Summary of Summer/Fall 2024 Departmental Achievements

Posted on December 2, 2024December 6, 2024 by Hannes Baumann

Awards:

Professor Samantha Siedlecki

Prof. Siedlecki was named as a 2024 – 2025 Fullbright Scholar for research in both Italy and South Africa, which has been featured at UConn Today

Professor Hans Dam

Professor Dam had the honor of giving the Maxilliped Lecture on “Copepods as Model Systems for the Study of the Response of the Biota to Global Change” during the 15th International Conference on Copepoda held in Hiroshima, Japan.

Research Faculty Sandra Shumway

Dr. Shumway was awarded the Distinguished Lifetime Achievement Award by the US Aquaculture Society and is the first female to receive the award. She was also appointed Fellow of the Marine Biological Association, FMBA. MBA Fellows are senior practitioners in marine biology who have contributed to the discipline at the highest level. The title of Fellow of the Marine Biological Association, FMBA, was first awarded in 2014, following granting of a Royal Charter to the Marine Biological Association. There are currently 50 MBA Fellows.

Professor Senjie Lin

Professor Lin has been awarded the 2024 UConn-AAUP Excellence Award in as well as the 2024 Alumni Faculty Excellence Award in Research and Creativity.

Research Scientist Susan A. Smith (Mystic Aquarium):

Sue won first place in Animal Welfare Research for her presentation at the annual Association of Zoos and Aquariums conference in Calgary. Her work involved the use of non-invasive fecal samples to elucidate the microbiome and hormone profile of the African Penguin, along with the development of a genetic sexing test, which will soon be used to aid in the monitoring of endangered wild populations in South Africa.

PhD student Paxton Tomko

Paxton was awarded a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship (NSF-GRFP) for research with Professor Pieter Visscher, which was featured at UConn Today

PhD Candidate Halle Berger

Halle was awarded the 2024 National Marine Fisheries-Sea Grant Fellowship by NOAA making her the first UConn student to ever receive the award.

Grants:

Professor Senjie Lin

Prof Lin will collaborate with the University of Columbia and Yale University on a DARPA-funded multi-year (2024-2027) project that aims to utilize algal genomics to develop biosensors for various environmental stimuli

MEBES: Modular engineered biosensors for environmental sensing

Research Professor Paola Batta-Lona, Professor Hannes Baumann

Led by UConn EEB professor Eric Schultz, co-PIs Batta-Lona and Baumann will collect and analyze novel data on short- and long-term changes in the trophic ecology of species of greatest conservation need.

Bottoming Out? Testing Hypotheses on Why Long Island Sound Flatfishes Are Disappearing (Long Island Sound Study, $316,667).

Professor Heidi Dierssen and Research Professor Paola Batta-Lona

In collaboration with colleagues from URI, Dierssen and Batta-Lona will use eDNA to characterize biological communities in shallow seafloor, deep-sea seafloor, and offshore midwater acoustic soundscapes. Additionally remote sensing data and Distributed Sensing enabled Cabled Observatories (DiSCO’s) will be used for broader scale understanding of major ocean processes in these areas.

Coastal and Offshore Biogeochemical Oceanographic Observatories Enabled with Distributed Sensing (NIUVT, $2,126,000)

Research Scientist Zhuomin Chen

Projecting future changes in the Gulf Stream warm-core rings and their impacts on the Northeast U.S. Large Marine Ecosystem in a changing climate using regional MOM6 simulations (NOAA $570,000)

Research Scientist Tracy Romano (Mystic Aquarium) and Associate Professor in Residence Michael Finiguerra:

Drs Romano and Finiguerra were awarded an NSF grant to continue leading the Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program through an ongoing collaboration with Mystic Aquarium and the University of Connecticut Avery Point campus.

Romano, T.A., Finiguerra, M. REU Site Mystic Aquarium: Collaborative Research: Plankton to Whales: Consequences of Global Change within Marine Ecosystems. National Science Foundation. $464,997.

Research Scientists Ebru Unal and Tracy Romano (Mystic Aquarium):
Drs Unal and Romano were awarded a North Pacific Research Board grant to further study the transcriptome of the beluga whale for the monitoring of wild populations, in an effort to isolate the health-related expression discrepancies between healthy and endangered populations.

Romano, T.A., Unal, E. The Beluga Skin Transcriptome as a Novel Tool for Monitoring Alaska’s Beluga Stocks. North Pacific Research Board. $244,601

Dr. Romano also received funding by the North Pacific Research Board to design and run a cultural exchange that allowed young Native Alaskans to visit Connecticut, where they met with local CT Native American youth, and together took part in educational and cultural workshops.

Romano, T.A., A Science Based Educational and Cultural Exchange Workshop at Mystic Aquarium for Alaska Native and Native American Youth. $20,000

Publications:

Prof. Hans Dam

Prof. Dam co-authored a study about the negative effects of marine heatwaves on copepods. The authors found that acclimation (“getting used to”) and parental effects (“the fate of the children depends on the experience of the parents”) mitigate the negative effects of heat waves on the fitness of two important copepod species.

