THE UNNEr~iTY OF TEXAS AT. The . MA~ I :: ~ : : I CE INS I PORT ARA SAS LazaretfeNov 1 1 Gazette NEWS FROM The University of Texas at Austin MARINE SCIENCE INSTITUTE Port Aransas, Texas 78373-5015 (512-749-6760 -fax 512-749-6777) (internet: thompson@utmsi.zo.utexas.edu) Vol. 6, Issue 6, 7 November 1997 In this issue of Lazarette Gazette Andy Biersmith -Recent Masters Degree in Marine Science . . . . . . . . . . . . cover Andy Biersmith: The origin and composition of dissolved carbohydrates in sea water . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Terry Whitledge: Over the top of the pole . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Twenty new publications by MSI scientists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Regular sections: students -p. 1, abstract -p. 3, seminars -p. 3, trip reports & travel p. 4, personnel -p. 8, cruise reports & boat operations -p. 9, publications -p. 9, egabrag woes -p. 11, tony's tidings -p. 12, facilities & equipment -p. 13, letters to the editor p. 14, irish pennants -p. 14, editor's note -p. 14 Andy Biersmith completed his masters degree. That news is months old, but his absence from the Marine Science Institute is commented on regularly, particularly at graduate student parties. Andyrecognized the positives about student life and Port A, and he stretched his time here to the maximum. I think Andy participated in every sporting event that occurred in Port A, and he managed to tear his ACL in a victory celebration following a touchdown. I thought the ducks would get a break this winter, but I hear Andy will be back soon to bag a few. In the process of enjoying student life, Andy also managed to produce an excellent thesis on the abundance and composition of carbohydrates in phytoplankton and the dissolved organic matter they produce. This thesis resulted in two manuscripts that have been submitted for publication in the journal Marine Chemistry. -Ron Benner ANDY: I made my decision to go into marine science early in my fourth year of undergraduate school at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth. Until that time I had been what I considered a mindless premed robot of the highest order. Grades sparkling, future cast in granite, pretty cheerleader girlfriend, and a lack of realization that I had no idea who I was. It was this lack of understanding which I decided to remedy in the fall of 1991. By the end ofthat year, aside from a penchant for Chinese/Japanese history, I knew I was a biologist. Of what order, I still had no idea, but because I was not graduating on time (imagine that), there was still time to decide. As it turned out, my path led me towards the Longhorns of the University of Texas, for which I harbored much hatred due to the infinite crushings handed out to my pitiful Hornfrogs during my time in Fort Worth. Only the Aggies were more despised on my list. However, soon after I arrived in Port Aransas, I knew that my academic and entertainment needs could be satisfied and that no grudge would be held. I spent my first summer in Port A in Dorm C along the channel, far away from all graduate students other than my fellow rookies. Aside from the fire ants in my dresser and the desk straight out of a 2nd grade classroom, I was thrilled. That first month was divided between BioOce studies, stimulating bacterial counts, and fishing off the jetty. However, something was definitely missing. One Friday evening I was reading a book and sipping on a 40 ounce of Mickey's when I heard a knock on the door. As no one had knocked on that door other than a custodian in over a month, I was a bit surprised to greet two young ladies who I had never met, but who seemed to know me. "Hi, I'm Patti, are you interested in playing softball tonight, we have an extra glove." Yesss!! Within 2 hours we had been slaughtered by our opponents and I was sitting comfortably at Shorty's with an ice cold Busch and surrounded by a dozen or so smiling faces. Many of them would become my friends. Unlike many of my fellow rookies, I did not get to enjoy my time in Austin. Two labs full of premed organic chemistry students every Monday and Tuesday night from 6:30-10:30 provided an entire weekend's worth of papers to grade every week like clockwork. That and a fiancee (see above cheerleader) who had not fully accepted my career goals left little time to familiarize myselfwith the nightlife, or day life for that matter. When that second semester was over, I was ready for the island. Thanks to the patience of my advisor, I was able to spend 5 summers and 3 winters in Port Aransas during my quest for first a Ph.D. and then a Masters. In that time I was blessed with the company of a great number offriends, some who still remain in Port A and some who moved on. Friends from as close as San Antonio and Victoria, and as far away as Montana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Peru. Countless hours were spent discussing biology, chemistry, botany, astronomy, evolution and God in our headier moments, and fishing, duck hunting, surfing, the opposite sex and margaritas in the lighter times. Port Aransas