Directory of Projects & People for 2010-2012

From Wisconsin Sea Grant:

This directory contains a brief description of each project receiving UW Sea Grant support during 2010-12, as well as the principal investigators names and contact information. It also contains a list of key contacts and a list of participating institutions and agencies.

A full text version of the document is available for download.

Summer Science Instructor Positions (NOSB)

Two instructors to teach at the Gulf Coast Research Laboratories (GCRL) Summer Field Program, coordinated by the Marine Education Center, are sought. They will be teaching Marine Mammals and Oceanography courses during the summer of 2011. Read more about the courses here. The position description and instructions for application are available online, with a November 15th closing date.

The National Ocean Science Bowl is a national academic competition for high schools on topics related to the study of the oceans. This competition has taken place annually since 1998 and is recognized nationally for providing a forum for talented students to test their knowledge of the marine sciences including biology, chemistry, physics, and geology.

NOSB Logo is property of the National Ocean Sciences Bowl.

35th Anniversary of Sinking of Edmund Fitzgerald

For Release: November 9, 2010

Contact:
Moira Harrington, communications manager, (608) 263-5371, moira@aqua.wisc.edu
Chin Wu, University of Wisconsin-Madison engineering professor, (608) 263-3078, chinwu@engr.wisc.edu

Madison (11/9/2010) -- The intense and dangerous wind storm and accompanying high waves the Great Lakes states experienced in late October is thought to be the same kind of storm that occurred on Lake Superior causing the fatal wreck of the ship Edmund Fitzgerald 35 years ago on Wednesday. A University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute-funded researcher is studying extreme waves in hopes of preventing future tragedies.

Extratropical cyclones are characterized by very strong winds carried over a long distance generating large waves. Buoys on the northern part of Lake Superior recorded waves as high as 27 feet in the recent storm. But the lake might have been even rougher during the Edmund Fitzgerald storm on Nov. 10, 1975, according to a scientific process called hindcasting, the opposite of forecasting.

Using a combination of observational data and computer modeling, scientists at NOAA’s National Weather Service and the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory in Michigan show that sustained winds were likely blowing at 50 to 60 knots, roughly 57 to 69 miles per hour. Winds of that velocity would have generated waves about 24.6 feet high.

Such rough conditions could have produced an individual wave 46 feet high, although “rare and unlikely,” according to the NOAA scientists. No one will know exactly what caused the demise of the Edmund Fitzgerald because all 29 crew members perished. However, computer models showed that one such wave – known as a freak, rogue or giant wave – occurred at the exact time and location of the ship’s sinking.

Freak waves are exceptionally large, steep and asymmetric and often occur in the Great Lakes, according to University of Wisconsin-Madison researcher Chin-Hsien Wu. He is currently investigating the conditions and locations prone to producing the dangerous waves, which can take down a vessel like the Edmund Fitzgerald.

Freak waves can also be dangerous to kayakers and recreational boaters. Wu is particularly interested in the potential for rogue waves to occur in the Apostle Islands off the north shore of Lake Superior.

“The occurrence of extreme waves is still a mysterious phenomenon in the field of fluid mechanics,” said Wu, professor of civil and environmental engineering. The Apostle Islands include a complex network of islands and shoals that under the right wind conditions are likely to produce freak waves.

Using funds provided by the University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute, Wu is using a combination of wave gauge instrumentations and computer models to better understand the likelihood of extreme waves occurring at the Mawikwe Bay Sea Caves, a place that is popular, but also potentially dangerous, to sea kayakers who enjoy viewing the sea caves from the water. Since wave measurements are critical for safety, data must be transmitted in real-time via a website to alert paddlers to current wave conditions. The system was field tested in the summer and could be fully operational next year.

Improving knowledge of how extreme waves are created should prove invaluable to prevent further tragedies like the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald. Several commemorative activities are planned for tomorrow, including in River Rogue, Mich., near where the ship was built in 1958. Editors note: UW Sea Grant video of the Chin Wu research at the Lake Superior sea caves can be found at: http://www.youtube.com/UWASC.

