Browsing by Department "Oceanography"

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Collaborative Research: Delineating The Microbial Diversity and Cross-domain Interactions in The Uncharted Subseafloor Lower Crust Using Meta-omics and Culturomics
Oceanography; TAMU; https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14641/241; National Science Foundation
The lower ocean crust has remained largely unexplored and represents one of the last frontiers for biological exploration on Earth. Preliminary data indicate an active subsurface biosphere in samples of the lower oceanic crust collected from Atlantis Bank in the SW Indian Ocean as deep as 790 m below the seafloor. Even if life exists in only a fraction of the habitable volume where temperatures permit and fluid flow can deliver carbon and energy sources, an active lower oceanic crust biosphere would have implications for deep carbon budgets and yield insights into microbiota that may have existed on early Earth. This is all of great interest to other research disciplines, educators, and students alike. A K-12 education program will capitalize on groundwork laid by outreach collaborator, A. Martinez, a 7th grade teacher in Eagle Pass, TX, who sailed as outreach expert on Drilling Expedition 360. Martinez works at a Title 1 school with ~98% Hispanic and ~2% Native American students and a high number of English Language Learners and migrants. Annual school visits occur during which the project investigators present hands on-activities introducing students to microbiology, and talks on marine microbiology, the project, and how to pursue science related careers. In addition, monthly Skype meetings with students and PIs update them on project progress. Students travel to the University of Texas Marine Science Institute annually, where they get a campus tour and a 3-hour cruise on the R/V Katy, during which they learn about and help with different oceanographic sampling approaches. The project partially supports two graduate students, a Woods Hole undergraduate summer student, the participation of multiple Texas A+M undergraduate students, and 3 principal investigators at two institutions, including one early career researcher who has not previously received NSF support of his own. Given the dearth of knowledge of the lower oceanic crust, this project is poised to transform our understanding of life in this vast environment. The project assesses metabolic functions within all three domains of life in this crustal biosphere, with a focus on nutrient cycling and evaluation of connections to other deep marine microbial habitats. The lower ocean crust represents a potentially vast biosphere whose microbial constituents and the biogeochemical cycles they mediate are likely linked to deep ocean processes through faulting and subsurface fluid flow. Atlantis Bank represents a tectonic window that exposes lower oceanic crust directly at the seafloor. This enables seafloor drilling and research on an environment that can transform our understanding of connections between the deep subseafloor biosphere and the rest of the ocean. Preliminary analysis of recovered rocks from Expedition 360 suggests the interaction of seawater with the lower oceanic crust creates varied geochemical conditions capable of supporting diverse microbial life by providing nutrients and chemical energy. This project is the first interdisciplinary investigation of the microbiology of all 3 domains of life in basement samples that combines diversity and "meta-omics" analyses, analysis of nutrient addition experiments, high-throughput culturing and physiological analyses of isolates, including evaluation of their ability to utilize specific carbon sources, Raman spectroscopy, and lipid biomarker analyses. Comparative genomics are used to compare genes and pathways relevant to carbon cycling in these samples to data from published studies of other deep-sea environments. The collected samples present a rare and time-sensitive opportunity to gain detailed insights into microbial life, available carbon and energy sources for this life, and of dispersal of microbiota and connections in biogeochemical processes between the lower oceanic crust and the overlying aphotic water column.
Collaborative Research: Delineating The Microbial Diversity and Cross-domain Interactions in The Uncharted Subseafloor Lower Crust Using Meta-omics and Culturomics
Oceanography; TAMU; https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14641/241; National Science Foundation
The lower ocean crust has remained largely unexplored and represents one of the last frontiers for biological exploration on Earth. Preliminary data indicate an active subsurface biosphere in samples of the lower oceanic crust collected from Atlantis Bank in the SW Indian Ocean as deep as 790 m below the seafloor. Even if life exists in only a fraction of the habitable volume where temperatures permit and fluid flow can deliver carbon and energy sources, an active lower oceanic crust biosphere would have implications for deep carbon budgets and yield insights into microbiota that may have existed on early Earth. This is all of great interest to other research disciplines, educators, and students alike. A K-12 education program will capitalize on groundwork laid by outreach collaborator, A. Martinez, a 7th grade teacher in Eagle Pass, TX, who sailed as outreach expert on Drilling Expedition 360. Martinez works at a Title 1 school with ~98% Hispanic and ~2% Native American students and a high number of English Language Learners and migrants. Annual school visits occur during which the project investigators present hands on-activities introducing students to microbiology, and talks on marine microbiology, the project, and how to pursue science related careers. In addition, monthly Skype meetings with students and PIs update them on project progress. Students travel to the University of Texas Marine Science Institute annually, where they get a campus tour and a 3-hour cruise on the R/V Katy, during which they learn about and help with different oceanographic sampling approaches. The project partially supports two graduate students, a Woods Hole undergraduate summer student, the participation of multiple Texas A+M undergraduate students, and 3 principal investigators at two institutions, including one early career researcher who has not previously received NSF support of his own. Given the dearth of knowledge of the lower oceanic crust, this project is poised to transform our understanding of life in this vast environment. The project assesses metabolic functions within all three domains of life in this crustal biosphere, with a focus on nutrient cycling and evaluation of connections to other deep marine microbial habitats. The lower ocean crust represents a potentially vast biosphere whose microbial constituents and the biogeochemical cycles they mediate are likely linked to deep ocean processes through faulting and subsurface fluid flow. Atlantis Bank represents a tectonic window that exposes lower oceanic crust directly at the seafloor. This enables seafloor drilling and research on an environment that can transform our understanding of connections between the deep subseafloor biosphere and the rest of the ocean. Preliminary analysis of recovered rocks from Expedition 360 suggests the interaction of seawater with the lower oceanic crust creates varied geochemical conditions capable of supporting diverse microbial life by providing nutrients and chemical energy. This project is the first interdisciplinary investigation of the microbiology of all 3 domains of life in basement samples that combines diversity and "meta-omics" analyses, analysis of nutrient addition experiments, high-throughput culturing and physiological analyses of isolates, including evaluation of their ability to utilize specific carbon sources, Raman spectroscopy, and lipid biomarker analyses. Comparative genomics are used to compare genes and pathways relevant to carbon cycling in these samples to data from published studies of other deep-sea environments. The collected samples present a rare and time-sensitive opportunity to gain detailed insights into microbial life, available carbon and energy sources for this life, and of dispersal of microbiota and connections in biogeochemical processes between the lower oceanic crust and the overlying aphotic water column.
