TheLazaretteGazette NEWS FROM The University of Texas at Austin MARINE SCIENCE INSTITUTE Port Aransas, Texas 78373-1267 (512-749-6760 -fax 512-749-6777) (internet: thompson@utmsi.zo.utexas.edu) Vol. 4, Issue 23, 22 December 1995 In this issue ofLazarette Gazette Lee Fuiman: MSI & DMS on WWW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . cover Dick Hoese: book review, Islands at the Edge·ofTime . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 p. 2, Regular sections: computer corner -p. 1, personnel -p. 2, trip reports & travel adventures of barnacle bill -p. 3, facilities & equipment -p. 3, book review -p. 4, safety -p. 4, attaboys.-p. 5, seminars -p. 5, cruise reports & boat operations -p. 6, tony's tidings -p. 8, editor's note -p. 9 Oh What a Tangled Web We Weave... Surfers on the Internet can now learn about the Marine Science Institute and the Department ofMarine Science. This week, Scott Holt and I finished the first draft of a home page on the World Wide Web (WWW) that describes many details of the Institute and the Department. Internet -surfers can obtain general information about the Institute, its history, physical facilities, research programs, boats, and outreach activities. The entire personnel listing (research, academic, supporting staffi is posted with individual pages for every . faculty member. Details of our graduate and undergraduate academic programs, including the materials normally sent to prospective graduate students, the 1996 summer course schedule, and a description of our Research Experiences for Undergraduates program are provided. The Marine Education Services page describes the public outreach programs for K-12 students, teacher training, and Elderhostel. A section entitled Current Events and Activities is reserved for items such as: recent research results, scheduled seminars, RIV LONGHORN and RIV KATY cruise schedules, and other current activities at MSI. Aside from mountains of informative text, the MSI web page contains images of the Institute, its environment and people and their activities. These may take some time to appear on the computer screen, so the impatient browser may prefer to turn off the automatic loading of images until he or she is ready to view the pictures. Another nice feature is direct e-mail. At the click of a mouse button, a prospective graduate student can send a message requesting a graduate school information packet and application. Just as easily, scientists at other institutions can contact John Thompson about use of the Institute's research vessels. Everyone is invited to browse the home page. It can be reached at either of the following addresses, using a Web browser such as Netscape or Mosaic: http://wwwutmsi.zo.utexas.edu/ or http:/1192.138.168.29/ Soon, our page will be linked to the College of Natural Sciences page on UT Austin Web Central (http://www.utexas.edu/dept/). We already have plans for expanding the MSI home page (for example, telephone, fax, and e-mail contact information for everyone; Tony Amos' tide predictions; and just maybe the hydrographic and meteorological data from the pier lab). We welcome any comments from users. Please send those comments to me or Scott (lee@utmsi.zo.utexas.edu or sholt@utmsi.zo.utexas.edu). CATCH THE TECHNO-WAVE AND START SURFING THE INTERNET, DUDE! -Lee Fuiman David Martinez recently began work with the Custodial Crew at MSI, replacing Olga Davila, who retired. David is originally from Mexico. He has been employed at Faulk Elementary in Aransas Pass the last nine years. David resides in Aransas Pass with his wife Rafaela. They have two daughters, Rafaela and Vianney, and one son, Miguel. Henry Galinda is the newest member of the Gardening Crew at MSI. Henry replaces Mike Gibson who was promoted to Grounds Supervisor following the resignation of John Yarbrough. Henry has most recently worked as a manager for Circle Kand before that was with Jim's Lawn Service. Henry resides in Taft. · Travel ending between December 2 and December 22 +Terry Whitledge, November 20-December 5, Seattle, Washington, to attend NOAA conference on Bering Sea studies and NSF committee meeting