FSU Department of Oceanography Newsletter
No. 21 Winter/Spring 2001
Featured Faculty Member - Dr. Nancy Marcus
Stroll down the quiet halls of the fifth floor of Florida State University's Oceanography-Statistics Building and you will see charts, photographs, and research posters at every turn. Behind the closed doors to the various labs, students and their instructors conduct research and experiments in biological oceanography. Even in the late night hours, it is common to find students and teachers in lab coats and goggles examining mixtures and looking over countless pages of data. With such a knowledgeable and dedicated faculty and the finest students, it is no wonder that this department achieves so many honors and awards. Students, staff, and visitors to the department see first hand the kind of leadership and professionalism required of the faculty here at Florida State University Department of Oceanography. Dr. Nancy Marcus is one of the outstanding faculty members of this department. Dr. Marcus speaks highly of the FSU Department of Oceanography and is very proud of her accomplishments in her chosen field of study and rightfully so. Dr. Nancy Marcus was awarded her undergraduate degree from Goucher College in Baltimore, Maryland in 1972. She continued on to earn her doctorate from Yale University in 1976, where she specialized in the study of ecology and evolutionary biology.
Her outstanding achievements in her studies earned her a prized Post-Doctoral Fellowship to Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) in Massachusetts. Only two years passed before Dr. Nancy Marcus was promoted and became a member of the scientific staff. She spent nine years there as an Assistant Scientist and then as an Associate Scientist. Dr. Marcus also had the chance to teach while at WHOI.
In 1987, Dr. Nancy Marcus joined Florida State University's Department of Oceanography as an associate professor. At FSU she continued her work studying the life history of marine organisms to better understand the population dynamics in the field. Much of her work, then and even now, deals with copepods. As Dr. Marcus explains, "Copepods are mesozooplankton and are critically important parts of the food web. Understanding their distribution and abundance is vital. Particularly in coastal areas where a resting phase occurs, understanding the details of what controls the resting phase, what affects recruitment, and what the survival factors may be, is very important."
In addition, research on the resting phase (diapause) has led to a way to produce copepods in a laboratory environment. As Dr. Marcus explains, "...lab reared copepods provide food sources for raising fish needed in marine aquaria and in the food industry." Dr. Marcus has a wealth of knowledge and experience in this area, and her dedication to sharing this knowledge with others is exemplary. Her recent efforts have involved the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution and the joint FSU-FAMU College of Engineering. The focus of the program is to develop low-cost circulation systems for marine and brackish species. The program is currently looking toward ways to establish land-based rearing system so as to protect the delicate coastal areas.
Dr. Nancy Marcus is passionate about the subjects she has dedicated the majority of her life to. Walk down our halls and pass room 511 and you will likely see her working quietly behind her desk. She may also be found checking on her students diligently at work in her lab. Let us never forget her profound influence on students as she shares her knowledge in the classroom setting. Dr. Nancy H. Marcus is one of FSU Oceanography's finest and the entire department is happy to have her on board.
Honors
Grants
Dr. William Landing
NSF,
April, 2000-March, 2003; $208,000;
"Influences of atmospheric deposition, organic complexation, and the photochemical
processes on the redox cycle of iron in surface waters."
Dr. William Landing
Florida State University Cornerstone Program, Program Enhancement Grant,
April, 2000-March, 2002; $100,000;
"Developing solid-state microelectrode and optical waveguide sensors for measuring trace
elements and redox species in natural and contaminated waters."
Dr. Nancy Marcus
NSF,
May, 2000-April, 2001;, (expected 3 years) $330,000;
"An empirical and modeling analysis of the impact of hypoxia on copepod population
dynamics."
Dr. Joel Kostka
"Impacts of mineralogy and competing microbial respiration pathways on the fate of
uranium in contaminated groundwater,"
9/15/00-9/14/03, $790,265,
DOE (PI)
"Redox processes in soils irrigated with reclaimed sewage effluents: field cycles and basic
mechanisms,"
1/15/00-1/14/03, $139,400,
USDA-BARD (co-PI)
"Impacts of competing microbial respiration pathways on the fate of uranium in contaminated
sediments,"
6/01/00-6/01/01, $10,000,
Oak Ridge Associated Universities- Ralph A. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award, (PI)
"Collaborative project to study an improved soil test for potassium,"
2/1/00-2/1/03, $45,000,
USDA (co-PI)
Recent Honors
Dr. Allan J. Clarke
2000, Fellow - Royal Meteorological Society
2001, Fellow - American Meteorological Society
Dr. Nancy H. Marcus
2000, Chair-Elect - Board on Oceans and Atmospheres.
