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July 10, 2009

Highlights

		Congratulations to Mike Kennish who has been promoted to the rank of Research Professor I.
		Mike was also one of five individuals nominated by Governor Jon Corzine for appointment to the newly established nine-member "New Jersey Coastal and Ocean Protection Council." On June 26, 2009, Mike 's appointment was confirmed by the State Senate. For more information on the establishment of the New Jersey Coastal and Ocean Protection Council, click here to read "New Jersey Lawmakers Pass Coastal and Ocean Protection Bill" posted on Environment News Service.

Take Our Kids to Work Day:
The fourth annual "Oceanographer for a Day" day was celebrated at IMCS on the 23rd of April - national "Take our kids to work day". Fifteen girls and boys came to work with their parents and grandparents. We were happy to welcome old friends and new participants. At the beginning of the day the kids met Cisco Werner who gave them an overview of the work being done at IMCS. Cisco also pointed out to the pond as test site for the gliders, showed slides of the plans for the new building and told us about his daughter. An electronic trivia game, led by Sage Lichtenwalner, was enjoyed by all the kids who loved the "clickers" and seeing the results on the board. We walked back to IMCS for a scavenger hunt game, where the kids had to find places and items in the building, learn something about them, and have their booklets stamped. Signing t-shirts was as always, very enjoyable for the kids. Thank you to those who came to room 203 to sign t-shirts. After lunch and time with parents, the groups visited different labs - they saw the flame on the mass spec (with Paul Field), plated glow-in-the dark bacteria and extracted DNA (with Lora McGuinness), filtered phytoplankton (with Chris Brown), learned about earthquakes (with Vadim Levin), got their hands wet in the touch tank (with Frank Natale) and learned new things while playing with the COSIA students. The younger group went on a fossil hunt (with Svetlana Mizintseva and Julia Levin). The kids made posters at the end of the day, and presented them to the parents and guests. Many thanks to everyone who helped make it a success: Igor Heifetz for making the design for the shirts, Lillian Lee for ordering all the food, Yana Zeltser for help with name tags, Max Gorbunov, Kevin Wyman, Patty Woodruff, Paul Field, Piotr Nawrot, Frank Natale, Naomi Fleming, Gordon Zhang, Ethan Handel and Lisa Ojanen for helping with the scavenger hunt, and Kay Bidle and Lee Kerkhof for letting us use their labs. Thanks to Sage Lichtenwalner & Liti Haramaty for organizing another successful IMCS/Take Our Kids to Work Day!

