Jul 3, 2014

Ocean upwelling becoming more intense with a changing climate

Ocean winds drive upwelling and productivity along certain coastlines. (photo: Ron LaValley)

Our Washington coastline is one of the most prolific and productive in the world, teeming with abundant plant and animal life. In fact, much of entire U.S. west coast is the same, and we can largely thank a strong upwelling system for driving this bounty. New research published in Science has shown that upwelling in the eastern boundary current systems – meaning, the eastern edges of ocean basins across the globe where winds, currents, and geological formations create a prime environment for upwelling – has increased globally over the past 60 years.

Using eDNA to help scientists monitor marine ecosystems

Through eDNA, a sample of seawater can yield information about who is living in nearby waters. (graphic: Kelly Lance)

Marine plants and animals leave behind tiny markers of their presence, often in the form of skin cells that have been shed, damaged tissues, or waste products – and within that lies their signature DNA. From a sample of seawater, scientists can read that eDNA — that is, environmental DNA — and paint a picture of species diversity in specific ocean ecosystems, determine whether or not invasive species have landed in local waters, and even sharpen their ability to monitor ecosystem changes as is often required by law.

Read more at the Stanford Woods Institute »

Jun 25, 2014

Shellfish center – named after UW’s Ken Chew – to tackle shellfish declines

Washington state’s newest shellfish hatchery – and the federal government’s only such hatchery in the region – has been named after long-time University of Washington faculty member Ken Chew, a professor emeritus of aquatic and fishery sciences. The Kenneth K. Chew Center for Shellfish Research and Restoration is housed at the Manchester Research Station operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration near Port Orchard.

Oceanography professor and director helps launch major initiative to study marine microbes

A graphic view of tens of millions of bases of DNA extracted from a marine microbial community found in Puget Sound (photo: Vaughn Iverson)

The Simons Foundation announced on June 16 the launch of the Simons Collaboration on Ocean Processes and Ecology (SCOPE), funded through a major grant that will be distributed among numerous universities for research focused on microbes in the ocean. Ginger Armbrust, professor and director of the School of Oceanography at the University of Washington College of the Environment, is one of eight investigators to receive funding to conduct research.

Ocean technology course ends spring quarter with a splash

The Pacific Northwest (photo: John Meyer)

Seawater and electronics don’t typically make a good mix. But those were the two key ingredients for a University of Washington undergraduate course that had students build their own Internet-connected oceanographic sensors. The students were getting their feet wet, literally, in a new type of oceanography that uses remote instruments to collect real-time data. During the final class May 31, seven instruments were lowered off the UW’s oceanography dock, immersed in saltwater for the first time, and successfully sent their readings back to laptops on shore.

Watch a video at UW Today »