FSU Department of Oceanography
Newsletter
No. 28 Spring/Summer 2005
Inside this issue:
Dr. William Landing - The Cruising Professor
Staff: In Memory of: Jane Jimeian
Around the OSB
Professional Activities
Travel
Alumni
Degrees Conferred
Rose Woodham Retires
Honors
A View from the Bridge
Dr. William Landing - The Cruising Professor
Dr. William Landing
Whether he's collecting water samples at sea or analyzing samples in his lab, Dr. William Landing relishes teaching his students the fundamentals of chemical oceanography. In fact, he enjoys his work so much he spent a great deal of the last three years cruising the oceans with the US CLIVAR (Climate Variability and Predictability) group, funded by the National Science Foundation. CLIVAR is an international, interdisciplinary research effort within the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) focusing on the variability and predictability of the slowly varying components of the climate system. Measuring the amount of carbon dioxide in the water following the same path measured a decade ago to identify and understand climate change was CLIVAR's purpose for these cruises.
Dr. William Landing supervises water sample collection using 12 L Go-Flo
bottles on a 12-place rosette system.
In addition to the CO2 project, Landing was invited to join the CLIVAR cruises as part of the Trace Metals Group. He, along with graduate students, Cliff Buck and Paul Hansard, and longtime colleague Dr. Chris Measures from the University of Hawaii, collected aerosol samples for iron analysis and measured dissolved iron in seawater to understand how the atmosphere brings iron to the phytoplankton in these waters. The group hopes to gain an increased understanding of carbon cycling in the ocean through this iron data. "It really was an honor to be asked to participate in the project," Landing says, "We were the only ones who would be taking these measurements."
Landing's next task is to analyze thousands of samples in his lab to compare with ship-board analysis. "We try to take measurements while at sea but it's not always possible," he says. By using different techniques to analyze samples in the lab, Landing hopes to repeat the results found on ship.
Graduate student, Cliff Buck, gives a big "thumbs up" as the CLIVAR ship passes near a
large iceberg.
Another of Landing's graduate students, Sara Cleveland, began a new project last fall in collaboration with the University of West Florida to measure mercury and other trace elements in rainfall from three sites around the Crist coal-fired power plant in Pensacola. Her goal is to find out where the mercury is coming from, how much is coming down, and when. Sara will analyze samples from both up-wind and down-wind of the power plant to see if certain patterns of mercury in the rain might tell her where the mercury originated.
Matthew Young, Landing's research assistant for over three years, became his newest graduate student this spring. Matt is working with Lee Edmiston, Director of the DEP Apalachicola laboratory, to study the nutrient budgets for the Apalachicola River and Bay. The samples are analyzed once a month to measure the ebb and flow of nutrients. Most added nutrients in the water come from sewage, agriculture runoff, and atmospheric deposition.
This September marks Landing's 20th anniversary here at the Department of Oceanography and his love of teaching and exploring his field of expertise still shines brightly in his eyes. His students are excited to be working with him and enjoy their hands-on experiences in the field.
The Trace Metals Group at work.
Staff
In Memory of: Jane Jimeian
by Dr. William Dewar
Jane Jimeian
On February 28, 2005, Jane Jimeian passed away after she lost a protracted battle with cancer. Jane had been a member of our department for almost fifteen years, working first with Tony Sturges, and then with both Tony and me. She tended to our computational needs with a style, grace and competence that will be long remembered and will be impossible to replace.
But more importantly, aside from Jane's professionalism and expertise, there was the personal side to Jane that was even more special and irreplaceable than her enormous abilities. Jane was a gentle soul, so seemingly unique in her peace that many of us, myself certainly among them, found her a mystery. Computer professionals have many well-known habits (coming in late, working late, a shy nature). Jane was certainly in this camp. But, rather more uncharacteristically, she was completely unflappable and unfailingly pleasant. I never saw her mad at anyone or about anything. For many reasons, I feel I have never before met anyone like her.
She used to just walk into my office and say "I'll be gone the next two weeks while I help some friends." Things like that drove me crazy. God, I'm going to miss them.
