October News from SoMAS

Here’s the latest news and press for October from SoMAS!

Our Bachelor’s in Marine Science is ranked #5 according to College Values Online and is in the Top 15 Best Colleges for Marine Biology according to American Oceans!

 

2021 Evan R. Liblit Memorial Scholarships Winners Announced

It is that time of year again, when we have the distinct pleasure to announce the winners of the Evan R. Liblit Memorial Scholarships. In 1997, Stony Brook University recognized Evan Liblit’s contributions to solid waste management and recycling, and established a memorial scholarship in his name. The Evan R. Liblit Memorial Fund supports undergraduate and graduate students whose research relates to issues in the area of environmental management. As in past years, the quality of the applicants was very impressive and the research they have been undertaking is both novel and significant. Two undergraduate scholars and one graduate scholar were selected after much discussion among the Liblit scholarship committee members.

The two undergraduate students are: Myra Arshad, a senior working in Sharon Pochron‘s lab and Kellianne Ticcony, a junior working with David Taylor. Each undergraduate student will receive a stipend of $1,500.

The graduate student is Griffin Walker, an MS student working with David Tonjes in the Dept of Technology and Society, who will be presented with a $4,000 award.

 

Justin Willson is the URECA Researcher of the Month for October!

Justin Willson is a Junior Applied Math & Statistics (AMS)/Physics double major in the Honors College whose research in the Climate Extremes Modeling Group (SoMAS) of Dr. Kevin Reed focuses on: “Examining Future Changes in Tropical Cyclone Intensity Near Landfall.” Over the last few months, he gained experience doing big data analysis, working with complex data files, and developing Python code to analyze data from past and future climate simulations, research that was supported by a 2021 URECA summer award. Justin plans to build on his atmospheric sciences analysis/modeling work with Dr. Reed for his Honors College senior thesis next year. Justin first became involved in research at SBU during freshman year, doing Light Polarization experiments at the Laser Teaching Center/LTC (Physics & Astronomy) under the mentorship of Dr. Eric Jones, and Dr. Harold Metcalf. His LTC project “Monte Carlo Simulation of Bell Inequalities” was supported with funding through a Simons Foundation-sponsored URECA summer award (2020).  Justin presented this project virtually at the Frontiers in Optics plus Laser Science (FiO+ LS) Conference last September and at the 2021 URECA spring symposium.  Justin is a member of the Society of Physics Students (SPS) and Running Club. Outside of research, he enjoys fishing, running and soccer. Justin is from Massachusetts, and is a graduate of King Philip Regional High School (Wrentham, MA).

For the complete interview, please visit the URECA website

 

Other Press Highlights

Southampton Press: Record Year For ‘Rust Tide’ Algae Scourge

• The red algae that has earned the nickname “rust tide” has continued to bloom in deadly reddish-brown ribbons into the month of October for the first time on record, Stony Brook University scientists say — an ignominious milestone that threatens fish and shellfish species in Shinnecock and Peconic bays. Also ran in Sag Harbor Express.

Times Beacon Record: Intensive cloud study in Houston led by BNL’s Mike Jensen may improve weather forecasts

• A joint team from BNL and Stony Brook University is developing new software to scan the precipitation radar system to select and track storm clouds to observe the rapid development of these storms.

Newsday: Heavy rains help to expand ‘dead zones’ in Long Island Sound, scientists say

• And then, said Christopher Gobler, professor at Stony Brook University School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, “These storms occurred and the dead zone expanded all across the Long Island Sound, from the city all the way well into central Suffolk.”

WCBS-TV: Environmental experts say Long Island implements repairs to improve water quality after troubled storms

• Dr. Christopher Gobler and his students at Stony Brook University discovered all the major bays and estuaries from the Great Neck to East Hampton in the summer. They were exacerbated by storms Henri and Ida as polluted runoff discharged into coastal waters killed marine life. Also ran on Honduras News,

News12: Scientists raise concerns about trend of poor water quality on South Shore, Long Island Sound

• Christopher Gobler, a professor with Stony Brook University’s School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, says scientists are predicting storms will become more frequent, which is going to impact more than just fish in the area.

WSHU-FM: Long Island’s bay scallop crop crashes for the 3rd year in a row after stormy summer

• Stony Brook University scientists have found that wastewater runoff from this summer’s storms has flooded Long Island’s waterways with nitrogen pollution. The poor water quality is a threat to the shellfish industry.

Newsday: Long Island professionals parlay experience into teaching gigs

•  Jim Gilmore teaches fisheries management at Stony Brook University. And after more than 30 years as a manager for the U.S. Postal Service, Joseph Celentano is senior adjunct faculty at Adelphi University

Southampton Press:  Skimmer Could Reduce Toxic Algae And Nitrogen Pollution In Lake Agawam

• Tammy Karst-Riddoch, a senior aquatic scientist at AECOM, noted that Dr. Chris Gobler of the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences of Stony Brook University has found that nitrogen loading into Lake Agawam is 11,542 kilograms per year. It comes from a number of sources, but the biggest contributor is wastewater.

Environmental News Network: Long Island Water-Quality Assessment Shows Cause for Concern

• Stony Brook University scientists have completed their assessment of water quality in Long Island’s estuaries in 2021, and the news is not good. Also ran in Phys.org.

