FORECASTING THE SEAS

Shipping companies can route ships more safely and efficiently. Ocean search-and-rescue can operate more effectively. Meteorologists and climatologists now have a tool to provide long-range weather prediction more accurately. Navies too can perform more accurate anti-submarine surveillance. And environmental managers now have a mechanism to track pollution, algal blooms, or emergent situations such as oil spills. And, this is all due to a unique three-dimensional ocean model that has been developed by Rosenstiel School researchers in collaboration with scientists at the Naval Research Laboratory.

Featured in the March issue of Oceanography, the Hybrid Coordinate Ocean Model (HYCOM) is the critical part of data assimilative systems at the Naval Research Laboratory and at NOAA's National Center for Environmental Prediction. The Navy will tap the velocities, temperature, and salinities of the HYCOM prediction system to force smaller models that provide even higher resolution that can account for things like rivers, tides, etc. in real-time for anywhere in the world. NOAA's new Real-Time Ocean Forecast System will provide mariners with “nowcasts” and five-day forecasts for the entire North Atlantic Ocean. While other ocean models have been developed in the past, HYCOM is unique not only because it provides three-dimensional, global data that is of fine enough resolution to factor in the real-time displacements in currents caused by eddies, but also because of its flexibility in modeling both coastal and deep ocean regions (http://www.hycom.org). This enhanced understanding of the ocean offers invaluable applications.

“While a computer model may sound rather abstract to non-scientists, it's exactly what can help clarify forecasting and minimize or prevent impacts from natural hazards on the seas,” said Dr. Eric Chassignet, who also just published a related book, titled Ocean Weather Forecasting: An Integrated View of Oceanography, which is now available.

Scientists often develop computer models to fill in the gaps where they cannot make real-world observations of natural phenomenon. In the case of ocean processes, however, modelers start with fluid dynamics that are the laws of physics that explain how fluid – and in this case, the ocean – responds to different variables. All fluids obey these same laws of physics, and so the researchers end up with a variety of equations that can be simplified to create simple ocean models or made very complex as the scientists try to expand time and space constraints. The HYCOM model will help forecasters and others understand the ocean's currents, temperature, salinity, and other variables better.

“The broad partnership of institutions that is collaborating to develop and demonstrate the performance and applications of HYCOM has already been able to produce realistic imagery in real-time on ocean basin-scales (and soon to be global) in hindcast, nowcast, and prediction modes,” Dr. Chassignet said. He authored the Oceanography article with Dr. George Halliwell and Dr. Ashwanth Srinivasan, also scientists at the Rosenstiel School, and representation from the Navy Research Laboratory, NOAA, and the University of North Carolina.

ARCTIC DISRUPTION IN MARINE
MAMMALS' FOOD WEB

A warmer Arctic Ocean may mean less food for the birds, fish, and baleen whales and be a significant detriment to that fragile and interconnected polar ecosystem, and that doesn't bode well for other ocean ecosystems in the future. That's the word from Dr. Sharon Smith who spoke on “Potentially Dramatic Changes in the Pelagic Ecosystems of the Marginal Seas of the Arctic Ocean due to Anthropogenic Warming,” in Honolulu at the American Geophysical Union's 2006 Ocean Sciences Meeting.

“We've seen models of global climate change for more than 20 years, and they have shown us that warming associated with increased, man-made carbon dioxide emissions will appear first – and be the most intense – in the Arctic,” Dr. Smith said. “But what extensive satellite imagery confirms is that this Arctic warming is happening already. Permanent ice is thinning, and the duration of ice-free conditions is extending. This is changing currents and affecting feeding patterns and food source availability for the animal life there.”
According to Dr. Smith, the match of the physical forcing and the life cycles of Arctic marine organisms is crucial; both need to be relatively predictable in time and space for evolution of this food web to have taken place. Global warming is acting to disrupt predictability, a situation that could cause the rapid demise of marine mammals and birds upon which subsistence human populations depend.

A biological oceanographer, Dr. Smith has spent her career examining some of the smallest components of food webs. She is the co-director of the National Science Foundation/National Institute of Environmental Health Science Oceans and Human Health Center that is based at Rosenstiel.

ROSENSTIEL SCHOOL FISHERIES
RESEARCH FEATURED ON SCIENCE COVER

A new study holds the potential to help combat over fishing and control the spread of invasive species and is featured on the cover of the Jan. 27 issue of Science. The article, titled “Scaling of connectivity in marine populations” tracks fish larvae to understand why fish settle where they do, and it has significant implications for designing effective marine-protected areas to help address these complex marine issues. See more about Drs. Robert Cowen, Claire Paris, Ashwanth Srinivasan work in the January 2006 issue of Soundings.

DELVING DEEP, RSMAS SCIENCE TO POLICY

Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Steven Lutz hold a specimen of Lophelia pertusa, a structure forming deep-water coral.

