Category Archives: research

Communities and climate change

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Sea Grant programs in Oregon and Maine are collaborating on a two-year effort to help the nation’s coastal communities understand and prepare for climate change.

The project is supported by a $290,000 grant is from NOAA’s Sectoral Applications Research Program .

Leading the project is Joe Cone, assistant director of Oregon Sea Grant and head of its communications team. The project aims to develop and test a model of public outreach about climate change that may ultimately be used by Sea Grant programs in all US coastal and Great Lakes states.

 Read more …

Undegraduate research fellowships available

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Oregon Sea Grant plans to support as many as four undergraduate students this year in conducting research related to ocean or coastal science, resources or public affairs, starting winter term of the 2007-2008 academic year.

Each fellowship will provide a resident tuition waiver (or partial tuition support for non-Oregon residents), a per-term stipend,  and modest travel and supply expenses, totalling a maximum of $9,000 per student for the academic year.   Fellows will be expected to work 10 hours/week on their research projects during winter and spring terms and 20 hours/week during the summer.  The deadline for applications is Oct 31, 2007.

More information is available here.

Invasion of New Beach Grass Could Weaken Shoreline Protection

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American beach grass (brighter green) infiltrates a dune at Cape KiwandaCORVALLIS, Ore. (Sept. 12, 2007)- An invasion of American beach grass is under way along the Oregon coast, threatening to change dune ecology and reduce the ability of dunes to protect roads, property and towns from coastal storms.

Sea Grant-funded scientists at Oregon State University have documented a slow but steady takeover by this beach grass, an invasive species. They found that protective “foredunes” covered by the new grass species are only about half as high as those created by the European species of grass that were formerly dominant.

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Tiny Capsules May Help Boost Seafood Supply

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Oregon State University (OSU) professor Chris Langdon wants to help feed the world by using tiny beads.

The OSU Hatfield Marine Science Center researcher is building a better fish food for use in aquaculture, enclosing nutrients and medicines in microscopic beads in order to deliver them to animals ultimately destined for the dinner plate.

Feeding farmed fish and shellfish exactly what they eat in the wild, or other live food, while desirable, poses a number of problems. “Live feed is often very expensive and of uneven quality,” Langdon said.

Read more at
http://seagrant.oregonstate.edu/communications/releases.html#langdon

West Coast marine research needs: What do you think?

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Southern Oregon CoastSea Grant programs in Oregon, Washington and California are collaborating on a NOAA-funded project to identify ocean and coastal research and information needs for the West Coast, and they’ve launched a new survey to find out what coastal residents, scientists, resource managers, and other stakeholders view as the critical issues that deserve scientific attention. The plan, required by the federal government and being developed in collaboration with West Coast governors, is meant to help guide future marine research planning and funding decisions throughout the region.

Interested in having your say in the process? Visit the Regional Planning Web site and take our survey.