About kightp

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

NOAA confirms plans to move research fleet to Newport

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Tuesday affirmed its intention to move its  its fleet of Pacific research vessels from Washington state to Newport, on the central Oregon Coast.

The General Accounting Office had asked the agency to review the planned move, first announced seven months ago, after officials in Washington State objected.

NOAA issued its finding Tuesday morning, saying none of the three competing Washington sites — Bellingham, Port Angeles or Lake Union — offers a practicable alternative to Newport.  Among other things, the report addressed a major objection – that the Newport site is located a flood plain – by noting measures that will be taken to mitigate flood risk; it also notes that the Washington contenders are also situated in flood plains.  The analysis  gave all three   Washington locations lower technical ratings – and higher estimated costs – than the Port of Newport site.

The report report has a 30-day public comment period, and Washington’s Sen. Maria Cantwell vowed to continue fighting the relocation. Oregon Senator Ron Wyden, however, called the report definitive.

Read more …

Read the full NOAA report (.pdf)

Spring Break is Whale Watch Week…

Gray Whale (NOAA photo)

Gray Whale (NOAA photo)

… and a great opportunity to head for  the Oregon coast and get some expert help spotting gray whales as they migrate northward to their summer feeding grounds in the Bering and Chukchi seas off Alaska.

OSU’s Hatfield Marine Science Center will be open from 10 am-5 pm daily for Whale Watch Week, March 20-27, with special whale-related programming every day.

Meanwhile, the state Parks and Recreation Divisions “Whale Spoken Here” program will have trained volunteers stationed at 26 state parks and rest areas along the coast to provide information about the giant marine mammals and help visitors spot them.

Get ready for Whale Watch week and learn more  about the whale migrations by downloading the free Oregon Sea Grant brochure, “Gray Whales,” in .pdf format:

Squid invasion! speaker at HMSC

squid-necropsy

Squid necropsy at HMSC

An expert on the  Humboldt squid will give a free, public talk on these large marine predators – which have shown up in Pacific Northwest waters in unprecedented numbers over the past year  – this Wednesday night at OSU’s Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport

Humboldt or jumbo  squid, Dosidicus gigas, are  most commonly found at depths of 200–700 metres (660–2,300 ft) in the central to south Pacific, from Tierra del Fuego to California.  Since the late 1990s the squid have been expanding their range, making their way in increasing numbers as far north as offshore Oregon, Washington and British Columbia. With the expansion has come increased interaction with humans, mainly divers and fishermen.

Professor William F. Gilly of Stanford University’s Hopkins Marine Station visits the HMSC Visitor Center Wednesday, March 10,  to discuss the  behavior, physiology and ecology of Dosidicus gigas. The public presentation starts at 7 pm in the Hennings Auditorium. There is no admission charge, although donations to the support the center’s public marine education programs are encouraged.

Although reasons for the Humboldt squid’s sudden range expansion during the last decade remain mysterious, recent studies shed light on the ecology, physiology and behavior of these large predators.  They are abundant, fast-growing, short-lived, and extremely prolific. Their diet ranges from small, midwater organisms to large fish. They are powerful swimmers capable of rapid vertical and horizontal migrations. They are tolerant of environmental features, particularly temperature and oxygen. They have large brains and complex behaviors. Scientists have suggested that if one wanted to design a top predator equipped to  cope with climate change, the Humbold squid might be it.

(Professor Gilly’s lab has resources for teachers, parents and students at  Squids For Kids)

OSG scholar writes about wave energy, law

Former Oregon Sea Grant scholar Holly V. Campbell has an article exploring the legal implications of wave energy development in the winter 2010 issue of the Sea Grant Law & Policy Journal, published by the National Sea Grant Law Center at the University of Mississippi.

Campbell’s article, “A Rising Tide: Wave Energy in the United States and Scotland,” compares and contrasts the two countries’ legal policy and permitting environments for the development of  wave energy, an emerging renewable energy technology that uses the power of ocean waves and to generate electricity.

The journal, and Campbell’s article, are available online at  http://nsglc.olemiss.edu/SGLPJ/SGLPJ.htm

Campbell, a PhD candidate in environmental science at Oregon State University’s College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences, holds law degrees from the University of Oregon and the University of Utah.

In 2007, she was among Oregon Sea Grant’s Legislative Fellows, graduate students assigned to work with coastal lawmakers and learn about marine policy-making. She has also worked with Sea Grant Extension sociologist Flaxen D. Conway on a grant-funded project, “The Human Dimensions of Wave Energy,” where her assignment was to examine the legal and institutional framework surrounding wave energy development. And she has assisted Michael Harte, head of OSU’s Marine Resource Management program and Sea Grant’s climate change specialist, on several projects.

Read more about the Sea Grant Scholars program for graduate and undergraduate students.

Volunteers to chronicle Pacific research cruise

Annie and MichaelA pair of volunteers for Oregon State University’s Hatfield Marine Science Center  cast off next week for a six-week research cruise to the equatorial Pacific – and plan to post their adventures on the Web for for the rest of the world to share.

Salem retirees Michael Courtney and Annie Thorp will join a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) crew aboard the R/V Wecoma on a mission to repair, maintain and, if necessary, replace 14 buoys moored to the seabed several hundred miles south and west of Central America. The buoys are part of an array of 70 positioned along the Equator and stretching clear across the Pacific to north of New Guinea; they gather critical data about tropical atmospheric and ocean conditions and transmit it in real-time by satellite to researchers around the world.

