NEW
HURRICANE BUOY
SET TO DEPLOY
Rosenstiel
School scientists hope a new buoy to be deployed in August
will shed light on air-sea interaction during hurricanes,
and this project will be the first of its kind to study the
effects of air-spray during high wind conditions where sea-surface
temperatures are expected to increase.
Designed
by the U.S. Navy and utilized as part of NOAA’s National
Data Buoy Center for meteorological measurements in high
wind and wave environments, the buoy will measure wind
speed and direction, solar radiation, carbon dioxide content
of
the air, relative humidity, and air and seawater temperature. Dr.
William Drennan, associate professor of applied
marine physics and head researcher is set to deploy it with
his team about 300 miles east of Jacksonville.
“We
now know that hurricanes get stronger as a result of water
vapor, temperature, and wind speed. This buoy will hopefully
give us even more distinct insight into what causes tropical
storms to grow and diminish,” Drennan said.
Data
from a high-wind deployment will provide fundamental information
to the modeling community and should improve forecasting
for tropical storms and hurricanes. The buoy will operate
autonomously for a year in a high wind and wave environment.
Ocean Technology and Interdisciplinary Coordination (NSF)
funded the research.
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INSIDE...
New
MSGSO board named
The
latest on facilities improvements
Rosenstiel
School zooplankton dons journal cover
SOUNDINGS
IS FOR...
Welcome
to a new section intended to introduce those faces you
see around campus, but have never known their name. Soundings is
for all of us here at the Rosenstiel School, like Anna
Sade, the new executive assistant in the Dean’s
office.
Where
are you from originally?
I’ve
been in Miami for 13 years (so I’m a native?)...As in hometown:
that was Tampa, Fla.; as in heritage: Swiss and Israeli,
Swisraeli for short.
How
long have you been at the Rosenstiel School?
One
year, five months. I hope to be here a lot longer.
You
recently switched positions from the Graduate Studies
Office to the Dean’s office. What’s the biggest difference
between the two work spaces?
I
haven’t been here long enough to say, but the biggest one
so far is the fact that I don't see a lot of students in
the Dean's office."
Read
any good books lately?
Good
Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter,
Witch by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett is my favorite…lately,
I haven’t had time to read. I’m trying to do more stuff
outside.
If
this company makes you a millionaire, what would you
do next?
Cycle
tour through Europe, buy a sailboat, and sail where I can’t
cycle and cycle where I can’t sail.
If
we spend over 10 hours a day with you, what should we
know about you?
I’m
very snarky. It’s my mojo.
COVER-PLANKTON!
Alexandra
Worden’s research on the smallest, free-living eukaryotic
organism, Ostreococcus tauri, recently made
the cover of the July 2007 issue of Plant Physiology.
Her research has proven important to a greater understanding
of the global carbon cycle and historical instances of
global warming.
WORDS
FROM THE DEPARTING
SOUNDINGS EDITOR
August
17th will be my last day after almost 17 years at the
Rosenstiel School, the last 10 of which I spent as part
of the dean’s staff. I arrived at this tropical jewel
with 11 years at the University of Pennsylvania tucked
under my belt. I soon found that I would be working with
a whole different style of professor than the Ivy leaguers
I was used to. There was not a silk tie to be seen across
the campus. Instead I found Tommy Bahama shirts and a
regular happy hour. “Toto, I don’t think we are in Kansas
anymore!”
Since
1990 as a community, we rebuilt the campus and our personal
lives after Hurricane Andrew. We winced at the Iselin
debacle. We scurried through the “Burger King” barrage
of meetings. We saw the birth of CSTARS and the death
of CSF. We witnessed the impressive debut of the R/V
Walton Smith and the ribbon cutting on the Explorer
of the Seas labs. We’ve seen the wax and wane of
several assistant deans, each with a different style.
