The Lazarette Gazette NEWS FROM The University of Texas at Austin MARINE SCIENCE INSTITUfE Port Aransas, Texas 78373-1267 Vol. 2, Issue 24, 22 December 1993 In this issue of Lazarette Gazette Terry Whitledge: Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from UTMSI . . . . . cover Research Grant/Contract Awards Update fo_r MSI -·December 1993 . . . . . . . . . 2 Tony Amos: Special information on "Amos" tide diagrams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 Regular sections: director's report~ p. 1, trip reports & travel -p. 3, egabrag woes -p. 3, safety -p. 4, irish pennants -p. 5, fiscal office facts... -p~ 7, letters to the editor -p. 7, tony's tidings -p. 8, attaboys -p. 11, editor's note -p. 11 · The holiday season is upon us again. With all o(the hustle and bustle that sweeps us along through the festive season, it is a great feeling to see the spirit of Christmas on people's faces. At this time of year, I find it difficult not to look back at Christmas in the past and remember the anticipation and excitement that I felt. I hope that all of our readers can give and receive a measure of that same holiday spirit. It is my pleasure to extend to all our readers best wishes for a joyous holiday season as well as for a happy and healthy New Year from all of us at UTMSI. -Terry Whitledge GRANTS AND CONTRACTS AWARDS UPDATE-DECEMBER 1993 • Department of Interior 92-38/2 Whitledge & Thomas: "Marine Toxicology Program," U.S. Department oflnterior/Fish & Wildlife Service, Cooperative Agmt #14-48-0009-93-926 (Yr 2 of 5), 10/01J93-09/30/94. 93-45/1 Holt, S: "Seagrass Loss and Species Change and Its Effect on Habitat Functions," Cooperative Agmt 14-48-0009-93-954, Task Order #1(Yr1 only), U.S. Department of Interior/Fish & Wildlife Service, 09/17/93/93-05/30/95. • National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration: 93-46 Amos: "Oceanography of the Waters Around Elephant Island, Antarctica," (Year 5), National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, NA47FR0028, 11/01J93-10/30/94. • National Science Foundation: 91-44/2 Benner: "Bacterial Carbon Metabolism in the Amazon River," University ofWashington/National Science Foundation, Subcontract 519393 (Yr 2 of 2), 09/01/93-08/31/94. •Texas Higher Education/Coordinating Board: 93-41 Holt, J & Holt, S: "Transport of Larval Fishes to Estuarine Nursery Areas: Do Otoliths Reveal Past History?" THE/CB-Advanced Research Program, Grant 003658-392, 01/01J94-12/31/95. 93-42 Dunton: "Photosynthesis and Light Relations in the Seagrass Thalassia testudinum: Application Towards Water Transparency Criteria," THE/CB-Advanced Research Program, Grant 003658-419, 0lJO1/94-12/31/95. •Texas Water Development Board: 93-43 Montagna: "Effect of Freshwater Inflow on Macrobenthos Productivity and Nitrogen Losses in Texas Estuaries," Texas Water Development Board, Contract 94-483-003, 09/01/93-08/31/94. -Lynn Amos Travel ending between December 3 and December 22 +Rick Tinnin, December 3-4, South Padre Island, to support Project Atmosphere Teacher Workshop. +Terry Whitledge, December 7, Houston, attend meeting of the Houston Ship Channel Study Oversight Committee. +Terry Whitledge, December 10-12, San Francisco, California, attend Ocean, Atmosphere, Ice Interactions Committee Meeting of Arctic SystemsScience Program of the National Science Foundation. +Paul Montagna, December 14-15, New Orleans, Louisiana, present paper GOOMEX meiofauna and infauna biological studies at the Minerals Management Service Information Transfer Meeting and attend GOOMEX Scientific Review Board Meeting. +Gregory Street, December 14-15, New Orleans, Louisiana, present paper Meiofauna genetic diversity at the Minerals Management Service Information Transfer Meeting. Fort Odum -The story of Fort Odum has long been top secret. -wartime files of Winston Churchill, assassination files ofJohn F. Kennedy, and files on J. Edgar Hoover/drag queen have all been made public, so why not the files on Fort Odum. Like the Kennedy assassination, some aspects of coincidence regarding Fort Odum are so unlikely as to suggest conspiracy. How else can one explain my presence on the grassy knoll -I mean dorm porch -several months before I w~s employed by MSI? H. T. Odum was the Director of the Marine