Collaborative Research: U.S. GEOTRACES PMT: Dissolved Trace Metal Distributions and Size Partitioning
Oceanography; TAMU; https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14641/365; National Science Foundation
The goal of the international GEOTRACES program is to understand the distributions of trace chemical elements and their isotopes in the oceans. Many trace metals, which are by definition present in very low amounts, are essential for life and thus considered nutrients for phytoplankton growth. Other elements can be useful for tracing other ocean processes, and some (such as lead) are important because they are pollutants. The primary goal of this project is to measure the concentrations of iron, manganese, zinc, copper, cadmium, nickel, lead, and scandium dissolved in seawater along a line of full-depth ocean stations extending south from Alaska to Tahiti in the Pacific Ocean. Specialized sampling and filtration techniques will also enable these investigators and their colleagues to determine the distribution of these metals on very small particles. A graduate student and several undergraduate students will take part in the project. The U.S. GEOTRACES Pacific Meridional Transect, planned for the fall of 2018, aims to systematically and thoroughly determine the distribution of trace elements and isotopes on a cruise transect that spans zonal bands of sedimentary, atmospheric, and hydrothermal metal supplies; intersects several zonal biological production and oxygenation regimes; traverses the complex equatorial upwelling system; and encompasses the oldest known deep waters in the ocean. The primary goal of this proposal is to determine the concentrations of dissolved (<0.2 micron-filtered) micronutrient metals Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, Cd, and Ni, as well as tracers Pb and Sc, on every water column and surface sample collected, using two well-established multi-element analytical methods that will be intercalibrated internally to maximize data quality. Many of these are "key elements" required for analysis on GEOTRACES cruises. Ultrafiltration will also be completed on all samples to determine the "truly soluble" (<0.003 micron) concentrations of these elements and to calculate, by difference, the colloidal (0.003-0.2 micron) fraction. The overarching goal of the proposed research is to understand the ocean fluxes and processes that control the distributions of micronutrient trace metals, which themselves modulate primary production and oceanic carbon dioxide uptake, in the Pacific Ocean. The proposed research will allow for an estimate of the meridional influence of each of these metal source fluxes and processes in the Pacific, which is poorly constrained to date due to the mostly zonal Pacific cruise transects in the past. Colloidal distributions are specifically targeted in order to derive additional information on the reactivity (with respect to both scavenging and bioavailability) of distinct dissolved metal pools, as well as to provide a basic constraint on metal physicochemical speciation, which is poorly defined for many of the eight metals.