• Educational activities which took place at the Rutgers University Marine Field Station (RUMFS) during the month of May include: 1) a visit by students in the RU Graduate Program in Oceanography during the weekend of May 2-3. This activity, which was initiated by the students, was quite successful and discussions are under way on how to have similar visits in the future; 2) a Marine Ecology class from West Virginia University led by Kyle Hartman, visited the Station the week of May 11-17 and took advantage of access to natural habitats for this course; 3) members of the class “Ecological Field Techniques”, led by Rick Lathrop, visited the station the week of May 24-29. All of the above groups were housed at the RUMFS dorm during their stay.
• Ken Able was the keynote speaker for the New Jersey Marine Education Association’s Teach at the Beach event on Friday, May 15. He presented a talk titled “The Tradition of Research in the Mullica River-Great Bay Estuary”.
• Tom Grothues presented lectures on Acoustic Applications to Fisheries Science to four class sessions of the Marine Academy of Technology and Environmental Science (MATES) as part of their Fisheries Integration Day curriculum.
• Rose Petrecca worked with a visiting graduate student from Memorial University, during the week of May 4-9, on identification techniques for polychaete worms.
• Dave Bushek and Danielle Kreeger, lead scientists for the Delaware Estuary Living Shoreline Initiative took a tour Monday, June 1st, to observe the progress made in their use of mussels to stabilize eroding shorelines. Joshua Moody, an Ecology graduate student working on the project and Kurt Cheng, a marine science undergraduate intern here this summer participated as well. To read more, click here to view the article by Jean Jones of the Bridgeton News.
• Anthony Broccoli gave an invited presentation entitled "Regional Perspectives on Past and Future Climate Change", University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, May 2009. Other invited presentations include: "What Everyone Should Know About Climate Change", Great Swamp Watershed Association, Harding, NJ, May 2009, and "Impact of Climate Change on New Jersey Infrastructure", North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority Climate Change Working Group, Newark, NJ, April 2009.
• Alan Robock attended University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) President's Advisory Committee on University Relations meeting on 4/27/09, University of Miami, Florida, to advise the National Center for Atmospheric Research on its strategic plan and to plan the October UCAR meeting. Alan also gave the following presentations and invited lectures: (1). Northern Michigan University, Marquette, Michigan, April 14, 2009 (Sigma Xi Distinguished Lecture, on "Global warming is real, and what you can do about it"), (2). Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine, Missouri, April 16, 2009 (Sigma Xi Distinguished Lecture, on "Smoke and Mirrors: Is Geoengineering a Solution to Global Warming?"), (3). Truman State University, Kirksville, Missouri, April 16, 2009 (Sigma Xi Distinguished Lecture, on "Climatic Consequences of Nuclear Conflict"), (4). Board on Atmospheric Science and Climate, National Academy of Sciences,Washington, DC, April 20, 2009 (On "Are we ready for the next volcanic eruption?"), (5). Lafayette College, Easton, Pennsylvania, April 21, 2009 (On "Smoke and Mirrors: Is Geoengineering a Solution to Global Warming?"), (6). Carnegie Mellon University, April 22, 2009 (Sigma Xi Distinguished Lecture, on "Smoke and Mirrors: Is Geoengineering a Solution to Global Warming?"), (7). Ramapo College, Mahwah, New Jersey, April 23, 2009 (Sigma Xi Distinguished Lecture, on "Global warming is real, and what you can do about it"), and (8). The Many Problems with Geoengineering Using Stratospheric Aerosols (Invited presentation; American Physical Society April Meeting, May 2-5, 2009, Denver, Colorado).
• Mike Kennish gave the following presentations: (1). Kennish, M. J. 2009. Coastal assessment/benthic index development for nearshore waters of New Jersey. Coastal Assessment/Benthic Index Meeting, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, April 14, 2009. (2). Kennish, M. J., S. M. Haag, and G. P. Sakowicz. 2009. Eutrophic condition of the New Jersey coastal bays: 2008 research results. 54th Annual New Jersey Academy of Science Meeting, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, April 18, 2009. (3). Kennish, M. J. 2009. Climate change and the Jersey shore. Green Day, Toms River East High School, Toms River, New Jersey, May 8, 2009. (4). Kennish, M. J. 2009. State of the shore. Green Day, Toms River East High School, Toms River, New Jersey, May 8, 2009. (5). Kennish, M. J. 2009. Seagrass systems. Teach at the Beach – K-12 Professional Teachers Conference, Tuckerton, New Jersey, May 15, 2009. (6). Kennish, M. J. 2009. Condition of the shore: climate change, sea level rise, and the coastal zone of New Jersey. Pt. Pleasant High School, Pt. Pleasant, New Jersey, May 19, 2009. (7). Kennish, M. J. 2009. Condition of the shore: New Jersey’s estuarine and coastal marine environments. Pt. Pleasant High School, Pt. Pleasant, New Jersey, May 19, 2009. (8). Kennish, M. J. 2009. Coastal New Jersey: human impacts. Brandeis University Alumni Association, East Brunswick, New Jersey, June 4, 2009.
• Bonnie McCay was a consultant to an effort to develop a feasibility plan for the development of the fishing port of Belford, Monmouth County, New Jersey. Middletown Township awarded the contract to Lewis Berger Inc., which hired Bonnie McCay to help them because of her long record of research with the port and its fishing community. This spring Middletown Township was awarded a New Jersey Planning Official's 2009 Achievement in Planning Award for the Port of Belford Feasibility plan. For more information, click here to read press release.
• Bonnie McCay is also a member of the Fishery Expert Group (FEG), Commission on Ecosystem Management, International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). In May 2009, in conjunction with the International Marine Conservation Congress, this new IUCN group met for the first time. There are a dozen fishery professionals; Bonnie is the only social scientist and the only American in the group, which is chaired by Serge Garcia, recently retired from FAO; the vice-chair is Jake Rice, of the Department of Fisheries & Oceans, Canada; other members are from the Philippines, Norway, China, Japan, South Africa, and Barbados. Their broadly-defined task is to help realize the goals of fisheries management for both sustainable use and biodiversity conservation, within the framework of ecosystem approaches to fishery management (EAFM). Fisheries scientists and marine conservationists perceive themselves as often very different, two cultures as it were. But recently adopted mandates for "ecosystem management" or EAFM call for improved communication and coordination, and this group was created for that purpose.