Dr. Georges Weatherly
2000, Board of Editors - Oceanology
2001, Fellow - Russian Academy of Sciences
Students Recognized
The following students received the Outstanding Graduate Student Award for 2000/2001. Each of these students will receive a $50.00 cash prize. For candidates not already members, a nomination to the Society of the Sigma Xi, a scientific honor society, will be included. Students also received a pin in recognition of this acheivement. Congratulations!!!
Lia Chasar, (Chemical Oceanography)
Paige A. Leitman, (Biological Oceanography)
Charles Tilburg, (Physical Oceanography)
These students were each recognized before the entire department at the Annual Oceanography Department Holiday Luncheon. Faculty, staff, and students enjoyed a feast of foods at the "pot-luck" event. Special thanks goes out to Linda Carter and Rose Woodham for organizing, and promoting this wonderful social activity. Thanks to all who brought treats to share!
Recent Invited Presentations
Dr. Allan J. Clarke
June, 2000, "A simple El Niño/ Southern Oscillation(ENSO) prediction model."
COAPS, CSIT Seminar, FSU, Tallahassee, FL
June, 2000,
"On the Spring Persistence Barrier in ENSO."
National Center for Atmospheric Reaearch/ University Corporation for Atmospheric
Research, Boulder, CO
June, 2000,
"On the Spring Persistence Barrier in ENSO."
University of Washington, PMEL, Seattle, WA
July, 2000,
"Application of a new El Nino prediction method to the Southeastern U.S."
SouthEastern Virtual Consortium for Extreme Event Research (SEVEER), Tallahassee, FL
Dr. David Thistle
May, 2000,
"The role of biologically produced structure in the organization of deep-sea
soft-bottom communities."
Alfred Wegner Institute for Polar Research, Bremerhaven, Germany
May, 2000,
"The role of biologically produced structure in the organization of deep-sea
soft-bottom communities."
Institute for Marine Biology at the University of Rostok, and the Department of Zoology
at the University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
October, 2000,
"Deep-sea biology"
Scripps Institution of Oceanography, San Diego, CA
Dr. Melvin Stern
August, 2000,
"3D salt fingers in an unbounded thermoclinewith application to the central ocean."
WHOI, Woods Hole, MA
Dr. William Landing
October, 2000,
"Atmospheric transport and deposition of mercury in Florida."
American Chemical Society, Jacksonville Section, Jacksonville, FL
October, 2000,
"Factors affecting dissolved iron concentrations in the tropical Atlantic Ocean."
Department of Chemistry, UNF, Jacksonville, FL
Dr. Georges Weatherly
October, 2000,
"Observations of abyssal eddies in the Brazil Basin."
Joint GFDI- Oceanography Seminar, Tallahassee, FL
Dr. Bezhad Mortazavi and Dr. Jeff Chanton
November, 2000,
"Isotopic studies at Ameriflux tower sites: Estimating CO2 exchange."
NIGEC, Gainesville, FL
Dr. Joel Kostka
July of 2000, Dr. Kostka traveled to the American Society of Limnology and Oceanography
summer meeting in Copenhagen, Denmark. There he presented a talk on "Respiration of FE(III)
vs. Sulfate Coupled to Organic Matter Remineralization in Salt Marsh Sediments." At the ASLO
meetings, he was also coauthor on a seminar given by collaborator Britta Gribsholt, formerly
a visiting student scholar in the oceanography department at FSU. This seminar was entitled,
"The Impacts of Bioturbation on Microbial Respiration in Saltmarsh Sediments."
July, 2000, Dr. Kostka presented an invited talk at the University of Southern Denmark in Odense. The title of his seminar was, "The Role of Bacterial Iron Reduction in the Carbon and Nutrient Cycles of Soils."