In
the last 10 years, we have celebrated the 50th anniversary
of oceanography as a science. We have memorialized a
dozen distinguished faculty. We have graduated scores
of brilliant young people. We have raised significant
dollars for United Way, for the student travel fund,
for disaster relief, and for local food pantries. We
have fought. We have laughed. We have worried. We have
dreamt. I’ve
had the privilege to be part of it. I’m
taking your abundant kind words with me as I go. I may
be transferring to the Coral Gables campus but I’ll always
have Virginia Key sand in my shoes.
Gratefully
yours,
Michele
Rowand
CLEMENT
WINS AGU’S PRESTIGIOUS MACELWANE AWARD
A
different take on climate change theories has earned
a Rosenstiel School researcher one of the most prestigious
awards from the American Geophysical Union. Dr.
Amy Clement, an associate professor of meteorology and
physical oceanography, has been named the 2007 James
B. Macelwane Medal recipient, an award reserved for
outstanding young scientists to honor their significant
contributions to geophysical science. The medal will
be formally presented to Clement at the annual meeting
of the American Geophysical Union Dec. 12 in San Francisco.
Clement’s
research has provided new insights into how the climate
system operates by studying climate changes that have
occurred in the past.
Focusing
on the tropical climate, Clement challenged previously
held ideas about the driving forces behind climate
change. By using computer models, she has shown that
changes in El Nino were essential aspects of dramatic
changes in the climate that occurred in the past. She
has also extended these ideas about the role of the
tropics in climate change to variations that occurred
during the 20th century, and possible future changes
as well.
More
information about the award and Clement’s career thus
far can be found in the Rosenstiel School news release
at
http://www.rsmas.miami.edu/
pressreleases/20070716-clement.html
ALUMNI
IN ACTION
Thanks
to the Rosenstiel School alumni below for their news
and updated contact information. Keep the news coming!
1970s
Linda
Duguay, PhD ’79 MBF, is deputy director of the Wrigley
Institute for Environmental Studies, University of Southern
California (USC) and executive director of the USC Sea
Grant Program. Also, she is the recipient of the Tyler
Prize for Environmental Achievement. Linda is married
to Douglas “Doug” Capone, PhD ’78 MBF, a USC professor.
1990s
Martin “Marty” Healey,
MA ’97 MAF, is now the coastal training program coordinator
for the Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research
Reserve in northeastern Florida. Prior to this organization,
Marty worked for the Florida Department of Military Affairs
as the statewide cultural resource manager and liaison
for government-to-government communications with the
federally recognized Native American tribes of Florida.
He currently lives in St. Augustine Beach and has a 21-year-old
son.
Diane “Toni” Parras,
MA ’99 MAF, a communications specialist for The Locally-Managed
Marine Area Network, was awarded, through nationwide
competition, the Environmental Leadership Program Fellowship,
2006-2008.Through this fellowship, she was awarded a
grant to develop a public awareness museum exhibit on
marine conservation that will open winter 2007 and travel
throughout 2008. The International Game Fishing Association
recently commissioned Toni to do a hand-painted photograph
to give as its awards at their recent annual recreational
fishing gala. She also provides consulting services to
marine conservation organizations with various communications
needs.
This
issue of Soundings brought to you by..
Managing
Editor
Ivy Kupec
Editor
Christian Howard
Production
Hunter Augustus
Contributors
Ramon Alfonso
Angel Li
Oana Ioncel
Marty Roessler
Michele Rowand
Copyright © University
of Miami 1994-2007.
All
rights Reserved.
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the Privacy Statement
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CLARENCE
P. IDYLL
Founder,
Rosenstiel School Fisheries Program
 Dr.
Clarence P. Idyll, who was invited in 1948 by
Rosenstiel School founding dean Walton Smith to create
a fisheries program at its parent institution, The Marine
Laboratory, died June 3 of pneumonia in Gaithersburg, Md.
He was 91.
