FSU Department of Oceanography Newsletter
No. 25 Fall/Winter 2003
Three New Professors Join the Florida State University Department of Oceanography
Dr. Philip "Flip" Froelich Eppes Professor
Dr. Philip Froelich
Dr. Flip Froelich was named Florida State University's first Francis Eppes Professor of Oceanography in August 2003. With this distinction, he joins the ranks of the university's most eminent scholars. He is glad to be back at FSU where he worked six years as an assistant and associate professor in the early 1980's.
According to Dr. Froelich, "My research group tries to unravel past changes in ocean and atmosphere chemistry related to global environmental change, subfields of environmental science called paleoceanography and paleoclimatology." He is also well known for his work on the release of toxic arsenic, selenium, and antimony from coal-fired power plants along the Chattahoochee and Apalachicola Rivers. He is a leading expert on the cycling of phosphorus and silica in the ocean and the relationship between these cycles and climate change.
Dr. Froelich joins FSU from Georgia Institute of Technology where he was Director and Professor in the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. Before Georgia Tech, he was a Doherty Scholar and Associate Director of Oceans and Climates at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University. He taught Paleoceano-graphy and Paleoclimatology as well as Habitable Planet, an introduction to the origin and evolution of earth. He plans on teaching the same classes here at FSU.
Dr. Froelich is also on the staff of the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory of FSU, where he maintains his Geochemistry laboratories.
Currently, Dr. Froelich is serving on the advisory board for the Apalachicola Bay and RiverKeeper (ABARK) in Eastpoint, Florida and as Vice President of the St. George Plantation Owner's Association on St. George Island, Florida. He is also a musician (piano, saxophone) and a private pilot working toward his instrument rating.
A saddle-shaped iceberg spotted from the deck of the R/V Thomas Thompson. The white pipe, rigged along the rail, is a piston core ready to be plunged into the bottom two miles down to recover the sediment history of the Antarctic Ocean.
Adelie penguins standing downwind in the sun behind Scott's winter hut overlooking McMurdo Sound, Antarctica. Sir Robert F. Scott and his crew built this hut and lived in it during their 1910-1912 British Antarctic Expedition to reach the South Pole. The group died in a blizzard returning from the pole to Hut Point.
Dr. Markus Huettel
Dr. Markus Huettel
Dr. Markus Huettel has joined the FSU Department of Oceanography as a full professor in biological oceanography. He comes to FSU from Bremen, Germany where he worked as a Research group leader at the Max-Planck-Institute for Marine Microbiology. Dr. Huettel has been very busy in 2003 coordinating the international European research project COSA (Coastal sands as biocatalytic filters) which involves institutions and researchers from Poland, Denmark, Netherlands, Germany, and now the United States. He organized and led four intensive field campaigns, where the group of 30 staff and students investigated the interaction of hydrodynamical, biogeochemical and biological processes in nearshore subtidal sand sediments in two sites - Sylt Island in the North Sea and Hel Peninsula in the Baltic Sea.
"Sands work like a filter in your aquarium or water treatment plant," says Dr. Huettel. "Water is pumped through the sand by waves or bottom flows. The sand beds filter particles out of the water and then become the site where this material is decomposed, feeding the microbial community that lives in the sands." When Dr. Huettel started studying permeable sediments in the ocean 10 years ago, little was known about this sedimentary filtration process.
Dr. Huettel is one of a handful of scientists studying the exchange processes of the permeable sediments in the ocean. This often leads to the pioneering development of new measurement devices to study this flow. He is looking forward to bringing his expertise in this area to FSU with his first objective being to study the sediments in the Gulf of Mexico. The goal of his project is to assess the influence of settling algal blooms (red tide) on the oxygen consumption rates and organic matter materialization in filtering sediments in the Apalachicola Bay area. These rates have a direct effect on the sediment dwelling organisms (e.g. oysters, shrimp), and bottom fish.
The second line of research of Dr. Huettel addresses coral reef ecology. Within the last three years he and his coworkers conducted a research program at Heron Island in the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. The focus of this research was the role of coral exudates in the cycles of matter in the reef. Dr. Huettel is looking forward to expanding this line of research with investigations in the Florida Keys and Bahamas.