December 8th, 2000, Dr. Kostka presented an invited talk at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab in Alabama entitled, "Quantitative Impacts of Higher Organisms on Sediment Biogeochemistry in the Saltmarsh."
My What a Beautiful Rose!
Rose and Happy Woodham spend time together on a sunny Tallahassee afternoon.
She is a quiet, thoughtful, and mild mannered lady. The way she carries herself, her positive outlook on life, her pleasant smile, all make Rose Woodham a gift to this department. Many of the students, faculty, and staff know little about her dedication to the Florida State University, Department of Oceanography. Among her many resposibilities, Rose prides herself on her work with thirty grants and her ability to oversee and regulate two major budgets within this department. Her colleagues find her knowledge and organizational skills to be some of the finest around. When asked about Rose, Linda Carter (Coordinator of Administrative Services) responded: "Rose is one of the hardest workers I know. I consider her a friend on a professional and a personal level. She is a real joy to know."
This should come as no suprise as Rose Woodham is no stranger to hard work. She speaks proudly of her forty-seven year marriage to her husband Happy. When asked what she feels makes her married life so successful, she replies "lots of hard work, that's what it takes."
Rose moved to Tallahassee in 1949 from her home town of Jacksonville, Florida. She worked for a Tallahassee electrical contractor for several years before taking time off to raise her daughter Peggy. Early in February of 1986, Rose became part of the Florida State University Department of Meteorology. Her role involved the Mesoscale Air-Sea Interaction Group. In November of 1988, Rose packed up her things and moved downstairs one floor, to join the growing Department of Oceanography. At that time Rose found a close friend in her office mate Linda. Rose remained a part of the department for over ten years until she decided to retire in 1997. It took only one year before Rose realized that retirement was not the answer she was looking for. Even with her hobbies, which include gardening and volunteering for her church, she quickly became bored with the relaxing lifestyle she had once looked forward to.
Rose has spent twenty five years serving as a volunteer for the National Cancer Society. She continues to remain active in her church and volunteers regularly. She spends much time with her family and even works in the garden when she can find a free Sunday. Rose has a long history with the oceanography department, and she is happy to compliment the work of Dr. David Thistle and the outstanding faculty and staff in this department. In 1999 Rose was recognized by the FSU College of Arts and Sciences for her dedication and "Exemplary Service" to the people of Florida State University. The department is blessed to have such a wonderful and talented person as a part of our family.
Around the OSB
Many new and exciting things are happening around the OSB. The most recent fourth-floor rennovations are nearing completion. Several of the offices have been given a fresh coat of paint in addition to new carpeting. One major change on the fifth floor is the addition of an access door through room 542 to the main hall. Despite some noise and a little dust, the project was completed with little disruption.
Several places in our halls now have new large cork display boards to allow postings to go up even more often during the year. The many projects taking place around us each day are helping to make the labs, offices, and the building as a whole more functional.
Many of our faculty and staff found a nice surprise after returning from the first weekend break in September. The modifications to the parking and traffic situation on campus called for the metered lot off Woodward Ave. to become a newly designated faculty and staff lot. This adds more than thirty spaces for faculty parking and a convenience seldom found on a university campus. Our thanks to the university for this much needed change! The OSB is proudly sporting new and faster printers. The work room now houses two brand new copiers, including a full color printer. These items are wonderful and much appreciated additions to our labs and offices! The department continues to enjoy the newest technology.
WELCOME!
Rick Lumpkin is a visiting Assistant in Research in the FSU Department of Oceanography. He arrived in Tallahassee in April of last year after completing a postdoctoral research position at the French Institute for Oceanographic Research (IFREMER) in Plouzane, France. Rick is working with Kevin Speer on an NSF-funded project to study water mass formation and propagation and distribution of diapycnic mixing in a box-inverse model of the North Atlantic Ocean.
Rick received his PH.D. from the University of Hawaii, Manoa in December of 1998. While he misses the surf of Waikiki and the bread and cheese of France, he and his lovely wife are enjoying the freindly nature of their Tallahassee neighbors. They are also making the most of their ability to speak fluent English. A warm welcome goes out to Rick and his family!