Continued Development of the Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean Observing System
Oceanography; TAMU; https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14641/208; Department of Commerce
Brief Project Summary: The Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean Observing System (GCOOS) was formed in 2000 as one of the regional coastal ocean observing systems now under the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS). GCOOS is developing as a sustained ocean observing system that provides data, information, and products on marine and estuarine systems to a wide range of users. A Regional Association, GCOOS-RA, was established by Memorandum of Agreement in January 2005. The organizational structure was in place by April 2006. Much progress has been made toward the development of the GCOOS. However, as revealed by the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, which is a vivid example of the need for a robust ocean observing system in the Gulf of Mexico (GoMex), much remains to be done to bring this observing system to maturity. It should be noted that no new observing assets have been provided from any of the Deepwater Horizon funding opportunities to date. The goal of this project is to build a robust, user-driven, sustained, operational GCOOS that integrates data from diverse providers; assures consistency and quality of the data; creates new data products needed by users; and provides accurate data, products, and services to IOOS, decision-makers, and the public in a timely and efficient manner. Physical, meteorological, biogeochemical, biological and bathymetric data are included in the data system. The goal will be achieved through accomplishment of six objectives: (1) Maintain and strengthen the GCOOS-RA through continuation of activities of the board, councils, committees, task teams and office staff to manage the development of the GCOOS and organizing stakeholder workshops to identify needs and guide the priorities; (2) Continue to build the observing system, GCOOS, through: integration of existing observations made by different entities; provision of operation and maintenance support for existing non-federal systems that monitor surface currents, harmful algal blooms, hypoxia, water level changes, estuarine water quality, and ecosystem health; and provision of support for nonfederal systems that derive products needed by users from satellite data, and addition of new observations as funding allows; iii (3) Improve the Data Management and Communications system by establishing and expanding the capabilities of the GCOOS Data and Products Portal, adding new data providers for Gulf open ocean, coastal, and estuarine regions and making their data interoperable, building capabilities to access historical datasets, and participating in the development and evolution of the data management and communication plans of IOOS; (4) Support regional modeling capacity through providing in situ and remotely-sensed data to meet the needs of the modeling community in machine-to-machine formats, supporting the regional modeling task team for the Gulf of Mexico, pursuing physical and ecosystem modeling pilot projects to support marine resource decision-makers and hosting a model-data viewer for the region; (5) Enhance the integrated outreach and education activities of the GCOOS-RA through activities of the Outreach and Education manager and Outreach and Education Council that improve information exchange between user groups and data providers, promote ocean literacy, and provide materials for the public, and (6) Obtain certification to become a member of U.S. IOOS. Intended benefits: Four major benefits will come from this project. First, further integration of existing observing elements into a unified ocean observing system will provide easy access to data, products, and services needed by users in their desired formats. Second, some observations, which are in jeopardy of being eliminated, will be continued. Third, through outreach and education projects, more information will be available to help make informed decisions regarding a broad range of interactions with the coastal ocean environment—from recreational activities to emergency responses. Fourth, the formation of new connections between different sectors and the resulting synergies will provide society the capability to better predict and mitigate against coastal hazards, preserve and restore healthy marine ecosystems, ensure human health (e.g., improve prediction of water quality including harmful algal blooms), manage resources, facilitate safe and efficient marine transportation, and detect and predict climate variability and consequences. Sharing data, models, and products via the Internet will benefit all participants, including industry, NGOs, academia, and federal, state, regional, and local government agencies.
Continued Development of the Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean Observing System
Oceanography; TAMU; https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14641/208; Department of Commerce
Brief Project Summary: The Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean Observing System (GCOOS) was formed in 2000 as one of the regional coastal ocean observing systems now under the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS). GCOOS is developing as a sustained ocean observing system that provides data, information, and products on marine and estuarine systems to a wide range of users. A Regional Association, GCOOS-RA, was established by Memorandum of Agreement in January 2005. The organizational structure was in place by April 2006. Much progress has been made toward the development of the GCOOS. However, as revealed by the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, which is a vivid example of the need for a robust ocean observing system in the Gulf of Mexico (GoMex), much remains to be done to bring this observing system to maturity. It should be noted that no new observing assets have been provided from any of the Deepwater Horizon funding opportunities to date. The goal of this project is to build a robust, user-driven, sustained, operational GCOOS that integrates data from diverse providers; assures consistency and quality of the data; creates new data products needed by users; and provides accurate data, products, and services to IOOS, decision-makers, and the public in a timely and efficient manner. Physical, meteorological, biogeochemical, biological and bathymetric data are included in the data system. The goal will be achieved through accomplishment of six objectives: (1) Maintain and strengthen the GCOOS-RA through continuation of activities of the board, councils, committees, task teams and office staff to manage the development of the GCOOS and organizing stakeholder workshops to identify needs and guide the priorities; (2) Continue to build the observing system, GCOOS, through: integration of existing observations made by different entities; provision of operation and maintenance support for existing non-federal systems that monitor surface currents, harmful algal blooms, hypoxia, water level changes, estuarine water quality, and ecosystem health; and provision of support for non- federal systems that derive products needed by users from satellite data, and addition of new observations as funding allows; (3) Improve the Data Management and Communications system by establishing and expanding the capabilities of the GCOOS Data and Products Portal, adding new data providers for Gulf open ocean, coastal, and estuarine regions and making their data interoperable, building capabilities to access historical datasets, and participating in the development and evolution of the data management and communication plans of IOOS; (4) Support regional modeling capacity through providing in situ and