Coral reefs surround Heron Island. Most organic particles in the reef water originate from corals.
Dr. Douglas Nowacek
Dr. Douglas Nowacek
New to the Department of Oceanography is biological oceanographer, Dr. Douglas Nowacek who previously worked for Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota, Florida. Dr. Nowacek is passionate about his work studying behavioral ecology and bioacoustics of marine mammals including right whales, bottlenose dolphins, and manatees. "There's pressure to do conservation research," says Dr. Nowacek, "but we need to look at the basic biology too. If we can find out how the animals behave under certain circumstances, then it may be possible to translate this information to conservation issues, if necessary."
Current studies include a controlled exposure experiment on right whales. Six whales were tagged, left alone for a short time, and then exposed to different sounds including the sound of an approaching ship and an alarm. Dr. Nowacek and colleagues tested the whales responses to exposures of these different sounds in the hopes of designing mitigation strategies that could reduce whale/vessel interactions and decrease mortality in the right whale.
Similarly, Dr. Nowacek is studying the basic acoustic behavior of manatees, and some of these findings may assist in conservation efforts.
With the bottlenose dolphin, Dr. Nowacek recently worked on a study that focused on the relationship between dolphins and their fish prey. Scientists played the sounds of fish, snapping shrimp, and other dolphins to Sarasota Bay dolphins to see how they would react. The dolphins turned toward the sound of the fish indicating that they can use more than just echolocation to locate their prey.
Dr. Nowacek wants to further investigate this predator-prey relationship by studying the pattern of acoustic energy that radiates from dolphins in all directions when they echolocate. He says, "I want to find out if there is sufficient energy beside and/or behind a clicking dolphin for a fish to detect. If so, it might cue the fish to take evasive action."
The tail flukes (left) and front end (below) of a North Atlantic right whale.
The whale above is feeding; the white callosities on the right
are on
the top of the whale's upper jaw.
Staff
Dave Hunley Retiring After 25 Years with the Department
If you mention the Current Meter Facility, chances are Dave Hunley's name is going to come to mind. Dave helped start up the facility with Dr. Georges Weatherly almost 25 years ago. Since that time, he has worked with almost every professor in the department at one time or another making, fixing, or modifying electronic instruments.
He has also gone out on numerous cruises, working locally in the Gulf of Mexico as well as internationally in the North Atlantic and many other exotic locations. He has fond memories of working with a Korean crew on a cruise back in 1986. Dave explains, "Korean ships are built for the shorter stature of the Korean people so I spent a lot of my time on ship walking between the pipes on the ceiling or hunched over. The crew was very nice and had a lot of fun. I really enjoyed that trip." The cruises have tapered off in recent years but Dave has kept busy creating instruments for professors.
When asked what he plans to do with his time once he retires, Dave doesn't hesitate. "I'm going to play with my cats, aggravate my wife, putter around the house, and basically do what-ever I want to do," he said.
Dave (left) and Dr. Georges Weatherly stand proudly next to a chandelier over 20 years ago.
Dave working in his shop.
Launching a current meter on a cruise.
Around the OSB
Dr. Nancy Marcus Appointed Chair
In August, the chairman position changed hands from Dr. David Thistle to Dr. Nancy Marcus. Dr. Marcus will serve a three year term as chairperson of the Department of Oceanography.
FSU Teaching and Advising Awards
The Florida State University Teaching and Advising Awards Committee is seeking nominations for awards recognizing faculty for excellence in teaching and advising. Each award carries an honorarium of $2,000.
Did you have a professor whom you consider to be an excellent teacher or advisor? One who challenged you, taught you a great deal, or helped you with academic or career decisions?
Please mail a letter of nomination stating the reasons you feel this professor was an outstanding teacher or advisor to the University Teaching and Advising Committee, 212 Westcott Building, Tallahassee, FL 32306-1310 or fax it to (850) 644-0172. Nominations must be received by Friday, January 9, 2004.
