Growing up in New Jersey, the ocean was always relevant to my life. As I grew older I knew I wanted a career on the water. I learned how to sail from a young age, eventually becoming a sailing instructor, and took every opportunity I had to be on or in the water. I got certified in SCUBA diving at 15 and proceeded to explore the oceans from below. After I applied to Rutgers, I joined the US Coast Guard Reserves, attending basic training in between college semesters. I managed my military career in conjunction with my education and graduated with a 3.44 cumulative GPA and a B.S. in Environmental Planning and Design with a double minor in Marine Science and Environmental Geomatics. Since graduation, I have worked for a national water utility company as well as the United States Coast Guard. I applied to Rutgers and once aboard was immediately drawn to the Marine Sciences Department. The vigor with which oceanographic study was discussed as well as the research opportunities for undergraduates hooked me immediately. The wealth of knowledge and experience in the building not only helped me grow but also helped shape my life plan moving forward. The highlight of my tenure with DMCS was earning a place at my most prized research opportunity, working with Dr. Schofield in Antarctica. My experiences with DMCS have influenced me to pursue further graduate study in the marine science field and to center my career around the ocean.

Given adequate sunlight and nutrients, phytoplankton populations can multiply into blooms large enough to be visible from space. That was the case on May 18, 2021, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired this natural-color image of a phytoplankton bloom along the coast of New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia. Some of the nutrients that fueled the bloom likely came from runoff from the Delaware River watershed. Farms, wastewater treatment plants, urban and suburban areas, and other sources all contribute nutrients that can encourage blooms. Full article at NASA Earth Observatory

WRISE stands for Women of Renewable Industries and Sustainable Energy. It’s an organization that promotes the education, professional development, and advancement of women to achieve a strong diversified workforce and support a robust renewable energy economy. Sarah is one of 8 to receive the 2021 fellowship, which will support continued professional development in the renewable energy field.

Congrats to Lauren! Their answer to the 2nd question: Why is the maritime sector significant to our nation’s COVID-19 recovery efforts, and what do you envision a ‘green-economy’ looks like?  “Tourism, recreation, commercial shipping, the coast guard, and the fisheries and aquaculture industry are all part of the maritime sector, and each of these sectors play a significant role in our nation’s COVID-19 recovery efforts. Tourism and recreation directly influence coastal economies and improve public health, emotional wellbeing, and are the backbone of coastal community culture. This will be much needed after over a year of mental and emotional stress for many. Commercial shipping is crucial in delivering supplies that keeps our nation afloat, and the coast guard plays a vital role in offering vaccination information and resources to this essential portion of our economy. The fisheries and aquaculture industry has kept nutritious food on the table for millions of Americans. As restaurants begin to reopen, the seafood supply from this sector will support the economy on land. In the great task of rebuilding the economy, the pandemic gives us an opportunity to reevaluate our long-term goals. The US has primarily focused on short-term, rescue-based measures like industry bailouts and stimulus packages. While these are helpful, they do not offer long-term economic stability. An ideal green economy would shift our primary reliance off fossil fuels and nonrenewable materials to renewable ones, while incorporating three core principles: resource efficiency, ecosystem-based decisions, and socioeconomic equality. This multidisciplinary approach would act like a triple-braided cord. Resource efficiency increases profits, ecosystem-based decisions ensure resources persist, and emphasizing socioeconomic equality creates a stronger, more inclusive base that holds the other two pillars in place.”

Oscar Schofield, a Rutgers University professor who is also a coprincipal investigator (PI) for the Palmer Antarctica Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) site, was on a research cruise off the West Antarctic peninsula in February 2020 when he first saw news of the increasingly rapid spread of the novel coronavirus. “We didn’t appreciate how big of an issue it was going to be at the time,” he remembered months later. But the end of the 2019–2020 austral (Southern Hemisphere) summer season was just a harbinger of the challenges to come. “It was a very difficult scenario getting the people out from Palmer station,” Schofield said. “At the end of the season, shutdowns had started happening, especially in a bunch of states, and so we felt very lucky to get everyone out.” Researchers at the site, on Anvers Island midway down the Antarctic Peninsula, study the polar marine biome. Field research in Antarctica always requires months of planning. Everyone has to go through a rigorous medical evaluation and researchers have to package up their equipment and ship it to designated ports for transport arranged by the National Science Foundation (NSF). The logistics are so complicated that Schofield says he is typically home from the field no more than 3 weeks before it is time to start planning the next season. But in March 2020, with the virus raging, Antarctic researchers knew they were in for more uncertainty and surprises than usual. Full article here.

Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba), a regional keystone species, inhabit a rapidly warming and acidifying Southern Ocean. A new study by Saba et al. shows Antarctic krill feeding, growth, and physiological processes exhibit varying responses to independent and interactive effects of elevated temperature and ocean acidification.

NJ signed an agreement yesterday to join the Ocean Acidification Alliance. This decision was informed by work done by Rutgers – see report and infographic here. Professor Grace Saba is a national expert on this topic and has led work in NJ and the Mid-Atlantic.