Sasaki, M.C, M. Finiguerra, H.G. Dam. 2024. Seasonally variable thermal performance curves prevent adverse effects of heatwaves. Journal of Animal Ecology 2024;00:1–11. DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.14221

Graduate student Samantha Rush and Professor Penny Vlahos

This study reports on how sea ice in the Arctic Ocean incorporates and stores boron as it forms, reducing the amount of boron from under ice waters.

Rush, S., Vlahos, P., Lee, C.-H., Lee, K., Barrett, L. J. Boron to salinity ratios in the Fram Strait entering the Central Arctic: The role of sea ice formation and future predictions. Marine Chemistry. 267:104463. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marchem.2024.104463

DMS alumnus Max Zavell and Professor Hannes Baumann

Zavell and Baumann show that the embryos and larvae of an abundant grouper species in Long Island Sound are unaffected by even very high CO2 levels in the water.

Zavell, M.D. and Baumann, H. (2024) Resiliency of Black Sea Bass, Centropristis striata, early life stages to future high CO2 conditions. Environmental Biology of Fishes 107:677–691

Research Prof. Paola Batta-Lona and Prof. Ann Bucklin

This morphological and molecular analysis revealed the diet differences of 7 mesopelagic fish species, showing the importance of gelatinous prey.

Bucklin, A., Batta-Lona, P.G., Questel, J., McMonagle, H., Wojcicki, M., Llopiz, J.K., Glancy, S., Caiger, P.E., Francolini, R., Govindarajan, A., Thorrold, S.R., Jech, M., Wiebe, P.H. (2024). Metabarcoding and morphological analysis of diets of mesopelagic fishes in the NW Atlantic Slope water. Front Mar Sci. 11:1411996. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2024.1411996

Batta-Lona also published a study on the diet diversity of three salp species, which showed a wide variety of prey, broadening our understanding of trophic pathways in the mesopelagic food web.

Batta-Lona, P.G., Gardner, K., Questel, J.M., Thorrold, S.R., Llopiz, J.L., Wiebe, P.H., Bucklin, A. (2024). Salps in the NW Atlantic Slope Water: metabarcoding and compound-specific stable isotope analysis of diet diversity and trophic interactions. Mar Biol 171, 233. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-024-04535-x

Batta-Lona further published a study that identified parrot fish larvae via morphology and DNA sequences.

Morales‐Pulido, J. M., Galindo‐Sánchez, C. E., Jiménez‐Rosenberg, S. P. A., Batta‐Lona, P. G., Herzka, S. Z., Arteaga, M. C. (2024). A molecular approach to identify parrotfish (Sparisoma) species during early ontogeny. Journal of Fish Biology 1-10 https://doi.org/10.1111/jfb.15921

Batta-Lona was also involved in the MetaZooGene Atlas and Database (MZGdb) provides DNA sequences for multiple genes, with unique capacity for searches by ocean region.

O'Brien, T., Blanco-Bercial, L., Questel, J.M., Batta-Lona, P.G., Bucklin, A. (2024). MetaZooGene Atlas and Database: Reference Sequences for Marine Ecosystems. Methods in molecular biology 2744: 475-489. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-3581-0_28

Prof. Peter Auster

Prof. Auster used diver surveys of reef fish off Florida to map predation risk to coral eating fishes.

Auster, P.J. and M.E. Cullerton. 2024. Can variation in fish predator density and the Landscape of Fear facilitate coral restoration success? Reef Encounter 39:48-50.

In another study, Prof. Auster and colleagues argue that the term "destructive fishing" is used in international agreements and guidance without agreement on what this term means.

McCarthy, A.H., D. Steadman, H. Richardson, J. Murphy, S. Benbow, J.I. Brian, H. Brooks, G. Costa-Domingo, C. Hazin, C. McOwen, J. Walker, D. Willer, M. Abdi, P.J. Auster, ..., N. Mukherjee. 2024. Destructive fishing: An expert‐driven definition and exploration of this quasi‐concept. Conservation Letters, e13015. https://doi.org/10.1111/conl.13015

Post-doctoral researcher Danielle Freeman

Dr. Freeman published an article together with colleagues at WHOI that forecasts the effects of sunlight-driven chemistry during oil spills.

Freeman, D. H.; Nelson, R. K.; Pate, K.; Reddy, C. M.; Ward, C. P. (2024) Forecasting Photo-Dissolution for Future Oil Spills at Sea: Effects of Oil Properties and Composition. Environ Sci Technol. 58: 15236-15245 https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.4c05169

Research Scientist Ebru Unal (Mystic Aquarium):
Dr. Unal showed that skin samples can reveal relevant differences between endangered and stable beluga whale populations.

Unal, E., V. Singh, R. Suydam, C.E. Goertz, and T.A. Romano. (2024). Comparative skin transcriptome analysis as a potential tool to investigate intra- and inter-population differences in belugas. Frontiers in Marine Science: Marine Conservation and Sustainability. 11:1282210

Research Scientist Tracy A. Romano (Mystic Aquarium):

Aerial photogrammetry and lipid analyses can be used to describe the body condition of wild endangered St. Lawrence Estuary beluga whales.

Sherill, M., A. Bernier-Graveline, J. Ewald, Z. Pang, M. Moisan, M. Marzeliere, M. Muzzy, T.A. Romano, R. Michaud, and J. Verreault. (2024). Scaled mass index derived from aerial photogrammetry associated with predicted metabolic pathway disruptions in free ranging St. Lawrence Estuary belugas Frontiers in Marine Science. 11:1360374.