Science Institute from 1956 through 1962. Large, redhead, brilliant-most of us liked and respected him. But some thought the MSI of old a bit strictly regimented. An annual order for rather large bakelite signs kept even the janitor's closet clearly labeled in case you forgot what it was or that SAM GAMPERT was in charge of the closet (one wag added underneath knock before entering and was seriously reprimanded for so doing). Little neat rows of white painted rocks indicated the proper route so you did not get lost walking from the classroom to the dorm. A few came to call MSI, Fort Odum. In 1960 UT President Logan Wilson visited MSI. Dr. Odum and President Wilson made a voyage on the MSI's RIV CIENCIA (Carpenter/Captain Herman Moore commanding). The CIENCIA cruised out to the Gulf and returned; as it approached the MSI pier, those aboard noticed a large banner had been unfurled, not visible from land, but completely covering the seaward side of the pier laboratory building. President Wilson asked Captain Moore to circle for a closer view. The sign said "FORT ODUM". President Wilson thought it was a great joke! Dr. Odum did not. I did witness the event from the dorm porch. At MSI to interview for the position of Administrative Assistant, I was told by Secretary Olive, sorry, we liked someone who had an earlier appointment and hired them; besides, Dr. Odum is giving President Wilson a boat trip now. She suggested I look around anyway. I wandered down by the dormitory and was hailed by a group on the porch and offered a coke. They seemed to be unusually congenial and in great spirits, but I was puzzled how they found so much amusement in just viewing a boat circling by a pier. Perhaps the memory of this friendly group played a part in my decision to reapply months later. (And AWOL Adm. Asst. Garner, Colonel USAF Ret., was replaced by Adm. Asst. Thompson, PFC USMCR.) -John Thompson MSDS Sheets -December 3-17 SUTTLE: Silver Wool, 99.9%. THOMAS: Ethyl Alcohol 200 Proof USP, Sephacryl HR, Terned Electrophoresis Reagent, L-Asorbic Acid Free Acid Fine Crystals Approx 325 Mesh, Tungstolsilicic Acid. WHITLEDGE: Lubriseal. MSIEmployees complete basic radiological health training-Twenty-nine MSI employees completed an 8 hour course in basic radiological health taught November 8 and 9 and December 6 and 7 by Larry Hamlin ofthe UT Safety Office. The course covered radiation units, instrumentation, personnel monitoring, S.I. units, laboratory procedures, shielding, decay, emergency procedures, "Manual ofRadiation Safety", and portions ofthe "Texas Regulations for control ofradiation". Employees completing the course were: Hayden Abel, Rainer Amon, Bill Beasley, Susan Becker, Bopaiah Biddanda, Diane Breckenridge, Rini Budiantara, Robert Burgess, Amy Chan, Matt Cottrell, Hudson Deyoe, Jennifer Dicocco, Charles Laidley, Kun-Seop Lee, Shampa Ghosh, Don Gibson, Kim Jackson, Jim Kaldy, Rick Kalke, Woodie Lawson,Stephen Opsahl, Patti Pickering, Jonathon Pinter, Robert Rewolinski, Izhar Khan, Dean Stockwell, Lynn Tinnin, Terry Whitledge, Yong Zhu. Hazardous materials finally depart MSI -Much credit needs to be given to the new folks at UT's Office of Environmental Health and Safety. William Fordyce and a team from the safety office together with a private contractor were in Port Aransas December 15, 16, and 17 to dispose of accumulated hazardous materials. Some of these materials had been around for years, and were not easy to handle (one of the contractor's people, appropriately dressed to handle some old ether, looked like he had just stepped out of the space program). This serious "hands on" help is greatly appreciated. Maintenance request procedures for fume hoods-The maintenance staff has to be certain it is safe before they work on a fume hood. Requests for furn~ hood work need to include information concerning conditions which may be hazardous to those working on the hood. If it is safe, this should be stated in writing and signed by the senior scientist. Ifhazards exist and precautions need to be taken, these should be stated on the maintenance request. 