In a newly published study, NCCOS researcher link sharks and other top predators with primary producers (benthic algae) in pristine, healthy coral reef ecosystems. “We used chemical signatures of carbon and nitrogen found in the tissues of the algae, invertebrates, fish, and sharks from the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument (PMNM) to trace the extent benthic algae influences [...]
According to a new multi-investigator study, with contributions from researchers funded by the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science’s (NCCOS) Ecological Forecasting Program in Lake Erie, the record-breaking 2011 Lake Erie cyanobacteria bloom was likely caused by a combination of changing farming practices and weather conditions; conditions predicted to continue under a changing climate. The study led [...]
The National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science’s (NCCOS) Cooperative Oxford Laboratory (COL) hosted an open house on April 27, 2013. The event showcased the NCCOS’ unique research and science partnerships with Maryland Department of Natural Resources, NOAA’s National Ocean Service, National Marine Fisheries Service and the US Coast Guard Station Oxford. Nearly 600 visitors came [...]
While, the negative impacts of increasing ocean acidification on clams, scallops and other bivalves the biological basis is still unclear, “legacy effect” of early CO2 explosure can play a significant role in bivalve population dynamics. NCCOS-funded researchers performed a series of experiments to look at the days-to-months impacts of carbon dioxide (CO2) on the larvae of northern quahogs [...]
At two recent meetings in Annapolis ( Shellfish Aquaculture Conference April 8 and Chesapeake Bay Program April 9-10, 2013), NCCOS’ researchers gave presentations on work within Long Island Sound and Great Bay Piscataqua Estuaries, with a description of the Farm Aquaculture Resource Management (FARM; www.farmscale.org) model which helps to assess shellfish aquaculture’s removal of particles and [...]
New assessment techniques developed, in part, by NCCOS will be used by the National Coral Reef Monitoring Program’s research in St. Thomas and St. John, USVI. The new techniques will be used to collect data on seafloor habitat types in the region, and stony coral populations and condition. NCCOS scientists met with other scientists from [...]
Yellow perch comprise Lake Erie’s largest commercial fishery and second most important recreational fishery. We presented research results from the NCCOS ecological forecasting (EcoFore) Lake Erie project to the Lake Erie Percid Management Advisory Group (LEPMAG) at the Lake Erie Committee of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission meeting on March 27, 2013. The primary purpose [...]
NCCOS-supported University of Central Florida (UCF) graduate student, Matthew Bilskie, won the Engineering, Computer Science, Modeling and Simulation category at the 2013 University of Central Florida Graduate Research Forum in April. Matt is currently working on the NCCOS Ecological Effects of Sea level Rise project in the northern Gulf of Mexico. His award-winning poster described his large-scale, high [...]