Danielle A. Lavoie (Mystic Aquarium):

This study provided insight into the detection of the invasive nematode parasite A. crassus using identification monitorting methods that allow for the survival of the host A. rostrata (the American eel).

Lavoie, D.L., Oliveira, K. (2024). Non-Lethal Detection of the Invasive American Eel Parasite Anguillicoloides crassus. Diseases of Aquatic Organisms.

A delayed spring bloom along the West Antarctica Peninsula

Posted on December 2, 2024December 2, 2024 by Hannes Baumann

By Samantha Rush.

If you think about the holiday season, it is easy to grasp the trend that Christmas festivities that used to begin traditionally after Thanksgiving in the US appear much earlier. In recent years, the timeline has shifted and many Christmas and holiday themed advertisements, decorations, and events appear even sooner than before. Of course, this notable shift has traceable causes and is known (consciously or subconsciously) to be driven by retail strategies, commercialization, consumer behavior, social media influences, and cultural shifts.

The changes in the timelines of global phenomena also extend to marine environments. In fact, the polar regions are some of the most rapidly changing locations on the planet due to human induced climate change. In the West Antarctic Peninsula (Figure 1), a combination of warming and sea ice loss have altered the timing of recurring seasonal events, the study of which is known as phenology. While most predictions have suggested that these changes in the environment would cause an earlier spring bloom, or ocean biology to kick start, lead author and postdoctoral researcher Jessie Turner found exactly the opposite in a recent study of the ice-associated waters west of the Antarctic Peninsula.

Using satellite ocean color data from 1997 to 2022, researchers from the University of Connecticut and five other collaborating institutions and laboratories discovered that spring blooms were shifting later in ice zones and on continental shelf regions west of the Antarctic Peninsula (Figure 2). By using satellite derived chlorophyll-a concentrations as a proxy for phytoplankton biomass, researchers were able to track the concentration and timing of the elevated concentration corresponding to the date when heightened biological activity begins.

After investigating a handful of environmental variables to better ascertain the potential mechanisms for the seasonal shift, the authors found that wind speed was the most likely mechanism for the observed change in the spring bloom start date. Other variables such as light and temperature did not explain the trends. However, there was a long-term increase in wind mixing, which likely decreases the stability of the water column in the early spring season and suppresses phytoplankton accumulation until later in the season (Figure 3).

While phytoplankton are small single cell plants, the timing of the phytoplankton spring bloom affects the entire marine food web. Higher trophic level organisms may experience feeding, migration, and breeding impacts. In fact, phenology changes at the base of the Antarctic food web are likely to disrupt the life history of key species such as Adélie penguins. Other, widespread impacts also include potential changes to the timing and magnitude of carbon dioxide absorption by the ocean in these locations.

Next, the researchers plan to investigate specific phytoplankton species and employ the use of new generation hyperspectral satellite missions to further study long-term trends in polar regions. Rapidly developing technology combined with field measurements will allow for better examinations of the changes rapidly occurring in this polar region in studies to come.

Jessica S. Turner, J.S., Dierssen, H., Kim, H.H., Stammerjohn, S., Munro, D.R., and Kavanaugh, M. (2024). Changing phytoplankton phenology in the marginal ice zone west of the Antarctic peninsula. Marine Ecology Progress Series 734: 1–21

Meet DMS alumnus Dr. Chris Murray

Posted on December 2, 2024December 2, 2024 by Hannes Baumann

Samantha: I appreciate you taking the time to do this interview. Can you briefly share some of the highlights from your time at UConn?

Chris: I came to UConn in 2014 joining Dr. Baumann’s lab when he was just starting as a first-year faculty member. My research focused on the effects of climate stressors on fish, particularly in their early life stages. We did experiments exposing fish to climate change stressors like acidification, warming, and hypoxia, which laid the groundwork for many future studies and my work today. At the time, the research was novel, and I got to build the lab alongside Hannes. Avery Point was great for its diversity of undergraduates and young scientists incorporated into research as well as its diversity of research foci from all the different major oceanographic topics.

Samantha: Now, I found that you did your bachelor's in business administration and management. Can you tell me how you made the shift to becoming an oceanography PhD student?

Chris: I was a naive first-generation college student, and when I struggled with biology and chemistry, I just switched to business. By my senior year, I realized it wasn’t for me, but I had matured academically to know what to do to get to the next step and I morphed my business administration degree into environmental science with a capstone project. I still lacked practical science experience though, so the summer before graduate school, I volunteered extensively with local science groups and universities. When contacting graduate programs, many told me I wasn’t competitive for the program, but I found the Marine Policy and Conservation Program at Stony Brook School of Marine Sciences geared towards non-science majors. There, I met Hannes, who was an adjunct professor, and I ended up working with him as a master’s student. It was pure serendipity that I had been there at that moment to get the position! When Hannes moved to UConn, he offered me a PhD position to start his lab, and it was a no brainer! In all, it was a combination of stick-to-itiveness, luck, being in the right place at the right time, seeing opportunities that evolved, and taking advantage of them!

Samantha: After your PhD, what has your career path looked like?