4 Needles, razor blades, scalpels and any glass contaminated with infectious material all need to be disposed of in an iso-lizer. These units have been furnished to every laboratory. Additional ones are available when needed. • My second sail -I spend two hours in the channel fighting with a 78 mph current, which puts me in places I surely have no intention of going. My original plan is to spend a leisure hour out in the Gulf and return on the incoming tidal current. By the time I sail (drift) to the end of the jettys I am ready to make new plans. It's rough out there. Motoring back is slow, but all is well. That is until my motor jumps off. It happens something like this: bobbing up and down in the waves with the help of a passing shrimp boat, my motor is tiring and makes a leap for the cockpit. Missing the cockpit, it makes a lunge for the water, screaming all the way. Being the speedy, ever-ready, salty, sailor person I am, I reach out and grab that little sucker. Perfect timing and accuracy saves four hp worth of life saving equipment. Motor back in place, with life line, I happily tie up in my dock. My third sail -I take a leisurely sail up the channel with my first mate Angela Piepmeier laying back with radio in hand. Now she "are" a sailor too. All is well. My fourth sail -It is such a beautiful day, I decide to burn a few hours of comp. time on the water. My skills being perfected and usage of nautical terms gave me no second thoughts of venturing out into the open seas. By the way, I now can sail with two sails. Boat prepared for take off, I start the trusty little kicker motor. It goes into automatic "no run" condition. This was a feature I had no idea was built into such a small engine. I really got a bargain. An hour and a halflater I find a way to. by-pass the "no run" feature and ease out into the swift running current. One sail goes up. Most of the way. Corrections made, the sail fills and with the help of the motor lam sailing. The motor puffs smoke and is dead. Crank, crank, crank. C ... ! (censored, hint: rhymes with wrap, ed.) Second thoughts: can I make a landing somewhere? Where? F AML pier will stop me. By the time I reach Roberts Point, the motor is again running, but I want to go back. I have good wind, so I raise my jib. Whoa! That suckers big. A quick turn sends me heading . back toward U.T. against the current. When I make the turn at Clines Point, the wind no longer blows right. The current also gets stronger there. A ships coming. Move! I cross to the other side and start the motor. It takes all four horses to get back after going sideways, back ways, front ways, every way. Safe again. See you next trip. -Barnacle Bill Christmas 1993 Santa! Santa! I made a xerox copy Where can you be Be careful of what you do Fill up your bags Ifyou don't give me everything And bring them to me My lawyer will surely sue I sent you a list Bring me lots of stuff It's been two weeks past And throw it under the tree I want everything I told you Don't eat the cookies And I want it fast They're all for me -Bill Piepmeier Santa visits MSI When Santa was making his tour He slowly descended on our town He looked once, he looked twice Wondering what he had found He was tired and sweaty for the temp was in the 80's The jolly old man needed a shower Before he met the ladies He happened to make a visit To the campus of UT Looking into the dimly lit labs What do you suppose he did see Strangely dressed lads and lassies Performing their daily chores Hooked up to scopes and computers Hiding behind closed doors Santa begins making a list Checking it two times or more He sees what's going on And promptly rolls on the floor Peter Thomas didn't purchase a stamp For his letter to Santa to send So he just climbed up on Santas lap Asking for Federal grants to no end Terry Whitledge was totally heart broken As Santa just passed him by He slammed the door to his office Outside, Kathy could hear him cry John Thompson stumbled from his desk Asking JoAnn what's all the commotion She just looked up at him Her eyes filled with Christmas emotion John Yarbrough had a list for Santa to see Which he placed in Santa's hand Mowers, shovels, spades and rakes And about 100 yards of sand The entire crew from FAML Refused to show their face Connie Arnold had briefed them all In Science, Santa has no place Dolores! Dolores! Dolores! Where is your faithful crew Didn't you know Santa was here He made a