Graduate Certificate in Oceanography
The Department of Oceanography will now offer a certificate of graduate studies in oceanography to students who wish to have an introduction to this interdisciplinary field as a precursor to graduate study leading to a degree or to enrich their background for professional work. It is not intended as a diploma or a degree. The certificate requires 15 hours of course work and is intended to be completed in two consecutive semesters.
More News
Dr. John Winchester is currently teaching a special course called "Climate Change and Global Warming Issues" for the FSU Pepper Center Academy, a group for retired persons. Thirty people signed up for the class.
Dr. Jim O'Brien has been selected to be a Consulting Fellow of the World Innovation Foundation. The WIF is an independent international multidisciplinary consultative research group advising nations and their governments.
This summer, Dr. Jeff Chanton taught the course, "Stable Isotopes in Biogeochemistry and Environmental Sciences," at Mekrijärvi Research Station at the University of Joensuu, Finland.
Travel
Dr. Joel Kostka stands in front of Wallaman Falls, the largest waterfall in Australia. He was a visiting scientist at the Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, Queensland from May to June 2003 where he collaborated with Dan Alongi on studies of nutrient cycling in mangrove forests. He also was a guest professor in the Department of Ecological Microbiology at the University of Bayreuth in Bayreuth, Germany from October to November 2003.
Dr. William Landing participated in a NSF and NOAA funded cruise this summer, the first in a 10-year series of expeditions under the "Repeat Hydrography" project to re-occupy ocean sections (long lines of vertical profiles) throughout the oceans to study the in-flux of anthropogenic carbon dioxide.
Cliff Buck collecting seawater subsamples from our special Teflon-lined Go-Flo bottles for trace element measurements.
Crew member Jonathan working on a CTD/rosette frame (used for seawater sampling).
Dr. Nancy Marcus examines samples of copepod eggs with Dr. Sigrun Jonasdottir at the Danish Institute for Fisheries Research in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Dr. Marcus with Dr. Terje van der Meeren examining fish holding pens at the Austevoll Aquaculture Research Station in Norway in July 2003.
The Austevoll Station can be reached by ferry from the nearby city of Bergen on the western coast of Norway.
Dr. David Thistle went to sea on the R/V Western Flyer of Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute in August to deploy an experiment to test effects of carbon-dioxide sequestration on deep-sea animals and again in September to sample the experiment. The work has gone very well. Linda Sedlecek plans to use a portion of it for her dissertation research.
Professional Activities
New Grants
Dr. Allan Clarke
NSF
$352,968 2003-2006
"Observations, physics, and modeling of the phase-locking of El Niño/Southern
Oscillation (ENSO) to the calendar year"
Henrieta Dulaiova
NOAA/Estuarine Reserves Division
$35,000 2003-2005
"Evaluation of flushing rates of estuaries and embayments via natural geochemical tracers"
Dr. Flip Froelich
ACS-PRF
80,000 2003-2006
"Seawater history of lithium isotopes in forams thru mid-cretaceous"
Dr. Joel Kostka
U.S. Department of Energy
$1,183,217 2003-2006
"Biostimulation of iron reduction and uranium immobilization: microbial and mineralogical
controls"
Dr. Ruby Krishnamurti
National Science Foundation
$178,399 2003-2006
"Laboratory measurements of heat and salt fluxes in double-diffusive interleaving"
Drs. William Landing, Richard Iverson, and Joel Kostka
Florida Department of Environmental Protection
$24,900 2003 - 2004
"Apalachicola NERRS Nutrient Project"
Dr. Wilton Sturges
National Science Foundation
$290,480 2003 - 2006
"Why does the Loop Current in the Gulf of Mexico have such an irregular ring-shedding cycle?"