offered numerous extracurricular activities which I enjoyed, but it was the times with my friends which maintained my sanity. I saw and spoke with these people almost every day for 3 years. They knew my hopes and fears and I knew theirs. Without them, I would have neither made it through the rough times (see above cheerleader) nor enjoyed the good times so much. Port Aransas and UTMSI offered the chance to be very productive both mentally and emotionally ifyou only let them, something I was able to do very successfully in my time. Whether I was cramming way too much data on a poster the day before a conference, or sitting in a duck blind with a hole in my waders, my friends were there to observe and share in the emotions. I saw many people leave the island in my time, some were ecstatic and some were sad but none will ever forget their time there. As for myself, those of you who got to know me in my time in Port A, know that I will always miss UTMSI. With Masters degree in hand, I left that island as one of the sad ones. In the last three months I have had a lot of time to think back about those 3 years and probably always will. As for what I've done in those three months, I think the word "relax" works the best. I was able to backpack across several mountain passes in Colorado, fly fish in the streams and rivers of Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho, visit friends in Vancouver, B.C., Seattle, Portland, and Denver, attend a wedding ofone ofmy oldest friends, spend 3 days under 3 ft of snow in a cabin in Colorado, and cuddle with my first legal pet in 3 years. At the moment I spend my days looking for jobs and working on my car at about 9,000 ft near Divide, Colorado. Funds are supplied by tutoring in Colorado Springs about 5-10 hours a week but I'm looking into a bartending job at the moment. Longterm jobs are hopefully on the horizon, preferably as a teacher but more realistically as a chemist and biologist of world renown. Whatever happens I'm pretty happy, in no small part because of the time I spent in Port Aransas. Hope to see everyone soon. -Andy Biersmith, Mountainroach THE ORIGIN AND COMPOSITION OF DISSOLVED CARBOHYDRATES IN SEA WATER Andrew P. Biersmith, M.A. Supervisor: Ronald H. Benner Four taxonomically-diverse, phytoplankton cultures (Phaeocystis sp, Emiliania huxleyi, Synechococcus bacillaris, Skeletonema costatum) were grown in batch culture for 14 days. Particulate organic matter (POM; >0.lµm) and high-molecular-weight (HMW; >1000 Daltons) dissolved organic matter (DOM) were collected at the end ofthe growth cycle using tangential-flow ultrafiltration. Freshly-produced HMW DOM comprised -35% of the DOM in all cultures. Except in the case of Skeletonema, HMW DOM had similar carbohydrate yields to those measured for DOM, indicating that HMW DOM contains a representative fraction offreshly-produced DOM. HMW DOM was found to be enriched in carbohydrates (-66% oforganiccarbon) relative to its phytoplankton sources (-36% of organic carbon), indicating that phytoplankton excrete carbohydrate-rich DOM. Aldoses accounted for -50% of the carbohydrates in POM and HMW DOM. The aldose yields offreshly-produced HMW DOM were greatly enriched relative to yields in HMW DOM collected from surface seawater, demonstrating that aldose yield is a good indicator of the diagenetic state of DOM in natural waters. The aldose compositions of freshly-produced HMW DOM were distinct from the compositions of their phytoplankton sources, but comparable to that of the aldose compositionsofsurface seawater HMW DOM. Freshly-produced HMW DOM was characterized by similar contributions ofseveral aldoses, including galactose, glucose, mannose, fucose, xylose, and arabinose. These observations indicate that phytoplankton extracellular releases could be a major source of the dissolved heteropolysaccharides observed in relatively uniform yields and compositions in the ocean. • Jim Kaldy, The University ofTexas, Department ofMarine Science, Production dynamics, reproduction ecology and demography of Thalassia testudinum (Turtle Grass) from the lower Laguna Madre, Texas, October 30. OVER THE TOP OF THE POLE Can you imagine what you would say to a caller who asks you, ''Would you go on a submarine cruise to the North Pole under the Arctic ice?" I had this experience about one year ago and it took me less than a few seconds to answer, "Yes". The caller was a program manager at the National Science Foundation who told me Ron Benner and I had been funded on our joint grant proposal. It then became clear she was also asking me to be the Chief Scientist, which involves not an insignificant amount of prior planning and additional responsibilities during the cruise. My trip on the USS ARCHERFISH (SSN 678) was a part of the Scientific Ice Experiment (SCICEX-97) program which is jointly sponsored by the Office of Naval Research and the National Science Foundation. Their agreement commits the U.S. Navy to provide an annual research cruise on a nuclear submarine over a five year period. This was the third of such cruises on Sturgeon class nuclear attack submarines which all