Chris: During my PhD, I applied for a postdoc at Friday Harbor Labs with the University of Washington (UW), but I didn’t get it. However, in the same email, I was offered a 12-month postdoc at the Washinton Ocean and Certification Program to design a project without preconceived notions. I took that and ran! I established awesome collaborations at UW, University of Western Washington, Northwest Fishery Science Center, and USGS Fish Health and Wildlife Center. I did awesome things I never dreamed I would do when I was an undergraduate. It was a risk going out there, but that leap of faith was the most awesome thing I have ever done for my growth.

Samantha: What a cool adventure! So, what’s your current position?

Chris: As my postdoc ended, I was offered a permanent research position at UW, but I had looked for opportunities back east and found that Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute (WHOI) offered a Postdoctoral Scholars Program. Again, I was not selected, but I was also encouraged to write a National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Research Fellowship proposal, which ultimately got funded. Considering I never sold my girlfriend-now-wife to a permanent position in Washington, we moved back east. My postdoc at WHOI was an incredible fellowship opportunity, and once that ended, I applied for tenure track faculty jobs. I had varying success, but WHOI didn’t want to lose me, so I was offered my now permanent research job in biology.

Samantha: I also heard you were recently offered a faculty position at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science at the Chesapeake Biological Lab. What led to your decision to decline the offer?

Chris: It was a dream job for me, but my wife and I found out we’re having a baby and our families are here in Cape Cod. We have a lot of ties to this area, so moving away didn’t feel like the right choice for us right now. It’s a tough reality of academic life- being willing to jump around the country to various opportunities- but with everything we have here, it made more sense to stay. I’m confident this won’t be my only opportunity.

Samantha: That is such a thoughtful decision. It is great to hear how you’re balancing career and personal life. So, what advice do you have for current graduate students?

Chris: Seriously consider your long-term plans, especially as you approach the second half of your degree. You can do a lot now to set yourself up for the next step. It’s true that there aren’t millions of jobs, but if you have a sober idea about what you want, taking steps towards it can make transitions smoother. Also, keep in mind that there are still more opportunities available than you can ever appreciate. Even rejected proposals can be reformatted. The endeavor is always really worth it, at least in my experience.

Samantha: Fantastic advice! And just for fun- what do you enjoy doing outside of research?

Chris: Basically, all the outdoor activities- hiking, snorkeling, scuba diving, backpacking, kayaking, fishing. I don’t have all those options on the Cape, but I have more time to enjoy them than I did as a graduate student.

Samantha: That’s awesome! Thanks again for sharing your story and advice, Chris. It was great chatting with you!

Professor Michael Whitney promoted to Full Professor

Posted on November 25, 2024November 27, 2024 by Manning, Cara

Congratulations to Professor Michael Whitney who has been promoted to Full Professor. Professor Whitney is an expert in coastal and estuarine physical oceanography and investigates physical dynamics such as river plumes, freshwater-saltwater mixing, tidal flows, and the impacts of bathymetry on circulation. He also researches the effects of these physical dynamics on water quality and the transport of debris, organisms, contaminants, and other chemicals. His research uses a combination of modeling and observational approaches including data collection and assimilation. To date he has published 43 research articles and received nearly $5 million in research funding as lead and co-principal investigator. Professor Whitney has active grants that support research on the transport of oyster larvae and harmful bacteria and the Icelandic Coastal Current.

Professor Whitney is actively engaged in education of our undergraduate, graduate, and certificate program students by teaching Physical Oceanography, Oceanographic Data Analysis, and River Influences on the Marine Environment. He has served as major advisor to nine MS and PhD students, involves undergraduates in his research, and participates in many outreach activities for local youth. He is actively engaged in service to the department, university, and broader scientific community including being the faculty point of contact and developer for our new Graduate Certificate in Oceanographic Science & Technology.

Professor Whitney joined UConn as an assistant professor in 2005 and was promoted to Associate Professor in 2012 and full professor in 2024. He has been Associate Head of the Department of Marine Sciences since August 2024.

Congratulations to Dr. Whitney on your achievements and thank you for your contributions to UConn and the scientific community!

Professor Julie Granger promoted to Full Professor

Posted on November 25, 2024November 27, 2024 by Manning, Cara

Congratulations to Professor Julie Granger who has been promoted to Full Professor!

Professor Granger is an internationally renowned expert in nitrogen biogeochemistry who studies how nitrogen influences ocean productivity. She has led foundational research on how different microbial processes fractionate nitrogen and oxygen isotopes, the results of which have been applied by a wide community of researchers. Her active research projects include studying nitrogen and oxygen biogeochemistry in the southern Benguela Upwelling System, studying nutrient cycling in the Arctic Ocean, and researching how nutrient and metal limitation influences microbial ecosystems in the Southern Ocean and low-nutrient gyres. Professor Granger is a recipient of an NSF CAREER award and has received over $4 million in research grant funding.

Professor Granger teaches a research-based and community-engaged course, Measurements and Analysis in Coastal Ecosystems, which is taken by all of our senior Marine Sciences majors. Students synthesize what they have learned throughout their degree by investigating causes of water quality impairment in local watersheds and communicating the results to the public. Students enjoy the opportunity to apply their knowledge and develop skills that they will use in the workforce after graduation. She also teaches graduate courses including Isotope Biogeochemistry and Geological Oceanography.

