About kightp

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

Educators gather for ocean literacy symposium

Posted on August 29, 2011 by kightp

NEWPORT – Oregon Sea Grant and the OSU Hatfield Marine Science Center join the Lincoln County School District and the Oregon Coast Aquarium this Tuesday to host Lincoln County’s first K-12 Ocean Literacy Symposium.

Sessions will take place at Newport High School, Sea Grant’s HMSC Visitor Center, and the nearby Aquarium.

The program, part of a district-wide in-service day for licensed teachers and administrators, is aimed at boosting students’ ocean literacy by providing Lincoln County teachers and their classes with better access to the knowledge and experience of the many ocean and coastal agencies and programs located in Newport.

The symposium is a district-wide in-service day for all licensed teachers and administrators. Participants will learn new strategies and resources for teaching marine science in the classroom to help students meet state standards. Teachers will explore the mud flats and learn new ways to engage students in math and science. They will also learn how to use songs to increase students’ understanding of complex topics and a variety of other teaching techniques.

“It’s really exciting to have a day where teachers, administrators, scientists and informal educators can get together to develop strategies for connecting our local students to the ocean,” said Rachael Bashor, OCA school liaison/partnership coordinator. “We are lucky to live in a county where our district is committed to taking advantage of the unique learning opportunities available in our rural coastal communities.”

Craig Strang, associate director of the Lawrence Hall of Science, University of California, Berkeley, will start the day with a keynote address at Newport High School. Immediately following, nearly 50 presentations from local teachers and agencies will be offered in break-out sessions at the OCA and HMSC.

NOAA and community dedicate new Marine Operations Center

Posted on August 20, 2011 by kightp

NEWPORT – From federal dignitaries to small children – with lots of uniformed NOAA Corps officers, local fishermen and shop keepers, retirees, scientists, Oregon State University administrators and construction workers thrown in – Newport turned out under dazzling blue skies today to formally dedicate the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s new Marine Operations Center – Pacific.

About the only ones who didn’t make it to the party were the research and survey vessels that will call the new facility home. It’s the height of the research season for them, and they and their crews are out at sea.

When they return to port, they’ll find a $38 million, state-of-the art facility with everything needed to support and maintain NOAA’s high-tech Pacific research vessels – and a community that seems absolutely thrilled to have them here for at least the next 20 years. If the “Welcome NOAA” signs that have popped up all over town during the past two years weren’t enough proof of that, the enthusiastic crowd was.

The formal dedication took place in a tent big enough to seat 560 people. Every chair appeared to be filled, and the overflow stood outside in the sunshine and listened as speakers – from Port of Newport General Manager Don Mann to US Congressmen, Oregon’s governor and NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco (herself an Oregonian) praised the community for its unified support of the project, the contractors and engineers for bringing it in on time, under budget and with a stellar safety record, and NOAA for bringing jobs and economic development that will bolster the community’s already strong reputation as a center for marine research.

Then it was back outside, where those who’d spoken pulled the ropes to unfurl a banner labeling the facility’s headquarters building – almost. One corner got stuck, despite Dr. Lubchenco’s best effort to yank it free, and finally had to be freed by a NOAA Corps officer who went inside, opened a window and freed the stuck corner, to applause from the crowd.

The rest of the afternoon was devoted to tours of the facility, its small museum of precious NOAA artifacts, exhibits by NOAA’s component organizations (the National Weather Service, NOAA Fisheries, etc.), and strolling out onto the huge new docks and enjoying the sunshine. Dr. Lubchenco boarded a crabbing boat, the Delma Ann, for a quick trip over to the Port of Newport, where she was briefed on the success of a lost-gear retrieval project funded by a $790,000 NOAA grant. (An Oregon Sea Grant pilot project in 2007 helped pave the way for that effort.)

The weekend celebration continues on Sunday, with an open house from 11 am to 4 pm. It’s a rare opportunity for the public to see the facility, which will be closed to the public except for special occasions and organized tours.

Scientists accurately predict undersea eruption

Posted on August 15, 2011 by kightp

NEWPORT, Ore. – The undersea geology world is buzzing about the recent discovery that the Axial Seamount – an undersea volcano about 250 miles off the Oregon coast – has erupted. But what has everyone excited is that the eruption had been forecast by a team of scientists who’ve been monitoring the mount for years.