had the same general destination in the Arctic Ocean basin. Dean Stockwell participated in a similar cruise on the USS CAVALLA in 1995. Three pre-cruise meetings were required to choose the other scientists who would go along on the submarine trip and collect data and samples for the nearly 50 scientists who were participating in the SCICEX program. This involved such minute details as where the submarine would be located every hour during the 55 day trip. Also included in the pre-cruise preparations were medical examinations (including psychological fitness), secret security clearance, briefings on submarine safety and Arctic ice operations, a week ofloading the submarine with equipment and supplies and four days of sea trials to check the submarine for leaks. Our expedition departed from Groton Sub Base in Connecticut on 21 August. I boarded the boat just one hour before sailing because ofsome very close airline connections. I had never been late for a ship sailing but for a short while I thought that I might not keep that record. There is a definite feeling of "This is it" when you enter the submarine and the hatch is closed over you for the next 55 days. The submarine departed port on the surface and did not submerge until the water was deep so I took the opportunity to ride on top ofthe bridge while the submarine was mostly underwater. The warm Atlantic Ocean water was calm so the ride was very smooth. We submerged after about three hours and headed northeast. The route took us parallel to the coast past Nova Scotia, Iceland, Greenfand and Svalbard (also known as Spitsbergen). The water stayed very warm as we proceeded northward because ofthe influence ofthe Gulf Stream. Only north of Iceland did the waters approach freezing. Shortly thereafter, we had a close encounter with a large iceberg which had apparently calved from the Greenland ice sheet. A detour was taken after we estimated that it extended several hundred feet below the surface. After eleven days travel we entered the Arctic Ocean basin and began the 30-day data collection program which was divided into five phases. "o. 0 500 km EAST SIBERIAN SE!A BARENTS SEA c A M A. b I\ The first phase was a transect across the basin that terminated near the Canadian coast that lasted 10 days. The primary task was calibration ofthe Tran-Arctic Propagation (TAP) experiment with salinity and temperature measurements. This experiment is a 10 year study that estimates temperature changes of Arctic waters by the travel times ofacoustic signals between Russia and Canada. The submarine normally traveled at a depth of 440 feet but every day excursions were taken to 190 and 780 ft to collect water samples from a spigot in the hull. Periodically, we would collect water samples from 8 depths at a location while the submarine ran in a tight circle ofabout 150-200 yards. The water pressure would automatically provide sample water but initially the crew had some concern that the "mad scientists" may flood the boat. About three days into the phase on 4 September, we came to the North Pole and circled it twice in six minutes. North Pole water was collected as souvenirs and a few brave souls drank a toast of seawater to Neptune. A short distance from the Pole, we found suitable ice so the submarine broke through and surfaced. Everyone had "ice liberty" to explore the North Pole. A relatively balmy temperature of 22° F and a wind of 10 mph made the "ice party" a pleasant diversion. After getting back to work, a large semipermanent eddy (gyre) was sampled in order to characterize this understudied feature that is created by the ocean currents. Phase two sampled along the edge ofthe Arctic Basin near Canadian, U.S. and Russian coastlines. Hourly samples were collected for 10 days in order to identify regions of high primary productivity and bacterial decomposition in waters that originate in both the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. This area is thought to be a major region of C02 uptake that is very important in the balance of greenhouse gasses and climate change. It was a surprise to see millions ofjellyfish in the Arctic waters under the ice during this phase. There have been no published reports oflarge numbers ofjellyfish in the Arctic so I now believe that they may be a primary consumer of the zooplankton. Several large water samples were also collected for Ron Benner to analyze for the types ofdissolved organic matter which will indicate the fraction ofmaterial that originated in rivers or other land runoff. 