Professor Granger has served as major advisor to nine MS and PhD students, regularly employs undergraduates in her research laboratory, and hosts graduate students and postdoctoral scholars from other institutions to conduct research at UConn.

She actively contributes to department and university service, and to the broader scientific community including developing standards for the measurement of nitrogen fixation rates and publishing oceanic trace element and isotope data (GEOTRACES database).

Professor Granger joined UConn as an assistant professor in 2011 and was promoted to Associate Professor in 2017 and full professor in 2024.

Congratulations to Dr. Granger on your achievements and contributions to UConn and the scientific community!

Professor Jamie Vaudrey promoted to Associate Research Professor

Posted on November 25, 2024November 27, 2024 by Manning, Cara

Congratulations to Professor Jamie Vaudrey who has been promoted to Associate Research Professor.

Dr. Vaudrey leads applied research studying how human activities and land use changes affect coastal ecosystems to inform management. She was awarded the 2023 Faculty Environmental Leadership Award, which honors UConn staff who have had a positive impact on the environment by leading initiatives at UConn and beyond. She was recognized for leading the process to establish the Connecticut National Estuarine Research Reserve, which is based at the UConn Avery Point Campus, as well as helping to develop the Environmental Report Card for Long Island Sound which converts environmental monitoring data into an accessible format so that policymakers and the general public can understand how human decisions are improving water quality in Long Island Sound. She also contributed to developing the Unified Water Study which monitors water quality in more than forty embayments in Long Island Sound in collaboration with a large number of volunteer samplers.

She has served as the Research Coordinator for the Connecticut National Estuarine Research Reserve since its designation in 2022. There, she leads a team of staff who conduct environmental monitoring in coastal waters of Connecticut and collaborates with policymakers and the public. She has active research focused on coastal environmental issues, including monitoring and modeling the ecosystem impacts of nutrient pollution in Long Island Sound and developing strategies to improve the success of ecosystem restoration.

Beyond her research, she provides service to the university by serving on our Undergraduate Program Advisory Committee and she served as Chair of the Coastal Perspectives Lecture Series for the past 13 years, which brings the public to campus to learn about environmental issues. She has and continues to serve as an advisor to many community-based and governmental environmental monitoring organizations, due to her unique ability to communicate scientific results to those with other backgrounds.

Although her position does not have any teaching or student mentoring requirements, Dr. Vaudrey has consistently demonstrated her passion and talent for teaching by teaching our First Year Experience course for Marine Sciences majors, as well as our required writing course, Marine Sciences and Society. Dr. Vaudrey supervises multiple graduate students and has mentored many undergraduate interns who have worked in her lab and at the CT NERR.

We are proud that Professor Vaudrey is a graduate of our PhD program in Oceanography! Congratulations to Professor Vaudrey on your achievements and your service to UConn and the broader community to protect our environment in Long Island Sound and beyond.

Professor Lin receives two research awards

Posted on November 25, 2024November 27, 2024 by Manning, Cara

Congratulations to Professor Senjie Lin who has been awarded the 2024 UConn-AAUP Excellence Award in the Research & Creativity: Career category, as well as the 2024 Alumni Faculty Excellence Award in Research and Creativity (Sciences)! These university-wide honors celebrate faculty who have demonstrated sustained academic excellence over their career and made significant contributions to a field of knowledge.

Dr. Lin is a world-renowned leader in the field of phytoplankton physiology and molecular biology. He develops and applies molecular tools (e.g., genomics and metatranscriptomics) to study phytoplankton, primary producers who form the base of marine food webs.

Prof. Lin is an expert on dinoflagellates, a type of phytoplankton that are increasingly important to study because this group is often involved in toxic algal blooms that can close fisheries and beaches and because some dinoflagellates are essential to coral health, which is deteriorating due to increasing coral bleaching events resulting from climate change.

As part of his research, Prof. Lin has developed new molecular tools such as mitochondrial barcoding for taxonomic identification of dinoflagellates, and developed a new molecular marker based on a specific dinoflagellate genomic trait (DinoSL) which is used to identify and separate dinoflagellate RNA from genetic materials from other types of phytoplankton. Both techniques are now widely used throughout the international research community as demonstrated through the many citations on these articles.

Prof. Lin’s work has also demonstrated how dinoflagellates and diatoms acquire phosphorus and provided new insights into the drivers of harmful algal blooms.

Professor Lin has published over 200 peer-reviewed articles and in 2023 he was ranked in the top 2% of global scientists based on his citations.

Congratulations to Professor Lin on this well-deserved honor!

New fellowship offers outreach experience for DMS students!

Posted on September 17, 2024September 17, 2024 by Hannes Baumann

The New Generation of Marine Scientists and Stewards Fellowship is a new initiative led by Dr. Zofia Baumann, who has secured funding for the Department of Marine Sciences to award $1,500 to each of three graduate students for the academic year 2024/25. The inaugural recipients of this fellowship are Anagha Payyambally, Emily Watling, and Bernard Akaawase, who bring a rich diversity of backgrounds, experiences, and expertise to share with K-12 students in Groton, CT.