These personal attributes speak to an inner strength that was Jane's and Jane's alone. She never spoke much about her beliefs or her opinions, instead she was quietly comfortable inside of herself with no need for external approval. This was of much use to her as she faced her illness with the same quiet strength and utter lack of dismay as she pretty much faced everything else.
Jane loved her cats and she loved her ballet, probably in that order. She had a special circle of friends who were with her to the end. I hope she thought of me in that way, as I did of her. I know she will be missed by all who knew her; we share in the common grief of a beautiful life lost well before its time.
Around the OSB
Welcome
The department would like to welcome Michael Letton, who is working for Dr. Nof. Michael comes to Tallahassee from Tokyo, Japan where he had been living for the past five years. He was a program coordinator for a company specializing in multi-cultural consulting for Japanese businesses.
Franziska Kazmierczak from the University of Rostock is working with Drs. Huettel and Thistle for three months on the research for her diploma thesis. She is investigating the cues that control harpacticoid movements.
Congratulations
Congratulations to our "Outstanding Graduate Students" for 2004, Jianke Li, physical oceanography, and April Smith, biological oceanography.
Cathrine Sandal is the first recipient of the Jim and Sheila O'Brien Fellowship. The Fellowship supports PhD candidates at FSU who have submitted a PhD prospectus to either the Oceanography or Meteorology Department in the College of Arts and Sciences and is a supplementary stipend for students in the area of air sea interaction and physical oceanography. Dr. Doron Nof is Cathrine's advisor.
More News
Dr. Joel Kostka was named to a second term as a member of the Editorial Board for the journal, Applied and Environmental Microbiology. He also was named as a Subject Editor for the new journal, Marine Biology Research.
Dr. Wilton Sturges is editing a book, to be an American Geophysical Union (AGU) Monograph, on the circulation in the Gulf of Mexico.
Dr. Nancy Marcus was an invited workshop evaluator at Teaching in the Geosciences, a NSF sponsored event, held at Carleton College, Minnesota on January 6-7, 2005.
Dr. James O'Brien has been invited to be the guest lecturer at this year's Physical Oceanography Dissertation Symposium (PODS). The symposium will be held May 1-7, 2005 in Waikoloa, Hawaii and is designed to bring together new PhDs and doctoral candidates soon to receive their degrees in physical oceanography for the purpose of scientific discussion and the forging of future professional relationships. Dr. O'Brien was chosen because of his strong influence in the field of physical oceanography as well as his keen commitment to the education of graduate students.
The Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Institute has initiated a Stern Lecture Series in honor of Dr. Melvin Stern. The inaugural lecture was "A Fascination with Fluids: Vortices and Vortex Breakdown" by Tony Maxworthy, USC, on Thursday, February 3, 2005.
New Reading Room
Dr. Ya Hsueh has kindly donated his physical oceanography journals, collected over more than 30 years, to the department. We are preparing a reading room in room 404.