Professional activities
Proctor, L. M., R. P. Gunsalus, 2000. The light organ symbionts, Vibrio fischeri, Photobacterium leiognathi and free-living Vibrio harveyi respire nitrate, fumarate and trimethylamine n-oxide (TMAO) for anaerobic growth: ecological implications. Environmental Microbiology 2: 399-406.
Proctor, L. M., A. C. Souza, in press. Method for enumeration of 5-cyano-2,3-ditoyl tetrazolium chloride (CTC)-active cells and cell specific CTC activity of benthic bacteria in riverine, estuarine, and coastal sediments. Journal of Microbiological Methods.
Proctor, L. M.,G. Schaefer, W. Landing, in press. Evaluating the bioavailability of dissolved organic phosphorus in the Florida Everglades using native bacterial and reference enzymes. Biodegradation.
Proctor, L. M., E. Toy, J. P. Chanton, in press. Enhancement of Orimulsion biodegradation through the addition of natural marine carbon substrates. Environmental Science and Technology.
Mercier, H., G. L. Weatherly, 2000. Bottom water throughflows at the Rio de Janeiro and Rio Grande fracture zones. Geophys. Res. Letters 27: 1503-1506.
Sandoval, F., G.L. Weatherly, 2000. Evolution of the Deep Western Boundary Current of Antarctic bottom water in the Brazil Basin. J.Phys.Oceanog.
Speer, K., S. R. Rintoul, B. Sloyan, 2000. The diabatic Deacon Cell. J. Phys. Oceanogr. 30: 3212-3222.
Stern, M. E., 2000. Scattering of an eddy advected by a current toward a topographic obstacle. J. Fluid Mechanics 402: 211-223.
Stern, M. E., E. P. Chasignet, 2000. Mechanism of eddy separation from coastal currents. J. Mar. Res. 58: 269-295.
Radko, T., M. E. Stern, 2000. Self propogating eddies on the stratified f plane. J. Phys. Oceanogr.
Radko, T., M. E. Stern, 2000. Finite amplitude salt fingers in a vertically bounded layer. J. Fluid Mechanics 410: 1-28.
Dr. Behzad Mortazavi was a Ph. D. student with Dr. Iverson. His work was done under a grant from the Northwest Florida Water Management District to Dr. Iverson and Dr. Landing.
Mortazavi, B., R. L. Iverson, W. M. Landing, F. G. Lewis, W. Huang, 2000. Control of phytoplankton production and biomass in a river dominated estuary: Apalachicola Bay, Florida, USA. Marine Ecology Progress Series 198: 19-31.
Mortazavi, B., R. L. Iverson, W. M. Landing, W. Huang, 2000. Phosphorus budget of Apalachicola Bay: a river-dominated estuary in the Northeastern Gulf of Mexico. Marine Ecology Progress Series 198: 33-42.
Leitman, P. A., Proctor, L. M., in press. Biodegradation of weathered orimulsion and fuel oil #6 by marine sediment bacteria. Biodegradation.
Weatherly, G. L., Y.Y. Kim, E. Kontar, 2000. Eulerian measurements of the North Atlantic Deep Water Deep Western Boundary Current at 18 S. J. Phys. Oceanography 30, 971-986.
Holger Dierssen was a Ph. D. student under Professor Wofgang Balzer at the University of Bremen (Germany), Department of Chemistry. This work was done while Holger was a visiting researcher in Dr. Landing's lab during the summer of 1997.
Dierssen H., W. Balzer, W. M. Landing, in press. Simplified synthesis of a cation- chelating resin: application to trace metal profiles from Jellyfish Lake, Palau. Marine Chemistry.
Dr. Jane Guentzel was a Ph. D. student working under W. M. Landing prior to graduating in 1997.
Guentzel, J. L., W. M. Landing, G. A. Gill, C. D. Pollman, in press. Processes influencing rainfall deposition of mercury in Florida. Environmental Science and Technology.
Pizarro, O., A. J. Clarke, S. Van Gorder, 2000. El Nino and sea level- currents along the South American coast: Comparison of observations with theory. J. Phys. Oceanogr.