5 Phase three started at the edge of the Laptev Sea and headed back toward the Pole. This three day operation was focused on gravity measurements over the Lomonosov Ridge which can improve the charts of the ocean bottom including the type and age of sediments. Phase four angled back toward the Canadian coast and was targeted to collect water samples for helium, tritium, cesium137, iodine-129 and chlorofluorocarbons that are water tracers. These tracers are mostly man-made and have different origins so in conjunction with each other can be used to show very precise water circulation patterns. Phase five accomplished an intense survey of ice thickness and conditions in a 100 mile circle where a very important study was being started in October. This experiment known as SHEBA has an icebreaker frozen in the ice for one year while measurements of ice production and heat loss are measured during the seasons. The survey by the submarine was the only way to sample such a large area over a short time period since it can cruise at speeds up to 20 knots. The submarine cruise next year will again survey the same area near the close of the SHEBA experiment. We departed the Arctic Ocean on the Pacific side and slowly crossed the shallow Chukchi Sea, throughBering Strait and finally the Bering Sea and North Pacific Ocean. We entered the Straits ofJuan de Fuca and landed at the Bangor Submarine Base in Washington on 15 October. During the cruise we traveled about 15,000 miles underwater and surfaced only three times to check navigation instruments. Samplesfor 17 different analyses were collected at 476 locations for a total of 5,400 samples. My samples for nutrients and plant pigments required that more than 12,000 liters of water were filtered. In general, I liked the life aboard the submarine, but attack submarines are not large. The living spacefor 125 men and torpedo room are contained in this metal cylinder that is 35 feet in diameter and about 100 feet long. The other 200 feet is comprised of the nuclear propulsion unit. The Trident missile submarines, by comparison, are nearly twice as long for about the same number of men. The sleeping quarters have bunks that are exactly six feet long and are stacked three or four high with 17 inches between them. My elbow resting on my mattress would place the knuckles ofmy hand against the bottom of the bunk above me. Within a couple of days, I learned to roll over in bed without striking my elbows on anything. There was a 4.5 inch thick tray under the bunk that was the only storage space provided for clothes and other essentials. There were a lot of hooks on the sides of the bunks to hang clothing which was convenient but it made me feel like I was sleeping in my clothes closet at home. This was especially true since 15 men were sleeping in the room, so with the different watches, it was always dark. Toilet and shower facilities were especially limited, and a line often developed near times to change the watches. The tanks for the toilets were pressurized with air to empty them every 12-18 hours. This was especially hazardous because back pressure could blow back the stool contents if you were not careful. There were several rather distasteful accidents. I must add here that the entire ship was very clean. All the passageways and common areas like the mess deck were cleaned every eight hours. There were four meals served each day with a midnight meal added to provide energy for the early morningwatches. I liked the food which I would rate as being better than 90% of the other boats I have sailed on. There was very little fresh fruit or vegetables but given the lack of storage space and the 60 day length of the trip, there was a very good variety of food served. Bread, dinner rolls or biscuits were baked daily and once a week 20 large pizzas. I volunteered to prepare the pizzas on the last day, which was a fun event. ~rar11~uhnmrin.er Know YcallSea bwyas.Fishmonsas.Wharf Rats. Landlubbers and otha Inland Hill People.that the Blue WataSailor- TERRY E. WHITLEDGE Other aspects of life aboard the boat were very interesting. I was impressed with the training that was given to all members of the crew. There was a continual process of studying and qualifying for the next rating. is proclaimed an hoaorary manba of the ship·1 company Emergency dives and surfacings I/SSARfl/ERFISll(SSN 678) and fire drills were especially Having on 08AUG97 aboard this nuclear powaed attack submarine dac:cnded lively with the crew scurrying into the unfathomable depths of my realm. Haeafta.the abovenamed individual shall through the boat to reach their be duly recognized as and accorded all privileges of an honorary submariner. stations. The average age of the ships complement was 22 years ~~,{?~R old, so it is not too surprising /!#&lllllJe qJJ&er ~Ing()/fleer that I was the oldest person aboard. I took a little flack for being the age of their grandpa. But near the beginning of the trip I shaved my head like many of the crew members. That single event made the crew accept me as a submariner. I think you can understand I had an interesting and exciting trip. I was able to sail from the Atlantic to the Pacific under the Arctic ice, stand on the North Pole and collect scientific samples that have never been collected before. But most of all, I enjoyed seeing the Arctic ice through a video camera from a new perspective--from the bottom. The light transmitted through the ice distinctly showed the mosaic ofpieces that are frozen together to make the ice pack. You only see the white surface and a few ice ridges from the surface. I am often asked if I would go on another submarine cruise and my_answer is a most definite "Yes". I am not