remotely-sensed data to meet the needs of the modeling community in machine-to-machine formats, supporting the regional modeling task team for the Gulf of Mexico, pursuing physical and ecosystem modeling pilot projects to support marine resource decision-makers and hosting a model-data viewer for the region; (5) Enhance the integrated outreach and education activities of the GCOOS-RA through activities of the Outreach and Education manager and Outreach and Education Council that improve information exchange between user groups and data providers, promote ocean literacy, and provide materials for the public, and (6) Obtain certification to become a member of U.S. IOOS. Intended benefits: Four major benefits will come from this project. First, further integration of existing observing elements into a unified ocean observing system will provide easy access to data, products, and services needed by users in their desired formats. Second, some observations, which are in jeopardy of being eliminated, will be continued. Third, through outreach and education projects, more information will be available to help make informed decisions regarding a broad range of interactions with the coastal ocean environment—from recreational activities to emergency responses. Fourth, the formation of new connections between different sectors and the resulting synergies will provide society the capability to better predict and mitigate against coastal hazards, preserve and restore healthy marine ecosystems, ensure human health (e.g., improve prediction of water quality including harmful algal blooms), manage resources, facilitate safe and efficient marine transportation, and detect and predict climate variability and consequences. Sharing data, models, and products via the Internet will benefit all participants, including industry, NGOs, academia, and federal, state, regional, and local government agencies
GEOTRACES Arctic section: Dissolved micronutrient trace metal distributions and size partitioning-partitioning (Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, Cd, and Ni)
Oceanography; TAMU; https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14641/365; National Science Foundation
In this project, investigators participating in the 2015 U.S. GEOTRACES Arctic expedition will measure the concentrations of iron, manganese, zinc, copper, cadmium, and nickel from a variety of seawater and ice samples in the Western Arctic Ocean. These are commonly referred to as 'micronutrients' because they are present in the ocean in extremely low concentrations and because they are essential for marine organisms. In common with other national initiatives in the International GEOTRACES Program, the goals of the U.S. Arctic expedition are to identify processes and quantify fluxes that control the distributions of key trace elements and isotopes in the ocean, and to establish the sensitivity of these distributions to changing environmental conditions. Some trace elements are essential to life, others are known biological toxins, and still others are important because they can be used as tracers of a variety of physical, chemical, and biological processes in the sea. The six trace elements to be measured in this study are arguably the most important bioactive trace elements in the oceans, and their measurement will provide key information on biological and physical processes in the Arctic. This project will be carried out under the direction of a postdoctoral researcher, providing a unique professional development opportunity for an early career scientist. In addition, the research will involve the training of an undergraduate researcher, and provide public outreach opportunities to K-12 teachers and students, and indigenous populations in Alaska. The six micronutrients to be measured under this project have all been identified as key trace elements for the GEOTRACES Program. This research will allow rigorous testing of the Arctic physical and biological processes, many of which are already undergoing fundamental changes as a result of climate change, that control the inputs and fate of key micronutrient metals in the Arctic Ocean. Colloidal distributions are specifically targeted in order to derive additional information on the unique physicochemical form and reactivity of distinct dissolved metal pools. The project will also explore the role of melting sea ice in driving near-surface concentrations of these elements by measuring concentrations and size partitioning of these six metals in sea ice, snow, melt ponds, and in the seawater immediately under sea ice. Given that the Arctic is a relatively small basin surrounded by broad continental shelves, sedimentary sources and sinks will also play a major role in controlling the distributions of these elements. Thus, metal concentrations in porewater samples from bottom sediments will also be determined from cores in the Bering and Chukchi Seas, in order to investigate benthic exchanges.
Gulf Coast Stewards of Tomorrow: Working Towards a Sustainable Future through At-Sea Learning for South Texas Middle and High School Students
Oceanography; TAMU; https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14641/203; Environmental Protection Agency
Public literacy is the foundation to promote changes in societal views of the relevance of critically important environmental issues that directly effect a local population. Without a clear linkage of how an environmental issue impacts everyday citizens, the desire to take action on improving these issues is often lost. Public literacy oftentimes begins in the middle and high school (grades 6-12) setting, where students are learning to form their own independent opinions on environmental issues. A key way to reinforce these issues is through experiential learning in the classroom and, even more impactful, in the field. When students are emotionally engaged in topics about the natural environment, they experience an overall change in their attitude towards the environment, as well as an increased desire to change their own habits to further protect the environment (Ballantyne and Packer, 2002). In fact, programs that are most effective at engaging students do so by showing students first hand local environmental impacts, combined with hands-on research activities and classroom lesson plans (Ballantyne et al., 2001). This project is designed to educate young citizens on local environmental impacts, and empower them to work towards improving the environment through stewardship. It will focus on Corpus Christi Bay (CCB), a semi-tropical bay on the Texas coast located approximately 136 mi south of San Antonio, and 179 mi southwest of Houston, that is largely used for commercial and recreational fishing. As with most bays and estuaries, human impact on the bay is substantial with wastewater outfalls, storm water runoff, substantial agricultural activity within the watershed (cotton, sorghum and corn) that adds nutrients, and altered freshwater flow due to irrigation needs and loss of wetlands to urban development. This, in turn, leads to poor water quality. This project helps to further the goals of the EPA Strategic Goal of “Cross Agency Strategy: Working Toward a Sustainable Future” through Environmental Education and Outreach (Priority III) by aiming to: • Educate young citizens on the impacts of non-point source pollution to CCB, the importance of water conservations and storm water sequestration, impacts of everyday actions on the acidity of estuaries and the coastal ocean, and how coastal ecosystems relates to the local economy. • Empower teachers and students with knowledge to share with their community on the importance of being stewards of the environment. • Create new classroom lesson plans that focus on the improvement of water quality,preservations of the marine habitat, and coastal community resilience.
