Reaching New Heights To Measure CO2
Featured Article: Reaching New Heights To Measure CO2 Led by senior scientist Anne Giblin and postdoctoral scientist Inke Forbrich, Ecosystems Center scientists have built a 40-foot instrumentation tower at the Plum Island Long Term Ecological Research site in northern Massachusetts to allow them to make year-round measurements of net ecosystem carbon exchange. The particular site [...]
ESA Welcomes First Cohort of Fellows
Jerry Melillo and Gus Shaver of the Ecosystems Center have been named Fellows of the Ecological Society of America (ESA). They are in the first group to be named to the new Fellows program by the 10,000-member society, the world's largest organization of professional ecologists. A total of 40 Fellows were named. At the same [...]
2011 Ecosystems Center Annual Report: Read It On-Line
The 2011 Ecosystems Center Annual Report features stories on nutrient pollution, climate warming and fisheries. Ed Rastetter writes about the models of nutrient cycling that he has developed, which he uses to predict the effects of thermokarst scars in the Arctic, as shown in the photo (on left). Thermokarst occurs when permafrost thaws and the [...]
Tales of Young Scientists in the Salt Marsh
Greenheads, Dragonflies, Snails, and Tales of Young Scientists in the Salt Marsh If you pay attention to a New England salt marsh in the summer you can see emergence. The greenhead that emerges from the grass. The dragonfly that emerges from the pond. The snail that emerges from the flooding waters. In Plum Island, if [...]
A Land of Extremes
Land of Extremes Is Colorful Guide to Natural History of the Arctic Tundra John Hobbie and Alex Huryn, long-time principal investigators on the Arctic Long Term Ecological Research project at Toolik Lake, Alaska, have just finished a book about the natural history of the North Slope of Alaska, the only Arctic tundra in the U. [...]
Tour Gives Students a Glimpse of Center Research
Students from the New York Harbor School visited Woods Hole and the Ecosystems Center last month. JC Weber explained the work that he and Maureen Conte conduct in the Oceanic Flux program. He told students about one aspect, using organic chemical biomarkers extracted from deep sea particulate matter to learn about processes in the mesopelgaic [...]
Helping To Build the Next Generation of Scientists
The Ecosystems Center staff plays an active role in community outreach and education. Every year, scientists and research assistants volunteer to mentor students from the middle school and high school levels, helping them to refine ideas for their science fair projects. Many of the staff are also involved in judging projects at both the local [...]
Green To Measure Growth: Assessing Eutrophication's Effects on Mummichogs
As part of his research on preserving healthy and productive salt marshes, James Nelson, postdoctoral researcher at the Plum Island Sound Long Term Ecological Research site, turned 28,500 mummichogs green last summer. Dr. Nelson explains: "Salt marshes, such as the Great Marsh along the northern Massachusetts coast, are highly productive landscapes that provide a great [...]