anxious to go again next week, but given a few weeks at home, I would eagerly participate in another submerged cruise to the interesting oceanic world of the Arctic. -Terry Whitledge Travel ending between October 17 and November 7 +Rick Tinnin, October 16-18, Fort Worth, Texas, attend conference on advancement of science teaching and co-present marine aquarium workshop for teachers. +Bob Huntington, October 16-18, FortWorth, Texas, attend conference on advancement ofscience teaching and co-present marine aquarium workshop for teachers. +Terry Whitledge, August 21-0ctober 19, Seattle, Washington, participate in the SCICEX-97 submarine cruise to the Arctic North Pole as chief scientist. +Chris Collumb, October 11-19, North Kingston, Rhode Island, present paper, Effects of the sustained Texas brown tide bloom on egg production and hatching success of the copepod Acartia tonsa. at the Estuarine Research Federation Meeting. +Ed Buskey, October 12-19, Providence, Rhode Island, present paper, The role of hypersalinity in the persistence of the Texas brown tide bloom in the Laguna Madre, at the Estuarine Research Federation Meeting. +Ken Dunton, October 12-19, Providence, Rhode Island and Stony Brook, New York, present paper, Relationship between benthic nitrogen concentration and fiux with seagrass decline in Texas estuaries, and meet with colleagues on Antarctic National Science Foundation project. +Tracy Villareal, October 12-19, Providence, Rhode Island, present paper, Chemical composition of the Texas brown tide, at the Estuarine Research Federation Meeting. +Dean Stockwell, October 8-20, Seward, Alaska, participate in GLOBEC research cruise aboard the RIV ALPHA HELIX in the Gulf of Alaska. +Ron Benner, October 18-20, Salt Lake City and Ogden, Utah, present paper, Biodegradation: a chemically selective process resulting in chemically unrecognizable residues, at the national meeting of the Geological Society of America. +Lauren Clark, October 18-25, Salt Lake City and Ogden, Utah, present paper, Nuclear magnetic resonance characterization ofdissolved organic phosphorus in the equatorial Pacific Ocean, at the national meeting of the Geological Society of America. +Ellery lngall, October 18-26, Salt Lake City and Ogden, Utah, present paper, Enhanced phosphorus regeneration from sediments overlain by oxygen depleted waters: new evidence from Vancouver Island, and to serve as facilitator for the organic geochemical perspectives symposium, at the national meeting of the Geological Society of America. +Noe Cantu, October 20-25, Woods Hole, Massachusetts, attend the annual RVOC (Research Vessel Operators Council) meeting as the representative of UTMSI. +Stephen Opsahl, October 27-28, College Station, Texas, present seminar to TAMU Department of Oceanography. +Paul Montagna, October 27-28, Slidell, Louisiana, Gulfport and Pascagoula, Mississippi, attend Gulf of Mexico modeling workshop sponsored by Gulf of Mexico Program at the Stennis Space Center. +Tony Amos, October 26-30, Seattle, Washington, attend the annual RVTECH (Research Vessel Technology Council) as the representative of UTMSI. +Scott Holt, November 3-6, Miami, Florida, invited participation as panel member on Florida Bay Science Program's upper trophic level workshop. • Steve Jarvis is working in Paul Montagna's lab as a post-doctoral fellow. Steve hails from England, where he got his Ph.D. in marine ecology from the University ofWales, Bangor, following a zoology degree at Bristol University. He is unique in that he is a certified Harpacticoida systematist by the London Museum ofNatural History. He will be working on harpacticoids from three different projects ranging from Rincon Bayou to the Gulf of Mexico. • Hanan Mitwally is a visiting Ph.D. student from the University of Alexandria, Egypt. She will be working in Paul Montagna's lab for two years completing her studies on the ecology of beaches. One interesting aspect ofher work includes comparing trophic interactions between diatoms and meiofauna on beaches in Egypt and Texas. • Duffy Aldridge is back at work now. Duffy has been cleared by his doctor to return to his work as Building Monitor for MSI. Most MSI folks do not get much ofa chance to become acquainted with Duffy since he works the midnight to 8 a.m. shift. Duffy is a long time employee (sixteen years) of MSI and is retired from the Coast Guard. • Stan Dignum has been working part time in boat operations. Stan has operated the RIV KATY on several trips, made one trip aboard the RIVLONGHORN, and is helping the boat crew prepare for the UNOLS inspection ofthe RIVLONGHORN scheduled for early December. Stan has his own charter sport fishing boat in Port Aransas. In his distant past, he spent several years at TAMU in the study of Marine Biology. I attended the RVOC (Research Vessel Operators Council) meeting at Woods Hole on October 20 -24. 61 persons from other marine laboratories and governmental agencies were present. During the formal portion of the meeting some useful topics were . , presented, such as medical standards for captains and crew members, UNOLS scheduling .