Meetings Attended

• Liz Sikes attended the Past Climates Symposium and Australasian-INTIMATE Workshop in Wellington, New Zealand May 15-17. She presented the invited talk: "Northern New Zealand Deglacial Climate and the Antarctic Cold Reversal, Cooler and Drier, Wetter, or Both?"
• Younger Kim attended the 101st Annual Meeting of the National Shellfisheries Association held in Savannah, GA (March 22-26, 2009) and presented the following paper: Kim, Y., Powell, E.N., " Long-term variation of Perkinsus marinus infection in Gulf of Mexico oysters."
• Judith Weis attended the World Ocean Conference in Manado, Indonesia the week of May 17, where she presented a keynote talk at the session on Marine Pollution. The following week, she was at the International Marine Conservation Congress at George Mason University, where she chaired a panel discussion on Sea Grant efforts in ecosystem-based management.
• Peter spoke on, "Ocean Exploration: Shore to Solar System and Beyond," as invited guest speaker at the NOAA Ocean Exploration Professional Development Workshop held at the New England Aquarium in Boston on Saturday 16 May.
• Qizhong (George) Guo presented a paper titled "Water Quality Design Storms for Stormwater Hydrodynamic Separators" at the ASCE/EWRI World Environmental and Water Resources Congress, May 17-21, 2009 in Kansas City, Missouri. He also presided over a task committee meeting on guidelines for certification of stormwater manufactured treatment devices, and moderated two conference sessions on the same topic.
• The 54th New Jersey Academy of Science Meeting was held at Hickman Hall on April 18, 2009. IMCS hosted the meeting which was organized by Mike Kennish, a member of the Executive Committee of the Academy. The keynote speaker was Ken Miller, Chair of the Earth and Planetary Sciences Department at Rutgers. The title of his keynote address was: “Climate and Sea-level Changes in New Jersey: Should I Sell My Shore House?” Thanks to Ken Miller for an outstanding presentation acknowledged by all. About 125 high school and undergraduate students attended the keynote address and also made presentations themselves at the meeting.

New Grants

• Able, K. National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, "Exploring Habitat Usage & Migration of Winter Flounder Using Acoustic Telemetry." 6/1/09-5/31/10, ($20,000)
• Arango, H. Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, "Community Sediment-Transport Model." ($49,458, addn'l)
• Chant, R. University of Delaware, "Mechanisms of Sediment Trapping & Accumulation in Newark Bay, N.J." 10/1/07-9/30/09, ($37,305)
• Falkowski, P. National Science Foundation, "Understanding How Global Warming Will Select for Zooxanthellae Phenotypes (Biological Oceanography)." 4/1/09-3/31/12, ($606,694)
• Francis, J. National Science Foundation, "Roles of Clouds and Their Accomplices in Modulating the Trajectory of the Arctic System." 9/1/06-8/31/09, ($205,168)
• Fuller, C. (lead PI), Ramey, P., Fuchs, H., Grassle, J. and Taghon, G. Taghon. National Science Foundation RAPID, "RAPID: Role of Ephemeral Bottom Roughness Patches in Unpredictable Recruitment of Surfclams on the Continental Shelf." 5/1/09-4/30/10, ( $99,989)
• Glenn, S. Oregon State University, "Lateral Coherence & Mixing in the Coastal Ocean: Adaptive Sampling Using Gliders." 3/1/09-2/28/12, ($13,700)
• Grothues, T. State of NJ--Dept. of Transportation, "Fine-Scale Spawning Habitat Delineation for Winter Flounder to Help Mitigate Dredging Effects." 1/1/09-12/31/10, ($130,851)
• McDonnell, J. University of California, Berkeley, "Ocean Sciences Curriculum Sequence for Grades 6-8 (Environmental Literacy)." ($31,985, addn'l)
• McDonnell, J. National Science Foundation, "Collaborative Proposal: COSEE NOW: Centers for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence - Networked Ocean World ." ($10,001, addn'l)
• Schofield, O. Office of Naval Research, "(Grant Modification): Rapid Environmental Assessment Using an Integrated Coastal Ocean Observation and Modeling System." 8/1/06-9/30/09, ($10,000)
• Seitzinger, S. National Science Foundation, "RCN: Denitrification-Integrating Landscapes & Waterscapes, Year 3." 8/1/05-7/31/10, ($99,899)
• Taghon, G. National Science Foundation, "REU (Research Experiences for Undergraduates) Site:Research Internships in Ocean Sciences (RIOS)." ($94,952, addn'l)