for Arctic system science. +Randy Pritchard, December 3-8, Galveston, radar school. As the years pass us by we can look back and cherish or regret the good old days. Age makes no difference. Growing old, or as some may say, over the hill is the beginning of a new life, or the continuance ofa previous one. You don't have to die to go over the hill. New values are established. Rigor mortis sets in. You stand firm to your beliefs which through years of experience are deeply rooted. You begin to concern yourself with growing old (still 20 years away). You find yourself indulging in new forms of entertainment-long walks, Oprah Winfree, Days of Our Lives, Andy Griffith re-runs, etc. etc. Your diet changes drastically from the meat and potatoes set to things like malt-o-meal, jello, potted meat, mashed potatoes, metamuesal and prune juice. Life is so much easier on the other side. Its ok to release gas in public places and belch whenever the need arises. Underwear is the accepted attire around the house and bathing comes only once a month. Yes, its truly wonderful to be doing all these things I spent half my life working for. -Happy Sailing, Barnacle Freezer rooms -(final report) The new freezer room at the physical facilities support complex is complete and working. The old freezer room at the boat shop is shut down and will soon be converted to boat shop use. Lund house -(interim report) This project is nearing completion. Purchase orders have been issued for new mini-blinds and for new carpeting and vinyl floor covering. And many thanks to Suzie Pina and Janie Magee for their help. Warehouse -(interim report) The Sakewitz Warehouse is no more. The area is now green with freshly sodded carpetgrass. Plans for a new warehouse are pending. Paving -(final report) With the parking striping now installed, paving and curbing is complete both at the boat basin and the pier areas. Local contractor Melvin Littleton and his Construction Superintendent Troy Ousley (Island Construction) did a great job. Cooling tower-(final report) The cooling tower was quickly rebuilt by the contractor and put back in service. MSI had only to endure one Friday, one weekend, and a few hours Monday morning. Naturally we had an unseasonal heat spell when the ac at MSI had to be shut down. Katy move -(interim report) The new dock for the RIV KATY is complete. The new one-way driving/parking area for vans and buses is finished. Work on building the new pavilion and restrooms is awaiting design and construction plans to be prepared by A & E Services. 3 Editor's note: We have not previously published book reviews in the LazGaz. But the following review seemed to deserve aplace. For one thing, it was hand delivered by the reviewer, MSl-ex Dick Hoese (H. D. Hoese, Ph.D, 1965). For another, the subject is barrier islands, obviously appropriate for those of us who dwell thereon. The review previously appeared in Louisiana History, Vol. 36, No. 3. ISLANDS AT THE EDGE OF TIME: A Journey to America's Barrier Islands. By Gunnar Hansen. (Covelo, CA: Island Press, 1993, xviii, 222 pp. foreword, preface, acknowledgements, suggested readings. Cloth $22.50, ISBN 1-55963-251-8). Fair treatment may be hard from someone where much ofhis life touched the book's barrier islands-from living a short time where Gullah was common to knowing one ofhis interviewee's acquaintances Dr. Price, who he missed as one ofthe great scholars on barriers and inlets, to having something to do with the marsh UFO (Jim Frey actually contoured it), to having a relative living next to another interviewee, to often wearing a Walter Anderson T-shirt, etc... It took him a long time to get off Padre Island, having started at the little known Mexican border barrier island, Brazos. His ancestral home ofGalveston, and its famous storm, delayed him again, as did the two geologists debating barrier origins, along with the memory of the Mississippi artist who in his way had as much reality as the scientists. Skipping to South Carolina, and then to another geologist in North Carolina, this is really-a story about how people look at diversity of the coasts of the south. He