~·,~fi>'J:§<:l:~=and reporting procedures, NSF ship budgets, State Department clearance problems with .'';\\:_ -~{.Mexico, SEANET, standardizing laboratory vans, and sexual harassment. After the ·--6 meeting, I enjoyed spending a good amount of time with the Captain and Chief Mate aboard the RIV OCEANUS. It was a great opportunity to see the ship and discuss marine operations. In the afternoon I met with Jim Akens, the Woods Hole Engineer who had worked out the email program being used on their ships. I made some good contacts with possible ship users and all in all felt it was a good and useful trip. It was a nice time to visit the area, as the fall color was beautiful. Cruise #97-698 -The RIV LONGHORN departed Port Aransas at 0715, Wednesday, October 28, for Baffin Bay. On the morning of the 29th we headed into Baffin Bay to marker 24, where the salinity was measured at only 16, and then turned back and headed home, arriving in Port Aransas at 1630. Chief Scientist was Ed Buskey and other members ofthe scientific party were Chris Collumb, Graduate Student; Jose Bersano, Graduate Student; Peter Lavrentyev, Postdoctoral Fellow; and Brian Wysor, Research Scientist Assistant. This was an NSF trip for Dr. Buskey's brown tide research. We stopped at several sites along the I.C.W. and deployed the Whaler for towing in shallower water. We also did CTD casts and along-track fluorometry. We had a problem with the pump for the along-track fluorometer but we were able to fix it right away. Cruise #97-699 -Our most recent cruise aboard the RIVLONGHORN was for the Department of Marine Science's Marine Chemistry Class. Ellery Ingall was the Chief Scientist. Other participants were Terry Whitledge and Graduate Students Edith Kaiser, Lauren Clark, Robert Burgess, Lanny Miller, Eric Thoman, and Michael Smith. We got underway at 0805, Monday, November 3, and returned home at 2045 on Tuesday, November 4. Ouz: work consisted ofCTD's and box cores. The weather was great on the first day, however early Tuesday morning we were greeted by a beautiful red sky, and the saying goes, "red sky in morning, sailors take warning!" By the time we returned back to Port Aransas we had 37 mph winds and 6 to 8 foot seas. Dr. Ingall later reported that the students were all extremely positive about the experience, and that it was an excellent opportunity to demonstrate principles ofmarine chemistry as well as several types of marine sampling and measurement. -Noe Cantu ~ L ,. y ' q:,·; :;.,, 1~/(' ,p' :-[/,,,,,.,.,.;;::.; ( ...~ ~ ,..''"'/ ~ ~,..._,/ u~ I', V/J Q !;;;;~_.J 1 --~y~ ---~~--------~~~~~~~~~~--~---- -~---~~-~,.~;,,,.-. V-~~YA ~YA~~-~Y.V-¥ j New publications since March 1997 Amon, R.M.W. and R. Benner. (in press). Seasonal patterns of bacterial abundance and production in the Mississippi River plume and their importance for the fate ofenhanced primary production. Microb. Ecol. Benner, R., B. Biddanda, B. Black and M. McCarthy. Abundance, size distribution and stable isotope carbon and nitrogen isotopic compositions of marine organic matter isolated by tangential-flow ultrafiltration. Mar. Chem. Buskey, E.J. Components of mating behavior in planktonic copepods. J. of Marine Systems. Buskey, E.J. (in press). Energetic costs of swarming behavior for the copepod Diothiona oculata. Marine Biology. Davis, D.A. and C.R. Arnold. (in press). Response of Atlantic croaker fingerlings to practical diet formulations with varying protein and energy contents. Journal of the World Aquaculture Society. Davis, D.A. Tolerance of the rotifer Brachionus plicatilis to ozone and total oxidative residuals. Ozone Science and Engr. Fuiman, L.A. and R.S. Batty. 1997. What a drag it is getting cold: partitioning the physical and physiological effects of temperature on fish swimming. J. of Exp. Biol. 200: 1745-1755. Gee, J.M. and R. Burgess. 1997. Trianthrix montagni and T. kalki, a new genus and two new species of Cletodidae (Crustacea: copepoda: harpacticoida) from California and the Gulf of Mexico. Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 110(2):210-226. Hedges, J.I., R. Keil and R. Benner. What happens to terrestrially-derived organic matter in the ocean? Org. Geochim. Herzka, S.Z. and K.H. Dunton. (in press). Seasonal photosynthetic patterns of the seagrass Thalassia testudinum in the western Gulf of Mexico. Mar. Ecol. Prag. Ser. Higgs, D.M., and L.A. Fuiman. (in press). Associations between sensory development and ecology in three species of clupeoid fish. Copeia. McCarthy, M., T. Pratum, J.I. Hedges and R. Benner. (in p~ess). Chemical composition of dissolved organic nitrogen in the ocean. Nature. Poling, K.R. and L.A. Fuiman. 1997. Sensory development and concurrent behavioral changes in Atlantic croaker larvae. J. Fish. Biol. 51 :402-421. Rooker, J.R., S.A. Holt, M.A. Soto and G.J. Holt. (in press). Post-settlement patterns of habitat use by sciaenid fishes in subtropical seagrass meadows. Estuaries. Rooker, J.R. and S.A. Holt. (in press). Utilization of subtropical seagrass meadows by newly settled red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus): patterns of distribution and growth. