. Financial support from the department’s Paul Howell research scholarship is also greatly appreciated. I wish to recognize the University of Washington’s College of Ocean and Fisheries Science and Dr. Mark L. Holmes for making this study possible. His support during the dataset acquisition, subsequent seismic interpretation, and as a true friend was extraordinary. Special thanks to Dr. Thomas L. Pratt from the University of Washington for helping me during the four days of seismic dataset post-processing. Helpful input from Dr. Robert Carson (Whitman College, Washington), Dr. Carol Finn (USGS), Ruth Ludwin (University of Washington Geophysics), and Connie Manson (Washington DNR; Division of Geology and Earth Resources) is also greatly appreciated. I am indebted to the invaluable help and guidance afforded to me by the entire staff of Portland State University’s Instructional Development Support Center (IDSC), Multimedia Production, and Instructional Research Services (IRS). Their professional attitude, patience and thorough computer graphics knowledge was invaluable.
Lastly and most importantly, I wish to thank my extended family, Loyd Hubbard, and Ms. RaeAnne LaFrenz for all the emotional, financial, and motivational support.