It’s being called the first-ever successful forecast of an undersea volcano.

Bill Chadwick, an Oregon State University geologist based at the Hatfield Marine Science Center, and Scott Nooner, of Columbia University, have been monitoring Axial Seamount for more than a decade, and in 2006 published a paper in the Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research in which they forecast that Axial would erupt before the year 2014. Their forecast was based on a series of seafloor pressure measurements that indicated the volcano was inflating.

“Volcanoes are notoriously difficult to forecast and much less is known about undersea volcanoes than those on land, so the ability to monitor Axial Seamount, and determine that it was on a path toward an impending eruption is pretty exciting,” said Chadwick, who was chief scientist on the recent expedition, which was jointly funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Science Foundation.

Axial last erupted in 1998 and Chadwick, Nooner and colleagues have monitored it ever since. They used precise bottom pressure sensors – the same instruments used to detect tsunamis in the deep ocean – to measure vertical movements of the floor of the caldera much like scientists would use GPS on land to measure movements of the ground. They discovered that the volcano was gradually inflating at the rate of 15 centimeters (six inches) a year, indicating that magma was rising and accumulating under the volcano summit.

When Axial erupted in 1998, the floor of the caldera suddenly subsided or deflated by 3.2 meters (10.5 feet) as magma was removed from underground to erupt at the surface. The scientists estimated that the volcano would be ready to erupt again when re-inflation pushed the caldera floor back up to its 1998 level.

“Forecasting the eruption of most land volcanoes is normally very difficult at best and the behavior of most is complex and variable,” said Nooner, who is affiliated with the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. “We now have evidence, however, that Axial Seamount behaves in a more predictable way than many other volcanoes – likely due to its robust magma supply coupled with its thin crust, and its location on a mid-ocean ridge spreading center.

“It is now the only volcano on the seafloor whose surface deformation has been continuously monitored throughout an entire eruption cycle,” Nooner added.

Read more from:

OSU News & Research Communication
BBC News (with video)
NeMO, an educational project of NOAA’s Pacific Marine Environmental Lab

Hatfield legacy lives in OSU leadership in marine sciences

Posted on August 9, 2011 by kightp

NEWPORT, Ore. – The passing Sunday of former U.S. Senator and Oregon Governor Mark Hatfield prompted an outpouring of remembrances of the political legend and his contributions to the state, including Newport, where Oregon State University’s Hatfield Marine Science Center bears his name.

Hatfield was supportive of the development of the center, which officially opened in June 1965 during his second term as Oregon governor. During his five terms as a U.S. senator, Hatfield steered critical federal funding to Newport for buildings and programs. In 1983, the center was officially named the Mark O. Hatfield Marine Science Center (HMSC).

Today, more than 300 scientists and staff members work at HMSC’s 49-acre campus. In addition to faculty researchers and students from OSU and visiting researchers from other academic institutions, the campus is home to representatives of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Northwest National Marine Renewable Energy Center, as well as the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. It is also home port for the OSU research vessels Wecoma and Elakha.

In addition to its research labs, the facility is home to the HMSC Visitor Center, managed by Oregon Sea Grant as a public aquarium, marine education center and living laboratory for the study of free-choice learning.

“The Hatfield Marine Science Center is a living legacy, one that will serve Oregon, Oregonians, our nation and our world for generations to come,” OSU President Edward J. Ray. “I can think of no finer tribute to Mark Hatfield’s lifetime of public service.”

NOAA invites comment on scientific integrity policy

Posted on July 12, 2011 by kightp

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is inviting public comments on its new draft scientific integrity policy.

The policy incorporates the principles of scientific integrity contained in guidance from the White House, and addresses how NOAA ensures quality science in its practices and policies and promotes a culture of transparency, integrity and ethical behavior. The draft document is available on the agency’s Website for public comment through Aug. 15.

“Scientific integrity is at the core of producing and using good science,” said Jane Lubchenco, Ph.D., undersecretary for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator. “By being open and honest about our science, we build understanding and trust. This policy reflects the commitment I made when I first came to NOAA to strengthen science, ensure it is not misused or undermined, and base decisions on good science. This scientific integrity policy is about fostering an environment where science is encouraged, nurtured, respected, rewarded and protected.”

The policy contains the principles articulated in President Obama’s March 9, 2009, memorandum and further guidance provided by White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Director John Holdren.