During a recent advocating effort in Washington DC, for deep water coral legislation, Steven Lutz met with Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Representative of Florida’s 18th Congressional District. Steven, invited by OCEANA and MCBI, represented South Florida deep water coral (also termed cold water) research interests. Ros-Lehtinen related that she loved RSMAS and corals.

The Bottom Trawling and Deep Sea Coral Habitat Act (HR 3778) of 2005 is ocean zoning legislation. It divides parts of the ocean into bottom trawl zones, where trawling would be permitted, and coral habitat conservation zones, where the practice would be forbidden. The law is designed to protect deep-sea corals because they create habitat for species important to the seafood industry, such as sea bass, snapper and rock shrimp. The legislation enjoys bipartisan support from the House and Senate, from commercial and recreational fishermen, and has significant money earmarked for science. Florida waters are home to many deep water structure forming corals. from the Oculina Banks off Cape Canaveral, much degraded by trawling, to deeper lithoherms off the northeastern Straits of Florida, to many occurrences of structure forming corals throughout the Straits of Florida. These occurrences were discovered by research efforts from the 1960’s to the 1980’s, largely based out of RSMAS.

CORAL'S FUTURE IN AN INCREASINGLY ACIDIC OCEAN

The ocean is getting more and more acidic, and that's bad news for coral reefs. That's the word Dr. Christopher Langdon who spoke on “Possible Consequences of Increasing Atmospheric CO2 on Coral Reef Ecosystems,” the American Geophysical Union's 2006 Ocean Sciences Meeting.

“While we focus a great deal of attention on rising ocean temperatures and the bleaching incidents they cause in corals, we tend to overlook the other consequence of rising atmospheric carbon dioxide on our corals: decreases in ocean pH,” Langdon said. “Carbon dioxide in the ocean is creating a growingly acidic environment for corals, and this acidity could ultimately cause our reefs to waste away.”

Rising levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide are causing the climate to warm and the oceans to become more acidic. Studies suggest that 20th century warming of approximately 0.6°C may have been beneficial to the growth of some corals and as a result masked the negative effects of declining ocean pH. However, at some point water temperatures will exceed the thermal optimum for corals and when that happens both rising temperature and falling ocean pH will have a mutually reinforcing, negative effect on the ability of corals to build their calcium carbonate skeletons. Results from controlled laboratory experiments suggest that a doubling in atmospheric carbon dioxide could drive production of carbonate on many reefs below what is needed to replace skeletal damage from natural erosive forces.

Langdon is the associate director of the National Center for Caribbean Coral Reef Research and an associate professor in marine biology and fisheries at the Rosenstiel School.

MAST ACADEMY CONQUERS MANATEE BOWL

The 9th East Florida Regional competition of the National Ocean Sciences Bowl (NOSB), a Jeopardy-like competition for high school students, was held at the Johnson Education Center at Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution, Fort Pierce, Florida on March 3-4.

The thirteen teams competed in the “Manatee Bowl”. MAST Academy Team A, coached by Mark Tohulka, remained undefeated throughout the competition. Team members were Kimberly Farmer, Mauricio Lanio, Alexander Robel, Daniel Sanchez, and Guillermo Tinoco. They proceed to the national level of competition.

The second place Eau Gallie High School team included Tim Carney, Caleb Dean, Courtney Gabbard, and Amanda Liles was coached by Gary Wolfe. South Broward Marine Magnet took third coached by Sharon Thomas. Team members included Kevin Iglesias, Lisa McManus, Melanie Rivas, Michele Sosa, and Cody Ward.

Ramey High School came all the way from Puerto Rico to compete. This is a milestone in NOSB history. Puerto Rico plans to join the ranks of Alaska and Hawaii by have their own regional bowls.

Future marine science professionals include: Kaitlin Birghenthal, a competitor on the Miami Palmetto team and daughter of Ginger Birghenthal, senior staff associate for UMs undergraduate marine science program, April Maxwell, a competitor on the South Broward team and daughter of Chip Maxwell, marine technician aboard Explorer of the Seas, and Lisa McManus, daughter of Professors John and Liana McManus, competitor for South Broward High.

Karen Wilkening shares the coordination responsibilities with her counterpart at Harbor Branch, Dennis Hanisak. Totally reliant volunteers like Robert Carbo, Nick Carrasco, Lauren Rose, Chip Maxwell, the regional competition will take place in Miami next year.

The 2006 nationals will be held May 13-15 in Pacific Grove, CA.

