Oregon’s wave expertise attracts energy startup

Posted on March 10, 2011 by kightp

A Texas company with a novel approach to generating electricity from ocean waves is testing its devices at OSU’s Hinsdale Wave Research Lab, with an eye toward full-scale ocean testing in the future.

Texas-based Neptune Wave Energy was drawn to Oregon by the expertise and scientific resources of the Northwest National Marine Renewable Energy Center, a joint effort of OSU and Washington State University.

Oregon Sea Grant, which helped fund early proof-of-concept research on wave-generated energy and is currently looking at the human dimensions of wave energy, is among the local partners in the Center, which is working on establishing an off-shore testing site near Newport that could be used by Neptune and other companies.

Read the whole story from Sustainable Business Oregon.

Learn more about Oregon Sea Grant’s efforts in wave energy.

Video report from KGW TV:

Sneaker waves, undersea gliders and an adventurous gray whale: OSU marine science in the news

Posted on February 9, 2011 by kightp

Marine scientists from Oregon State University are all over the news this week:

The Oregonian reports on so-called “sneaker waves”: Whether or not they’re a distinct phenomenon, the fact remains that sudden high waves on the Pacific coast can be deadly. As OSU oceanographer Robert Holman explains:

“When you get into the beach, especially when you get into complicated areas like the rocks, you can get feedback – the previous wave changes the condition for the next wave. If you had a previous wave that washed down at just the right time, that would reinforce the next wave. That can produce things that truly are dangerous and not expected.”

KATU-TV reports on OSU’s plan to expand a fleet of “undersea gliders” – small, autonomously operated devices that gather data about undersea conditions. Thanks to funding from the national Ocean Observatories Initiative, the College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Services plans to add 12 more gliders to its fleet over the next year, bringing the total to 21 and dramatically increasing the opportunities for scientists to gather information about Pacific Ocean conditions. Oceanographer Jack Barth explains:

“In more than half a century of work, OSU scientists have recorded about 4,000 profiles of the near-shore from ships. During the past five years, our gliders have logged more than 156,000 profiles – nearly 40 times what six decades of shipboard studies have provided.”

In British Columbia, the Vancouver Sun chronicles the travels of “Flex,” a highly endangered western Pacific grey whale. The animals summer off the Russian coast, and this one was tagged last summer by a team of US and Russian scientists trying to learn where the Pacific greys spend the winter. They thought it might be the South China Sea – but were surprised when the tagged whale, dubbed “Flex,” took off across the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska and then down the west coast of North America.

Bruce Mate, head of OSU’s Marine Mammal Institute (and a pioneer in tracking whales via small, embedded satellite transmitters), is mapping the animal’s journey on the Institute’s Web site.

OSG beach publication solves a Great Lakes Mystery

Posted on January 12, 2011 by kightp

When a Duluth man walked into the Minnesota Sea Grant office recently seeking help identifying a couple of weird-looking balls of of stuff he’d found on the shore of Lake Superior, science writer Sharon Moen found the answer from a sister program in Oregon.

An Internet search led her straight to Oregon Sea Grant and its free publication, “Flotsam, Jetsam, and Wrack.”

The balls found by Glenn Maxham, about 2½ inches in diameter and made of grasses, twigs, a bird feather and degraded polymer mesh, match a similar phenomenon found on the Oregon coast, where locals (and some tourist shops) have dubbed them “whale burps.”

They have nothing to do with whales; rather, it’s the action of waves and surf that gather loose natural (and unnatural) debris and roll it over the sand until it compacts into a ball. The preferred name is “beach balls” or “surf balls,” according to retired OSG marine educator Vicki Osis, who helped develop the publication. Similar phenomena have been reported in Egypt, Australia, and on the shores of California’s Little Borax Lake.

“Flotsam, Jetsam, and Wrack” is among some 150 publications available free for the downloading from Oregon Sea Grant at Oregon State University. Topics range from enjoying the beaches to building your own water-conserving rain garden, salmon restoration,wave energy, tsunami preparedness and safe seafood preparation. Most are available in both printable .pdf format and accessible plain-text versions.