The draft policy:

Lays out formal guidance with a “Code of Conduct”
Creates the conditions for enabling first-rate science and guarding against attempts to undermine, discredit or change it
States the key role of science in informing policy
Encourages scientists to publish data and findings to advance science, their careers and NOAA’s reputation for reliable science
Encourages NOAA scientists to be leaders in the scientific community
Provides whistle-blower protection
Applies to all NOAA employees and provides applicable policies for contractors and grantees who conduct, supervise, assess and/or interpret scientific information for the use of NOAA, the Department of Commerce and the nation
Includes a training component.

NOAA also seeks comments on an accompanying handbook that outlines procedures to respond to allegations of misconduct. Both draft documents can be found at www.noaa.gov/scientificintegrity. Comments should be sent to integrity.noaa@noaa.gov

What’s Hiding in Firewood?

Posted on July 7, 2011 by kightp

Sea Grant invasive species expert Sam Chan talks to Blue Earth Wire about his recent work trying to inform Oregonians about how imported firewood can harbor invasive, tree-killing pests:

What’s Hiding in Firewood?.

Chan has been working with the Oregon Invasive Species Council to pass legislation that will ban the commercial import of untreated firewood into Oregon from other states and countries beginning in 2013. Their study of campground education campaigns showed that when campers learned what might be lurking in their firewood, many changed their buying habits and sought out local firewood sources.

More on this research and education campaign: “Buy it where you burn it,” from the Vancouver Columbian

Ocean acidification: Trouble for oysters

Posted on June 28, 2011 by kightp

Could increases in ocean acidity be partly to blame for larval die-offs that have plagued Northwest oyster producers for much of the past decade? Scientists and growers believe that may be the case – and they’re struggling to help the region’s lucrative shellfish industry adapt to the risk.

In a recent blog post for the Sightline Institute, a Pacific Northwest sustainable policy center, former Seattle Post-Intelligencer reporter Jennifer Langston talks to growers and scientist who are concerned about ocean acidification and the threat it poses for oyster growers in the Pacific Northwest.

According to Langston, West Coast oyster production dropped from 94 million pounds in 2005 to 73 million pounds in 2009, resulting in an $11 million loss in sales for what had become a $72 million-a-year industry.

Langston interviewed researchers at Oregon State University who have embarked on a major, multi-year investigation of the effects of ocean acidification on oyster production. Among that team is OSU researcher Chris Langdon, who has received Oregon Sea Grant support for his research on the health and production of oysters, abalone and other shellfish.

While Langdon and others have identified toxic organisms such as Vibrio tubiashii as part of the problem, there are also signs that increasing ocean acidity is playing a role in the die-off of larval oysters, which appears to worsen when ocean temperatures and currents cause water that’s high in carbon dioxide and low in pH (acidic) to well up and mix with the “good” water normally found in the oyster breeding beds.

Using what researchers have learned from their ongoing study of the issue, two major oyster producers have been able to adapt their practices to ocean conditions. Using a monitoring buoy as an early alert to changes in seawater chemistry, they were able to schedule production for “good water” periods, resulting in a strong rebound in production in the 2010 season. But concern about the state of the oceans remains.

Read the entire article in Sightline Institute’s blog.

[Photo courtesy of OSU Extension Service]

National Ocean Council to meet in Portland July 1

Posted on June 24, 2011 by kightp

PORTLAND, OR – Members of the National Ocean Council will convene at Portland State University on July 1 for the last stop in their “regional listening sessions” tour of the US.

Experts from the Council’s 27 Federal agencies and offices have been busy drafting strategic action plans to achieve nine national priority objectives that address some of the most pressing challenges facing our ocean, coasts, and Great Lakes. Having already received solicited and received initial comments on the plans, the council is asking for citizen comments on the strategic action plan outlines they have developed.

The Portland stop is the last of a dozen public listening sessions designed to gather further comments on the plans while they are still in the draft stage. The session will take place at PSU’s University Place, 310 SW Lincoln Street.

The PSU meeting, which will be chaired by NOAA administrator Jane Lubchenco, runs from 9-11 am on July 1; those interested in attending are asked to preregister online.

The current strategic action plan drafts, covering priority areas from marine spatial planning to regional ecosystem protection and restoration, can be read at http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/oceans/sap

Breaking Waves

Oregon Sea Grant: Coastal science serving Oregon

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