Mussel Sea Grant Research - two week field surveys in May & July 2014

Volunteer Research Assistant 

Mussel Sea Grant Research, Gulf of Maine

Mentor - Dr. Cascade Sorte

Blue mussels (Mytilus edulis) are important both ecologically and economically, but their have been recent declines potentially due to to factors such as climate change, increased storm disturbances, and species invasion. Dr. Cascade Sorte received a Sea Grant to determine population trajectories of blue mussels in the Gulf of Maine by characterizing abundance, population age structure, reproductive output, and dispersal patterns. This work will allow us to asses the scope of current population densities and identify sources that drive population replenishment throughout the GOM. The survey involved visiting 20 field sites between Cape Cod and Northern Maine to get a sense of blue mussels population trajectory and estimate their fecundity. At each site we identified and counted species and than measures and dissected blue mussels. 

Identifying species in quadrants every half meter up for 50+ meters

Searching for Blue Mussels! No luck finding any in Hamilton Cove, ME



Dissecting GSI blue mussels

Weighing gonads!

Team work identifying species! Mastocarpus or Dumontia ... debate of the day

Northeastern most part of the continental United States in Lubec, Maine

What we do for science! 

Kelsey Magrane and I at Rock Harbor, MA

NOAA, Office of National Marine Sanctuaries | Jan. 2014 - Dec 2014

Research Assistant

NOAA, Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, Silver Spring, MD

Mentor - Dr. Steve Gittings

Videos from Conch Reef Deep Diver Surveys 

Dr. Steve Gittings and I are studying the potential importance of deep reefs as nursery grounds. I am collecting data from twenty hours of video footage taken from Conch Reef in Florida Keys from different habitats (reef top, reef wall, flank, hardbottom, and softbottom) and recording the relative abundance of species observed in each habitat and the species life stage.

Below are some fun clips from the video footage.




High abundance of juveile bicolor damselfish, Stegastes partitus,on tilefish mounds

Green moray, Gymnothorax funebris, ready to forage

Octopus in conch shell with a Jackknife fish swimming around the conch shell! 

Squid :)

Invasive and venomous Lionfish, Pterois volitans 

Two sharksuckers attached to one another

Okeanos Explorer 2014 

Assisting Dr. Steve Gittings with the biological characterization of 19th century shipwrecks during the third and final leg of the Okeanos Explorer Gulf of Mexico 2014 expedition. 

Adding to the discovery of archaeological artifacts on a mission to explore three early 19th century shipwrecks, the important benefits of interdisciplinary collaboration to explore the sea were also discovered.  Scientists with diverse expertise, together with thousands of people around the world, saw an unprecedented time capsule of life on the ocean 200 years ago and worked together to record it. Below are some photos taken during the expedition. 

A king crab, white anemone, and stoloniferous corals perch on ship hardware

Ctenophora (comb jelly)

 

A dumbo octopus uses his ear-like fins to slowly swim away

2014 Oceans Awards Gala #Oceansprom

Every June in conjunction with Capitol Hill Ocean Week, the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation recognizes our nation’s ocean heroes at its annual Ocean Awards Gala (formerly the Leadership Awards Dinner). At the dinner, NMSF presents its Leadership Award, Lifetime Achievement Award, and NMSF Volunteer of the Year Award. Since 2003, honorees have represented a shared committment to a healthy ocean. 

Photo by: Matt McIntosh, National Marine Sanctuary Foundation

2014 Ocean Awards Gala at the Ronald Reagan building 

Photo by: Matt McIntosh, National Marine Sanctuary Foundation
U.S. Senator Carl Levin was presented with the Leadership Award for 2014

Photo by: Matt McIntosh, National Marine Sanctuary Foundation
Robyn Walters was presented with Volunteer of Year for her exceptional service with the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary. Robyn logged over 450 hours in 2013 alone and over 15,000 hours since she started volunteering in 2010. 

Photo by: Matt McIntosh, National Marine Sanctuary Foundation
Dr. Sylvia Earle with Dr. Kathryn Sullivan at #oceansprom

Photo by: Matt McIntosh, National Marine Sanctuary Foundation

Capitol Hill Ocean Week 2014 

Capitol Hill Ocean Week plays a critical role in providing dialogue in all the sectors in the ocean community by bringing together leaders in industry, government, academia, and nonprofits groups from around the nation. The week was full of exciting seminars and interactive discussions on everything from the importance of our ocean economy and its linkage in ocean exploration to the need for marine conservation. 

You can view the many panels from this past June on the CHOW website or they can also be found on youtube. 

My favorite panels were: State of the Ocean, Climate Realities: Preparing for the Worst, The Ocean and Human Health, and the Honorable Sheldon Whitehouse empowering speech. 

Smithsonian Marine Station | Sept. 2013 - Nov. 2013

Research Assistant

Smithsonian Marine Station, Fort Pierce, Fl

Mentor - Cora Ann Johnston

Cora Johnston and I puttering along

Collecting and placing mesh crab traps along the Matanzas River to determine where crabs are molting and establishing.

Control tank with pneumatophores, prop roots, and Spartina to assess megalopas habitat preference with real and artificial structures, and with and without a predator present.

NOAA, Office of National Marine Sanctuaries | May 2013 - August 2013

Constituent and Legislative Affairs Intern

NOAA, Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, Silver Spring, MD

Mentor - Cirse Gonzalez

Assisting in hosting the Leadership Awards Dinner at the Ronald Reagan Building

Met Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, what an honor!

Seacamp | Jan. 2013 - March 2013

Marine Science Instructor

Seacamp Association, Big Pine Key, Fl

My first group of students, traveled all the way from Ohio to the Key's!

Halimeda and Goniolithon Community lab

Helping students identify marine invertebrates and classify by phylum!

Found an octopus in the algae! 

Squid dissection lab

Squid dissection ... revealing the internal beak and pen are my two favorite parts!

Teaching students about the species that inhabit the intertidal zone and its ecosystem services

Spotted Sea Hare

Spotted Sea hare we found while snorkeling, brought him to the surface to show to students before we let it go. They release an ink that appears purple as a defense mechanism.

Manatee 

Manatee in the harbor! Manatees are an endangered species that can often be spotted in harbors in search for fresh water, but unfortunately because they are hard to spot many manatees get injured by boats propellers.

About to go collect some echinoderms and algae on one of the Oceanographic Research Vessels

Sharksicle!!

Bonnethead shark that died and we froze to preserve

Beltsville Agriculture Research Center - Aug. 2012 - Dec. 2012

Research Assistant 

Beltsville Agriculture Research Center, Beltsville, MD

Mentor - Hanna Poffenbarger

Beltsville Agriculture Research Center

Hanna Poffenbarger, BARC

Assissted Hanna Poffenbarger collect soil and plant biomass samples. 

Hanna was working under the guidance of Steve Mersky to optimize cover crop performance to increase organic grain production. 

D.C. National Aquarium - Sept. 2011 to Dec. 2012

Husbandry Assistant and Education Docent

National Aquarium, Washington, D.C.

preparing meals