Dr. Rhian Waller recently returned from the 5th International Symposium on Deep Sea Corals in Amsterdam where she gave a keynote address on the "Seasonal Reproduction of Alaskan Fjord Corals." Highlights of the symposium including an interview with Rhian are captured on a video produced by ScienceMedia.nl. Posted 4/13/12
The spring K-12 calendar is filling up quickly, but there is still time for teachers to schedule a class field trip. Best of all, field trip costs, including boat trips, can be defrayed thanks to a generous donation from the Edward A. Myers Marine Conservation Fund. Schools within the Damariscotta River Watershed get first access to this financial support. Schools outside the watershed will be accommodates as funds permit. Visit our K-12 web page or contact Lili Pugh for more information. Posted 4/12/12
Lobster Research Receives NOAA Funding
Dr. Rick Wahle and Charlene Bergeron received a two-year grant $126,416 from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) National Sea Grant Program. Working with their colleague Christine
Tilburg, Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment, the scientists will evaluate the predictive power of the American Lobster Settlement Index (ALSI). The ALSI developed from a long-term monitoring program of lobster nurseries in New England and Atlantic Canada and measures the strength of each year class. Now the index will be used to estimate recruitment of juvenile lobsters to the fishery. read more about the ALSI project at the Wahle Lab web page. Posted 4/12/12
Dr. Rhian Waller has received over $165,000 from the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Geographic Society, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) and the University of Maine to further her research on cold-water, deep-sea corals in Chile, Alaska and Maine. Cold-water coral communities are notoriously hard to study due to the extreme conditions of their arctic and antarctic environs. Rhian has identified a handful of locations where these deep-sea invertebrates are living at relatively shallow depths, within reach of SCUBA divers. The relative ease with which these populations can be studied will certainly lead to a better understanding of the ecology and biology of cold-water corals. Read more at UMaine News where a full story was posted 3/13/12.
Dive In!
Applications for Dive In 2012 are now being accepted from college-bound high school students interested in pursuing a career in the marine sciences. Scheduled for July 23-25, Dive In will give students a taste of one of the most popular scientific majors. Participants will spend three days in residence at the DMC exploring the marine realm on foot, by kayak and aboard the Center’s 42' research vessel with UMaine faculty and staff. Information and application material are available on the Dive In webpage. Applications are due June 1.
Register now for this summer's
Natural Science illustration Workshop!
Whether you want to illustrate your natural history journal with sketches or watercolor, hone your observational skills and artistic talents to create scientifically accurate drawings, or bring art and science into the classroom, instructor David Wheeler will take you where you want to go. No prior art training required for this five-day workshop scheduled for July 16-20. Details and registration form are available on the workshop web page. Register by June 1.
The Antarctic Service Medal is awarded to persons who have served as members of a United States expedition to Antarctic and who have spent a considerable time below the Antarctic Circle. Rhian has been exploring antarctic marine environments since??? Her most recent expedition was in the 2011 when she spent five weeks aboard the ARV Nathaniel B. Palmer studying cold-water coral in the Drake Passage. Read the blog of this exciting cruise.
Wahle Lab Research
Lobsters and scallops continue to be the focus of Dr. Rick Wahle's research. Funding from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) is currently supporting two projects. One is a resurvey of lobster nurseries in Narragansett Bay to determine the response of juvenile lobsters to environmental change. It's been 20 years since the last survey and in that time there has been considerable trauma to southern New England's lobster population from shell disease and increasingly frequent thermally stressful summers. The other, supported by NOAA's Scallop Research Set-aside Program, is a collaboration with Dr. Pete Jumars, and evaluates spawning and fertilization dynamics in ocean scallop beds. The results will help hone management strategies for this commercially important species. Visit the Wahle Lab web site for more information on his research.
What do mussels and kelp have in common? They are farmed in Maine and taste great together. Maine Sea Grant Extension Agents Dana Morse (based at the DMC) and Sarah Redman are helping commercial mussel growers explore the possibility of raising kelp on their sea farms. Known as Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA), the arrangement balances the systems: kelp needs CO2 and nitrogen, both of which are byproducts of mussel culture. Another project aim is to increase the market for kelp. One night for dinner, Sarah cooked up some kelp and opened a box of smoked mussels. The leftovers went back into the mussel box and a Japanese Bento Box-style meal was created - something for the gourmet market perhaps? You can find a picture of the kelp/mussel bento box at Dana's blog.