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. Rooker, J.R., G.J. Holt and S.A. Holt. (in press). Vulnerability of newly settled red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus) to predatory fish: is early life survival enhanced by seagrass meadows? Mar. Biol. Skoog, A. and R. Benner. (in press). Aldoses in various size fractions of marine organic matter: implications for carbon cycling. Limnology and Oceanography. Street, G.T., G.R. Lotufo, P.A. Montagna, and J.W. Fleeger. (in press). Reduced genetic diversity in a meiobenthic copepod exposed to a xenobiotic. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology. 10 Street, G.T., P.A. Montagna and P.L. Parker. (in press). Incorporation of brown estuarine food web. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. Weinbauer, M.G., S.W. Wilhelm, C.A. Suttle and D.R. Garza. (in press). Photoreactivation compensates for UV damage and restores infectivity to natural marine viral communities. Applied and Environmental Microbiology. -compiled by Patty Webb Piling Puzzle Solved -Why is it that Dormitory B (AK.A Men's Dorm, Old Dorm, Engineer Building) has 24 concrete pilings and four wooden pilings? Dorm B is the building near the ship channel which is well over 100 years old, having been built about 1890 by the U. S. Army Corps ofEngineers. UT acquired the building, then in a great state ofdisrepair, along with the 11.2 acres ofland purchased by Dr. Lund and donated to UT which comprises the original MSI property at Port Aransas. First, I admit this is not a problem worth losing any sleep over. Those four 107 year-old creosote timber piles are still doingthe job as well as the 24 concrete ones. We have had to make repairs to a few ofthe concrete piles, but not the timber ones. Nevertheless, I have often wondered why 24 piles were replaced with concrete but not 28. Now I know. -John Thompson April 30, 1951 President T. S. Painter The University of Texas Austin 12, Texas Dear President Painter: Enclosed is a short report on the activities of the Institute of Marine Science from January 1 to April 30, 1951 . .............There has been considerable difficulty in completing the job of putting concrete piling under the "Engineer Building". This was caused by turnover in the labor force. First, our carpenterresigned. The work was then carried on by his chief assistant, a man who was a preacher in one of the smaller denominations in Port Aransas. He did quite well with the piling but was suddenly run out of town by his congregation. Unfortunately, one of the old piling had been removed and not replaced. His chief assistant in turn, a gentleman of Mexican extraction, was then hired and finally added the missing piling. The job was not a good one, as all the others were,and I refused to let him go ahead with the remaining four. So as the matter stands, we now have 24 concrete piling under this building with four of the wooden piling remaining. We have a small garage built around these four remaining wooden pilings and although the buildingdoes not look symmetrical with 24 concrete and 4 wooden pilings, it is felt that the job of protecting it is complete and that it will withstand hurricanes in the future, even if no substitution is made for the wooden piling for some years to come. Respectfully submitted, G. Gunter, Acting Director (Tide predictions are for tidal heights at the tide tower, South Jetty, the Aransas Pass. Heights are in feet above or below mean sea level. The shaded area is nighttime. Remember, this is tidal height, not tidal current. Slack water is when the wiggly line crosses the MSL line, not at peaks and valleys, where the tidal current will be at full 2 1 0 -1 -2 2 1 0 -1 -2 2 1 0 -1 -2 2 1 0 -1 -2 2 1 0 -1 -2 2 1 0 -1 -2 flood or ebb.) NOVEMBER SUN z O> 0 .,, ~ s: CENTRAL STANDARD TIME MON TUE WED THU s: O> z -)> 0 ~ s: ~ O> z )> 0 s: ~ O> s: .,, as: z O> z > 0 s: ~ O> s: .,, a s: z O> z O> )> 0 .,, s: ~ s: s: a z FRI O> z )> 0 s: 0 z O> .,,s: s: a z SAT O> z O> )> 0 .,, s: 0 s:z s: 0 z ,· 2 :c 1 m 0 G) :c-1 -i -2 -:::;; c. 2 :c 1 m 0 G) :c-1 -i -2 -:::;; c. 2 :c 1 m 0 G) :c-1 -i -2 -:::;; c. 2 :c 1 m 0 G) :c-1 -i -2 -:::;; c. 2 :c 1 m 0 G) :c-1 -i -2 -:::;; c. :c m G> I --i ---n .!:!:. 12 - "" .. Weather Report for 13 October -2 November 1997 13 -19 OCT 1997 ..... MON .... TUE .... WED .... THU .... FRI .... SAT .... SUN ... MEAN DATE ................ 13 ...... 14 ...... 15 ...... 16 ...... 17 ... . .. 18 ..... . 19 AIR TEMP ... HIGH . . 80.7 ..... 72.1 ..... 72.6 ..... 73.2 . . . . 76.3 ..... 77.5 ..... 80.2 ..... 76.1 AIR TEMP ... LOW . . 63.3 ..... 59.5 ..... 60.6 ..... 61.7 . . . . 62.0 ..... 66.3 ..... 71.2 ..... 63.5 SEA TEMP ... LOW ..... 71.6 . ...... --..... 70.7 --..... 71.9 . . . . . . . 71.4 RAINFALL TOTAL .. 4.50 ..... 0.00 ..... 0.00 ..... 0.00 .... 0.00 ..... 0.00 ..... 0.00 ..... 4.50 20 -26 OCT 1997 ..... MON .... TUE .... WED .... THU .... FRI .... SAT .... SUN ... MEAN DA TE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 . . . . . . 21 . . . . . . 22 . . . . . . 23 ...... 24 ...... 25 ...... 26 AIR TEMP ... HIGH 81.5 ..... 82.0 ..... 74.4 ..... 80.6 83.1 ..... 