Dr. David Thistle
Department of Energy
$79,689 2003-2004
"he influence of deep seabed CO2 sequestration on small metazoan (meiofaunal)
community structure and function" (supplement)
Invited Presentations
Dr. William Burnett
"Isotopic methods for study of groundwater inputs and coastal ocean mixing"
International Workshop on the Yellow River; Research Institute for Humanity and Nature, Kyoto,
Japan
January 2003
"Groundwater and pore water inputs in the coastal zone"
ASLO Spring meeting, Salt Lake City, UT
February 2003
"A Multi-detector system for measuring radon in seawater"
Methods and Applications in Radiochemistry Conference (MARC), Kona, Hawaii
April 2003
"Terrestrial groundwater inputs into the ocean"
Gordon Research Conference, Bates College, ME
June 2003
Dr. Flip Froelich
"Goldschmidt in the blast furnace: release of toxic metalloids (As, Se, Sb, Ge) from coal-fired power
plants to the Chattahoochee-Apalachicola Rivers"
2003 Georgia Water Resources Conference, Athens, GA
April 2003
Dr. Markus Huettel
"Sediment-water solute exchange caused by surface gravity waves"
ASLO Spring meeting, Salt Lake City, UT
February 2003
"Advective sediment-water exchange and the memory effect of coastal sands"
ELOISE Conference, Gdansk, Poland
March 2003
"The coastal biocatalytical sand filter-transport and reaction in permeable sediments"
Permeable Sediments Gordon Research Conference, Bates College, Lewiston, ME
June 2003
Dr. Joel Kostka
"Coupling macroecology to the structure and function of nitrogen-transforming microbial
communities in saltmarshes"
Microbiology Department, Oklahoma University
April 2003
Dr. Ruby Krishnamurti
"Wide open parameter spaces"
Symposium honoring C. Hunter and D. Loper, FSU
July 2003
"Scale interaction: lessons from laboratory experiments"
International Symposium on Scale Interaction and Variability of Monsoon, Munnar, India
October 2003
Dr. Nancy Marcus
"Copepods, Resting Eggs, and Aquaculture"
Aquaculture Workshop Presentation, Honolulu, HI
May 2003
"Effects of hypoxia on the survival and life history traits of Acartia tonsa"
Danish Fisheries Institute, Denmark
June 2003
Dr. James O'Brien
"Progress in Numerical Modeling"
TOS Oceanology International Americas 2003 conference, New Orleans, LA
June 2003
Dr. David Thistle
"Harpacticoid copepod emergence at a shelf site in summer and
winter: implications for hydrodynamic and mating hypotheses"
Benthic Ecology Meeting, Groton, CN
March 2003
"Emergence at a continental shelf site"
Darling Marine Center, University of Main, Walpole, ME
June 2003
"Consequences for the deep-sea fauna of injection of liquid carbon dioxide: preliminary results"
10th Deep-Sea Biology Symposium, Coos Bay, OR
September 2003
Publications
Moon, D.S., W.C. Burnett, S. Nour, P. Horwitz, and A. Bond, 2003. Preconcentration of radium isotopes from natural waters using MnO2 Resin, Applied Radiation & Isotopes, 59, 255-262.
deOliveira, J., L.A. Farias, B.P. Mazzilli, W.C. Burnett, J. Christoff, E.S. Braga, and V.V. Furtado, 2003. Reconnaissance of submarine groundwater discharge at Ubatuba coast-Brazil, using 222Rn as a natural tracer. Journal Environmental Radioactivity, 69 37-52.
Burnett, W.C., and H. Dulaiova, 2003. Estimating the dynamics of groundwater input into the coastal zone via continuous radon-222 measurements. Journal Environmental Radioactivity, 69, 21-35.
Sonke, J.E., W.C. Burnett, J.A. Hoogewerff, S.R. van der Laan, J. Vangronsveld, and D.R. Corbett, 2003. Reconstructing 20th century lead pollution and sediment focusing in a peat land pool (Kempen, Belgium), via 210Pb dating, Journal of Paleolimnology, 29, 95-107.
Rubin-Mason, S., S.L. King, R.A. Jahnke, P.N. Froelich, 2003. Benthic barium and alkalinity fluxes: Is Ba an oceanic paleo-alkalinity proxy for glacial atmospheric CO2? Geophysical Research Letters, 30(17), 1885 (OCE 2:1-4).
Hsueh, Y., and L. Zhong, 2003. A note on the deflection of a baroclinic current by a continental shelf. Geophys. Astrophys. Fluid Dynamics, 97(5), 393-415.
