About kightp

Pat Kight is the web and digital media specialist for Oregon Sea Grant at Oregon State University.

Goodbye, Wecoma; hello, Oceanus

Posted on January 19, 2012 by kightp

NEWPORT – The Research Vessel Wecoma, which has been serving Oregon State University marine scientists for more than 35 years, is being retired from service and replaced with a somewhat smaller ship from the University National Oceanographic Laboratory System fleet.

The 184-foot Wecoma made her last cruise in November; her replacement, the Oceanus, is expected to dock in Newport in February, after making the long voyage from her former port at the Woods Hole National Oceanographic Institute on the East Coast, down through the Panama Canal and up the Pacific Coast to Oregon. A retirement celebration for the Wecoma will be held at the Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport in March.

Both vessels are owned by the National Science Foundation, and operated by the University National Oceanographic Laboratory System, a consortium of 60 academic research institutions that operate 16 vessels around the country.

Mark Abbott, dean of the College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences at OSU, had approached the National Science Foundation for a rapid analysis of the two ships to see which one would be more cost-effective to operate over the next several years. A team of technicians returned the verdict – a strong recommendation for the 177-foot Oceanus – after discovering some problems with corrosion and other issues with the Wecoma.

“There are a few differences in science capabilities,” Abbott said, “but Oceanus is very capable and will be more cost-effective to operate over the next five to 10 years, at which point we hope to have a new ship.’

Read the full story from OSU News & Research Information

National Ocean Council releases draft ocean policy implementation plan

Posted on January 19, 2012 by kightp

Scientists, fishermen and the environmental community are applauding this month’s release of a draft National Ocean Policy Implementation Plan by the National Ocean Council and the Obama administration.

The plan, released last week, lays out more than 56 actions the federal government will take to improve the health of the nation’s oceans, coasts and Great Lakes.

“President Obama has displayed historic leadership in setting priorities to address the most pressing threats facing our oceans,” Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar said. “Water is the lifeblood of our planet, and America’s treasured coasts and seas make up a significant part of Interior’s stewardship portfolio. Implementing this plan is a major priority for Interior and its agencies.”

Among other things, the draft calls for strengthening and integrating the nation’s network of ocean observing systems, sensors, data collection and management and mapping capabilities into a single national system, and integrating that system with international efforts. The council has already established http://www.data.gov/ocean as a prototype of the kind tool that could make information easily available to everyone from scientists and policymakers to teachers and their students.

It also calls for ecosystem-based management approaches to fisheries and other ocean resources. Where traditional management approaches typically focus on a single species or use, the draft notes, “ecosystems are complex, dynamic assemblages of diverse, interacting organisms, habitats, and environmental factors shaped by natural and human influences.”

Integrated information systems and ecosystem-based management were among the high-priority tools suggested by the West Coast Regional Ocean Research and Information Plan, developed in 2009 by Oregon Sea Grant and four other West Coast Sea Grant programs at the behest of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The new draft plan also calls for an investment in ocean literacy programs for America’s schools and universities,

The government is soliciting public comments on the plan through Feb. 27, 2012. To read the full plan and submit comments, visit http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/oceans/implementationplan

Rising ocean temperatures: More male fish, fewer females?

Posted on January 3, 2012 by kightp

Warming oceans could cause some fish species to produce too many males – and too few females – to sustain their populations, say scientists in Spain and Oregon.

Time magazine reports that Francesc Piferrer and other scientists working at Barcelona’s Institute of Marine Sciences have proved that rising water temperatures caused some species of fish to produce a disproportionate ratio of males to females, through a mechanism called epigenesis.

Unlike humans, whose sex is determined at fertilization by combinations of chromosomes from their parents, sex differentiation in most fish occurs during embryonic development. And in some species, the trigger that causes some fish to develop ovaries (and thus become female) turns out to be temperature-linked. Piferrer’s research suggests that a 3°C or 4°C temperature increase (roughly 37-39°F) could cause those species to go from a roughly 50-50 male-female ration to 80 percent male – bad news for the species’ survival.

Oregon State University fish biologist Scott Heppell, who studies rockfish and other species with Oregon Sea Grant support, reports that some canary rockfish populations are already showing more males than females. Although there are too many variables, thus far, for scientists to pinpoint the cause, Heppell says “The data shows a skew toward males, and the modeling shows that if this skew is real, then the population is in more trouble.”

Deadline set for 2013 Knauss marine policy fellowship

Posted on December 22, 2011 by kightp

The National Sea Grant Program has set Feb. 17, 2012 as the deadline for applying to the prestigious John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowships, designed to give graduate students a year’s experience working on ocean and coastal policy issues in the nation’s capital.