Located in the southeastern corner of Connecticut, Groton is part of the ancestral territory of the Mohegan, Mashantucket Pequot, Eastern Pequot, Schaghticoke, Golden Hill Paugussett, Nipmuc, and Lenape Peoples, who have been stewards of this land for generations. Groton is also classified as an Environmental Justice Community, underscoring the importance of land and water stewardship to protect the marine ecosystems that coastal communities, including Groton, rely on. Scientific inquiry is a powerful tool that can empower people to become environmental stewards, and the fellowship recipients will engage with K-12 students in Groton to share their unique perspectives on this process.

Anagha Payyambally is a first-generation graduate student from India pursuing a Ph.D. in chemical oceanography. She understands the immense value of sharing ideas with the younger generation and is eager to contribute to this initiative.

Emily Watling, a New England native passionate about the marine environment, is working toward her M.S. with a focus on marine ecology. She is excited to collaborate with the other fellows and bring a "storm of ideas" to the table.

Bernard Akaawase, originally from Nigeria, is a third-year Ph.D. student specializing in physical oceanography. Committed to engaging with the younger generation, he has also served as the community outreach chair for the Graduate Students of Color Association (GSCA) at UConn.

As the fellows embark on this journey, stay tuned for updates on their activities and impact in the Groton community.

DMS at Ocean Science Meeting 2024

Posted on May 3, 2024May 16, 2024 by Samantha Siedlecki

Thirty people from DMS attended the Ocean Science Meeting in New Orleans this February. Check out what we presented to the ocean science community.

by Mengyang Zhou

Every two years, the Ocean Science Meeting (OSM) brings together the ocean community around the world. This gathering serves as a platform for sharing latest discoveries and discussing the far-reaching impact of ocean science. This February, thirty DMS members attended OSM24 in New Orleans. The full list of presentations from DMS can be found at the end of this article. Here are some highlights of our departments’ participation at OSM24 that include student presentation highlights, DMS booth and reflections from first timers at OSM.

We delivered presentations that covered diverse fields in ocean sciences, especially those by talented students. Here are some great examples. Ph.D. student Halle Berger presented her poster on the effects of ocean acidification and warming on the vulnerability of the U.S. Atlantic sea scallop. Her study will help fisheries management by identifying candidate areas for future fishing zones. Bernard Akaawase, also a Ph.D. student, gave an oral presentation on the directional wave-breaking kinematics and the energy spectrum from 3-D stereo-image observations of ocean waves. Undergraduate student Vicki You presented a poster on using DNA metabarcoding of fish diets to understand fish’s prey preference and selectivity, and the contributions of fish predators to the food web dynamics of the pelagic ecosystem.

Our department left a mark at OSM24 with an engaging booth that attracted visitors with its lively displays and interactive demonstration. We showcased our laboratories, ongoing scientific projects and educational programs spanning un dergraduate and graduate levels, as well as opportunities for postdocs and faculties. It served as a hub for building connections with fellow researchers and potential collaborators. Notably, many DMS alumni dropped by the booth and shared updates on career trajectories.

For many students attending OSM for the first time, it was an unforgettable experience filled with excitement as well as some challenges. Second year Ph.D. student Catherine Crowley shared her experience at OSM as a first-timer: “OSM was a great opportunity for me to learn more about my field of study and meet collaborators who are working on similar niche questions. This was the first conference I attended where there were so many people interested in isotopes and the marine nitrogen cycle. I really enjoyed attending the talks and I learned a lot while at the conference. However, there were times when the conference felt overwhelming due to my schedule being planned to the minute, and I had to run from one end of the building to another to get to another interesting talk. Having a UConn booth at OSM was an interesting way to connect with prospective students and faculty members. I believe that UConn has a lot to offer as a program, and this was a unique way to showcase how cool our program is and highlight the research of various colleagues.” Paban Bhuyan, also a Ph.D. student, said: “Attending OSM for the first time felt like stepping into a grand fair, where oceanographers from across the globe gather to exchange groundbreaking ideas and state-of-the-art technology. It presented itself as the monumental opportunity I had long anticipated, allowing me to finally meet the esteemed researchers whose work I have diligently followed and admired. The chance to engage with them directly, to listen to their presentation in person, was an invaluable experience. Equally striking was the realization of being part of a vast community dedicated to similar research interests. Discovering so many scientists attending my session, engaging with my poster, and posing questions that delve into the core of my research inquiries was both surprising and reaffirming. Their questions opened new avenues of thought, highlighting aspects I had yet to consider but now recognize as essential. This interaction has inspired my research journey with a newfound sense of direction and purpose.”

OSM24 was a celebration of ocean sciences. Our department’s presence at OSM24 was both impactful and memorable. We showcased our commitment to advancing ocean science and education through engaging presentations and interactive booth displays. Looking forward to the next OSM in 2026!

Summary of Spring 2024 Department Achievements

Posted on May 2, 2024May 23, 2024 by Samantha Siedlecki

Check out a summary of some of the achievements in our department in spring of 2024 below!

Publications:

*identify students

Professor Hannes Baumann and Professor Catherine Matassa:

The study reports on a long-term experiment in the Rankin Lab, where small Black sea bass were raised under different temperature and food conditions during fall and winter.

Zavell, M. D.*, Mouland, M. E. P., Matassa, C. M., Schultz, E. T., & Baumann, H. (2024). Temperature- and ration-dependent winter growth in northern-stock Black Sea Bass juveniles. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society, 153, 163–1. https://doi.org/10.1002/tafs.10452

Professor Hans Dam:

Future climate scenarios, under warmer and more acidic conditions, will increase the negative effects of the toxic phytoplankton Alexandrium catenella on non-toxic phytoplankton.