This will be the second cruise for the Salem retirees, who have been volunteering at the HMSC since early last year – and this time, they’ll be sharing the experience with the world via their new blog, Buoy Tales.

Read more …

Follow Michael and Annie’s research cruise blog, Buoytales

Sea Grant “all hands” meeting this week

Oregon Sea Grant’s faculty, staff and funded researchers meet today and tomorrow in Corvallis to share plans and achievements, discuss new initiatives and work on integrating the program’s research, outreach and education elements into the “one Sea Grant” envisioned in the program’s new Strategic Plan.

In addition, a team of communications, Extension and education specialists will be live-blogging the meeting and presentations as a proof-of-concept for using social media tools  to support our outreach and engagement mission. Check out the blog here – we’ve already posted links to current research on the use of social media in education, along with OSG blogger Rob Emanuel’s extended discussion of his experience integrating social media into his Extension work on the North Coast.

On Wednesday, researchers whose projects have been funded under our 2010-2012 grant cycle will talk about their work in areas ranging from climate change and tsunami hazards to shellfish disease and marine reserves.

After hours, we’ll gather to celebrate the retirement of two long-time Sea Grant professionals: Extension program leader/assistant program director Jay Rasmussen, and Jim Waldvogel, marine extension agent for the northern California and southern Oregon coast.

Summer Scholars program offers undergrads marine science experience

A new Oregon  Sea Grant Summer Scholars program is accepting undergraduate applicants who’d like to get an inside look at marine science and resource management careers by spending the summer working on a marine science project for a state or local agency.

Sea Grant plans to select five or more Summer Scholars, each of whom will spend 10 weeks this summer working with a marine research, outreach, education or public policy agency or institution in Oregon. Potential projects range from collecting and analyzing biological data to developing museum exhibits and assisting on information campaigns. Scholars will each receive a $2,000 stipend to help with living expenses.

The program is open to any undergraduate student who will have completed the equivalent of two years of full time study and is currently enrolled in any U.S. college or university. Students of color, from first nations, non-traditional students, and those from other diverse backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

The application deadline is March 31.

For more information, see: http://seagrant.oregonstate.edu/funding/fellowships/undergrad_fellows.html , or contact Eric.Dickey@oregonstate.edu

A new way to keep up with events at the coast

Find us on Facebook

FaceBook users can now connect with  OSU’s Hatfield Marine Science Visitor Center through the center’s brand-new Facebook page.

The popular center, located in Newport, draws visitors from all over Oregon – and beyond – to view and interact with its innovative exhibits, take classes and workshops and participate in events ranging from the annual Fossil Fest (coming up Feb. 13) to our new Family Nights marine science programs.

The Visitor Center is just the latest Oregon Sea Grant program to join the social media revolution. Along  with several blogs (see our Links section),  we have an Oregon Sea Grant Facebook page and we’re on Twitter, too!

It’s all part of our ongoing effort to bring sound, science-based news and  information about Oregon’s ocean and coast to people who can use it, wherever they are.

Sea Grant director to head new Marine Council

Dr. Stephen Brandt

Dr. Stephen Brandt

Dr. Stephen Brandt, director of Oregon Sea Grant, will serve as the first chair of Oregon State University’s new Marine Council, intended to bring together OSU’s ocean and coastal programs to address key marine science issues.

University Provost Sabah Randhawa formally announced the new council’s formation today. It will include representation from each of the 10 OSU colleges, departments and institutes working in ocean and coastal science, along with Vice President for Research and the Vice Provost for Outreach and Engagement.

The goal, according to Randhawa, is to provide an integrated, coordinated and collaborative approach to addressing marine science issues and opportunities.

With eight of its 11 academic colleges and multiple centers, institutes and programs engaged in marine science, and more than 37 percent of the institution’s research dollars going toward ocean-related issues and programs, OSU  aspires to being  recognized as a national and world leader in advancing the  fundamental understanding of ocean processes and their role in earth systems, as well as the role the oceans play in the environment, the economy and human society.

A full description of the new council and its goals is available here in .pdf format.

Brandt, director of Oregon Sea Grant since early last year, came to OSU from Michigan, where he had directed the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Great Lakes Research Lab since 1997.

Oregon Sea Grant delivers federal dollars for ocean research, outreach efforts

An ambitious plan to research, understand and inform the public about marine issues ranging from climate change to invasive species will receive nearly $14 million in federal and state dollars via Oregon Sea Grant over the next four years.

“We’re proud to be able to continue supporting an integrated program of coastal science serving Oregon,” said Stephen Brandt, director of the Oregon Sea Grant Program headquartered at Oregon State University. “The research projects, in particular, address some of the critical issues facing Oregon and the coast, and reflect our ongoing commitment to supporting research that addresses current issues of human health and safey, social progress, economic vitality and ecosystem sustainability.”

Oregon Sea Grant recently received the first of four $2.3 million biennial grant installments from its parent agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Half of that money will go to support  the 10 research proposals – among 60 submitted – that made it through Sea Grant’s  rigorous, competitive grant program for 2010-2012. The federal dollars are expected to leverage at least $1.2 million a year in state matching funds.

Read more …