The program, sponsored by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Sea Grant College Program (NSGO), matches highly qualified graduate students with hosts in the legislative and executive branches of government in the Washington, D.C. area, for a one year paid fellowship.

Applications must be made through state Sea Grant programs. Oregon Sea Grant, based at room 322 in Oregon State University’s Kerr Administration Building, will accept applications through 5 pm Pacific time on Feb. 17. Full information can be found on the National Sea Grant Website.

The fellowship, named in honor of former NOAA administrator John A. Knauss – one of the founders of the Sea Grant program – was established in 1979 to provide a unique educational experience to students who have an interest in ocean, coastal and Great Lakes resources and in the national policy decisions affecting those resources.

Former Knauss fellows from Oregon have gone on to successful careers in federal and state government, fisheries management and marine science.

To learn more about how the Knauss Fellowship program shapes participants’ lives and careers, watch this video from Alaska Sea Grant:

Fish sanctuary takes shape off Port Orford

Posted on December 19, 2011 by kightp

PORT ORFORD – As a new marine sanctuary takes shape off the coast of this southern Oregon town, researchers are using the area to study the life cycles and feeding patterns of rockfish and other species, in an effort to understand how much space a fish population needs to thrive.

Public Radio International’s Living on Earth looks at the work of OSU biologist and graduate researcher Tom Calvanese, who’s getting assistance from local fishermen as he works to learn more about the fish and their needs.

This unusual alliance between fishermen and scientists is becoming more common on Oregon’s coast, thanks in part to Oregon Sea Grant’s decades-long efforts to bring the two groups together to benefit from each other’s knowledge.

Read and listen to the Living on Earth episode.

(The episode was originally produced for Ocean Gazing, an ocean-science podcast produced by Ari Daniel Shapiro for COSEE NOW (the Centers for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence – Networked Ocean World.)

New octopus arrives at HMSC

Posted on December 12, 2011 by kightp

NEWPORT – The Visitor Center at OSU’s Hatfield Marine Science Center has acquired a new octopus for its central display and teaching tank, and aquarists report that the animal is lively, alert and adapting to her quarantine tank in the animal husbandry wing.

According to Dennis Glaze, aquatic animal health and husbandry specialist, “Our new octopus arrived in fantastic shape on Wednesday, Pearl Harbor Day. Furthermore, introduction into her temporary holding tank went remarkably smoothly, and not in typical ‘new octopus’ fashion, she seemed quite comfortable hanging around up front of the tank near the viewing window.”

Typically, the Visitor Center quarantines new octopuses for 30 days to acclimate them to human contact and make sure they’re free of disease or parasites. Since this animal came from outside Oregon waters, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife is requiring a 60-day quarantine as a precaution against introducing non-native and potentially invasive organisms into Yaquina Bay via the tank’s seawater system.

The new animal will replace Ursula, the giant Pacific octopus that has occupied the tank since October 2010. The animals are relatively short-lived, and typically stay at the center no longer than a year before being returned to the sea to complete their life cycles. Aquarists began looking for a new octopus when Ursula began showing signs of aging, including laying eggs on the tank’s walls.

Glaze called the newest octopus “a beautiful specimen, about half the size of Ursula.” As with all new arrivals the animal husbandry team watches for signs that the octopus is adapting to her new surroundings, particularly when she starts eating. Some octopuses take weeks to reach out for food, but Glaze said “this little beauty ate the second day of being here at HMSC.”

Update: Since the in-tank Octocam is out of commission (it’s being replaced with a more sophisticated model), the VC tech gurus have focused a temporary Webcam on the quarantine tank. Check the OctoCam page for a sneak preview of the new animal and watch her get acquainted with our animal husbandry staff!

The octopus tank, which is used to teach visitors about octopus biology and behavior, has been a central feature of the Visitor Center since it’s opening, and is among the most popular exhibits with the visiting public. For the past two years, its popularity has spread to to the Internet via the live, streaming OctoCam. (The in-tank camera is currently offline for replacement by a newer, more sophisticated model.)

Holiday gifts with a marine-science theme

Posted on December 8, 2011 by kightp

Looking for the perfect gift for the marine science, conservation and recreation lovers on your holiday list?