Rasheed, M., M.I. Badran, and M. Huettel, 2003. Particulate matter filtration and seasonal nutrient dynamics in permeable carbonate and silicate sands of the Gulf of Aqaba, Red Sea. Coral Reefs, 22(2), 167-177.
Precht, E., and M. Huettel, 2003. Advective pore-water exchange driven by surface gravity waves and its ecological implications. Limnology and Oceanography, 48(4), 1674-1684.
Rasheed, M., M.I. Badran, and M. Huettel, 2003. Influence of sediment permeability and mineral composition on organic matter degradation in three sediments from the Gulf of Aqaba, Red Sea. Estuarine Coastal & Shelf Science, 57(1-2), 369-384.
Dong, H., J.E. Kostka, and J. Kim, 2003. Microscopic evidence for the microbial dissolution of smectite. Clays and Clay Minerals, 51, 502-512.
Gribsholt, B., J.E. Kostka, and E. Kristensen, 2003. Impact of fiddler crabs and plant roots on sediment biogeochemistry in a Georgia salt marsh. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 259, 237-251.
Roychoudhury, A., J.E. Kostka, and P. Van Cappellen, 2003. Pyritization: A palaeoenvironmental and redox proxy reevaluated. Estuarine, Coastal, and Shelf Science, 57 (9), 1183-1193.
Krishnamurti, R., 2003. Double-diffusive transport in laboratory thermohaline staircases. Journal of Fluid Mechanics, 483, 287-314.
Morey, S.L., P.J. Martin, J.J. O'Brien, A.A. Wallcraft, and J. Zavala-Hidalgo, 2003. Export pathways for river discharged fresh water in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Journal of Geophysical Research, 108(C10), 3303, doi: 10.1029/2002JC001674.
Morey, S.L., W.W. Schroeder, J.J. O'Brien, and J. Zavala-Hidalgo, 2003. The annual cycle of riverine influence in the eastern Gulf of Mexico basin. Geophysical Research Letters, 30(16), 1867, doi: 10.1029/2003GL017348.
Zavala-Hidalgo, J., S.L. Morey, and J.J. O'Brien, 2003. Cyclonic eddies northeast of the Campeche Bank from altimetry data. Journal of Physical Oceanography, 33, 623-629.
Ezer, Tal, Lie-Yauw Oey, and W. Sturges, 2003. On the variability of the Yucatan Strait flow and its relation to variations in the Loop Current and to eddy shedding events in the Gulf of Mexico. Journal of Geophysical Research, 108 C1, 3012, 12-1 to 12-13.
Suderman, K., and D. Thistle, 2003. A microcosm system for the study of pollution effects in shallow, sand, subtidal communities. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 22, 1093-1099.
Thistle, D., 2003. The deep-sea floor: an overview. In: Ecosystems of the World 28, P.A. Tyler, editor, Elsevier Science, pp. 5-37.
Soltwedel, T., M. Milijutina, V. Mokievsky, D. Thistle, and K. Vopel, 2003. The meiobenthos of the Molloy Deep (5600 m) Fram Strait, Arctic Ocean. Vie et Milieu, 53 1-14.
Degrees Conferred
Completed requirements for Ph.D.
Summer 2003
Haosheng Huang,
"The Loop Current Frontal Eddies: Observations, Generation Mechanisms, and Their
Movements"
(HSUEH)
Fall 2003
Lori Bouck,
"Two New Diosaccids (Copepoda, Harpacticoida) from the Northern Gulf of Mexico and Their
Responses to Winter Storms"
(THISTLE)
Completed requirements for Masters
Summer 2003
Nadia Ghabrial North,
"Molecular Characterization of a Microbial Community from Uranium Contaminated Acidic Sediment"
(BALKWILL/KOSTKA)
Fall 2003
Dana Fields,
"Use of Stable Isotopes to Determine Methane Production Mechanisms in Northern Wetlands"
(CHANTON)
Christopher Sedlacek,
"Effect Hypoxia has on Feeding and Egg Production Rates of Acartia tonsa"
(MARCUS)
Michael Teasdale,
"The Timing of Benthic Copepod Emergence - a Laboratory Flume Study"
(THISTLE)
Other News
Dr. and Mrs. John Winchester speak with Dr. Bill Dewar (right) at Dr. Winchester's Professor Emeritus party this past spring.
