Congratulations to Julia Engdahl who successfully defended her Masters thesis! Part of the first cohort of DMCS’ new program in Operational Oceanography, Julia has developed deep expertise in observing systems and cutting edge ocean data processing. Her thesis developed and tested algorithmic and machine learning approaches to analyzing underwater video....
Robots Are Tracking Hurricanes and Improving Forecast Accuracy
Torpedo shaped machines known as Slocum ocean gliders travel anywhere from the ocean's surface to more than 3,000 feet underwater, collecting critical data that not only improves forecasts but will ultimately help mitigate the damage and destruction from hurricanes. "Hurricanes since 1980 have accounted for about $870 billion in damage,...
Eight Weeks of Intensive Virtual Learning
Two weeks. That is the amount of time Janice McDonnell and Sage Lichtenwalner, Co-PIs of the OOI Ocean Data Lab Project, had to create an eight-week intensive, hands-on virtual program for Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) students, who couldn’t attend their original programs due to COVID-19 restrictions. McDonnell and Lichtenwalner...
Rutgers Annual Teen STEM Ambassador Program Goes Virtual this Summer
The Rutgers 4-H STEM Ambassador program, typically a five-day residential on-campus program for high-achieving high school students, has gone virtual. Starting July 24, more than 50 teens from underserved and underrepresented urban communities across New Jersey will spend a week participating virtually in this annual summer enrichment experience that marks...
Preparing for Hurricane Isaias
The MARACOOS team and our partners have been preparing for the pending arrival of Hurricane Isaias, currently forecast to hit the Mid-Atlantic on Monday night. Ocean observations contribute to improved forecasting for storms. Working with other IOOS regions in the North Atlantic storm pathway (CARICOOS, GCOOS, SECOORA, and NERACOOS), MARACOOS...
Rutgers and Atlantic Shores Deploy Wind Lidar
The Rutgers University Center for Ocean Observing Leadership (RUCOOL) and the Rutgers University Marine Field Station (RUMFS) has collaborated with Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind to install a wind LiDAR (light detection and ranging) instrument alongside the causeway leading to RUMFS in Tuckerton, NJ. This fully autonomous sensor platform, owned and...
Rutgers Detects Meteotsunami
Rutgers scientists observed the ocean and atmospheric response to a derecho that passed through NJ and caused severe damage in several towns. A Rutgers meteorological tower in Tuckerton NJ recorded a peak wind gust of 54 mph alongside a 21-degree temperature drop in only 15 minutes. The HF-Radar station at...
Congratulations to Michael Brown for his successful PhD defense
Congratulations to Michael Brown for his successful PhD defense. His thesis was focused on the “Drivers of phytoplankton dynamics, and corresponding impacts on biogeochemistry, along the West Antarctic Peninsula”. His thesis examined how the physics drives the phytoplankton dynamics and the consequences on the biogeochemistry. Congrats to Mike for an excellent piece of...
Senior Story: The Ocean, a Superstorm, and One Honor Student’s Trajectory – Hailey Conrad (SEBS 2020)
The Jersey Shore is endeared in our minds as a mystical convergence of beach, ocean, boardwalk and amusements—punctuated with sounds of seagulls and crashing waves—and seasoned with smells of salty air and clams. Growing up at the beach provides a year-round, behind-the-scenes perspective of the Shore that summer visitors rarely...