Gulf Coast Stewards of Tomorrow: Working Towards a Sustainable Future through At-Sea Learning for South Texas Middle and High School Students
Oceanography; TAMU; https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14641/203; Environmental Protection Agency
Public literacy is the foundation to promote changes in societal views of the relevance of critically important environmental issues that directly effect a local population. Without a clear linkage of how an environmental issue impacts everyday citizens, the desire to take action on improving these issues is often lost. Public literacy oftentimes begins in the middle and high school (grades 6-12) setting, where students are learning to form their own independent opinions on environmental issues. A key way to reinforce these issues is through experiential learning in the classroom and, even more impactful, in the field. When students are emotionally engaged in topics about the natural environment, they experience an overall change in their attitude towards the environment, as well as an increased desire to change their own habits to further protect the environment (Ballantyne and Packer, 2002). In fact, programs that are most effective at engaging students do so by showing students first hand local environmental impacts, combined with hands-on research activities and classroom lesson plans (Ballantyne et al., 2001). This project is designed to educate young citizens on local environmental impacts, and empower them to work towards improving the environment through stewardship. It will focus on Corpus Christi Bay (CCB), a semi-tropical bay on the Texas coast located approximately 136 mi south of San Antonio, and 179 mi southwest of Houston, that is largely used for commercial and recreational fishing. As with most bays and estuaries, human impact on the bay is substantial with wastewater outfalls, storm water runoff, substantial agricultural activity within the watershed (cotton, sorghum and corn) that adds nutrients, and altered freshwater flow due to irrigation needs and loss of wetlands to urban development. This, in turn, leads to poor water quality. This project helps to further the goals of the EPA Strategic Goal of “Cross Agency Strategy: Working Toward a Sustainable Future” through Environmental Education and Outreach (Priority III) by aiming to: • Educate young citizens on the impacts of non-point source pollution to CCB, the importance of water conservations and storm water sequestration, impacts of everyday actions on the acidity of estuaries and the coastal ocean, and how coastal ecosystems relates to the local economy. • Empower teachers and students with knowledge to share with their community on the importance of being stewards of the environment. • Create new classroom lesson plans that focus on the improvement of water quality, preservations of the marine habitat, and coastal community resilience. The three-year project proposed here will educate citizens in two ways. First, it provides Texas middle and high school teachers a training led by the project PIs as well as the Texas Floating Classroom (TFC; http://www.texasfloatingclassroom.com) on the local watershed and current relevant hot topics, including new lesson plans that can be incorporated into their Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) curriculum to reinforce concepts learned in the classroom. Second, the training is followed by an at-sea field trip experience for the teacher’s class in the CCB area aboard the TFC RV Archimedes. The Corpus Christi, TX area, in particular students who attend Corpus Christi schools (CCISD) are predominately from low-income families. During the 2015-2016 academic year, almost 60% of CCISD were economically disadvantaged (Texas Education Agency, 2016), as measured by the number of students eligible for free or reduced price meals. Additionally, in 2015-2016 86% of CCISD students were from underrepresented groups (79.4% Hispanic, 4% African-American, 2.6% non-white; Texas Education Agency, 2016) making it an optimal location to reach a large number of underserved and underrepresented students along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. Although the TFC has been operating out of Corpus Christi for the last 4 years, the local CCISD schools have not been able to take advantage of this valuable experiential learning opportunity due to budget constraints. This proposal would give students in the local community the ability to see first-hand the impacts of major Gulf of Mexico issues on their local coast.
Improved Forecasts of Respiratory Illness Hazard from Gulf of Mexico Red Tide
Oceanography; TAMU; https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14641/623; NASA-Washington
Objective: The overall goal of the project is to improve the red tide forecasts for the Gulf of Mexico to provide specific beach data versus county only data using two basic advances: better resolution of bloom (and therefore toxin) location and use of better wind forecasts. The project aims to establish a capability for a high resolution monitoring network, based on a "Beach Conditions Reporting System" (BCRS) backbone, guide sampling with satellite data, and integrate these observations with high resolution weather model forecasts to predict potential respiratory risk. Scope of Work: Dr. Barbara Kirkpatrick will lead the GCOOS side of the project and be responsible for project administration, PI meetings, and publications. Dr. Kirkpatrick will oversee the data management and product development of the project in concert with Mr. Robert Currier. Kirkpatrick and Currier have designed, implemented and maintained the Beach Conditions Reporting System since 2006 and will serve as the backbone for the data transfer in the project. Dr. Kirkpatrick will also oversee and mentor Dr. Tracy Fanara from Mote Marine Laboratory, who is not in the position as the Environmental Health Program Manager- a position Kirkpatrick help for the previous 15 years.
Multi-Decadal Global Surveys of Benthic Nepheloid Layers
Oceanography; TAMU; https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14641/590; National Science Foundation
An accurate knowledge of the abundance and distribution of suspended particles in the ocean is essential to the study of marine biogeochemical cycles, especially trace elements and isotopes that interact with these particles. Particles in the benthic nepheloid layer (BNL), a layer of ocean water just above the seafloor, can accumulate radionuclides that are used in studying past global changes, as paleo-proxies, and in investigating modern and glacial ocean circulation. This project aims to assess the relationship between global maps of benthic nepheloid layers and surface and deep sea kinetic energy to document how these processes influence deep-sea processes of sediment resuspension and redistribution. Results from the research will be shared broadly with the oceanographic community. A graduate student who qualifies for the National Science Foundation Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Program would be supported and trained as part of this project. Over the past 35 years, the investigators have collected more than 8000 transmissometer - an optical instrument calibrated to estimate particle mass - profiles from conductivity-temperature-density casts on approximately 70 cruises. These archived and ongoing collections of transmissometer data along with nephelometer data from the Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory, are the only collections of particle distributions in the ocean encompassing significant temporal and global scales. The main goals of the project are to 1) convert beam attenuation data to mass concentrations, 2) integrate the Net Standing Stock (NetSS) for each of the thousands of profiles, 3) map the NetSS globally from the 1980s-to-2016 transmissometer data, 4) compare these maps against global distributions of nephelometer data from the 1960s-1980s for which a preliminary global map has been constructed, and 5) compare nepheloid layers along 9 Repeat Hydrography lines where multiple cruises have occurred. The global maps (and supporting data) of the benthic nepheloid layers will be widely disseminated to the oceanographic community, enhancing the scientific understanding of BNL formation, decadal persistence, and their relationship to kinetic energy regimes for studying, deciphering and modeling biogeochemical cycles through the water column and near the seafloor.