accepted uncritically the modern myth about the greenhouse effect and the resulting flooding ofNew Orleans. But I suspect that just as he found the greatest danger on Padre Island was his lack of preparation (no spare tire), he would have found, had he looked further, that there is no evidence that the human-induced greenhouse effect has been detected. He would also have discovered his contradictory statements about the ten-century-old St. Bernard delta remnant (the Chandeleur Islands) still protecting New Orleans. Maybe he is saying that threat of a rising sea level to New Orleans is approximately equal to that posed by drug runners to his personal safety on Padre Island. Barrier islands, as uninhabitable places, are full of interesting characters and he has found a few. Despite my criticisms, this is a fine book and would he have probed more where he was and into other-islands it would have been finer. Maybe his next book will start nearer his home and go south hitting the barriers ofLong Island, New Jersey, the Eastern Shore, and Florida, where old Coast Guardsmen, oystermen, and developers offer him a rich contrast, if he gets there before they die. These old island characters are dying out, replaced with developers, retirees, bright-eyed true believer scientists, and government regulators. Ifyou want a picture of what it was you must read this book. -H. D. Hoese Safety inspection -MSI folks should mark January 10-12, 1996 on their calendars. Itis time for another laboratory safety inspection. Radiation SafetyTrainingand Hazardous Materials Trainingwill also be scheduled at that time (or soon thereafter). Inherited chemicals -A recent Safety Newsletter addresses the problem of What to do about "inherited" chemicals. This is a problem we at MSI face from time to time. The following from the article is especially worth noting, ...Don't just leave the chemicals there for someone else to deal with after you are gone because the problem only gets worse with time. Containers begin to break down, labels become even more unreadable, and the disposal costs keep soaring. 4 • This year marks your completion of 10 years as a cooperative weather observer. I join the Secretary of Commerce, the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Director of the National Weather Service in congratulating you on this outstanding record ofpublic service. Every day many organizations and individuals in governmental activities, as well as in private enterprises, use the valuable information made available only through your efforts and wholehearted support. Please accept the I hope you continueenclosed emblem as a small token of the high esteem with which your service is held. to find your weather work interesting. (To Tony Amos from Roberl W. Manning, Chief, Regional Cooperative Program, NOAA) • Thank you so much for the great tour and demonstration you gave the College of Natural Sciences Foundation Advisory Council members Saturday. They enjoyed it all very much. Mike Starbird gave several people a quiz at lunch. You would have been proud of hf!w much they remembered! Jeff Kodosky even Someone else told all about arrow worms, and Lillian Murray discussed remembered what CTD stands for. Copepods. All in all we had a wonderful time and I am so grateful to you for helping to make it all possible. (To Rick Tinnin from Mary Ann Rankin, Dean) • Thank you so much for all you did to make the weekend at MS! a wonderful one for the College Advisory Council members. The evening at the Lighthouse was absolutely perfect, the tour ofthe Longhorn was great, and all were quite happy not to leave the boat dock Saturday morning. I know you had a lot to do with making everything run so smoothly for us, and I really appreciate it. As usual, you took care ofus very well. (To John Thompson from Mary Ann Rankin, Dean) • Thank you so much for all the help you gave us with the College Advisory Council group last week. Several people said that your talk on the brown tide was the most interesting thing on the trip. I really appreciate your taking the time to speak to the group, give them a tour, and help entertain them at dinner. Thanks also for allowing the MS! staffand boat crews to ferry us around and show us the Longhorn. The trip was a great success and that group will be avid ambassadors ofgood will for MS! in the future. Thanks again for all your help. (To Terry Whitledge from Mary Ann Rankin, Dean) • Dr. Theo Colborn, World Wildlife Fund, Gambling with biodiversity: The endocrine connection, December 15. 