Sea pig and sea spider encounters highlight of Antarctic expedition

McKenna Lewis, a Global Environmental Science (GES) undergraduate major in the Department of Oceanography, recently returned from a 6-week expedition to Antarctica—“a once-in-a-lifetime experience in and of itself!” she said.

Lewis traveled to Antarctica to be part of FjordEco, a collaborative research project led by scientists from UH Mānoa, Scripps Institute of Oceanography, and the University of Alaska at Fairbanks. The goal of the project is to learn more about the under-studied fjord ecosystems of the Western Antarctic Peninsula, and understand the physical and biological drivers of the highly productive ecosystem and its sensitivity to climate change.

“Although I prepared myself for the cruise as best as I could in my studies, there was still so much for me to learn,” said Lewis. “Fortunately, all who taught me and helped me in my learning process on the cruise were always patient and kind. Everyone from our group gladly shared what they knew about the various structures and functions of the different species found.”

Read more about it in the UH System News.

Research explains near-island biological hotspots in barren ocean basins

Coral reef islands and atolls in the Pacific are predominantly surrounded by vast areas of ocean that have very low nutrient levels and low ecological production. However, the ecosystems near these islands and atolls are often extremely productive and support an enhanced nearshore food-web, leading to an abundance of species and increased local fisheries. An international team of scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, National Geographic Society, Scripps Institution of Oceanography and Bangor University published a study in Nature Communications today which provides the first basin-scale investigation of this paradoxical increase in productivity near coral reef islands and atolls —referred to as the Island Mass Effect.

“Surprisingly, scientists have historically known very little with respect to the prevalence, geographic variability, and drivers of this ecologically important phenomenon,” said Jamison Gove, lead author of the study and research oceanographer at the Ecosystems and Oceanography Program of NOAA’s Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center.

“Important services that ecosystems provide to human populations, such as fisheries production, can be intrinsically linked to nearshore phytoplankton enhancement associated with the Island Mass Effect,” said Margaret McManus, co-author of the study and oceanography professor.

Read more about it in the UH System News.

“3D Under the Sea” selected as finalist in national video competition

A three-minute video produced by a team from the Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology and the University of California, San Diego has been selected as one of nine finalists in the Ocean 180 Video Challenge, a video competition calling for video abstracts that not only summarize recently published research findings but also highlight their relevance and real-world implications.

“Far too often science is conducted in a bubble and researchers put little effort into engaging with general audiences,” explained 2016 finalist John Burns, a PhD candidate in Ruth Gates’ laboratory at Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology. “Developing media products for middle school students is a great way to educate them on scientific issues and also show that while scientific research is a lot of work, it is a fun and exciting career that allows you to make new discoveries about the world we live in.”

Explore the reef by moving your mouse or smartphone

“The video we created uses immersive 360-degree virtual reality. We filmed with a 360-panoramic GoPro set-up to let you virtually explore these environments and our efforts to protect and save these precious ecosystems,” the team said in their video submission.

Users can access the YouTube to interactively view the video. The YouTube player allows viewers to use their mouse to scroll and look in any direction, or watch on a smartphone and pan through the scene by simply moving the phone.

Measure for sunscreen testing progresses

A measure that would require the University of Hawai‘i to study the effects of sunscreen on Hawai‘i’s coral reef was passed by the House Ocean, Marine Resources and Hawaiian Affairs Committee on Wednesday.

The study called for in HB 1765 would “include recommendations on how to mitigate the detrimental effects to coral, if any, caused by sunscreen, giving due consideration to the need to protect the coral reefs and the possible impact that mitigation measures may have on residents and visitors who use sunscreen.”

UH Chancellor Robert Bley-Vroman and Ruth D. Gates, director and coral biologist for the Hawai‘i Institute of Marine Biology (HIMB), said in written testimony that O‘ahu reefs at Hanauma Bay and Waikīkī see “heavy tourist traffic and have a measurable concentrations of sunscreen chemical.”

Read more about it in Honolulu Civil Beat.

Four new algae species discovered in deep Hawaiʻi waters

Scientists working with NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries announced the discovery of four new species of deep-water algae from Hawai‘i. Marine algae, or limu, are very important in Hawaiian culture, used in foods, ceremonies and as adornments in traditional hula. The new species of limu were collected between 200-400 feet, depths not typically known for marine algae. Heather Spalding, postdoctoral researcher at the UH Department of Botany and lead author of the study, said, “I was astounded at the abundance and size of these algae, which resembled something you would see in a shallow-water lagoon, not at 400 feet.”

The species were sampled during surveys between 2013 and 2015 in Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument by NOAA divers using advanced SCUBA diving technologies, and during past NOAA expeditions from 2006 to 2014 throughout the Main Hawaiian Islands using submersibles operated by the Hawai‘i Undersea Research Laboratory (HURL). Scientists anticipate that many additional new species of algae will be described in the coming years from samples collected by NOAA divers on future expeditions to the monument.

Read more about it at EurekAlert!, Science Codex, Maui Now, and Nature World News.

Proposal to stabilize Waikīkī shoreline moves forward

A new plan to stabilize a famous stretch of shoreline is moving forward. Funding for the Royal Hawaiian Groin Replacement project will be provided by the state and commercial property owners in Waikīkī. “If the current Royal Hawaiian groin was to fail, it would result in a catastrophic loss of the beach over the course of several months,” explained Dolan Eversole, UH Sea Grant Coastal Processes Specialist and Waikīkī Beach Management Coordinator.