Professional Activities
New Grants
Dr. William Burnett
National Science Foundation
$483,745 2005-2008
"Assessment of groundwater inputs into coastal waters of West Hawaii via natural tracers
and aerial imagery"
Richard Peterson (Dr. Burnett's Student)
NOAA Fellowship
$60,000 2005-2008
"Origin and fate of suspended particulates in the Apalachicola River: Impact on
Apalachicola Bay"
Dr. Allan Clarke
National Science Foundation
$119,224 2004-2005
"Observations, physics, and modeling of the phase-locking of ENSO to the calendar year"
Giuseppe Colantuono (Dr. Clarke's Student)
NASA Fellowship
$24,000 2004-2005
"Using satellite data to understand the upper ocean heat content in the equatorial Pacific"
Tom Gihring (Dr. Kostka's Student)
NOAA Fellowship
$85,716 2005-2008
"The role of oligohaline marshes as a source or sink of nitrogen to the Apalachicola Bay,
Florida"
Dr. Douglas Nowacek
ONR
$334,373 2004-2007
"A bioenergetic model for Right Whales: Locomotion, anatomy and diving behavior"
Protect Wild Dolphins Program, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Inst., Dolphin License Plate Funds
$92,535 2004-2005
"Distribution, habitat use, foraging ecology, and the acoustic environment of Florida Big
Bend dolphins: Alligator Harbor to St. Joe Bay"
NOAA Fisheries Service
$24,900 2004-2005
"Gnomes: Monitoring noise in the inshore waters of the Eastern Gulf of Mexico"
Invited Presentations
Dr. William Burnett
"Measurement and potential importance of submarine groundwater discharge"
International Conference on Isotopes in Environmental Studies - Aquatic Forum 2004,
Monte-Carlo, Monaco
October 25-29, 2004
"Tracing groundwater discharge into the ocean via continuous radon-222 measurements"
Asia-Pacific Network Workshop on Submarine Groundwater Discharge in Southeast Asia,
Sechung Island, Thailand
February 7-11, 2005
Dr. Markus Huettel
"Particle filtration in permeable intertidal sediments"
Chapman Conference on Salt Marsh Geomorphology: Physical and Ecological Effects on Landform,
Halifax, NS
October 9-13, 2004
"Filtering sediments in the shallow shelf and their role in the biogeochemical cycles"
University of South Florida, Tampa
October 28, 2004
"The biocatalytical sand filter in the shallow shelf"
University of Virginia
November 18, 2004
Dr. William Landing
"Sections of dissolved iron and aluminum in the North Atlantic and the North Pacific:
Results from the CLIVAR Repeat Hydrography A16N and PO2 Expeditions"
American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, San Francisco, CA
December 2004
Dr. Douglas Nowacek
"Transmission of vessel noise through Right Whale environments"
North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium, New Bedford, MA
November 3-4, 2004
Dr. David Thistle
"Sequestration of CO2 on the deep-sea floor: an overview and results of recent
experimental work"
Laboratoire Océanographic de Villefranche
February 2005
Publications
Burnett, W.C., M. Taniguchi, and G. Wattayakorn, 2004. Groundwater and nutrient inputs into the Upper Gulf of Thailand. LOICZ Newsletter, No. 33, 4-5.
Stringer, C., and W.C. Burnett, 2004. Sample bottle design improvements for radon emanation analysis of natural waters. Health Physics, 87, 642-646.
Dulaiova, H., R. Peterson, W.C. Burnett, and D. Lane-Smith, 2005. A multi-detector continuous monitor for assessment of 222Rn in the coastal ocean. Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry, 263(2), 361-365.
Li, J., and A.J. Clarke, 2004. Coastline direction, interannual flow and the strong El Niño currents along Australia's nearly zonal southern coast. Journal of Physical Oceanography, 34(11), 2373-2381.
Huettel, M., P. Cook, J.M. Drazek, 2004. COSA: Coastal sands as biocatalytical filters. G. Scherenewski and Löser, N. (eds.): Managing the Baltic Sea. Coastline Reports 2, BalticCoast 2004 Conference Proceedings, 149-154.
Røy, H., M. Huettel, B.B. Jørgensen, 2005. The influence of topography on the functional exchange surface of soft sediments, assessed from sediment topography measured in situ. Limnology and Oceanography, 50, 106-112.
Wild, C., H. Woyt, M. Huettel, 2005. Influence of coral mucus on nutrient fluxes in carbonate sands. Marine Ecology - Progress Series, 287, 87-98.
Smith, A.C., J.E. Kostka, R. Devereux, and D.F. Yates, 2004. Seasonal composition and activity of sulfate-reducing prokaryotic communities in seagrass bed sediments. Aquatic Microbial Ecology, 37, 183-195.
Furukawa, Y., A.C. Smith, J.E. Kostka, J. Watkins, and C.R. Alexander, 2004. Quantification of macrobenthic impacts on diagenesis using a multicomponent inverse model in saltmarsh sediments. Limnology and Oceanography, 49, 2058-2072.