Oceanography Scholars
Oceanography; TAMU; https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14641/590; National Science Foundation
The Department of Oceanography in the College of Geosciences at Texas A&M University (TAMU) is recruiting academically talented graduate students with demonstrated financial need to become Oceanography Scholars. Scholarships will be awarded to a total of 22 new students admitted in three cohorts; the first two will be composed of five M.S. and four Ph.D. students each, while the third will contain five M.S. students. Oceanography Scholars receive additional support from faculty research mentors and formal training in teaching pedagogies through courses and workshops offered by the university's Center for Teaching Excellence, Graduate Teaching Academy and the Department of Oceanography. This program is designed to educate scientists with interdisciplinary expertise in oceanographic processes to solve environmental, social and economically important challenges facing the nation by conducting research in their field. Doctoral graduates will enter the workforce directly from the program while M.S. graduates may either enter the workforce or matriculate into Ph.D. programs where they will build new knowledge to address scientific challenges that are relevant to both human and environmental sustainability. Through targeted recruiting efforts, academically talented students with financial need will matriculate at TAMU, conduct research, and graduate prepared to address areas of high national need.
PCMHAB: Expanding Harmful Algal Bloom Mitigation in the Gulf of Mexico with Operational Support and Training for the Imaging FlowCytobot Network
Oceanography; TAMU; https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14641/416; DOC-National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
The overarching goals of this project were to foster the technology transfer of the Imaging FlowCytobot (IFCB) to an increased number of end-users and extend a network of IFCBs in the Gulf of Mexico along the Texas coast for improved detection and management of harmful algal bloom (HAB) events that threaten human and ecosystem health. The transfer of the mature IFCB technology required training end-users, advances in analysis and information tools, and an expanded network of IFCBs in the hands of different types of users. We accomplished these goals first by deploying a second IFCB on the Texas coast at Surfside Beach at the US Coast Guard station in Freeport, TX. Next, we developed an improved information support system to enable end-users to utilize IFCB observations for HAB management decisions and an improved automated image classification for HAB taxa using a convolutional neural network approach. Training of end-users on field operation and routine maintenance, use of the information support system, and use of the improved classifier design user interface was accomplished in a series of workshops held by PIs at TAMU, at McLane Laboratories and at the 2017 and 2019 US Symposia on Harmful Algae in the US. Finally, we continued to build partnerships between researchers and resource managers to promote access and sustainability toward operational use of IFCB technology with outreach activities. The outcome of this project is a model for scaling up IFCB networks in other regions of the US. The PIs have helped colleagues who have established IFCB field deployments in Texas and at several sites around the US. Products from this award include 8 publications in peer reviewed journals, 36 invited and contributed presentations at national and international venues, Github repository for data analysis code, and 4 websites for information and access to the TOAST data and data products.
RAPID: Collaborative Research: Impact of Freshwater Runoff from Hurricane Harvey on Coral Reef Benthic Organisms and Associated Microbial Communities
Oceanography; TAMU; https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14641/385; National Science Foundation
Coral reefs are ecologically and economically important ecosystems, and are threatened by a variety of global (climate change) and local (overfishing, pollution) stressors. Anthropogenic climate change is increasing the frequency and severity of storms, which can physically damage reef structures and reduce reef health through changes in seawater quality. In August of 2017, Hurricane Harvey caused widespread flooding in southeast Texas when it released more than 50 trillion liters of rain, which then accumulated along the Texas Shelf. This runoff is expected to impact nearby coral reefs in the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary (FGBNMS, northwest Gulf of Mexico) via eddies and jets that transport coastal waters offshore. Findings from this project will allow managers to quickly predict whether extreme storm events are likely to induce reef mortality and ecosystem decline due to freshwater accumulation, by tracking of low salinity water masses coupled with microbial community characterization and metrics of coral health. These data are critical to managing coastal ecosystems, including the high coral cover reefs in the FGBNMS, and will help stakeholders (e.g., diving and fishing communities) plan for and minimize disruption to their livelihoods following these storms. Results will be communicated broadly across scientific arenas, in graduate and undergraduate education and training programs, and to the general public through outreach. The investigators have seven 7 square meter 2-D Reef Replicas from 2014 depicting representative FGBNMS reef bottoms, and will construct additional 2-D Reef Replicas from both banks following the arrival of Harvey runoff, allowing the public to directly experience and quantify the effects of Hurricane Harvey on local reefs using quadrats and identification guides. This project will also synergize with NSF REU programs at Boston University and Texas A&M University, providing transformative research experiences for undergraduates. One post-doctoral scholar, four graduate students, a technician and more than 5 undergraduates will be involved in all aspects of the research. All datasets will be made freely available to the public, and will serve as an important set of baselines for future lines of inquiry into the processes by which hurricanes and other extreme storms impact reef health. Hurricanes and other extreme storm events can decimate coral reefs through wave-driven physical damage. Freshwater runoff from extreme storms is also potentially detrimental to reefs but has received comparatively less attention. This research will provide unprecedented resolution on how hurricanes and other extreme storm events may trigger cascading interactions among water chemistry, declines in metazoan health and shifts in their associated microbial communities, ultimately resulting in coral reef decline. The freshwater runoff initiated by Hurricane Harvey is likely to impact reefs within the FGBNMS, one of the few remaining coral-dominated reefs in the greater Caribbean. The effects of Harvey runoff will be compared to a previously documented storm-driven runoff event that was associated with invertebrate mortality on the same reef system. Sampling seawater chemistry, microbial communities (water column and benthic), and host gene expression and proteomics before, immediately after, and six months after Harvey runoff enters the FGBNMS will allow us to identify commonalities among large-scale freshwater runoff events and track the response of benthic invertebrate health, microbial community diversity, and the trajectory of reef community recovery or decline. The investigators will determine if changes in water chemistry induce pelagic microbial shifts, if microbial communities typically associated with corals and sponges are altered, and whether feedbacks occur between these potential drivers of benthic invertebrate mortality.