The state put in sandbags to temporarily shore up the groin which was built in 1927 between the Royal Hawaiian Hotel and the Sheraton Waikīkī. “It essentially holds together Waikīkī Beach,” said Eversole. “It is on the verge of failure. It’s showing a lot of signs of imminent failure.”

The Waikīkī Beach Special Improvement District Association is also working on a beach management plan that will include sand replenishment. A two-year University of Hawai‘i study of the state’s 2012 beach nourishment concluded that the project was successful despite ongoing erosion. “Initially, the beach was widened about 30 feet with the re-nourishment project and today about 20 of that feet remains. Today, it’s about 20 feet wider than it was prior to the nourishment project,” said Chip Fletcher, professor of Geology and Geophysics (G&G) and SOEST’s Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.

How bacteria induce settling and transformation of marine larvae investigated

For more than 100 years, marine biologists have sought an understanding of how the minute larvae of marine invertebrate animals—cast out into the vast ocean—find and settle in the right ecological settings for survival, growth and reproduction. A grant, totaling more than $870,000, from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation to the University of Hawaiʻi will support research to understand the mechanisms by which marine biofilm bacteria—bacteria that live in slime films on the surfaces of all objects submerged in the sea—induce the settling of larvae of marine invertebrate animals.

With this grant, a UH research team will focus on a small tube worm, Hydroides elegans, that settles onto marine surfaces in warm ocean waters around the world where they form masses of hard, calcified tubes. The team, led by professor Michael Hadfield at the Kewalo Marine Laboratory (KML), Pacific Biosciences Research Center (PBRC), includes larval biologist Brian Nedved (KML), microbiologist Rosie Alegado (Daniel K. Inouye Center for Microbial Oceanography: Research and Education, Department of Oceanography, and Sea Grant) and natural products chemist Shugeng Cao (Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy, UH Hilo).

In the last two decades there has been growing recognition that bacteria are likely the factor that causes many free-floating larvae to settle and transform, yet very little is known of the diversity of bacteria that stimulate larvae to settle and less is known of the mechanisms through which these bacteria act.

Read more about it in the UH System News.

New experiments determine effective treatments for box jelly stings

Researchers at the UH Mānoa developed an array of highly innovative experiments to allow scientists to safely test first-aid measures used for box jellyfish stings—from folk tales, like urine, to state-of-the-art technologies developed for the military. The power of this new array approach, published this week in the journal Toxins, is in its ability to rigorously assess the effectiveness of various treatments on inhibiting tentacle firing and venom toxicity—two aspects of a sting that affect the severity of a person’s reaction.

Box jellyfish are among the deadliest creatures on Earth and are responsible for more deaths than shark attacks annually. Despite the danger posed by these gelatinous invertebrates, scientists and medical professionals still do not agree on the best way to treat and manage jellyfish stings. “Authoritative web articles are constantly bombarding the public with unvalidated and frankly bad advice for how to treat a jelly sting,” said Angel Yanagihara, lead author of the paper and assistant research professor at the Pacific Biosciences Research Center (PBRC) and John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM). “I really worry that emergency responders and public health decision makers might rely on these unscientific articles. It’s not too strong to point out that in some cases, ignorance can cost lives.”

Read more about it and watch the video report at UH System News; read more about it at Hawaii News Now and the UH Mānoa News.

Beneficial bacteria in Hawaiian squid attracted to fatty acids

The small but charismatic Hawaiian bobtail squid is known for its predator-fooling light organ. To survive, the nocturnal cephalopod depends on a mutually beneficial relationship with the luminescent bacterium, Vibrio fischeri, which gives it the ability to mimic moonlight on the surface of the ocean, and deceive monk seals and other predators that would happily make a meal of the small creature.

A study published recently in Applied and Environmental Microbiology by Edward “Ned” Ruby, professor at the Pacific Biosciences Research Center and colleagues from the University of Wisconsin–Madison revealed that Vibrio fischeri has a novel type of receptors that sense the presence and concentration of fatty acids, a building block of all cell membranes. This class of receptors allows a bacterium to migrate toward short-chain fatty acids—a phenomenon referred to as chemotaxis.

“This is the first example of a receptor for this class of compounds, and this receptor appears to have evolved in, and be restricted to, the Vibrionaceae family of marine bacteria,” said Ruby.

Read more about it in the UH System News.

“Bigger and stronger waves” are perilous for visitors

The view in Hawai‘i might not be all that different from other beaches around the world, but Hawai‘i waters are distinct — something that may not be evident until you enter them. The way the surf pounds and rip currents pull can be deceiving, experts say. Visitors who are unfamiliar with the islands’ unique ocean conditions take risks without even realizing it.

Chip Fletcher, professor of Geology and Geophysics (G&G) and Associate Dean of Academic Affairs says there are “too many” tragic stories of tourists dying in Hawai‘i.

The Hawaiian archipelago is the most isolated land mass in the world. Unlike California or the eastern coast of the United States, there’s no continental shelf to dissipate wave energy before it reaches the shore, he said. The water can be 2,000 feet deep less than a quarter-mile offshore in Hawai‘i. “This allows for very strong ocean wave energy much closer than you would find on a continent,” Fletcher said.

Read more about it in the Honolulu Civil Beat. Also, check hawaiibeachsafety.com for local conditions.