special trip just for you He parked his faithful old Rudolf For Charlie Hutchins to repair His nose just faintly glowing He had lost most of his hair Charlie grabbed a replacement battery And gently shoved it in place Rudolfs nose lit up brightly A smile was on his face The whole campus was present When Santa made his flight A puzzled look was on his face As he quickly flew out of sight -Bill Piepmeier Save the receipt -Some companies no longer send copies of receipts of gas purchases. Please do not discfild the customer copy of the signed receipt. We need it to check against gas bills. Please save it and turn it in to the fiscal office. Use the right card -Diamond Shamrock will process about any credit card you hand them, but then we get a separate bill on a new account and with tax included when it should not be. Your Accounting Trauma Center has consulted with Mnr He 3 HaeM about this problem, and he has come up with the following solution. According to Mnr He 3 HaeM, most purveyors of gasoline will have a very large sign prominently displayed at their establishment, it is only necessary to check to see that the credit card you provide the attendant matches this sign! He guarantees this solution will work for everyone but Aggies! • I am writing in reference to the Editor's note in the 19 November 1993 issue of The Lazarette Gazette concerning the term "Irish Pennants". Merriam Webster's 3rd Unabridged New International Dictionary, 1971 edition, defines "Irish Pennants" as a loose untidy object about a ship or naval installation especially the end ofa line left hanging loose or out ofplace. It seems to me you've got the meaning exactly right and while I cannot claim to be a serious student ofnautical lore, I can affirm your usage ofthis term. The terms "Lazarette" and "Egabrag Woes" also stimulated my curiosity so I again consulted my dictionary. "Lazarette" has two nautically related meanings: (1) a building or ship used for detention or quarantine and (2) a space in-between the decks of a ship used for storage. Maybe you could clarify your sense in the use ofthis term? I couldn't find "Egabrag" but "Woe" is a person serving without compensation, i.e. a dollar a year man. I had no idea that all the MSI Directors were so wealthy that they didn't need a salary! Ha! Well, I finally figured it all out after reviewing the 4 June 93 issue. The LazGaz is a super newsletter. Ifyou ever decide to get out of marine science, you could have a great career in journalism. (Troy L. Johnson, Editor of ' The Tattler-UT -Physical Plant/Utilities Newsletter) Editor: Troy, you asked if I would clarify my sense in the use of the term Lazarette. First, what I write does not necessarily have any sense, but in this instance I can quote the Editor's Note in the very first issue, ...I liked the word "Gazette". Combining that with "Lazarette" (a storeroom aboard ship) sounds nice and gives me achance to exhibit my nautical erudition. Thank you for writing about Irish Pennants, thereby confirming my nautical erudition. You still have one more challenge: the identity of our Russian Correspondent, Mnr He 3 Hae M . Neither Webster's 3rd New International Unabridged Dictionary noryour Cub Scout Secret Code can help you. Weather Report-November 29-December 19 Tide Predictions for January (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 a full flood or ebb.) 8 rn 2-; I H rnI Gl H H --iI 0 IGl 0 --i D ..... -1 ..... -1 ..... m ..... en I rn )> H 2 Irn Gl 1 H Gl--i 0 I0 --i ..... -1 -; I -1 ..... en ~ c0 ~ -; Irn 2 mI I H G'l HI Gl--i 0 I0 --i :; -1 m -1c.... ~ :; ~ -; I -; rn 2 I -< H rn G'l HI Gl--i 0 I0 --i :; -1 -1 ..... ~ ~ -2 rnI 2 Im H 1 H G'l I I --i 0 0 --i :; -1 ~ G> JAN 1994 -2 -2 Additional information on the '~mos"tide diagrams -Predictions are based on the astronomicaldata for the sun and moon and measurements made at the Army Corps of Engineers tide tower on the South Jetty (the concrete tower with a rickety wooden walkway and notices saying "Authorized Use Only"which everybody ignores, especially young people who climb to the top and jump into the channel and in the process damage the sensitive instruments which measure the tides). We request that any publicationofthem acknowledge the source as Tony Amos, The University