The Oregon and Minnesota Sea Grant programs are among 30 Sea Grant college programs across the nation, organized under NOAA’s National Sea Grant program. Affiliated with major universities in the nation’s coastal and Great Lakes states, the Sea Grant programs conduct marine research, education and public outreach that foster science-based use and conservation of the nation’s aquatic resources.

Sea Grant director gives fish-eye view of Gulf spill

Posted on November 8, 2010 by kightp

Oregon Sea Grant director Stephen Brandt will give a public talk tonight about findings from six seasons of subsurface exploration in the low-oxygen waters of the northern Gulf of Mexico. And he’ll share what was different about this year’s cruise, which began after the United States’ largest recorded oil well blow-out was capped in July.

The informal talk starts at 6 pm at the Old World Deli in Corvallis, as part of the Science Pub series.

“Recently there has been an alarming increase, in the spatial and temporal extent of low-oxygen conditions in estuarine and coastal waters,” said Brandt. “We call them ‘dead zones’ in the media because we presume there are drastic impacts on living resources such as shrimp and fish.”

In his talk, Brandt will show how low-oxygen conditions, which scientists call “hypoxia,” can affect habitat quality, food webs and growth rates. Some fish, he added, may actually benefit from these conditions.

Brandt’s team, which has been collecting subsurface data on ocean conditions and marine life in the Gulf for six years, received a National Science Foundation emergency response grant this year to do another sampling cruise following the Deepwater Horizon oil rig disaster. He kept a blog during the trip.

Science Pub Corvallis is part of a series of free, informal science lectures sponsored at pubs around the state by the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry; the Corvallis lectures are cosponsored by OSU’s Terra magazine and the Downtown Corvallis Association.

Sea Grant, State Parks collaborate on iPhone guide to newest park

Posted on October 25, 2010 by Rick Cooper

NEWPORT – A new iPhone application gives visitors an inside look at Oregon’s newest state park, the Beaver Creek State Natural Area south of Newport.

The application, “Paddle Beaver Creek,” was developed jointly by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department and Oregon Sea Grant at Oregon State University. It is available free for downloading from the iPhone store.

The project is designed to provide park visitors with an additional way to learn more about the park. “We are adapting to the needs of present and future generations of park visitors,” stated Mike Rivers, Ranger Supervisor for Oregon State Parks. “Having a park-specific smart phone guide to water trails, wildlife and natural history will hopefully deepen our visitors’ experiences in Oregon State Parks’ 2010 park of the year, Beaver Creek State Natural Area.”

The core of the application is an interactive map of the Beaver Creek Water Trail – about three scenic miles of an easy-paddling waterway in a pristine coastal marsh open to kayaks and canoes. With no feasible way to post interpretive signs along a water trail, the application provides iPhone-equipped canoeists and kayakers a way to track their progress via GPS, and interactively highlights points of interest along the way, from nesting ospreys to beaver lodges.

Oregon Sea Grant’s interest in developing new tools for effective science education brought them to this cooperative project. “We are always exploring tools that deepen understanding of the coast,” said Dr. Shawn Rowe, Sea Grant Extension’s free-choice learning specialist at the Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport. “Giving visitors the ability to seek the depth of information they prefer is the future of parks and interpretive centers.”

Beaver Creek State Natural Area is located seven miles south of Newport, just east of Ona Beach State Park. The park, which celebrated its grand opening Oct. 1, offers recreation for boaters and nonboaters alike. A newly created Visitor Center features interpretive exhibits, an ADA-accessible deck overlooking the wetland, and trail access. Free Wi-Fi access allows visitors to download the iPhone App on the spot.

Other Sea Grant personnel involved in conceptualizing and creating the application and coordinating logistics include Mark Farley, Nancee Hunter, Joe Cone and Evelyn Paret. Plans are in the works for additional applications, in versions for a variety of mobile smart-phone platforms.