5 Cruise #655 -LONGSECS cruise #13, got underway at 0810 of December 7 and returned at 1545. Tony Amos was Chief Scientist. Others in the science party were Research Scientist Ellery Ingall and Laboratory Technician Mike Taras and Graduate Students Lauren Clark, Mary Conly, Chris Collumb, and Juan P. Lazo. The ship's crew consisted of Captains Noe Cantu and John Turany. Chuck Rowe and Kim Keplar were aboard as Marine Techs. Two Knight cores were taken and one CTD station. During the cruise the wind shifted to the North to 30 mph with seas 5 to 6 feet, the final LONGSECS station was not occupied due to the weather. LONGHORN LONGSECS CRUISE13 WINO VECTORS !!st;l ~ 20 fa :i .,.... .......~ l: ~o ~~3~-----------~l____~____F:~ WINO !IPEEQ Ost! '40 ij I =-L,.,dt;~ I f. 111 ... -··-. --.. I llH REt. K.JMIOITY (!} too ~j1t::==================================i=I 9 11 """"' !cl r,~ ~ •= IH """' $EA Ip!> (CJ " HI _J. ,_-:c__ ···· I m AifH!EA Ip1p !Cl 4 : I ~ ]:..'.',s;: I ~ 1' -=-==; =~ SALINITY !pptl 3'11 §I ::;:;;;:~ f-;;:;. · I E iOO BEAM THANS (I) ·~ I ------I E c:tt._PRO !mug/cc) 2 ·:i I -I !~· 2 PA B 00 ·:i I I !~· r] · ···-··--. UNDERWAY DATA: 12-07-1995 SCIENTIFIC ACTIVITIES THIS DAY; CTD CAST9 TJ:ME LATITUDE LOH8%TUJE EVENT 1738 a H.!59N SIS 44.78W Ol lD02 a s.4.72H SIS 15l.~ 02 s.~ a sa.83N SIS l54.39W os OTHER INVESTI8ATIDN9 and NOTES stM PHENCIMEHA L.A. NOOHU3: U1:27 LOCAU; ~Y: 12/07/95 • RN KATY SCHEDULE January 26 all day February 16 morning 16 afternoon 19 morning 20 morning 29 morning March 04 afternoon 05 afternoon 07 afternoon 08 morning 08 afternoon 12 morning 12 afternoon 13 morning 13 afternoon 14 morning 21 morning 23 afternoon 25 morning 27 morning 28 morning 29 afternoon April 03 afternoon 09 all day 10 all day 11 morning 11 afternoon 12 all day. 15 afternoon 17 morning 18 morning 18 afternoon 19 morning 19 afternoon 20 morning 20 afternoon 22 morning 22 atl.crnoon T;N.R.C.C. (Austin) Rockport-Fulton Intermediate Haas Middle School (Corpus) Lockhart High School Smithfield Middle School (Ft. Worth) Austin Montessori Middle School Marshall High School (San Antonio) Burbank ·High School (San Antonio) Burbank High School (San Antonio) Killeen High School Trinity Episcopal School (Victoria) Temple Junior College ·Greenhill School (Dallas) KishWaukee College (Malta, Illinois) Gilpin County S.D. (Black Hawk, Colorado) Anson Middle School Becker Elementary (Austin) Rio Grande Campus (Austin) Riviera High School Southeast Saline High School Becker Elementary (Austin) Southwest Texas State University (San Marcos) __.,.. -. C. D. Fulkes Middle School (Round Rock) Sinton High School Sinton High School Sinton High School Florence Middle School North Mesquite High School (Mesquite) Marshall High School LBJ High School (Johnson City) Fort Worth Country Day School Phoenix Academy (Lockhart) Mesquite High School Lee High School (San Antonio) Sands Consolidated School (Ackerly) Rio Grande Campus (Austin) Lake Travis High School (Austin) A. C. Jones High School (Beeville) 7 Jon Krystinik Shirley Polhemus Bonnie Williams Al Dressen Larry Smith Tom Logan Rebecca Rogeness Cynthia Weehler Cynthia Weehler Anne Scott Betty Frederick Ed Morgan Pedro Morales Janice Grainger Larry Beissel Sharla Riddle Pat Johnson Stephen Rodi Josephine Smith Brenda Bott Pat Johnson Stanley Sissom Jon Gates Allee Skoruppa Allee Skoruppa Allee Skoruppa Sheri Hill Patty Leard Rebecca Rogeness Stanley Procknow Sharon Hamilton Doug Alfier Vivian Kines Jeff Jackson Donald Bryan Stephen Rodi Amy Ragan Bennie Belew & , ,' . .. (·. '· ~ ,• .. . .' ;' · ~-;~ 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.) SUN !:: CJ> z CJ> a > o ,, z s: ~ s: 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 CENTRAL STANDARD TIME MON .TUE WED THU s: en z CJ> z CJ> s: O> z 5 > 0 > 0 ,, 5 > 0 z s: ~ s: ~ s: z z s: 0 2 :r: 1 m G) 0 :r: -1 -f -2 -+. ....