Publications

• Able, K.W., K.M.M. Jones and D.A. Fox. 2009. Large nektonic fishes in marsh creek habitats in the Delaware Bay estuary. Northeastern Naturalist 16(1):27-44.
• Altieri, K.E., B.J. Turpin, S.P. Seitzinger. (2009) Oligomers, organosulfates, and nitrooxy organosulfates in rainwater identified by ultra-high resolution electrospray ionization FT-ICR mass spectrometry, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 9:2533-2542.
• Kraeuter, J.N., G. Flimlin, M.J. Kennish, R. Macaluso, and J. Viggiano. 2009. Sustainability of northern quahogs (= hard clams) Mercenaria mercenaria, Linnaeus in Raritan Bay, New Jersey: assessment of size specific growth and mortality. Journal of Shellfish Research, 28: 273-287.
• Perri, M., S.P. Seitzinger, B.J. Turpin. (2009) Secondary organic aerosol production from aqueous photooxidation of glycolaldehyde: Laboratory experiments, Atmos. Environ., 43:1487-1497.
• Ramey, P.A., E. Teichman, J. Oleksiak, and F. Balci. (2009) Spontaneous alternation in marine crabs: an invasive versus a native species. Behavioral Processes, doi.org/10.1016/j.beproc.2009.04.006.
• Sikes, E.L., M.E. Uhle, S.D. Nodder, M.E. Howard. 2009. Sources of organic matter in a coastal marine environment: Evidence from n-alkanes and their 13C distributions in the Hauraki Gulf, New Zealand Marine Chemistry 113, 149-163.
• Thamatrakoln, K., A.B. Kustka. 2009. When to say when: can excessive drinking explain silicon uptake in diatoms? BioEssays 31:322–32, DOI 10.1002/bies.200800185

Student News

• Congratulations to Rachel Sipler and Weifeng Zhang, on the successful defense of their Ph.D. dissertations.
  • Rachel Sipler, “The Role of Dissolved Organic Matter In Structuring Microbial Community composition.” Committee members: Dr. Sybil Seitzinger and Dr. Oscar Schofield (advisors), Dr. Kay Bidle, Dr. Gary Kirkpatrick (Mote Marine Laboratory) and Dr. Pat Glibert (University of Maryland).
  • Weifeng (Gordon) Zhang, “Coastal Ocean Modeling Using Variational Methods for Freshwater Dispersal Study, Data Assimilation and Observing System Design.” Committee members: Dr. John Wilkin (advisor), Dr. Dale Haidvogel, Dr. Julia Levin, Dr. Javier Zavala and Dr. Andrew Moore (University of California, Santa Cruz).
• Katye Altieri (advised by Dr. Sybil Seitzinger and Dr. Barbara Turpin) has defended her dissertation and accepted a postdoc at Princeton.
• Mark Perri (postdoc for Dr. Barbara Turpin and Dr. Sybil Seitzinger) has accepted a faculty position at Sonoma State University.
• Matthew Bruno, Cook Honors Thesis, and Aresty poster presentation: Chemoautotrophic arsenite oxidation in Nymph Creek, Yellowstone National Park. Matt also will receive Outstanding Student in Environmental Sciences Finstein Award. (Dr. Lily Young, advisor)
• Shravan Dave, Honors student, Aresty poster presentation: Arsenic concentrations and microbial community structure. Shravan will also present his research at the NorthEast Microbiology, Physiology Ecology, Taxonomy (NEMPET) meeting, June 26-28. (Dr. Lily Young, advisor)

Congratulations

• Please welcome the newest IMCS water baby! Naglaa Mohamed gave birth to a baby boy on Friday, May 8th. Mother and son are doing fine. Just in time for Mother's Day.
• Alena Hornakova gave birth to a beautiful baby boy Alexander (Alex), May 16th, 7lbs. 8oz. and 20.5 in., newest addition to the OBIS team.