Clare,
born in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, began his fisheries career
during the Depression with the International Pacific Salmon
Fisheries Commission and received his PhD from the School
of Fisheries, University of Washington. While building the
fisheries faculty at the Marine Lab, Clare was a leader in
establishing a program to collect catch and effort data for
Florida’s commercial fisheries. He directed the lab’s efforts
as the provider of research on commercial fisheries and related
topics for the Florida State Board of Conservation, leading
to the publication of numerous technical and educational
bulletins on sea trout, snapper, mullet, redfish, spiny lobster,
and aspects of food technology. Following the discovery and
development of the Tortugas pink shrimp fishery, Clare directed
much of the research on the early life history and dynamics
of this fishery. Also, he and his staff and students championed
the importance of fresh water supply, estuaries, and mangroves
to the fisheries of the state.
As
the first executive director (1949) of the Gulf and Caribbean
Fisheries Institute (GCFI), which was founded in 1948 by
Walton Smith and Richard Kahn of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, and subsequently chairman of GCFI from 1959 to 1971,
Clare was able to bring together the scientific community,
managers, members of the fishing industry and fishermen from
the southeastern United States and the Caribbean Basin.
more...
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NEW
MSGSO BOARD
STEPS INTO PLACE
July
meant the announcement of the new Marine Science Graduate
Student Organization (MSGSO) officers. This year’s president
is Kim Psencik, a Ph.D. whose research has
her working with Dr. Tim Dixon to use high-precision
GPS equipment to monitor long-term plate motions and subduction
zone earthquake activity around the work, especially California,
Nevada, Baja California Mexico, and Costa Rica.
Co-vice
presidents are Dan Holstein and Mehmet
Ilicak; treasurer is Kelly Gibson;
and secretary is Mandy Karnauskas. Division
reps are: MGG-Emily Bowlin; MBF-Mark
Fitchett; AMP-Penny Cohen; MPO-Shaunna
Donaher; MAC-Cheryl Tatum; and
no rep for MAF.
The
new board is raring to go and is already planning student
events, including the auction. If students have any questions,
suggestions, or concerns, contact board members or direct
questions through division representatives. Also, questions
can be sent to the MSGSO board as a whole by e-mailing msgso@rsmas.miami.edu.
Contact
information for the new officers is:
kpsencik@rsmas.miami.edu
dholstein@rsmas.miami.edu
milicak@rsmas.miami.edu
kgibson@rsmas.miami.edu
mkarnauskas@rsmas.miami.edu
ebowlin@rsmas.miami.edu
mfitchett@rsmas.miami.edu
pcohen@rsmas.miami.edu
sdonaher@rsmas.miami.edu
ctatum@rsmas.miami.edu
This
year’s MSGSO board includes Kim Psencik,
president; Dan Holstein and Mehmet
Ilicak, co-vice presidents; Kelly Gibson,
treasurer, and Mandy Karnauskas, secretary.
Photo credit: Angel Li
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From
Facilities Management
Conservation,
key to new showers
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Maintenance Mechanic Jaime
Escobar cuts the ribbon to
the new shower facilities. Photo credit: Christian Howard. |
The
long-awaited fitness center showers are here and were celebrated
with a brief ribbon-cutting ceremony July 13. In the spirit
of accessibility, convenience, and water conservation, the
new showers offer more than a few interesting features:
• The
toilet flushing, toilet seat cover, sink faucet, sink soap
dispenser, paper towel dispenser all boast touch-free activation
for extra sanitary, healthful use.
• Shampoo
and soap dispensers mean Fitness Center users don’t need
to provide their own suds.
• The
men’s urinal is waterless expected to save large quantities
on water.
• The
restroom is configured for ADA compliance, meaning that among
some of those requirements, floors are sloped to allow wheelchair
access in the showers, while directing the water towards
the drain.
• The
restroom is sized for a single person so a door lock is provided
for privacy.
