ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I thank my major professor Dr. Nina Lam for all her advice, time, and support throughout my Ph.D. studies. I’m also thankful to my committee members – Professors Michael Leitner, Andrew Curtis, Gerald Knapp, and Kelley Pace for their valuable support. There are many people who had a positive and valuable influence on me during my studies at the Louisiana State University – especially Professors Lawrence Rouse, Masamichi Inoue, and Susan Welsh of Department of Oceanography and Coastal Studies. I thank them for their continuous support and guidance. I would like to thank my mother Vijayalaxmi Vinnakota, my father Prasad Vinnakota, sister Sreelatha Teegavarapu, brother-in-law Dr. Ramesh Teegavarapu, and nephew Ritvik Teegavarapu for their everlasting love, support, and motivation. Also, to all my friends and family especially Srividya and Vikram Mothukuri, Vijaya and Padmaja Durga, Madhurima and Praveen Polishetty, and Jyothi and Varaprasad Birduraju. Finally, I would like to thank my roommates Maruti Turaga, Sridhar Karra, an