Oregon Sea Grant, founded in 1968 and based at Oregon State University, supports research, education, and public engagement to help people understand, responsibly use, and conserve ocean and coastal resources.

Newport celebrates NOAA fleet move

Posted on June 3, 2010 by kightp

NEWPORT – 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)

Sea Grant names three finalists for Extension leader post

Posted on April 28, 2010 by kightp

Oregon Sea Grant has named three finalists for the post of Sea Grant Extension program leader, being vacated by the retirement of Jay Ramussen. The candidates, who have been invited to the Oregon State University campus in May for interviews and public presentations, are:

Professor Conner Bailey, Department of Agriculture and Rural Sociology, Auburn University
Dr. Tom DeGomez, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson
James Humphreys, Fisheries Director, Americas for the Marine Stewardship Council, Seattle, Washington

Details about the candidates and their interview schedules are posted on the Sea Grant Web site . We hope to offer an online video feed of their public presentations for those unable to attend; when the video links are available, they will be listed there as well.

Ramussen, who has served as the program’s Associate Director as well as leading a 17-member Sea Grant Extension team since 1996, formally retired earlier this year but has been serving on an interim basis until his successor is named. Earlier this month, he was the recipient of OSU Extension’s Alberta Johnson award for exemplary leadership.

Sea Grant Extension is the public outreach and engagement arm of Oregon Sea Grant, bringing the resources of research and higher education to bear on real-world issues important to those who live near, earn their livelihoods from, and care about the state’s ocean and coast. Extension faculty and staff work on the Oregon coast and across the state to address critical marine and coastal issues. They include include community-based agents, subject-matter specialists and educators based at OSU’s coastal research stations, in county Extension offices and on the main OSU campus in Corvallis.

Oregon Sea Grant publication wins Platinum Award

Posted on April 27, 2010 by Rick Cooper

Oregon Sea Grant’s 2010-2013 Strategic Plan has won a Platinum Award (Best Overall) in the Book/Booklet category of the LACP 2009 Spotlight Awards. The publication earned 98 points out of 100 in the global communications competition, which attracted more than 325 entries from 10 countries.

Christine Kennedy, LACP’s managing director, said “The Oregon Sea Grant 2010-2013 Strategic Plan proves to be remarkable in light of tremendous competition. The first impression is exceptional, while the narrative and visual design are both outstanding. Our belief is that the target audience will find the level of relevance to be exceptional, demonstrating the success of this project in connecting with the right people and delivering a highly applicable and persuasive message.”

The 24-page, full-color booklet was written, edited, and designed entirely by Oregon Sea Grant staff.

LACP (League of American Communications Professionals) provides a forum within the public relations industry to facilitate discussion of best practices while also recognizing exemplary achievements. Its competitions routinely include hundreds of entries from some of the most recognized organizations throughout the world.

Details of the judging can be viewed here.
Download a .pdf version of the Oregon Sea Grant Strategic Plan here.

OCEAN partners to receive presidential award

Posted on April 9, 2010 by kightp

Coastal America Logo

NEWPORT – Two federal representatives will visit OSU’s Hatfield Marine Science Center on April 17 to present a presidential award to Oregon Sea Grant’s education team and other partners in the Ocean Conservation and Education Alliance Northwest.

The presentation will take place at 12:30 in the HMSC Visitor Center’s Hennings Auditorium.

On hand for the event will be Virginia Tippie, Director of the Coastal America program, together with Louisa Koch, Director of Education for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, representing Commerce Secretary Gary Locke.

The award, announced last fall, represents the highest level national recognition for outstanding multi-agency, multi-stakeholder collaborations that pool resources from many sources to accomplish coastal restoration, preservation, protection and education projects.

Partners in the OCEAN effort include:

Oregon Sea Grant’s marine education program, based at the HMSC.
The Oregon Coast Aquarium
Lincoln County School District
South Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve
Oregon Institute of Marine Biology

The public is invited to the ceremony.

Breaking Waves

Oregon Sea Grant: Coastal science serving Oregon

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