Dr. Winchester (left) is given a plaque for his years of service at the FSU Department of Oceanography by Dr. David Thistle.
Dr. and Mrs. Ya Hsueh enjoy Dr. Hsueh's retirement dinner.
Dr. Hsueh (right) receives a plaque for his years of service at the FSU Department of Oceanography by Dr. David Thistle.
Dr. Hsueh thanks his colleagues and family for their support throughout his years with FSU.
Dr. David Thistle (standing) says a few words in thanks to members of the department at his Stepping-Down-as-Chairman-After-Nine-Years reception.
Staff and faculty enjoy Dr. Thistle's reception.
Dr. Thistle receives a plaque for his years of service as chairman from
Dr. Nancy Marcus, the new chairperson for the department.
Alumni News
Michael Teasdale presented the results from his thesis at the annual meeting of the British Ecological Society this fall.
The department was saddened to learn that Dr. Bob Avent (Ph.D. 1973) lost his battle with cancer on July 30 and passed away. Dr. Avent was featured in the Fall/Winter 2002 issue of our newsletter, sharing his memories of his time here at FSU.
Honors
Dr. Doron Nof Received the Distinguished Research Professor award.
New Professorship Established
The Department of Oceanography is pleased to report the establishment of a new professorship that honors Nancy Marcus, Robert O. Lawton Professor of Oceanography and Chair. Janet Stoner, FSU alumna and friend of the College of Arts and Sciences, established the endowment. The Nancy Marcus Professorship will support and recognize a faculty member from the College of Arts and Sciences who is professionally known as a superior researcher and who has demonstrated extraordinary effort and commitment in service to students from groups that are under-represented in math and science to attract them to and advance their careers in these fields. Deserving faculty will be nominated by a member of the faculty, including department chairs, or by a student; the recipient will be recommended by a faculty committee and approved by the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. The recipient of the Nancy Marcus Professorship will hold the award for a three (3) year period.
View From the Bridge
Greetings,
I am writing you from a new perspective, that of Chair of the Department of Oceanography. My first order of business is to extend a large THANK YOU to David Thistle who stepped down as Chair of our department after nine years of tireless service. Under his leadership the department underwent growth in many directions. We experienced considerable physical expansion enabling us to broaden our research and education programs. Specifically, we built a warehouse, renovated the Penthouse into lab space, enclosed the patio area of the Oceanography & Statistics building to generate new office space, and we are now transforming classroom spaces into laboratories.
During these nine years our faculty received a variety of internal and external recognitions many of which originated with nominations from David. The department now boasts a National Academy of Sciences member, a recipient of the Henry Stommel Award, Fellows of the Royal Meteorological Society, American Meteorological Society, American Physical Society and American Association for the Advancement of Science; a member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, seven faculty with named professorship titles, a Robert O. Lawton Professor, an Eppes Professor, Distinguished Teaching Professors, and Distinguished Research Professors. While these achievements are given to individual faculty, it is important to also recognize the tireless support and contributions of our dedicated staff and graduate students several of whom have received awards as well. I am very proud to represent this remarkable group of people and again want to extend our appreciation to David Thistle for his outstanding efforts.
Now I want to introduce you to our new faculty: Philip (Flip) Froelich in Geochemistry, and Markus Huettel and Douglas Nowacek in Biological Oceanography. Thorsten Dittmer will be joining the Chemical Oceanography group in January. Elsewhere in this newsletter you can read more about their interests. Lastly I want to ask the graduates of our program, as well as former faculty and staff to please stay in touch. Send us information about what you are doing; let us know of your successes and the milestones in your lives. This is an exciting time for the department and I look forward to continuing to highlight our achievements.
Nancy Marcus
Tallahassee, FL 32306-4320 | (850)644-6700
Back to Top | Contact Us | Comments & Questions | Privacy Policy | Copyright