Koretsky, C., A. Roychoudhury, E. Voillier, C. Moore, J.E. Kostka, T. DiChristina, P. Van Cappellen, 2005. Salt marsh pore water geochemistry does not correlate with microbial community structure. Estuarine, Coastal, and Shelf Science, 62, 233.
Gannon, D.P., N.B. Barros, D.P. Nowacek, A.J. Read, D.M. Waples, and R.S. Wells, 2004. Prey detection by bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus): an experimental test of the passive listening hypothesis. Animal Behavior, 69(3), 709-720.
Stern, M.E., 2004. Local "mean field" theory of hydraulically controlled strait flow. Journal of Physical Oceanography, 34, 1692-1701.
Simeonov, J., and M.E. Stern, 2004. Double-diffusive intrusions on a finite-width thermohaline front. Journal of Physical Oceanography, 34, 1723-1740.
Stern, M.E., and J. Simeonov, 2004. Amplitude equilibration of salt fingers. Journal of Fluid Mechanics, 508, 265-286.
Fechter, A., D. Thistle, G. Arlt, K. Suderman, and K. Vopel, 2004. Do harpacticoids (Copepoda) use water-borne cues to aid in locating food parcels? P.S.Z.N. Marine Ecology, 25, 217-223.
Travel
 |
 |
 |
 |
Dr. Thorsten Dittmar traveled on a cruise November 6, 2004 through January 19, 2005 as part of the Ice Station Polarstern (ISPOL) field experiment. Their ship was anchored to an ice floe and served as a base for field work, while drifting with the floe in the target area, the Weddell Sea. Dr. Dittmar's experiments involved the investigation of the formation of persistent dissolved organic matter (DOM) in sea ice and the tracing of it to the deep sea.
Dr. David Thistle (left) is on sabbatical this semester at the Laboratoire
Océanographic de Villefranche in Villefranche-sur-Mer, France. His host is Dr. Laurence
Guidi-Guilvard (right) and they are working on harpacticoid copepods from sediment traps that
were collected at 4 m off the seabed in 2500 m depth. Dr. Thistle says, "We have processed the
first of two years of continuous samples, and the results appear to be interesting."
Henrieta Dulaiova and several assistants in an auxiliary research vessel. Bill Burnett
and Henrieta Dulaiova traveled to the Philippines in January 2005 to join an international team of
scientists evaluating the nutrient inputs into Manila Bay via submarine groundwater discharge.
Alumni News
Dr. Pavel Berloff, 1996 PhD, visited the Department of Oceanography November 20th to
give a seminar. Dr. Berloff is an Assistant Scientist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution where
his research focuses on geophysical fluid dynamics.
Rodney Powell Receives Tenure
Rodney T. Powell, 1995 PhD under Dr. Bill Landing, recently received the award of tenure and a promotion to associate professor at the Louisiana Marine Consortium (LUNCON). Dr. Powell had been an assistant professor since May 1998.
Kevin Roe Cruises with Bob Ballard and National Geographic
My name is Kevin Roe and I'm a 1983 graduate of FSU Dept. of Oceanography, with a Master's Degree in Geochemical Oceanography and my major professor was Dr. William Burnett.
I am currently employed at the Joint Institute for the Study of Atmospheres and Oceans (JISAO) which is a joint institute between the University of Washington and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
My present work is chemical analyses of hydrothermal vent fluids. Our group is involved in the NOAA Ocean Exploration Program. The first of the Ocean Exploration Program cruises in 2002 was to the Galapagos hydrothermal vents, a 25th anniversary trip, commemorating the first discovery of hydrothermal vents. This cruise was filmed by the National Geographic Channel and played as several short segments on the program "National Geographic Today."
Later this year, I will be on a cruise headed by Bob Ballard to the Lost City Hydrothermal Vent site in the Atlantic. The main experiment here is to have a live hook-up by satellite to a 24-hour control room at UW, where scientists ashore can run a robot submersible and direct the science part of it. There will be four of us to be the hands-on people to analyze water, categorize rocks, culture bacteria, and maintain equipment. National Geographic will once again be on board to film, either for a special or for their own channel. It's been something of an adjustment to realize that this type of science has also entered the entertainment realm, but why should we be surprised when many of us of a certain age grew up with Jacques Cousteau.