Clarke, A. J., S. Van Gorder, 2000. ENSO prediction using and ENSO trigger. Geophys. Res. Letters.
Corbett, D.R., K. Dillon, W. C. Burnett, 2000. Tracing groundwater flow on a barrier island in the northeast Gulf of Mexico. Estuarine, Coastal, and Shelf Science 51: 227-242.
Corbett, D.R., K. Dillon, W. Burnett, J. Chanton, 2000. Estimating the groundwater contribution into Florida Bay via natural tracers 222Rn and CH4. Limnology & Oceanography 45: 1546-1557.
Kim, G., W. C. Burnett, E. P. Horwitz, 2000. Efficient preconcentration and separation of actinide elements from large soil and sediment samples. Analytical Chemistry 72: 4882-4887.
Burnett, W. C., J. Christoff, B. Stewart, T. Winters, P. Wilbur, 2000. Reliable gross alpha/beta analysis of environmental samples via liquid scintillation counting. Radioactivity & Radiochemistry 11: 10-26.
King, J. K., J. E. Kostka, M. E. Frischer, F.M. Saunders, 2000. Sulfate reducing bacteria methylate mercury at variable rates in pure culture and in marine sediments. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 66:2430
Dr. Andreas Thurnherr joined Dr. Kevin Speer's group as a post-doctoral researcher in July 2000. His main research interests are the physical processes taking place in the vicinity of mid-ocean ridges, including diapycnal mixing, sill flows, boundary currents, internal waves and tides, as well as the effects of geothermal heating on the oceanic water column. Dr. Thurnherr is currently working on an inversion of historical hydrographic data from the southern Mid-Atlantic Ridge with the goal to determine the mean circulation on the ridge flanks and over the crest, cross-ridge transport through fracture zones as well as diapycnal fluxes.
The mid-ocean ridge system is the largest continuous mountain chain on Earth, extending over 60,000 km and across all major ocean basins. The ridges, which are typically about 3km high, mark the boundaries of spreading tectonic plates where new oceanic lithosphere is formed. Both the high level of mixing associated with the rough topography of the ridges and the geothermal heat fluxes associated with the underlying plate boundaries force the oceanic circulation on a large range of spatial scales. Hydrothermal inputs of heat and chemicals furthermore support distinct and fascinating ecosystems and are of primary importance for a number of chemical cycles in the ocean.
My thesis work, conducted at the Southampton Oceanography Centre in the UK, concentrated on the processes controlling the hydrography and flow in the rift valley of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR). The main focus of the investigation was an analysis and interpretation of a collection of data sets from two segments of the MAR near 36o N.
The data, which were collected in the course of two scientific cruises, include hydrographic, LADCP (velocity), and plume-particle surveys as well as current-meter records. In addition to analysing the data, I developed a simple analytical and numerical model of the rift-valley flow. One of the principal conclusions of the investigation is the observation that diapycnal mixing in the rift valley balances significant (order 0.1Sv) inflow of dense water into the segment. The downward diffusion of heat maintains persistent (on multi-year to multi-decade time scales) along-segment hydrographic gradients and flow (see figure). Geothermal heating, on the other hand, does not appear to significantly impact the major observed patterns. Similar along-valley hydrographic gradients have been observed in other segments of the MAR and in canyons on the ridge flank, while persistent unidirectional flows have been observed in at least one additional segment as well as in fracture zones. Such strong and persistent diapycnal fluxes should have profound effects on the dynamics outside the rift valley.
I have joined Dr. Speer's group to carry out an investigation of the flow on the flanks and over the crest of the southern MAR between 5o S and 35o S (see figure). Preliminary observations from a comparison of repeat sections suggest persistent hydrographic patterns below 2000 m.
A detailed assessment of the uncertainties in the mean hydrography (a combination of measurement uncertainties and temporal variability), which is required for diagnosing fluxes, is one of the primary goals of the project. Given the magnitude of the diapycnal fluxes in the vicinity of the MAR (inferred from microstructure measurements and hydrographic budgets), it may be possible to diagnose them by fitting a suitably constructed model to the available data with inverse techniques.
