Rising Tides Newsletter - June 2023

Environmental and Oceanographic Sciences Research & Teaching Facility 

The Governor signed the state budget, which includes $24M to fund the first phase of the facility, which will be located on the CMS campus and enhance St. Petersburg as a world-class center of marine and environmental science, education and community engagement.

“This initiative aligns perfectly with our state’s goal to build a more resilient Florida. As we learned through hurricanes Ian and Nicole, there is a pressing need to better prepare for and minimize the risks to coastal communities from natural hazards and changing environmental conditions. USF is uniquely positioned to respond to these challenges.” – Tom Frazer, Dean and Executive Director, Florida Flood Hub for Applied Research & Innovation

USF joins the AAU

“I can say, without reservation, that the College of Marine Science has figured prominently in the University’s rapid rise in stature,” Dean Frazer wrote in an email announcement to CMS about this historic achievement.

That’s a first: Scientists describe carbon cycle in subglacial lake in Antarctica

Scientists analyzed the chemical fingerprint of the ocean and microbes retrieved from sediments and water at the bottom of Mercer Lake to describe, for the first time, where the feisty microbes get carbon and move it through this fiercely desolate system. They used the data to infer the geologic history of this region, and the results surprised them.

Barotrauma mitigation: which method is best?

The best way for recreational fishers to release red snapper and red grouper caught in the deeper waters of the Gulf of Mexico -- and physically traumatized from the pressure change during the ascent -- is to use a descending device, according to a new study.

Underwater landslides in Antarctica

“National programs are investigating the possibility of installing submarine cables to improve communications from Antarctic research bases. Our study … indicates that marine geological and geophysical feasibility studies are essential to the success of these projects and should be completed early in the development process,” said Amelia Shevenell, a participant in this Nature Communications study.

A 3-week hunt for Amberjacks

“Knowing where Amberjack aren’t is just as important as knowing where they are, especially considering the large geographic extent of our study,” said Steve Murawski.

Why Antarctica matters to Florida: a CMS conversation

As you can glean from the contents of this newsletter, CMS researchers lead a robust Antarctic research portfolio. Carlyn Scott spoke with the faculty to gain a better understanding of why what’s out of sight cannot be out of mind.

From plastic to productive: can air-cushions be repurposed to cultivate algae?

As published recently in Nature Scientific Reports, Cliff Merz and a team of USF collaborators say “Yes.”

A great loss – and extraordinary legacy

The legendary Karen Steidinger passed June 11, 2023 at age 84. The Florida red tide organism, Karenia brevis, is aptly named after Karen, who dedicated her tireless career to better understanding its life cycle while working at the Fish & Wildlife Research Institute in St. Petersburg. She was a friend, collaborator and inspiration for so many here in the CMS community. As stated in this fitting tribute from 2008, “Her intellectual curiosity, love for training students and young scientists, and tireless involvement with academic colleagues, federal/state agency programs and scientific societies have provided her with international prominence and leaves a legacy that young scientists can aspire to fulfill.” We will share details about celebrating her giant legacy as we get them.

Tracking CMS successes 

• Frank Muller-Karger was named a Distinguished University Professor.
• Bob Weisberg was elected to the Academy of Science, and Engineering and Medicine of Florida (ASEMFL).
• Cam Ainsworth and Brad Rosenheim are two of three scientists awarded resilience-focused funding from the Florida RESTORE Act Centers of Excellence Program (FLRACEP), hosted by FIO.
• Angelique Rosa Marin published “Benthic foraminifera as bioindicators of coral reef health” in Nature.
• Bea Brave, Bea Bold 😊: Bea Combs-Hintze attended GeoHab in La Reunion, an island in the Indian Ocean (her toddler did, too!).
• Kylee Rullo joined Steve Murawski and Sherryl Gilbert on the recent SAS cruise for Eckerd undergraduates, a project that continues the Deepwater Horizon oil spill studies.
• Karah Kniola was selected this year for the 2023 Student Workshop on International Coastal and Marine Management (SWIMM) program.
• Hannah Hunt landed the Renate Bernstein Outstanding Authorship Award.
• Katelyn Schockman was awarded the Sackett Prize for Innovative Research.
• CMS alum and shark expert Alyssa Andres, now a post doc at FSU, was featured in the news.
• CMS alum Matt Birk, now a biologist at Saint Francis University, published a paper in Cell that is garnering press attention, such as this story on NPR.