RAPID: Hurricane Impact on Phytoplankton Community Dynamics and Metabolic Response
Oceanography; TAMU; https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14641/416; National Science Foundation
Hurricane Harvey is the strongest hurricane to hit the Texas coast in decades and the resulting tidal surges, flooding and terrestrial runoff have had a severe impact on the coastal ocean. The effects on the phytoplankton, the first link in the food chain, may be unprecedented. To determine how the phytoplankton community will respond to such drastic changes in salinity, nutrient inputs, and potential toxins, immediate and continuous sampling is the only way to fully capture the effects and to identify when conditions return to "normal". An automated, continuous phytoplankton imaging instrument that is deployed on the Texas coast records images of the phytoplankton and permits calculation of the abundance of different species. Together with molecular information on the genes that have been "turned on", or expressed, outcomes of this project will help determine the responses of individual types of phytoplankton. Extreme storms are expected to increase in frequency with future climate change, so the responses identified now will be valuable in predicting how such events will affect these primary producers, which in turn support most of the food webs in marine ecosystems, in the future. High temporal resolution observations from the Imaging FlowCytobot (IFCB) have revealed that hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico cause drastic changes in the phytoplankton community structure. The objectives of this RAPID project are: 1) to characterize the dynamics of the phytoplankton species in relation to the environmental variables along the Texas coast; 2) to assess the short and long-term changes in the phytoplankton community; and 3) to identify the strategies of the phytoplankton community for resource acquisition. To accomplish these objectives, this project will utilize IFCB time series to follow phytoplankton community structure during the recovery period from Hurricane Harvey. In addition, two RAPID response cruises (in late September and early October) to sample at 5 sites along a transect from Galveston to Port Aransas, TX. At each station, CTD profiles and water samples from surface and the chlorophyll maximum will be collected for nutrients, carbonate chemistry, and RNA sequencing for metatranscriptomic analysis. Metatranscriptomics can provide an indication of the metabolic strategies employed and functional relationships within the plankton community in response to changes in the environment. The advantage of a metatranscriptomic approach is that the entire molecular response to the environment is captured. So, while the response of phytoplankton to increased nutrient inputs from floodwater runoff is targeted, the responses to other environmental stresses (toxics, hypoxia, acidification) are also captured. Analyses of this time series using multivariate statistical techniques, such as principal component analysis (PCA), and network analysis, a powerful technique for identifying potential interactions among taxa, will provide insights on the environmental factors and metabolic responses structuring the community during the aftermath of the hurricane.
RAPID: Measuring Freshwater Exports from Galveston Bay After Hurricane Harvey-
Oceanography; TAMU; https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14641/403; National Science Foundation
The unexpected and unprecedented flooding in Houston caused by Hurricane Harvey poses several human health and coastal ecosystem risks due to toxins remobilized by the floodwaters and severe modifications to salinity of regional coastal waters. Following the extreme flushing event, the salinity of Galveston Bay was set to near zero, an extreme condition that can impact the ecosystem and biodiversity of the area. The goal of this project is to understand how Galveston Bay and the adjacent coastal waters respond to this extreme freshwater forcing event. Time-critical measurements of currents, temperature and salinity will be undertaken at various locations within Galveston Bay and offshore, and at three different times following the flooding event. The measurements will allow: (1) quantification of residence time of Galveston Bay; (2) characterization of salinity structure within the bay; and (3) identification of the salinity structure and extend of the offshore plume from Galveston Bay. Analysis of the data will assist in establishing the time scales required for the reintroduction of salt into Galveston Bay, following the extreme flushing event that reset the Bay?s salinity to near zero. Through the new and timely observations generated by this proposal, a more accurate prediction of baroclinic circulation, which controls transport and fate of pollutants introduced into flood waters will be achieved. Thirteen superfund sites were flooded by this event; chemical plants were compromised; automobiles and households were inundated; and, unknown amounts of resuspension may have exposed buried contaminants. The results of this study will provide an understanding of the fate of these chemicals in the aquatic ecosystem. The data collected will be instrumental in testing and improving numerical models using extreme conditions, thus allowing for better and more accurate predictions. The observations in combination with a numerical modeling suite that will quantify and predict circulation and tracer concentrations in the region will serve as a template for coastal managers to create a nowcast/forecast system for future extreme events. Theory suggests that the net mixing that occurs across a near-field or tidal plume is scaled by the density difference between the outflow and receiving waters and is proportional to the discharge. These variables are also often confounded, since high discharge is associated with fresher estuarine outflow. Hence, a large density difference between the estuarine outflow and receiving waters is expected. Since there has been significant rainfall runoff throughout coastal watersheds up coast of Galveston Bay, and because of the position of the Mississippi/Atchafalaya plume, the receiving waters offshore of Galveston Bay are expected to be very fresh. At the same time, the discharge from the Bay is still quite high. This offers a unique opportunity to examine a large near-field, river plume (the outflow from Galveston Bay) dynamics, in a high discharge scenario with much smaller density anomalies than those typically observed. Such conditions will allow the discharge and density anomaly effects on the near-field mixing and tidal plume dynamics to be disentangled.