ofTexas at Austin, Marine Science Institute,Port Aransas, Texas. Any comments you have on these charts, please send to me. The charts show the height of the tide in feet above and below Mean Sea Level (MSL) at the south jetty of the Aransas Pass (the pass between Mustang Island and San Jose -Island connecting the Gulf of Mexicoto Corpus Christi Bay). The location is 27° 50.2'N, 97° 03.0'W. The predictions are based on the knownfeatures of the Moon's orbit around the Earth, the Earth/Moon System's orbit around the Sun, and certainpeculiarities of the geographical location and the geography of the Gulf of Mexico. The charts cannotpredict changes in water level caused by winds and storms and barometric pressure. These changes areoften significant in this area and may make the charts seem inaccurate. Each daily box shows the date, day of week and times of midnight, 6 am, noon, and 6 pm (dotted verticallines). Dark shading shows the times when it is dark (i.e. it is night-time). In general, slack tide will benear the times when the wiggly curve showing the water level crosses the zero, or Mean Sea Level line.However, because sea level is low at certain times of the year (e.g. January) and high at other times (e.g.October), the time of slack tide· will be approximately half way between the time of the high and the nextlow. When the curve peaks, the tide is in Flood ("coming in"), when it is at a minimum the tide is Ebbing ("going out"). 9 To show how elose to reality are the predictions, I include a chart for July 1993 which plots the water levelmeasured every hour (circles) along with the predictions for that month. You can see that the times ofhighand low tide are quite close to those predicted but the predicted range (difference between high and low infeet) is usually larger than the actual range. I am working on that problem. -Tony Amos ~ ~ I Hm 2 I H-i -I Ci) 0 I Hm I Ci) 0 -I en c ::;: -1~ -1 ..... m ..... m 2 I H Ci) -i -I 0 I l> I m I H(i) 0 -I..... -1 en ~ -1 ..... c0 ~ m 2 I H Gl -i I 2 m H I 0 ·-1..... -1 I c.. -I 0 IGl ~ -1 ..... m -i ~ -i H Im 2 Ci) 1 mH I-< 0 I I (i) -I 0 -I ..... -1 ~ -1 .....~ -2 I 2 I m H Hm Ci) -I I 0 0 -I ..... -1 -1 ..... ICi) ~ JUL 1993 ~ -2 -2 10 . ~ • On behalfofthe second grade, the teachers, Mrs. Per:abo and Mrs. Mullen, and the principal, Dr. Barrera, I would like to thank you for your presentation at St. Patrick School. We received good feedback from the students on all ofthe speakers. I got several reports at home from my daughter on things I certainly did not know anything about. Therefore, due to your efforts I have declared our Speakers Bureau 1993-94 Science Fair campaign a success. This was my first time to undertake this job and I was amazed at the cordial and enthusiastic response! received from the community ofpotential speakers. That made my job very enjoyable and I compliment you on your professionalism and courtesy. Now let's hope that in some classroom we have impacted a child with a dream to become a scientist. If we have done that, then we have been truly successful. (To Rick Tinnin from Robert Rice, Speakers Bureau Chairman, Saint Patrick School) }fj}f :·:·:·:-:·:·:-:-:-: I suspect the story by Barnacle Bill may have been written by Bill Piepmeier, especially considering the evidence that the first mate on the third sail was Bill's young daughter Angela. Considering the success of the third sail as compared to his others (see .last issue for ·his first sail), perhaps Bill should sign on Angela and her radio for all trips. You also have Bill to thank for his special poetry for 1993 and MSI, which saved the LazGaz from having to repeat last year's Surfboard Santa. Thanks for help with this issue also go to Terry Whitledge, Tony Amos, Andi Wickham, JoAnn Page, Kathy Quade, Patty Baker, Linda Yates, and Lynn Amos. In 1994 the MSI gradµate students will begin to sail across the masthead of the LazGaz. It has always been our intention that all those receiving a graduate degree_at MSI should be immortalized on our masthead. Linda Yates already has a start on the art work. No, Linda is not asking anyone to pose in their BVD's. She knows she· can never surpass last issues EWB/BVD masthead. -John Thompson -:·:·.·.·:·:·:·:···· :;:;.;.::::::;::::: ·:·:-:·:· .... 11