Photo courtesy of the Kalamazoo Gazette, November 11, 1958.

Conceived in 1966, Sea Grant is a national network of 32 university-based programs of research, outreach, and education for enhancing the practical use and conservation of coastal, ocean and Great Lakes resources to create a sustainable economy and environment. The National Sea Grant Network is a partnership of participating coastal states, private industry, and the National Sea Grant College Program, National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce.

Wisconsin Sea Grant 2012-14 Omnibus Funding

Per the UW Sea Grant website:
The University of Wisconsin Sea Grant College Program is inviting proposals for its next two-year grant period which begins February 1, 2012. The process involves two steps: (1) prospective principal investigators must submit a preproposal by December 17, 2010; and (2) potential principal investigators whose preproposals are accepted will be invited to submit a full proposal, which will be due April 18, 2011. All Sea Grant project funds are awarded via a highly competitive process involving peer reviews and the recommendations of external advisory panels.

Submission of preproposals will be via iPROPOSE, a Web-based proposal submission site hosted by the University of Wisconsin Aquatic Sciences Center (administrative home of the Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute). The iPROPOSE site will be open for submission of preproposals on Tuesday, November 23, 2010.

Read all about the grant opportunities on the Sea Grant website.

Consequences of Altering Stream Flow

A recent USGS study has shown several negative effects of altering natural stream flow. When the amount of water is changed, the types of creatures that are able to survive in the stream change as well. In many streams where the flow has slowed and the amount of water decreased, desirable species such as trout have moved on, making space for less desirable species such as carp. Trout require a quickly moving stream with a rocky bottom, whereas carp are more likely to be found in a setting with a much slower flow, more similar to a pond.

The surprising fact may be that 90% of the streams studied by the USGS had in some way been altered. Some of the causes for alteration may include "reservoirs, diversions, subsurface tile drains, groundwater withdrawals, wastewater inputs, and impervious surfaces, such as parking lots, sidewalks and roads." (USGS Release) Water quality and the health of the ecosystem are also being negatively affected by some of these changes to the streams. As water managers get a better understanding of the ecological effects of altering stream flow, they will be able to make more informed choices about dealing with streams in a healthy way. For further details and information, see the aforementioned USGS releases.

Photo courtesy of Punit Prakash.

WLA Annual Conference: Create Adventure

The Wisconsin Library Association's annual conference began yesterday at Kalahari in Wisconsin Dells. The theme of this year's conference is "Create Adventure." The conference will run through Friday at noon, and offers many interesting sessions for attendees. A full schedule is available on the WLA Conference website.

This year's conference will also feature a special focus on technology, including web 2.0, geocoding and social networking. WLA's blog features a post detailing the related sessions.

WLA is sponsoring a food drive for the Wisconsin Dells-Lake Delton Community Food Pantry. Non-perishables will be collected for the duration of the conference near the registration desk.

Photo courtesy of Kalahari Resorts.

Bacteria DNA Discovered through Mud Core Study

Last summer, the public swimming area was closed for a month at Lake Wingra on account of cyanobacteria. These bacteria are not only smelly, but some can produce toxins that attack the liver or nervous system. Some researchers even say that these bacteria can be linked to liver cancer. One problem in studying this has been that few lakes have adequate historical records of cyanobacteria over time.

Cyanobacteria has not just been an issue in the recent past for Lake Wingra and other area Lakes. UW Madison researchers have now discovered that this bacteria is actually traceable back over 50 years. A modified kind of mud testing of the lake-bottom has shown Cyanobacteria DNA presence has risen over time as the climate has become warmer. This will be a way for many other lakes to be investigated as well.

See the full story released by UW News. For further reading on climate change, see our topical readings lists.

Lake Wingra photo Courtesy of UW Limnology Department.