SEA SCRETS LECTURE

“ Swimming With Giants: Following Large
Fish across the Sea with Electronic Tags”

Dr. Barbara Block in the field tagging a fish. http://www.marine.stanford.edu/HMSweb/block.html

Many of the sea’s most majestic creatures, tuna, sharks, and other large predators, are also some of the most mysterious. Spending their lives mostly beneath the ocean’s opaque surface leaves us wondering where they feed, reproduce or simply go each day. Dr. Barbara Block is leading an international effort to learn more about these fascinating creatures of the sea. Using electronic tags, her team tracks tunas, sharks and other large marine organisms thousands of miles. They are now learning the secrets of ocean migrations and hope to help solve some of the critical questions about fish populations and how to better manage them for the future. Cruise along with the giants of the sea in this presentation and you’ll be amazed at where, how far, and how fast they travel.

Join Dr. Barbara Block, of Stanford University, in the Rosenstiel School auditorium on Wednesday, March 22nd. Dr. Block was recently featured on “Nature: Oceans in Glass: Behind the Scenes of the Monterey Bay Aquarium”, on PBS. She will also speak on Thursday, March 23 at the Robert L. & Marie K. Telford Building for Continuing Medical Education
Naples Community Hospital, 350 Second Avenue North, Naples, FL (For the Naples lecture only, please RVSP to Karen Wilkening at kwilkening@rsmas.miami.edu or 305-421-4612)
Both receptions are at 5:30 pm; Lecture at 6:15 pm. Events are free and open to the public.
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CITIZENS BOARD RESEARCH & CREATIVITY FORUM

The University of Miami Citizens Board and Graduate School invite all University of Miami undergraduate and graduate students to participate in "A Day of Cutting-edge Research & Creative Display" Thursday, April 6, on the University Green.

By participating, students have the unique opportunity of showcasing their research before other students, faculty, administration, and the public and receive feedback on their work. Cash awards are presented at an awards dinner held at the Bank United Center the follo-wing evening.

At the Citizens Board Research and Creativity Forum, students gain important experience in presenting and defending research/creative works in a setting modeled after a professional poster session and exhibition.

The following RSMAS graduate students have signed up to participate in this years’ forum:
Deanna Donohoue, MAC, Yanxin Luo , MAC, Eduardo Cruz, MGG, Kelly Jackson, MGG, Kathryn Lamb, MGG, Jenny Litz, MBF, Marilyn Brandt, MBF, John Brown, MPO, Tania Casal ,MPO, Mareva Chanson,MAC, Sharon Homer-Drummond, MAF, Benjamin Jaimes, MPO, Aletta Yniguez, MBF and Jun Zhang, AMP.

RSMAS’ LIBRARY DATA MANAGEMENT PROJECT

”Metadata is a major tool for organizing, and maintaining an organization's internal research investment; and to provide information about an organization's data holdings...”, said Roberta Rand, RSMAS Librarian.

Thanks to a grant from NOAA’s National Coastal Data Development Center (NCDDC) Roberta Rand, along with research coordinators Sharon Homer Drummond, Carolyn Margolin, Fernando Bretos, and Johann Besserer had the opportunity to create, publish, and make accessible worldwide the beginnings of RSMAS metadata records with links to digital data to major science directories.

”Catalog systems such as NOAA's Metadata Enterprise Resource Management Aid (Mermaid), FGDC Clearinghouse, National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII), NASA's Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) have been recognized as effective ways to improve data exchange and make freely available scientific observations and results from the scientific community. Since comprehensive information can only be provided by the scientists who collected or processed the data, the key challenge is to motivate scientists to document their data and thus contribute to the directory systems” stated Ms. Rand.

The NOAA grant required collection of data sets relevant to coastal ecosystems, harmful algal blooms (HABs), integrated ocean observatory systems, and coastal risk atlas initiatives. Submissions were invited from across the 6 RSMAS academic divisions. Data types included but were not limited to dynamic living habitat, shoreline type, chlorophyll concentration, sea surface temperature, contamination of bottom sediments, species and community mortality events, cell counts, and harmful algal blooms. The 14 participating scientists contributed 46 datasets and helped build the metadata records that focused on research-conducted from 1990 to present for which digital components were most likely to be available.

To date 26 datasets were submitted for final review and publication to NOAA’s Metadata Enterprise Resource Management Aid (MERMAID). Additional datasets are in final review for submission for publication at http//www.ncddc.noaa.gov. More than 25 datasets were recently published in NASA’s Global Change Master Directory- the RSMAS Portal can be found at: http://gcmd.nasa.gov/KeywordSearch/Home.do?Portal=rsmas&MetadataType=0
and at the National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII) Metadata Clearinghouse: http://mercury.ornl.gov/nbii/ To retrieve RSMAS records: Select from the SOURCE tab “Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission Data Library”, then select the KEYWORDS tab and enter RSMAS in the FULLTEXT/SEARCH FOR field. They can also be searched at: http://clearinghouse1. fgdc.gov /FGDCgateway.html for digital geographic data based on its location, time period of content, full-text, and fielded searches – and to select one or more collections to query.

The research team acknowledged the help of advisors from NOAA, Julia Bosch; FWRI, Jill Truby; NASA, Lola Olson, and Gene Major.