Evaluating performance of two in-water radiometers in watermasses of differing optical complexy

Jesse Bausell, UCSC

 

Abstract: Ocean color satellites measure light radiating from the sea surface, from which they can estimate biogeochemical properties in the upper water column (e.g. chlorophyll). They can instantaneously sample large areas of ocean at consistent time increments, making them a cost effective alternative for large scale ocean monitoring. In-water radiometers estimate light radiating from the sea surface by extrapolating light measurements they take as they sink through the water column. These sea surface measurements are essential to the continued development of satellite oceanography, as they are used to ensure the accuracy of atmospheric correction algorithms, account for satellite lens degradation, as well as develop algorithms with which to estimate new biogeochemical parameters. Several different in-water radiometer models are used for these purposes; however, these models sample water columns differently and therefore may not be interchangeable. Here I compare surface radiances of two in-water radiometers: Compact Optical Profiling System (C-OPS) with high vertical resolution and coarse spectral resolution, and HyperPro II (HP2), with coarse vertical resolution and high spectral resolution. HP2 and C-OPS were compared across five different watermasses in Monterey Bay, ranging in their level of vertical stratification and primary productivity. Results indicate that C-OPS and HP2 estimate similar sea surface radiances in watermasses with low levels of primary productivity, but that these similarities decrease as watermass productivity become higher and more vertically stratified. We attribute this difference to HP2’s inability to accurately characterize biological thin layers.

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Bio: Jesse is a Ph.D. student studying biological oceanography, focussing on satellite oceanography and is especially interested in helping the ocean color community realize the full potential of satellites and other data sources in better understanding oceanographic processes.

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A Window into International Policy: Seafloor Mapping in the Caribbean Sea

Miya Pavlock-McAuliffe, MLML

 

Abstract: A seafloor mapping survey was conducted between Panama City, Panama and Key West, Florida, U.S., in November 2017 aboard the R/V Okeanos Explorer. The Caribbean Region presents a unique environment to study the formation of island arcs in subduction zones, crustal scale seafloor spreading, and the interactions between these two processes. This region cannot however, be studied without consideration of geopolitical relationships surrounding the Caribbean Sea. As a vessel of the U.S. government, the R/V Okeanos Explorer made passage and data collection requests from each of these countries - the survey route passed through five Exclusive Economic Zones according to the United Nations Law of the Sea. To efficiently and effectively gain scientific understanding of the Caribbean Region, awareness of the current state of geopolitical relations is critical.

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Bio: Miya is a Graduate Student in Geological Oceanography at Moss Landing Marine Labs. Her research focuses on pocket beach dynamics, integrating terrestrial and marine mapping technologies, and improving communication between academic research and local resource managers. She is advised by Ivano Aiello of Moss Landing Marine Labs and Rikk Kvitek of California State University – Monterey Bay, and will be working closely with the Monterey National Marine Sanctuary to complete her thesis work.

 

 

Examining the Saltwater Aquarium Fish Trade: From a Local to Global Perspective

Shannon Switzer Swanson, Stanford 

 

Abstract: In this talk, Shannon will present the discovery that in addition to being a blockbuster movie star (a.k.a Dory), the blue tang (Paracanthurus hepatus) is an economically important species for aquarium fishers in Indonesia. In addition to sharing preliminary interview and participant observation data from these fishers, she will also discuss what “big” data exists for the global aquarium trade and what data is still needed in order to ensure sustainability of the trade moving forward, especially for species like the blue tang that cannot easily be bred in captivity.

 

Bio: Shannon is a waterwoman, photojournalist, and marine social ecologist from San Diego, California. Her research blends theory and practice from the fields of anthropology, psychology, and marine ecology to address today’s most pressing marine conservation issues. Shannon works with coastal communities in Southeast Asia and Oceania to understand how they can most effectively manage their resources to sustain both prosperous livelihoods and a healthy environment. Shannon holds a masters in coastal management from Duke. As a PhD student in the Emmett Interdisciplinary Program in Environment and Resources at Stanford University she explores new research methods using film and photography to engage community members as active participants in the research process.

 

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Stronger Together: Why the Health of Our Oceans Relies on Cooperation from Every Seafood Stakeholder

Traci Linder, FishWise

 

Abstract: Not all seafood is legally and ethically sourced, and a current lack of traceability in seafood supply chains allows for these issues to go unresolved. Illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing is a global problem which can imperil the survival of threatened species, undermine government efforts to sustainably manage marine resources, and unfairly impact law-abiding seafood businesses.

Full-chain traceability of seafood products is one step towards illuminating complex seafood supply chains and the potential environmental and social risks occurring within them. However, participation from every stakeholder – from supply chain actors, to NGOs, to government – is necessary for achieving full-chain traceability and keeping IUU product from entering the market. In this talk I will discuss some of the barriers to full-chain seafood traceability and identify collaborative approaches that are aimed at closing those barriers.

 

Bio: Traci Linder has been conducting fisheries and aquatic research for over ten years, spanning from mariculture studies in Costa Rica to working on large-scale fisheries conservation projects in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. She holds a bachelor’s degree in biology with a focus in ecology from UC San Diego, and a master’s degree in biology with a focus in marine ecology from UC San Diego / Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Traci has experience in policy work surrounding aquatic resource management and communicating both policy and scientific research to the general public. Traci is currently a project manager at FishWise, a sustainable seafood consultancy, where she develops tools to improve seafood traceability and combat illegal fishing and human rights violations in the seafood industry.

