Over 50 Species New to Science Found Along Salas y Gómez Ridge
research expedition across the Salas y Gómez Ridge to Rapa Nui, also known as Easter Island. The ridge lies off the coast of Chile and is a biologically rich region under consideration for a high-seas marine protected area designation.The research team, led by Drs. Erin E. Easton of the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley and Javier Sellanes of the Universidad Católica del Norte, closely examined 10 seamounts and two islands on the 2,900-kilometer-long oceanic mountain range. They determined that the individual seamounts harbor distinct ecosystems like glass sponge gardens and deep
US Awards $6.7 Million for Sea Level Rise and Coastal Resilience Research
, California.(IRA-funded) George Mason University, The Nature Conservancy, Resources for the Future and Maryland Department of Natural Resources received nearly $500,000 to evaluate flood mitigation designs under future climate scenarios to inform restoration efforts in the Chesapeake Bay region.University of Texas at Arlington and University of Arkansas received nearly $500,000 to evaluate how different shoreline adaptation actions perform with sea level rise and storms in California.University of Rhode Island and Penn State University received over $360,000 to assess how nature-based solutions reduce
NOAA Awards $16.8 Million for Research in the Gulf of Mexico
through a co-production model to address data gaps and inform how and where to manage propeller scarring in aquatic preserves of Florida’s Nature Coast.Project Title: DECORATE: Developing an Ecosystem-based Conservation framework for Oyster Reefs Across Texas EstuariesLead Institution: University of Texas at AustinAward Amount: $1,996,417Project Description: The project team will quantify the effects of oyster reef closures and other drivers on oyster reef functioning to help managers decide when and where reefs may benefit from being closed or managed using alternative solutions.Project Title:
UTEP Researchers put Autonomous Survey Boat to the Test
Researchers at The University of Texas at El Paso have constructed a fully autonomous boat that can carry out bathymetric surveys — surveys of the depth and terrain of bodies of water like oceans, rivers and lakes. The team hopes the robotic boat can help simplify the survey process, which usually takes a crew of individuals to complete, as well as assist with reconnaissance missions.The boat and its capabilities are described in the May issue of the journal Sensors.“There are lots of reasons scientists carry out bathymetric surveys,” said Laura Alvarez, Ph.D., lead author of
Back to the Future: Blended Wing Gliders Could Redefine Undersea Warfare
overcome these limitations and enable a broader range of missions?Enter the blended wing underwater glider.In the early 2000s, the Office of Naval Research, in partnership with Scripps Oceanographic Institute, Woods Hole, SAIC, Bluefin Robotics, and the applied research labs of Penn State and the University of Texas, Austin, sought to develop a high-endurance underwater glider capable of accommodating large payloads for use in marine mammal observation or ASW hold-at-risk operations. The result was the Liberdade-class blended wing underwater glider, an underwater vehicle that resembled a stealth bomber
NCCOS Awards $1.7M to Support Habitat Connectivity Research in National Marine Sanctuaries
. Understanding where these fish forage and how this is affected by the current and future configurations of seagrass beds will help optimize MPA design for species using multiple habitats.Texas A&M University, Louisiana State University, Mississippi State University, University of Florida, University of Texas – Rio Grande Valley, Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, NOAA Fisheries Southeast Fisheries Science Center received $740,629 to investigate habitat requirements and connectivity for key reef-associated fish species in Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary and surrounding
Interview: RDML Gallaudet Steers NOAA’s Path Toward Uncrewed Maritime Systems
two. The first is The Wave by Susan Casey, a great read about oceanography. She’s a great story teller, and probably more than any book I’ve ever read, it makes oceanography look cool. The other book is by a friend of mine and a mentor, Admiral Bill McRaven. He was the Chancellor of University of Texas, he led the Bin Laden raid, and he wrote a book called Make Your Bed. To me this is a must read for any American leader for the examples and lessons it teaches. Outside of the job, what do you enjoy doing in your spare time?We are an ocean family, we love to scuba dive, I love to free
NIWA: Slow-slip Earthquake Research Gains Momentum
earthquakes in subduction zones worldwide.The International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) expeditions to the Hikurangi subduction zone off the east coast of the North Island were jointly led by researchers from the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA), GNS Science, the University of Texas, and the University of Auckland. This research marks the first time scientists have studied and directly sampled rocks from the source region of slow-slip events by drilling into the ocean floor.Slow-slip events resemble regular earthquakes, but instead of energy released suddenly and catastrophica
MTS: New Webinar Series on Oil Spill Impacts
recently, he served as Executive Director of the Louisiana Sea Grant College Program, and prior to that as the Vice Provost for Academic Affairs. Dr. Edward Buskey, Principal Investigator, Dispersion Research on Oil: Physics and Plankton Studies (DROPPS) Consortium. Dr. Buskey came to The University of Texas Marine Science Institute in 1986 as a Research Scientist, and was promoted to Professor in 1999. His research interests have focused on studies of the behavioral ecology of marine zooplankton, and how sensory perception mediates behavioral adaptations for locating food resources, avoiding
February 2024