81.5 ..... 75.2 ..... 79.8 AIR TEMP . . . LOW 73.0 ..... 70.1 ..... 65.3 . . . . . 72.3 74.1 ..... 72.5 ... .. 52.1 ..... 68.5 SEA TEMP . . . LOW 74.7 ....... --..... 72.3 ....... --72.3 . . . . . . --. . . . . 70.3 . . . . . 72.4 RAINFALL TOTAL 0.00 ..... 0.00 ..... 0.02 ..... 0.04 0.00 ..... 0.00 ..... 0.00 . . . . . 0.06 27 OCT -2 NOV 97 ••. MON •••• TUE .•.• WED .... THU •..• FRI .... SAT ••.. SUN ... MEAN DATE ................ 27 ...... 28 ...... 29 . . . . . . 30 ..... . 31 ...... 01 ...... 02 AIR TEMP ... HIGH . . 64.2 ..... 74.1 ..... 73.9 ..... 81.6 . . . . 80.7 ..... 81.3 ..... 77.l ..... 76.1 AIR TEMP . . .LOW . . 52.1 ..... 57.0 ..... 67.4 ..... 68.5 .... 72.5 . .. .. 67.2 ..... 59.0 ..... 63.4 SEA TEMP . . . LOW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . --..... 75.0 ....... --. . . . . . . -RAINFALL TOTAL .. 0.00 ..... 0.08 ..... 0.07 ..... 0.00 .... 0.00 ..... 0.00 ..... 0.00 ..... 0.15 -Tony Amos Creating a Wetlands Education Center -The new Wetlands Education Center project will include construction of a tidal salt marsh on about 3.5 acres ofland between the Pier Laboratory and the Visitors Center. The recreated wetland will be in an area that is old dredge spoil. It will have high and low marsh halophytes, Spartina and black mangrove, and submerged seagrasses that will serve as a showcase center with programs aimed at creating a heightened awareness of the uniqueness and value of this system. Elevated walkways across the marsh will provide for access along with peripheral walkways and a viewing gazebo. The first meeting of the project oversight committee was held in Port Aransas Thursday, November 6. In attendance were project manager Rick Tinnin and members Joan Holt, Bob Huntington, Tony Amos, and John Thompson. Members Ken Dunton and Mary Abell were unable to attend. Creating a Wedlands Education Center: A Planning Grant, was awarded to MSI and The University ofTexas by the state's General Land Office from funds provided by the Department ofCommerce under the Federal Coastal Zone Management Act. The project manager and oversight committee will develop a detailed narrative summary and description of the center which will be used to solicit bids from marsh restoration and mitigation consulting firms. The firm selected will be responsible for surveying the site and providing cost estimates and site plans and schemetics. The project consultant will also be responsible for obtaining the necessary permits from state and federal agencies. The project manager, with assistance from three exemplary classroom teachers, will develop a draft education program outline for the center. .. -.... ,.. • Thanks for all the Laz Gazes that have been sent to me over the years. I really enjoy receiving them and keeping up-to-date with the happenings at UTMSI. I will be moving to Richmond, Virginia in two weeks, so I wanted to give you my new address: 28 Chase Gayton Circle #725, Richmond, VA 23233. Thanks and best wishes. (Beth Trust Hammer, Ph.D., 1993) GROUP REUNION PHOTOS NOW AVAILABLE -Thanks to Faust Parker, we have really good color photos available of the group picture taken at the time ofthe MSI 50-year reunion. These are 8 by 12 color photos. They are going in the mail now to those who previously requested them by writing the Lazarette Gazette. If you would like one, the cost is five dollars, including tax. Make your check payable to The University of Texas. Our Artist, MSI Grounds Supervisor Mike Gibson, deserves a special thanks for truly capturing Andy Biersmith in his masthead artwork. Thanks to Ron Benner and to Andy Biersmith for their help. And thanks to Terry Whitledge for his great article on his adventures beneath the Arctic ice. Reading Director Gunter's 1951 letter to President Painter (Egabrag Woes), I wondered if I should write Acting President Peter Flawn about our 1997 problem, also involving timber piles and concrete, with the foundation work in our boat shop reconstruction project. Then I realized, I would not have a role in repeating the episode. The Associate Director -Administration is just one of many extra added persons between whomever plays the part of the ran-out-of-town preacher of a minor denomination, the MSI Director, and the President. How many extra folks are there? Maybe six or eight, I am not sure. The pilings replacement story was a continuing drama -Gunter had previously written to President Painter in an earlier report on his plans, including the anticipated cost ($448). The next Lazarette Gazette will have a revised listing of graduates. There are several changes and additions since it was last published. Graduates with a change of address in the last two years please let the editor know now so our new listing will reflect it. Few of our listings have an email address. To add yours, please message me (thompson@utmsi.zo.utexas.edu). Even ifthere has not been an address change, how about sending the Lazarette Gazette a message or letter? Lots of folks wrote when they first began to receive the Lazarette Gazette, but the newsletter is now in its sixth year-time to write/message again. -John Thompson