Leitão, E.*, Castellanos, D. F., Park, G., & Dam, H. G. (2024). Antagonistic interactions of the dinoflagellate Alexandrium catenella under simultaneous warming and acidification. Harmful Algae, 102625. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1568988324000593

Professor Heidi Dierssen:

Contrary to global model predictions, satellite data reveal that the timing of the spring start date and summer peak date of phytoplankton blooms have shifted later over the last two decades in the marginal ice zone west of the Antarctic Peninsula. Jessie Turner, postdoctoral associate in the Department of Marine Sciences led this effort.

Turner JS, Dierssen H, Schofield O, Kim HH, Stammerjohn S, Munro DR, Kavanaugh M (2024) Changing phytoplankton phenology in the marginal ice zone west of the Antarctic Peninsula. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 734:1-21. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps14567

Professor Senjie Lin and Research Faculty Huan Zhang:

This commentary highlights the recent development in research using cryo-electron microscopy, a cutting-edge technology, to characterize the architecture of photosystem I in dinoflagellates revealing previously unknown components. The piece then raises questions for future research to completely reconstruct the system and understand how dinoflagellates adapt to variable light conditions, thriving to form harmful algal blooms or supporting the highly biodiverse and productive coral reefs.

Lin, S., Wu, S., He, J. et al. Shining light on dinoflagellate photosystem I. Nat Commun 15, 3337 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-47797-1

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-47797-1

Graduate students in the Molecular Approaches to Oceanography course taught by Lin and Huan analyzed samples collected from the Long Island Sound Water Quality Monitoring Program. The work revealed a spatial and temporal distribution of the proton pump rhodopsin in Long Island Sound inversely related to phosphate concentration, suggesting the potential of this “novel” energy harvesting system to help dinoflagellates cope with phosphate limitation.

Zhang, H.; Nulick, K.J.; Burris, Z.; Pierce, M.; Ma, M.; Lin, S. Dinoflagellate Proton-Pump Rhodopsin Genes in Long Island Sound: Diversity and Spatiotemporal Distribution. Microorganisms 2024, 12, 628. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms12030628

Professor David Lund:

The paper by Shub et al. shows that deep ocean stratification in the Atlantic is not a primary control on atmospheric CO2 over long timescales, which was one of the primary hypotheses to explain glacial-interglacial CO2 cycles. Instead, factors such as changes in biological productivity, sea ice extent, and ventilation of the Pacific must play predominant roles.

Shub, A. B.*, Lund, D. C., Oppo, D. W., & Garity, M. L.* (2024). Brazil Margin stable isotope profiles for the last glacial cycle: Implications for watermass geometry and oceanic carbon storage. Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology, 39, e2023PA004635. https://doi.org/10.1029/2023PA004635

Professor Rob Mason:

Sediment cores were spiked with mercury isotopes to examine mercury methylation in sediments and its transfer into the water column and phytoplankton. The lead author, Kati Gosnell, was a former student, and the work was from her thesis.

Gosnell, K.*, Mazrui, N., Mason, R.P. 2024. Properties Influencing Algae Uptake of Mercury and Methylmercury from Estuarine Sediments. Environ. Poll. 346: Art. # 123604.

Professor Rob Mason, Research Faculty Sandy Shumway and Zofia Baumann:

Hansen, G.*, Shumway, S.E., Mason, R.P., & Z. Baumann. A Comparative Study of Mercury Bioaccumulation in Bivalve Molluscs from a Shallow Estuarine Embayment. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 86, 262–273 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-024-01058-w

Professor Samantha Siedlecki and Research Scientist Zhuomin Chen:

Combining ocean predictions with a physiological understanding through the metabolic index yields the ability to forecast habitat multiple years into the future for a wide variety of marine organisms. In addition, widespread subsurface predictability for temperature and oxygen is also identified.

Chen, Z., Siedlecki, S., Long, M., Petrik, C.M., Stock, C.A., and C.A. Deutsch. Skillful multiyear prediction of marine habitat shifts jointly constrained by ocean temperature and dissolved oxygen. Nat Commun 15, 900 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-45016-5

Professor Pieter Visscher:

Viruses are generally associated with health issues, but actually play an important role in natural systems, where they regulate population sizes of their hosts and are involved in nutrient and element cycling. The size of most viruses ranges from 40 to 100 nanometer, which makes them difficult to detect. Consequently, their role in many ecosystems remains elusive. In the Bellanger et al. paper, we describe a novel method that makes enumeration of viruses in aquatic environments straightforward and inexpensive. With this, their ecological role can be easily assessed in freshwater, marine and hypersaline systems. As an example, we found that the viruses in Great Salt Lake, Utah, weigh about five pounds and fit in a gallon container.

Bellanger, M., P.T. Visscher, R.A. White III. 2023. Viral enumeration using cost-effective wet-mount epifluorescence microscopy for aquatic ecosystems and modern microbialites. Applied Environmental Microbiology, doi:10.1128/aem.01744-23.

Professor Evan Ward:

The gene expression profile of the microbial community inhabiting the gut of the blue mussel was analyzed to reveal a dominance of energy-related genes.