Repair of Texas High Frequency Radars from Hurricane Harvey Damage
Oceanography; TAMU; https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14641/623; DOC-National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Background: Texas A&M Geochemical and Environmental Research Group operates 5 High Frequency Radars funded by the Gulf Coastal Ocean Observing System. These radars measure offshore current intensity and direction off the Texas coast up to 120 miles and provide near real-time service for a number of stakeholders. Each radar installation consists of a transmit and receive antennae as well as an instrument housing which for zoning reasons consists of a metal trailer with batteries and power supplies within the trailer. During the extreme weather of Hurricane Harvey these trailers and some of the power systems were significantly damaged in the radars at Surfside and Rollover Pass, Texas. We were provided funds from the NOS/IOOS system to repair these radars. This document is the final narrative of this report – the financial report has been submitted.
Role of Ocean Mesoscale Eddy Atmosphere Feedback in North Pacific and Atlantic Climate Variability: A High-Resolution Regional Climate Model Study
Oceanography; TAMU; https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14641/469; National Science Foundation
This research will provide new insight into the predictability and predictable dynamics of coupled climate systems in the North Pacific and Atlantic. The knowledge gained from this research will shed new light on causes of climate model biases along the Kuroshio and Gulf Stream fronts. The project will support one graduate student and one postdoc, and provide valuable professional development for the young scientists involved in the program. The goal of this study is to conduct a comprehensive and quantitative modeling analysis on ocean mesoscale eddy-atmosphere (OMEA) feedback using a state-of-the-art coupled regional climate model (CRCM) with grid resolution of approaching resolved convection (~3 km). The modeling analysis will be complemented and validated by an in-depth analysis of in situ field measurements generated by recent CLIVAR-endorsed field programs in the North Pacific and Atlantic, such as Kuroshio Extension System Study (KESS) and CLIvar MOde water Dynamic Experiment (CLIMODE), as well as high resolution reanalysis and remote sensed satellite data sets. The role of ocean eddies role in North Pacific and Atlantic climate variability will be examined by testing the following scientific hypotheses: 1) Energetic ocean eddies along the Kuroshio and Gulf Stream can exert significant remote influence on North Pacific and Atlantic storm tracks and weather patterns possibly through their effects on moist baroclinic instability; 2) OMEA feedback is fundamental in the maintenance of the Kuroshio and Gulf Stream fronts.
Supplement request for PCMHAB: Expanding Harmful Algal Bloom Mitigation in the Gulf of Mexico with Operational Support and Training for the Imaging FlowCytobot Network
Oceanography; TAMU; https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14641/416; DOC-National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
The network of Imaging FlowCytobots (IFCBs) has provided early warning for harmful algal blooms (HABs) along the Texas coast since 2007. The IFCB combines flow cytometry and imaging technology to collect a high resolution (hourly) time series of the phytoplankton dynamics and their response to environmental changes. One extremely valuable product of this decade-long time series of phytoplankton abundance has been the successful early warning of eight HAB events. An automated image classification and notification (email alerts to state managers [Texas Department of State Health Services and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department]) system has been developed based on the IFCB data stream. The lack of any phytoplankton abundance information at this crucial, central Texas coastal station has rendered the early warning system less useful for HAB detection and early warning. The goal of this supplemental funds request is to replace equipment lost or damaged during Hurricane Harvey and its aftermath, and to obtain an IFCB instrument that will permit an uninterrupted time series for the Texas IFCB network. The IFCB in Port Aransas was deployed on the pier of the University of Texas Marine Science Institute and had been in operation since September 2007. The pier was destroyed when a drilling ship broke free of its moorings during the storm and eventually crashed into the pier. IFCB. The loss of the continuous data collection by the IFCB has directly impacted several ongoing projects. The result is a data gap in our time series and loss of HAB early warning capability. The second IFCB deployment site at Surfside Beach, TX was established to expand the HAB early warning network and to look at the coastal connectivity between the Port Aransas and Surfside sites. Models of coastal currents and current velocity/direction data obtained from the Texas Automated Buoy System (TABS) are combined with IFCB data at both locations to determine the connectedness of the two sites to improve early warning of HABs. Gaps in data at the two sites severely impact the effectiveness of the early warning network for HABs. A new IFCB will permit immediate restoration of the time series if a deployed instrument requires maintenance or is damaged at Port Aransas or Surfside Beach deployments.