Sea Lab Skimmer

University Programs Summer 2012 – Breaking Records

Dr. Charlie Martin, pictured here as a graduate student, returns to the DISL as an instructor for summer school.

A change in programming and the continued excellent reputation of DISL's University Programs have contributed to a record number of students and semester hours for this year's undergraduate/graduate summer school program. (READ MORE)

First-ever NOAA "Adopt a Drifter" in the Gulf of Mexico Deployed by Local High Schools and the Dauphin Island Sea Lab

Dr. Tina Miller-Way, pictured center next to the buoy, is surrounded by high school students ready to deploy the first-ever NOAA Adopt a Drifter in the Gulf of Mexico.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Adopt a Drifter program lets high school students get involved with oceanographic data collection by adopting their very own drifter, a type of buoy that moves with ocean currents. The drifter sends its geographic position to a satellite about every 90 minutes and gives students and scientists data on current patterns. It also records surface water temperatures. Data from drifters are used to refine models of climate and weather patterns, predict the movement of trash or pollutants spilled into the sea, and help forecast the path of an approaching hurricane. (READ MORE)

ExxonMobil Continues to Support Sea Lab Programs

(l-r) ExxonMobil's Sheri Naramore and Richard Benjamin meet with DISL's Dr. John Valentine. Credit – John Dindo.

ExxonMobil has recently donated $31,000 to the DISL in support of programs that will educate students from kindergarten to the graduate level. (READ MORE)

Researchers call for a new direction in oil spill research

Scientists aboard the R/V EO Wilson sample sargassum shortly after the BP oil spill in May 2010. Credit - Crystal Hightower

Inadequate knowledge about the effects of deepwater oil well blowouts such as the Deepwater Horizon event of 2010 threatens scientists' ability to help manage and assess comparable events in the future, according to an article that a multi-author group of specialists will publish in the May issue of BioScience. Even federal "rapid response" grants awarded to study the Deepwater Horizon event were far more focused on near-surface effects than on the deepwater processes that the BioScience authors judge to be most in need of more research. (READ MORE)

A Natural Partnership, A Natural Alternative

The Living Shoreline display at the Estuarium's Living Marsh Boardwalk. Credit – JoAnn Moody.

In 2009, a partnership founded on oysters was formed between The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and the Dauphin Island Sea Lab. The collaboration, a result of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, was formed to study the effectiveness of three different types of artificial oyster reefs at reducing erosion, providing habitat and facilitating seagrass colonization. (READ MORE)

Congratulations, Denise Keaton - We'll Miss You!

Denise Keaton gets a sweet treat at her retirement party. Credit – Daphne Wood.

Longtime DISL staffer Denise Keaton recently retired after sixteen years of service at the lab. For our visitors and teachers, Denise was often the first point of contact at the Sea Lab, and they could not have asked for a warmer, more comforting, welcome. (READ MORE)

Volume 23, Number 5		May 2012
Contact the Editor	There's always something happening here at the Sea Lab, and we hope to bring you frequent updates of the latest activities.

University Programs Summer 2012 – Breaking Records		Dr. Charlie Martin, pictured here as a graduate student, returns to the DISL as an instructor for summer school.
A change in programming and the continued excellent reputation of DISL's University Programs have contributed to a record number of students and semester hours for this year's undergraduate/graduate summer school program. (READ MORE)
First-ever NOAA "Adopt a Drifter" in the Gulf of Mexico Deployed by Local High Schools and the Dauphin Island Sea Lab		Dr. Tina Miller-Way, pictured center next to the buoy, is surrounded by high school students ready to deploy the first-ever NOAA Adopt a Drifter in the Gulf of Mexico.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Adopt a Drifter program lets high school students get involved with oceanographic data collection by adopting their very own drifter, a type of buoy that moves with ocean currents. The drifter sends its geographic position to a satellite about every 90 minutes and gives students and scientists data on current patterns. It also records surface water temperatures. Data from drifters are used to refine models of climate and weather patterns, predict the movement of trash or pollutants spilled into the sea, and help forecast the path of an approaching hurricane. (READ MORE)
ExxonMobil Continues to Support Sea Lab Programs		(l-r) ExxonMobil's Sheri Naramore and Richard Benjamin meet with DISL's Dr. John Valentine. Credit – John Dindo.
ExxonMobil has recently donated $31,000 to the DISL in support of programs that will educate students from kindergarten to the graduate level. (READ MORE)
Researchers call for a new direction in oil spill research		Scientists aboard the R/V EO Wilson sample sargassum shortly after the BP oil spill in May 2010. Credit - Crystal Hightower
Inadequate knowledge about the effects of deepwater oil well blowouts such as the Deepwater Horizon event of 2010 threatens scientists' ability to help manage and assess comparable events in the future, according to an article that a multi-author group of specialists will publish in the May issue of BioScience. Even federal "rapid response" grants awarded to study the Deepwater Horizon event were far more focused on near-surface effects than on the deepwater processes that the BioScience authors judge to be most in need of more research. (READ MORE)
A Natural Partnership, A Natural Alternative		The Living Shoreline display at the Estuarium's Living Marsh Boardwalk. Credit – JoAnn Moody.
In 2009, a partnership founded on oysters was formed between The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and the Dauphin Island Sea Lab. The collaboration, a result of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, was formed to study the effectiveness of three different types of artificial oyster reefs at reducing erosion, providing habitat and facilitating seagrass colonization. (READ MORE)
Congratulations, Denise Keaton - We'll Miss You!		Denise Keaton gets a sweet treat at her retirement party. Credit – Daphne Wood.
Longtime DISL staffer Denise Keaton recently retired after sixteen years of service at the lab. For our visitors and teachers, Denise was often the first point of contact at the Sea Lab, and they could not have asked for a warmer, more comforting, welcome. (READ MORE)