Congratulations to Jessica Valenti on being selected to receive a National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Award. Microplastics (plastic particles smaller than 5 mm in size) are a prevalent pollutant in the marine environment that can accumulate in predators when they consume prey items that have ingested microplastics. Larval fishes are important prey for many marine predators, such as the fishes and invertebrates that humans rely on for food. Thus, the intake of microplastics by larval fishes has implications for the entire marine food web, fisheries and aquaculture sectors, and human health. Yet, little is known about the ingestion of microplastics by larval fishes. Using the Rutgers University Marine Field Station’s larval fish collection spanning the last 30 years, Jessica will investigate microplastic ingestion in larval fish from past and present to better understand the potential for microplastic accumulation in larval fish predators and examine larval fish characteristics that may influence microplastic ingestion. In addition, Jessica will help improve methods commonly used to identify microplastics, mentor undergraduate students on independent research projects, and create a microplastics education and outreach activity.
Scott Glenn, an acclaimed researcher and world leader in understanding ocean basin scale circulation, has been named Board of Governors Professor of Marine and Coastal Sciences. Dr. Glenn’s revolutionary work on the predictability of ocean physics underscores his many awards, including the Oceanography Award by the International Society for Underwater Technology, the Naval Research Lab Award, and the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Impact Award. Among his accomplishments, he developed the first Dynamical Forecast Model, as well as the world’s largest, high-frequency shore-based radar system measuring surface ocean circulation in the northeast United States. News From the Board of Governors: June 2020
Rutgers scientists observed the ocean and atmospheric response to a derecho that passed through NJ and caused severe damage in several towns. A Rutgers meteorological tower in Tuckerton NJ recorded a peak wind gust of 54 mph alongside a 21-degree temperature drop in only 15 minutes. The HF-Radar station at Bradley Beach, NJ, part of the larger Mid-Atlantic Regional Association Coastal Ocean Observing System network, detected a surface disturbance at 1:20 pm local and the station in Brant Beach registered a similar response thirty minutes later at 1:50 pm local. This time delay was the result of the southeast track of the storm first reaching the northern station at Bradley Beach and then reaching the southern station in Brant Beach. This event is similar to another a meteotsunami that Rutgers detected in 2013 which sent several people to the hospital. NOAA estimates that 25 meteotsunamis impact the east coast of the United States each year. Tsunami detection q-factor from the Bradley Beach HFR station. The station recorded a tsunami signal at 17:27 GMT. Tsunami detection q-factor from the Brant Beach HFR station. The station recorded a tsunami signal at 17:50 GMT. Plot of air temperature at the Rutgers meteorological tower located in Tuckerton, NJ. The station recorded a 14-degree C (21 degrees F) drop in temperature in only 15 minutes. Plot of wind speed and gusts at the Rutgers meteorological tower located in Tuckerton, NJ. The station recorded a peak gust of 54 mph at 17:18 GMT. Plot of atmospheric pressure at the Rutgers meteorological tower located in Tuckerton, NJ. The station recorded a 3 mb pressure spike which is associated with the formation of meteotsunamis. Main photo credit nj.com
Congratulations to Michael Brown for his successful PhD defense. His thesis was focused on the “Drivers of phytoplankton dynamics, and corresponding impacts on biogeochemistry, along the West Antarctic Peninsula”. His thesis examined how the physics drives the phytoplankton dynamics and the consequences on the biogeochemistry. Congrats to Mike for an excellent piece of work!
The Jersey Shore is endeared in our minds as a mystical convergence of beach, ocean, boardwalk and amusements—punctuated with sounds of seagulls and crashing waves—and seasoned with smells of salty air and clams. Growing up at the beach provides a year-round, behind-the-scenes perspective of the Shore that summer visitors rarely see. For Hailey Conrad, growing up in Ortley Beach, NJ was a window into the interface of humans and nature, and its impact on plant and animal life. “Ortley Beach is a little beach town on a barrier island that has been ravaged by acts of environmental destruction for decades, from pollution, to overfishing, to coastline erosion and now, climate change,” said Conrad. The proximity to Island Beach State Park–New Jersey’s only undeveloped preserved barrier island that hosts a number of natural shoreline and nearshore habitats provided Conrad with a stark contrast to her developed beach town. But her firsthand lessons came from the year-round residents of Ortley Beach—the one’s whose livelihoods depended on the sustainability of that environment. From an early age, Conrad learned things in school like, “eutrophication,” “overfishing,” and “ocean acidification.” Full story here
The complete RUCOOL team gathered remotely on May 4, 2020. After exchanging stories of the challenges of working and parenting from home, we shared our biggest victories from the previous weeks, looked for common threads and discussed ways to continue accomplish our goals while working remotely. We discussed recent success stories and refined our vision as we launch the campaign to build constituency during a time of COVID. We continue to perform our research, deliver high quality data to stakeholders, and all look forward to seeing each other again soon, in person. We wish our partners in the state, nation and globe the best. Stay safe everyone.
Liza, a PhD candidate at Rutgers University in New Jersey, USA, studies ocean and coastal acidification in the Mid-Atlantic Bight (MAB). The MAB is a region nested within the U.S. Northeast Shelf Large Marine Ecosystem, and it supports some of the United States’ most economically important shell fisheries, many of which are sensitive to acidification. This region is subject to acidification due to oceanic uptake of CO2, low-alkalinity freshwater input, nutrient loading and eutrophication, and seasonal water mass dynamics like coastal upwelling and stratification. Full article