 

 

UCYN-A: The Most Important Life Form in the Ocean that Nobody’s Ever Heard Of

Philip Heller, SJSU

 

Abstract: Nitrogen fixation converts atmospheric nitrogen gas into bioavailable form. Bioavailable nitrogen is often the limiting nutrient in ocean environments; it is also a major driver of the so-called carbon pump, which moves greenhouse carbon dioxide into sequestration in the depths of the ocean.

Around the beginning of this century, it became evident that known organisms contributed less than half of marine nitrogen fixation. Some unknown player annually processes an amount of nitrogen equivalent to the entire atmosphere above New Hampshire and Vermont. This presentation will describe how a combination of traditional microbiology and bioinformatics led to the identification of a tiny elusive organism that participates in major global biogeochemical processes.

Bio: Phil Heller is a native Californian who received his BS degree from U.C. Berkeley in 1977. He enjoyed a long career as an engineer in Silicon Valley, was an early employee at Sun Microsystems and Next Inc, worked very briefly with Steve Jobs, and wrote several popular books on computer programming. In 2007 he entered graduate school at San Jose State University, received an MS degree in Computer Science with a Bioinformatics emphasis, and then joined the Bioinformatics Ph.D. program at U.C. Santa Cruz. There he specialized in applications of Bioinformatics to marine microbial ecology. After graduating in 2014, he spent a year as a Smithsonian Scholar at Moss Landing Marine Labs. He is now an assistant professor at San Jose State.

 

 

Making the Case for Commercializing Ocean Related Technologies

Jim Cooper, Braid Theory

 

Abstract: ReGroundbreaking discoveries in ocean and marine science technologies need a pathway beyond the lab, that utilized evidence-based entrepreneurship, utilizing the Lean startup methodology, design-thinking, as well as other more traditional approaches to business modeling, and creating a pedagogy for startups to coalesce around, to create meaningful benchmarks, waypoints and milestones, to take a product to market, where it may be used to transform our approach to the ocean environment. This talk will discuss how this pathway is possible, and build a business case for the nascent to demand pathway.

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Bio: Jim Cooper is CTO of Braid Theory, a strategic advisory company to early stage transformative technology companies in the life science, marine, oceans, maritime and renewable space, based in Los Angeles, CA. Jim has a deep, broad and rich, 15 years of experience in commercialization. Educated in both Australia and the USA, Jim is currently Entrepreneur-in-Residence in the Global Advisory Program, at UAE University (El Ein), on the board of advisors for the Center for Innovation at CSULA, serves as Ambassador and mentor at the Center for Entrepreneurship at CSUF, and serves as an industry mentor and advisor for NSF i-Corps in the CSUPERB program across all 23 campuses of the California State University system.

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Do They Stay Or Do They Go? The Journey of Larval Rockfish

Anna Lowe, UCSC 

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Abstract: The degree to which marine populations are ‘open’ or ‘closed’ has been a longstanding question in marine ecology. Previously, it was thought that larvae traveled great distances along the coast before settling, leading to ‘open’ populations. This paradigm is shifting and evidence suggests that larvae are settling closer to their natal populations. This shift in scales indicates smaller temporal and spatial processes may have a large impact on successful larval recruitment and resultant population connectivity. Our research investigates larval dispersal of kelp rockfish populations in southern Monterey Bay and Carmel Bay. We use a high-resolution, regional ocean circulation model of central California coupled to a particle-tracking model to calculate larval trajectories. In this presentation, I will describe levels of connectivity, transport pathways, and circulation processes affecting successful recruitment of these two populations.

The National Park Service (NPS) is responsible for sustainable management of subsistence resources in coastal Western Arctic (WEAR) National Parklands as well as access to those resources; however, a lack of information limits proactive management planning. We seek to understand landscape scale changes that affect subsistence access to marine resources in coastal WEAR Parklands. Our study employs a combination of (1) a synthesis of pre-existing harvest and environmental time series data, (2) key respondent interviews, (3) participant observation, and (4) mapping of key Parkland areas vulnerable to changes in access. Our research, which is currently in progress, seeks to (1) understand the perceptions of NPS managers and the community of subsistence users, and (2) to gather information on ways to improve communication between managers and subsistence users. Fostering relationships between managers and users is critical in development of adaptable management policies in a changing Arctic environment.

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Bio: Anna is a PhD candidate in the Ocean Sciences Department at UCSC. She is interested in how water moves in the coastal ocean and transports material (e.g. larvae, nutrients, pollutants, etc.). Addressing different aspects of this topic, her dissertation research examines exchange between a small bay and the ocean, investigates larval transport pathways between two close but geographically separated populations of rockfish, and the effect of waves on surface transport. For this research, she built a high-resolution ocean model of the central California coastal ocean in ROMS, and couples it with a particle-tracking model to calculate transport pathways. Prior to UCSC, she contributed to a tidal energy project and participated in the Energy Surety Incubator Program as a summer intern at Sandia National Laboratories. Additionally, she is interested in scientific communication and inquiry-based teaching methods.

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