Category Archives: marine science

Newport celebrates NOAA fleet move

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NOAA R/V Miller FreemanNEWPORT – The impending arrival of  the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Pacific research fleet is being celebrated in Newport this week with ceremony, festivities – and visits from a pair of the vessels that will eventually be berthed here.

Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski, Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley and Congressman Kurt Schrader were among the officials expected on hand to break ground for the new facility, dubbed “Marine Operations Center – Pacific” – or NOAA MOC-P, in government parlance.

The ceremony was also expected to mark the end of a bureaucratic battle with the state of Washington, which has raised numerous objections to NOAA’s decision,  announced last year, to move its operations center from Seattle to the central Oregon coast.  Governor Kulongoski and others said they expected to get the final word that the agency had affirmed its decision just before this morning’s groundbreaking.

The $35 million, five-acre facility is scheduled to open in June 2011, with a staff of 175, including 110 officers. It will be home port to four ships and host visiting ships, as well. It will mean hundreds of family-wage jobs for the Newport area, and it’s expected to pump $19 million a year into a local economy hit hard by fishing cutbacks and the global economic slump.

The Port of Newport was able to make the winning bid largely because the state had offered $19.5 million in Oregon Lottery funds to the project, allowing the port to offer a 20-year lease for only $2.4 million.

This weekend’s celebration includes a family-style “welcome” picnic from 1-4 pm Sunday under a a tent at the construction site, just west of Oregon State University’s Hatfield Marine Science Center. The event, open to the public will include live music and  refreshments, and a chance for local residents to meet some of the team charged with getting the new operations center up and running.

In addition, if weather permits, two of the NOAA research vessels that will be relocating to Newport are expected to visit this weekend. the R/V Miller Freeman is expected to arrive Saturday afternoon, followed on Sunday by the R/V Bell M. Shimada, with an honorary Coast Guard escort and vessels from the Newport commercial fishing fleet on hand to welcome the ships and their crews.

(Photo of R/V Miller Freeman courtesy of striatic)

What’s going on with the brown pelicans?

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California Brown PelicansHave you noticed more pelicans in Oregon during the past couple of winters? Join wildlife biologist Deborah Jacques at OSU’s Hatfield Marine Science Center on Saturday, May 8, to learn more about what’s been happening with this intriguing species.

Jacques,  who specializes in studies of brown pelicans and other coastal waterbirds, will review the general non-breeding ecology of the California brown pelican, summarize seasonal distribution and abundance patterns in the Pacific Northwest, and then discuss the unusual events of the last two winters, which saw large numbers of pelicans staying north late into the season and experiencing unusual mortality all along the west coast.

The public lecture starts at 1:30 p.m. Admission to the HMSC Visitor Center is by suggested donation.

Squid invasion! speaker at HMSC

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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)

Volunteers to chronicle Pacific research cruise

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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 director to head new Marine Council

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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.