+ FRI SAT CJ> z CJ> s: O> z CJ> 3:: 0 ,, 0 ,, > 5 > 6 s: 0 z s: z s: 0 z !: z 2 :r: 1 m G) 0 :r: -1 ~ -2 -+. c. 2 :r: 1 m G) 0 :r: -1 ~ -2 --+. c. 2 :r: 1 m G) 0 :r: -1 ~ -2 -+. c. 2 :r: 1 m G) 0 :r: -1 ~ -2 -+. ....+ 8 Weather Report for November 27 -December 17 27 NOV-3 DEC 1995 .. MON ••.. TUE •... WED •... THU .... FRI .... SAT· ••.• SUN .•. MEAN DATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 . . . . . . 28 . . . . . . 29 . . . . . . 30 . . . . . . 1 . . . . . . . 2 . . . . . . . 3 AIR TEMP ... HIGH . . 76.2 ..... 73.0 ..... 60.2 . . . . . 69.6 . . . . 76.8 ..... 75.9 ..... 78.2 ..... 72.8 AIR TEMP . . . LOW . . 70.5 ..... 49.2 ..... 44.9 . . . . . 54.3 . . . . 68.0 ..... 73.0 ..... 74.3 ..... 62.0 SEA TEMP ... LOW --..... 65.3 ....... --..... 63.1 ...... --. . . . . . --....... --..... 64.2 RAINFALL TOTAL . . .0.00 . . . . . 0.00 . . . . . 0.00 . . . . . 0.00 . . . . 0.00 ..... 0.00 . . . . . O.QO .... , 0.00 .-~-.--·------------- 4 -10 DEC 1995 ..... MON .... TUE .... WED .... THU . . . . FRI .... SAT . . . . SUJ'l•. ~. MEAN DATE ................. 4 ....... 5 ....... 6 ....... 7 . . . . . . 8 ....... 9 ...... 10·. AIR TEMP ... HIGH 76.4 ..... 77.0 ..... 75.5 . . . . . 72.5 . . . . 73.0 ..... 60.2 ..... 58.2 . . . . . 70.4 AIR TEMP ... LOW 67.1 ..... 73.5 ..... 69.4 ..... 65.4 . . . . 66.0 ..... 41.2 ..... 35.7 ..... 59.8 SEA TEMP ... LOW 69.5 ..... .. --..... 69.6 ....... --. --. . . . . . --..... 58.l . . . . . 65.7 RAINFALL TOTAL 0.00 ..... 0.00 ..... 0.00 ..... 0.00 . . . . 0.00 ..... 0.00 ..... 0.00 . . . . . 0.00 ----------------------------------------------------------------------:""'.'----------------------------------------~------------------------~::--~:~:7.~.-~.--~-------- 11 -17 DEC 1995 ..... MON .... TUE .... WED .... THU •... FRI ..•• SAT .... SQ~>••• MEAN DATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 . . . . . . 12 . . . . . . 13.. . . . . . . 14 . . . . . . 15 . 16 . . . . . . Ml( AIR TEMP ... HIGH . . 68.0 ..... 72.0 ..... 72.5 . . . . . 73.0 . . . . 75.5 ....: 69.4 ..... 74~6>. ~ . . 72.1 AIR TEMP ... LOW . . 58.0 ..... 64.0 ..... 67;0_..... 65.8 .... 67.1 ..... 66.0 ..... 68:0:< .. · 65.1 •SEA TEMP ... LOW ..... 63.3 ...... ~ .:.;, .. ~ .. 66.2 ...... - ...<; 67.9 ....... i:~ / .. ;. 68.0 RAINFALL TOTAL .. 0.00 ..... 0.00 ..... 0:00 ..... 0.00 .... 0.00 .. .C.. 0.00 ..... O.~~d,. .. 0.00 .·..... -Tony Amos Along with the hand-delivered book review, Dick Hoese also hand-delivered a check which is a portion ofroyalties received on the book he and Richard Moore (also MSI-ex, Ph.D. 1973) authored, Fishes of the Gulf of Mexico: Texas, Louisiana, and Adjacent Waters. These checks have been coming regularly since 1977 for support of our graduate students at MSI. The afternoon following Dick's visit, Noe Cantu and I took a dozen young Webelos Scouts out on the DUKE, a local boat which is providing nature trips to visitors. Our guide was using the Hoese/Moore book and had a copy in her hand when she said to me, and you work down at the marine lab I hear. Of course I had to reply, yes, and the author of that book you are using was in my office this morning. And I soon regretted this as she then expected me to aid in the identifications (which I could not). Dick and other recent retirees may be interested in Barnacle Bill's treatise on aging which, by coincidence, I read the same day as one on the same subject by another great philosopher, Slats Grobnik. Slats says the important thing about aging gracefully is, ifyou must wear a hairpiece don't wear one that looks like a dead pigeon sprawled on your head. I can manage that, but not Barnacle's tv fare. Also I ask that Barnacle please not consider my office a public place. Speaking of aging, seems like only yesterday that Troy Ousley, who managed the recent paving job at MSI, was one of the little Webelos Scouts in my den. Thanks for help with this issue of the LazGaz to Lee Fuiman, Dick Hoese, Bill Piepmeier, Tony Amos, Lynn Amos, JoAnn Page, Kathy Quade, Linda Yates, and Patty Webb. -John Thompson 9