Oregon Sea Grant offers a wide range of publications, videos and other products, available from our secure online store and sure to please your ocean-loving friends and relations:

Scientists, fishermen and conservationists alike raving about our newest book, Pathways to Resilience: Sustaining Salmon in a Changing World. This 392-page volume collects 11 essays representing the most-forward thinking about resilience and Pacific salmon collected to date, pointing to new ways we may consider and interact with this iconic fish.
Gems of the Oregon Coast: Two short videos explore some of the natural wonders of the Oregon coast – the breathtaking vistas of Cascade Head and the hidden old-growth forest wilderness of Cummins Creek.
Sharks of Oregon – a color poster featuring beautiful (and scientifically accurate) illustrations of the 15 species of shark found in the waters off Oregon, from the the sixgill shark, with its electric green eyes, to the sand-loving Pacific angel shark and the notorious Great White. Perfect for a child’s bedroom or a budding marine scientist’s dorm room.
For the coastal adventurer, check out the Oregon Coast Access Guide, a richly detailed, 368-page, mile-by-mile guide to to scenic US Highway 101. Travel writer Ken Oberrecht follows the highway from the Columbia River to the California border, telling you where to go, how to get there, and what to expect.
For those who enjoy boat-watching, we’ve got Boats of the Oregon Coast, an illustrated, pocket-sized field guide describing the most common commercial fishing vessel types you’ll see offshore or at dockside, including a short history of Oregon’s fisheries.
If your family is among the thousands who’ve grown up visiting and loving Visitor Center at OSU’s Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport, consider a gift that gives to others: Make them part of the gorgeous Glass Quilt Giving Campaign installation in our lobby by purchasing a glass square engraved with their name. Proceeds support our public and marine science education programs at the center.
The HMSC Visitor Center Bookstore also has an online store, featuring a selection of their most popular books, clothing and gifts. How about a ball cap featuring our iconic giant Pacific octopus?

Browse the sites above for lots more great gifts for those who love the ocean and coast!

Summer Scholar presents work at CERF

Posted on November 30, 2011 by kightp

Former Oregon Sea Grant Summer Scholar Ian Heller traveled to Florida early this month to present a poster at the annual Coastal and Estuarine Research Foundation meeting on his Oregon research work with the US Environmental Projection Agency.

Heller, a senior at Vassar College, spent the summer of 2010 in our undergraduate Summer Scholars program, assigned to the EPA’s lab in Newport, helping collect and analyze data intended to measure how different different estuarine wetland habitats contribute to the production of Dungeness crabs and fishes.

King Tide project seeks photographers

Posted on November 21, 2011 by kightp

February 17, 2011 King Tide at Beaver Creek/Ona Beach

Photo by Flickr user jules4oceans

If you’re a photographer spending Thanksgiving or Christmas weekend on the Oregon coast, the Oregon King Tide Photo Project would like your help.

The project seeks photographs documenting the unusually high tides known as King Tides, in an effort to better understand which areas of the coast might be most vulnerable to rising sea levels related to climate change.

This season’s King Tides are predicted to occur on Oregon shores November 24th-27th, 2011, December 23rd-25th, 2011 and January 20th-23rd, 2012.

Taking part is easy:

Choose a site to photograph
Pick a day and time to photograph high water levels
Take the photographs, noting the location, date, time of day, and the direction you are facing as you take the picture. Data from a GPS data can be particularly valuable.
Upload your photos to Oregon’s King Tide Flickr group (this requires having your own Flickr account).

The project hopes eventually to get photo-documentation of the highest tides along accessible shorelines of all Oregon estuaries. Most important, according to their Website, are sidewalks, parking lots, wetlands and other low-lying areas next to the shore.

Photographs should be framed to show the water level against a recognizable object or marker that will be there later, so someone can return to the post at a later date and measure the high-tide level shown in the photograph. Before-and-after pictures showing average and extreme high water levels at the same location are particularly useful.

The King Tide project is sponsored by the Climate Adaptation Planning Information System, an interagency partnership including Oregon Sea Grant, the state Department of Geology and Mineral Industries, the Oregon Coastal Zone Management Program, the US Geologic Survey, and multiple NOAA and NASA units. Similar projects take place in California, Washington and British Columbia.

Read more, and find predicted local times for the November King Tide, at the Oregon King Tide Photo Project Website.

PBS features OSU tsunami-proofing research

Posted on November 18, 2011 by kightp

PBS Newshour’s Science Thursday looks at research occurring in Japan and the US to try to harden coastal communities against the human loss and devastation caused by powerful tsunamis. Featured research includes work being done by Dan Cox’s team at OSU’s Hinsdale Wave Research Center on potential vertical evacuation towers:

(Text transcript here)

Learn more about Sea Grant-supported tsunami research and public education

Breaking Waves

Oregon Sea Grant: Coastal science serving Oregon

Author Archives: kightp