Kevin
Don't Forget to Fill Out Your Alumni Survey
Hello Alumni! You might recall receiving a survey in the mail recently. We are compiling a list of job titles, employers, and salary information to share with prospective students. (The salary information will be kept private with only a general chart of possible salaries shared.) This information is invaluable to show prospective students the employment opportunities available to them if they choose to pursue a career in oceanography.
If you haven't filled out your survey yet, please take a few minutes to do so and send it back to the department. The survey is also located on the oceanography web site at www.ocean.fsu.edu/alumni.html. You can download a word or .pdf document to fill out and email to smith@ocean.fsu.edu.
We've also "lost" a number of alumni and could use some help locating them again. A list of missing alumni is located on the alumni web page. If you know an alumnus' current address or work information, please email it to smith@ocean.fsu.edu. Thank you!
Degrees Conferred
Completed requirements for Ph.D.
Fall 2004
Jianke Li
"Interannual Flows Along Australia's Western and Southern Coasts and
Along the Northern Coast of the Gulf of Mexico"
(CLARKE)
Lainie Petrie
"Characterization of Metal-Reducing Microbial Communities from
Acidic Subsurface Sediments Contaminated with Uranium (VI)"
(KOSTKA)
April Goldfinch Smith
"Impacts of Macrobenthos on the Rates and Pathways of
Organic Matter Mineralization in Two Coastal Marine Ecosystems of the Southeastern United States"
(KOSTKA)
Completed requirements for Masters
Fall 2004
Vincent Faure
"Labrador Sea Water Circulation in the Northern North Atlantic Ocean"
(SPEER)
Kelly Peeler
"Caffeine as an Anthropogenic Source Indicator in Freshwater and Marine Systems"
(CHANTON)
Rose Woodham Retires
Rose Woodham
On December 23, 2004 after six years with the department, Rose Woodham, Grant Specialist, retired - again. She insists that this time, it's for good. Since retiring, Rose has kept busy renovating her house. "It's already been a year since we started, maybe we'll get it done soon," she says, "But I don't know." Rose is also spending her time walking, relaxing, and getting her garden ready for spring. She is enjoying her retirement.
Honors
Dr. Jeff Chanton received a 2005 Aldo Leopold Leadership Fellowship which provides academic environmental scientists with intensive communications and leadership training to help them communicate scientific information effectively to non-scientific audiences, especially policy makers, the media, business leaders, and the public.
View From the Bridge
Greetings,
So much has happened in the last several months since my last column. This edition of our newsletter continues to highlight the remarkable exploits and accomplishments of our faculty, staff, and students. Folks from our department are working in locations all over the world from the tropics to polar regions and shallow waters to the deep sea. We study an impressive diversity of organisms ranging from microbes to whales, and in the process analyze thousands of water and sediment samples.
Despite a tough funding climate, it is apparent that our faculty continue to find success with NSF, ONR, and NOAA to name just a few agencies. Also noteworthy is the special graduate fellowship support received by several of our students from the NSF, NASA, and NOAA. I extend my congratulations to former graduate Rodney Powell for achieving tenure, and current faculty member Jeff Chanton for being recognized with an Aldo Leopold Leadership Fellowship. I also just learned that Joel Kostka will receive an FSU Developing Scholar Award. In addition to the honor, the award carries a one-time stipend of $10,000 to be used to promote his program of research and creativity during the next academic year. No doubt I will have more examples to review in the next edition of this newsletter.
We typically extend congratulations to individuals for honors received as I have done above, but more often than not such recognition would not have come without contributions from others. Hence as the academic year draws to a close I want to thank everyone for their hard work and dedication to the mission of this department. In this regard I especially want to recognize Jane Jimeian, a long time member of the department who passed away at too young an age. We will miss Jane's presence.
Sincerely,
Tallahassee, FL 32306-4320 | (850)644-6700
Back to Top | Contact Us | Comments & Questions | Privacy Policy | Copyright