Griffin, T.W., Nigro, L.M., Collins, H.I.*, Holohan, B.A., & Ward, J.E. (2024). The metatranscriptome of resident microbiota in the gut of blue mussels, Mytilus edulis, under standard laboratory conditions. Current Research in Biotechnology 7, 100208. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crbiot.2024.100208

Professor Michael Whitney:

Whitney, M. M., Spicer, P., MacDonald, D. G., Huguenard, K. D., Cole, K. L., Jia, Y., & Delatolas, N. (2024). Mixing of the Connecticut River plume during ambient flood tides: Spatial heterogeneity and contributions of bottom-generated and interfacial mixing. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 129, e2023JC020423. https://doi.org/10.1029/2023JC020423

Awards:

Professor Senjie Lin was awarded the Excellence in research and creativity career award by AAUP

Research Faculty Sandy Shumway was awarded the Distinguished Lifetime Achievement Award by the US Aquaculture Society and is the first female to receive the award.

Research Faculty Sandy Shumway was appointed Fellow of the Marine Biological Association, FMBA. MBA Fellows are senior practitioners in marine biology who have contributed to the discipline at the highest level and the title of Fellow of the Marine Biological Association, FMBA, was first awarded in 2014, following granting of a Royal Charter to the Marine Biological Association. The status of Fellow of the MBA is awarded in recognition of distinguished and long-term contributions to marine biology at the highest level. There are currently 50 MBA Fellows.

Graduate student Hannah Collins who received the R. LeRoy Creswell Award for Outreach and Education. This award is presented to a student of the National Shellfisheries Association who has shown exceptional merit in outreach activities.

Graduate students won awards at the recent annual meeting of the National Shellfisheries Association:

Gordon Gunter Outstanding Poster Presentation Award Winner: Max Zavell from the University of Connecticut for his poster entitled “An estimate of carbon storage capabilities of wild and cultured shellfish in the northwest Atlantic and their potential inclusion in a carbon economy.”
Joint winners of the Thurlow C. Nelson Outstanding Oral Presentation: Kayla Mladinich Poole from the University of Connecticut for her oral presentation entitled “Investigating suspension-feeding invertebrates as bioindicators of microplastics.”

Grants:

Professor Hannes Baumann and Associate Research Professor Zofia Baumann

Baumann, H., Baumann Z. Wiley, D., Therkildsen, N.O., Murray, C.S. ORCC: Collaborative Research: Mechanisms underpinning the unusual, high CO2 sensitivity of sand lances, key forage fishes on the Northwest Atlantic Shelf. NSF-ORCC #2307813, 8/15/23 – 7/14/2026, $1,050,000

UConn faculty with colleagues from Woods Hole and Cornell University will use molecular techniques to further understand why sand lances are so unusually sensitive to ocean acidification.

Associate Research Professor Zofia Baumann:

Z. Baumann (UConn), H. Sosik (WHOI), C. Mouw (URI), M. Lomas (Bigelow) ”Collaborative Research: A Novel Approach to Study Monomethylmercury on Natural Phytoplankton Assemblages” NSF grant (3 years: 2024-2027; Total: $1,876.706, UConn portion: $808,280)

This UConn-led research will investigate methylmercury in phytoplankton from the shelf waters and estuaries of the North Atlantic Ocean because the entrainment of this toxic pollutant into phytoplankton drives the extremely high concentrations in apex predators such as sharks tunas in this economically important ecosystem.

Professor David Lund:

Faculty member Dave Lund, in collaboration with scientists at USC and Oregon State, was recently awarded an NSF grant for $850,000 to understand the ocean’s role in carbon storage during the last ice age. The funded proposal, which will include a coring cruise to the Philippines, is entitled: Collaborative Research – Resolving the LGM Ventilation Age Conundrum: New Radiocarbon Records from High Sedimentation Rate Sites in the Deep Western Pacific

Professor Cara Manning and Professor Craig Tobias

They were awarded a $550k grant from NSF Chemical Oceanography titled “Unlocking the noble gas toolbox to quantify rates of denitrification and nitrogen fixation in marine systems.” This project will involve the application of noble gas measurements (Ne, Ar, and Kr) to quantify whether different types of coastal ecosystems are net sources or sinks of nitrogen-based nutrients. PhD student Kelsey Ward and Research Technician Peter Ruffino are working on this grant.

Professor Rob Mason:

Brandt, J. and Mason, R.P. Mercury in Eastern oysters and consumption-based risk assessment. USDA Capacity grant (Hatch). 10/1/2024-9/30/2026, $60,000

Professor Catherine Matassa and Professor Samantha Siedlecki

Matassa lab was awarded $1,411,088 by NOAA Fisheries’ Research Set Aside Program to identify where and when biotic and abiotic stressors are most and least likely to affect the scallop resource using a combination of high-resolution climate model outputs and analysis of a spatially and temporally extensive sea scallop shell archive, in conjunction with existing predator assemblage and bottom type datasets.

Project title: Combining ocean models and historical shell archives to quantify and project spatiotemporal changes in Atlantic Sea Scallop functional traits (2-year grant)

More information here: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/new-england-mid-atlantic/science-data/2024-sea-scallop-research-set-aside-projects-selected