Travel
Dr. Lita Proctor conducted a research and teaching cruise on the northern Gulf of Mexico shelf in October, 2000, for her students in Benthic Microbial Ecology. Students shared in the fun, fellowship, and learning on two 3-day research cruises aboard Florida Institute of Oceanography's R/V Suncoaster. Chris Sedlacek (top right) readies the Niskin bottles on the CTD rosette. Chris made the most of his experience and eagerly joined in the action. Paulo Barrocas and Afonso Souza (below) work hard to bring in a plankton net. Students spent countless hours on deck participating in the sampling activities and assisting in the many duties involved in a research cruise. Dr. Proctor had glowing reviews of the outing.
"This was the first time I had taken one of my classes out on a ship. It was also a unique opportunity for many of the students, who had never done seagoing research. Given the inclement weather at the start of the cruise, there was much uncertainty about how things would go. Some of the students found that, due to the harsh weather and the cramped lab quarters, it was often difficult to conduct research at sea. But it only took a couple of days before they all felt like 'old salts'."-Dr. Lita Proctor
Danielle Harvey hoists the Otter trawl net onboard. Other student participants: Linda Gensel, Paul Hansard (DEP), Joe James (Gulf Breeze EPA), Lainie Petrie, and Jennifer Cherrier's (FAMU) Principles in Ecology class.
Alumni News
In the year 2001, The Florida State University will mark its sesquicentennial anniversary. The celebration began on the 24th of January, the date the Florida Legislature created the original institution, The Seminary West of the Suwannee River, in 1851. Standing on its original location in Florida's capital city, the Florida State University marks the oldest continuous site of higher education in the state. As a principal founder, Francis Eppes, grandson of Thomas Jefferson, helped to establish an institution that has evolved into a comprehensive, graduate-research university. The Carnegie Foundation ranks Florida State as a Research I institution, the highest category for a graduate research institution.
With a solid liberal arts base that was firmly established by the Florida State College for Women - the first Florida institution to be awarded a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa - FSU has 17 outstanding colleges and schools. The Sesquicentennial Celebration is designed to highlight the numerous achievements, distinguished faculty, notable alumni, and outstanding students in each of these colleges/schools.
Kick-off for this yearlong celebration was held on January 24, 2001 on the Westcott Plaza. The ceremony complete with FSU fanfare, was followed by outdoor activities and a Westcott open house. On February 26, 2001 the world-renowned Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra will play for a one-time-only concert in Doak Campbell Stadium in conjunction with Tallahassee: Seven Days of Opening Nights.
Degree Conferred
Francisco Sandoval completed the requirements for his Ph.D. August, 2000.
View From the Bridge
The department has been space tight for at least the 22 years that I have been here and probably since its inception. Every chair and perhaps every faculty member has come to the conclusion that closing in the patio area on the first floor of the building would make very good sense. Well, after lots of requests by many chairs, the university has finally agreed to "build out" the first floor. Our share will be four offices on the first floor and room 001 in the basement, for a total increase of about 1800 sq. ft. The construction will take place during summer 2001 for occupancy in the fall. The timing could not be better because the dean has given the department permission to search for a successor to Tony Sturges (who will retire from the teaching faculty in May). The dean has also said that the department can increase the total number of faculty. We have been steady at 18 faculty members for at least 10 years and are very excited about the opportunity to grow. The faculty is debating the best approach to take. I'll report the plans in a coming newsletter.
The university is reviewing each department in turn, and we will go through the process during early spring. The reviewing entities are the Board of Regents, the Graduate Policy Council, and the Provost. I have spent most of my chair's time this fall preparing the review documents with the help of Michaela Lupiani, Linda Carter, and the Executive Committee. As part of it, I have had to collect information on the present status of our alumni/ae. Thanks very much to those of you who have kept us posted on what you are doing! Both the department and the document seem to be in good shape. I'll let you know how the review comes out.
It was a pleasure to have Flip Froelich spend his sabbatical semester in the department this fall. Flip was a member of the chemical oceanography faculty. He left the department in the 1980's and is now at Georgia Tech. Let me close by congratulating Georges Weatherly. He has just been elected to the Russian Academy of Science and is in Moscow being inducted!
David Thistle
Tallahassee, FL 32306-4320 | (850)644-6700
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