(Way) Under the Seafloor: Imaging rocks beneath the deep ocean

NOTE: This lecture will be held in Redfield Auditorium
Hannah Mark, Joint Program Student, Geology & Geophysics
Scientists studying the interior of the Earth can't physically reach the rocks they're interested in, but they can still learn about what's going on miles underground using seismic data. Hannah Mark will give a brief introduction to how this is done and how she uses these techniques to understand how tectonic plates form and evolve.

Shifting Sands: Dealing with coastal erosion through a spectrum of control methods

Greg Berman, Guest Investigator, Biology
Our coastlines are an ever-changing place where nature’s disregard for the human need for stability and stasis comes in to stark focus. Greg Berman will discuss some recent trends in erosion management, the difference between "hard" and "soft" shoreline stabilization, as well as the need to include retreat and maintenance in management plans.

History and Ecology of Clinging Jellyfish in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean

Annette Govindarajan, Research Specialist, Biology
Clinging jellyfish (Gonionemus) are small jellyfish—adults are typically less than 1 inch in diameter—that are sometimes known deliver painful stings. They are native to the North Pacific, including the Sea of Japan and were first noticed on the U.S. East Coast (including Cape Cod) in the late 1800s, where they were thought to be harmless. About 100 years later, the first severe stings associated with clinging jellyfish in the Northwest Atlantic occurred on Cape Cod, suggesting that a new, more toxic strain had been introduced. Learn about how they may have arrived at our shores, their life cycle and habits, and whether or not you should be worried about them at the beach.

Life Beneath the Ice: How tiny ocean "bugs" fuel Arctic Ocean ecosystems

Zhixuan Feng, Postdoctoral Investigator, Biology
The Arctic Ocean is harsh, but it is also a hotspot of biological productivity and diversity. This is largely thanks to tiny zooplankton that live in and under sea ice, where they consume primary producers (mainly phytoplankton) and are eaten by larger animals, including fishes and whales. Today, the Arctic is warming at an unprecedented rater. Learn how zooplankton may fare in a changing climate and who the winners and losers will be in this new “normal” Arctic.

Radioactivity from Fukushima Six Years On

Virginie Sanial, Postdoctoral Scholar, Marine Chemistry & Geochemistry
The reactor meltdowns in March 2011 at the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant resulted in the largest accidental release of radioactivity to the ocean in history. Radioactivity levels in seawater decreased within the few weeks after the accident, but they have remained stable at low levels since then, suggesting that releases continue. Expeditions by WHOI scientists and technicians, in collaborations with Japanese scientists, conducted over the last six years recently revealed a surprising source for much of that radioactive material.