• Walls
and floors are coated with seamless/waterproof epoxy for
easier cleaning.
The
successful completion of these new showers is a product of
many great ideas given to the Facilities Management team,
which encourages additional feedback on this project and
any other facilities improvements around the campus.
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HURRICANES
HELP CORAL RECOVERY
Hurricanes
may be known for causing all sorts of destruction, but a
new study from Rosenstiel School scientists shows these storms
may actually help bleached corals of varying degrees recover.
The
research, published in the July 2007 issue of Proceedings
of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), is the first
study to highlight the potential benefit of hurricane-induced
sea-surface cooling on coral bleaching. The magnitude and
duration of sea temperature cooling coincident with the passage
of hurricanes and tropical storms was assessed for five reef
sites on the Florida Reef Tract from 1998 to 2005. Researchers
found strong evidence that high wind speeds during hurricanes
and tropical storms cooled surface waters enough to promote
rapid and extensive recovery of bleached corals stressed
by Florida’s warming tropical waters.
Above:Time-series
of bleached coral (Colpophyllia natans) at Coral Gardens, Florida
Reef Tract. (A) Prebleaching (August 11, 2005). (B) Bleached
(September
6, 2005). (C) Nearly recovered (November 9, 2005). (D) Recovered
with normal pigmentation (March 2, 2006). (Photo courtesy of
the Proceeding of the National Academy of Sciences)
“While
it seems like an unlikely phenomenon at first, hurricanes
are able to bring cooler waters to the surface, closer to
where many corals reside and counter the now worldwide-bleaching
problem that may be a sign of global warming,” said Derek
Manzello, a marine biology and fisheries graduate
student and CIMAS researcher for NOAA.
More
information can be found about the study in the Rosenstiel
School news release at:
http://www.rsmas.miami.edu/pressreleases/20070702-bleach.html
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IN
MEMORIAM: CLARENCE P. IDYLL
Continued
from above
Clare
taught graduate courses in fisheries science and advised undergraduate
and graduate students. Together with lessons on fishing boats
and gear, life history studies and fisheries dynamics, he imparted
some of his philosophy such as conservation being the wise
use of our natural resources without damaging stocks or the
environment, the need to question hatcheries and stocking programs
without evidence of the effectiveness and the need to carefully
document the effectiveness of, and enforceability of fishery
regulations. In addition to his accomplishments in academic
settings, Clare wrote extensively for magazines,
with pieces in Harper’s, Scientific American,
and National Geographic, published three books: Abyss:
The Deep Sea and the Creatures that Live in It (1976), Sea Against Hunger (1970),
Ambergris: Neptune’s Treasure (1960), and edited a history
of oceanography.
Clare
left the lab in 1971 to join the FAO staff in Rome, where he
helped establish training programs for scientists in Nigeria,
set up a multi-year research program in the Caribbean, evaluated
a research institute overseeing Peru’s anchovy fishery, advised
the Chinese on fish farming and also worked in Indonesia, Gambia,
India, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, and Korea. In 1974, he joined NOAA’s
staff, where he became the study director of the Senate Ocean
Policy Study and later became the chief of the Division of
Fisheries Development and Services in the Office of International
Fisheries, with responsibility for liaison concerning cooperative
fishery activities between the National Marine Fisheries Service,
international organizations, including FAO and other U.N. agencies,
and foreign countries. Clare retired from the government in
1984. After retirement, he increased the amount of consulting
he did, for FAO, USAID, the U.N. Development Program, the Technical
Advisory Committee of the Consultative Group on Agriculture
Research, and other groups.
Clare’s
wife of 59 years, Marion Idyll, died in 2000. Survivors include
three daughters: Marilyn J. Hamly of Williamsburg, Va.; Janice
L. Idyll of Alexandria, Va.; and Jacqueline M. Beem of Wyomissing,
Pa., four grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.
Submitted
by Marty Roessler, ’67 MBF
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JULY
2007