Three Village Patch: Stony Brook Study: Climate Change Could Alter Marine Food Web

• Research by scientists at Stony Brook University’s School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences says climate change is affecting biodiversity. (Press Release)

Dredge Wire: Reconfiguring Urban Shorelines for Resilience

• Dianna Padilla, a professor in the Department of Ecology & Evolution at Stony Brook University, has received a National Science Foundation (NSF) Convergence Accelerator phase 1 grant totaling nearly $750,000 to design a digital prototype of infrastructure replacements on urban shorelines that would prevent failing and also be scalable and transportable to actual urbanized shores in the U.S. and elsewhere. Also ran in Coastal News Today,

Huntsville Patch: University Of Alabama In Huntsville: Haliczer One Of 65 Graduate Students Nationwide To Earn DOE Program Fellowship

• “Collaborating with other scientists will only strengthen the work, and I look forward to exploring new thoughts and ideas,” Haliczer says. “I will be working with Dr. Pavlos Kollias, who is a professor of atmospheric science at Stony Brook University and has a joint appointment with the Department of Environmental and Climate Sciences at Brookhaven National Laboratory.”

Innovate LI: Water, Water Everywhere – And Around LI, It’s Toxic

• Stony Brook University scientists have completed a comprehensive, months-long assessment of Long Island coastal waters. Unfortunately, the good news stops there.

Innovate LI: No. 634: On Beatlemania, Bras And An Iron Baroness, With A Head Start On Your Halloween Candy

• Shore thing: A Stony Brook University conservation expert will lead a multi-disciplined team in the digital design of a new U.S. coastline – key to saving beachfronts from the damaging effects of climate change.

Suffolk Times: Stony Brook scientist: Algae blooms, dead zones are ‘new normal’ in East End waters

• Conditions causing low oxygen and harmful algae blooms in Long Island waters — including on the East End — have become a “new normal,” according to this year’s water quality report from Stony Brook University scientist Christopher Gobler. Also featured in Coastal News Today

National Science Foundation: Could climate change alter the marine food web?

• Climate change is redistributing biodiversity globally. Such distributional shifts of organisms often follow the speed and direction of environmental changes. U.S. National Science Foundation-funded research by biologists at Stony Brook University reveals that this phenomenon is affecting where large marine mammals are distributed relative to their prey , which could have important implications for marine food web dynamics. Also ran in Mirage News.

News12: Stony Brook professor: Foul smell off Great South Bay could be dangerous in large amounts

• Stony Brook University professor Dr. Christopher Gobler says the outbreak was not expected and that it’s a major warning sign of nitrogen water pollution in the bay.

WNYW-TV: Foul smell in Great South Bay is from decaying invasive seaweed

• This foul phenomenon is newer to North America. And this latest outbreak on Long Island is wreaking havoc in the Great South Bay, where the seaweed thrives on high nitrogen and carbon dioxide, according to Dr. Chris Gobler, a professor at Stony Brook University. Also ran in Granthshala News.

East Islip Patch: Scientist: Inhaling Decaying Seaweed On Great South Bay Harmful

• Dr. Christopher Gobler directs The Center for Clean Water Technology at Stony Brook University and says that people should look out for large amounts of decaying seaweed that smells rotten. Prolonged exposure could result in ill effects.

Newsday: Invasive red seaweed spreading “everywhere,” LI researchers say

• “This thing is everywhere,” said Christopher Gobler, a professor and researcher at Stony Brook University’s School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, noting that field studies as recently as Friday found it on the shore of Heckscher State Park. High levels of nitrogen and CO2 can fuel growth of the seaweed, Gobler said. “We think that combination could be driving the invasion of this seaweed.”

News12: WATCH LIVE: Presentation on the health of the Great South Bay

• Dr. Christopher Gobler of the Stony Brook University Gobler Laboratories is giving a presentation on the health of the Great South Bay.

WSHU: Whales are changing where they feed due to climate change, according to Long Island-based research

• Warming ocean waters are changing where whales and dolphins get their food, according to new research at Stony Brook University. J.D. Allen, host of WSHU’s new climate podcast, Higher Ground, spoke with scientist Lesley Thorne about her research for the series. Now that it’s published, he’s following up.

Read Media Newswire:  Stony Brook University Professor Donovan Finn Testifies at NYC Council Committee on Environmental Protection

• Donovan Finn, Assistant Professor of Environmental Design, Policy, and Planning at Stony Brook University’s School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, testified today at the New York City Council’s Committee on Environmental Protection, Committee on Resiliency and Waterfronts, and Committee on Parks and Recreation. (press release)

New York Post: Shocked NYC fishermen are catching ‘monster’ 600-pound tunas

• “Their [bluefin] population may be increasing a bit because of all the food,” Carl Safina, a marine ecologist at Stony Brook University and author of “Song for the Blue Ocean,” told The Post. “It seems they are more abundant now than they were 10 to 20 years ago.” Also ran in Outsider, Fry Electronics, Tech Telegraph and  Vietnam Explorer News Channel.

Massapequa Patch: Great South Bay Reseeded With 1.5 Million Clams

• “We are pleased to partner with the DEC and Stony Brook University as we continue to expand our shellfish restoration program to our south shore, following our tremendous success in increasing planting on the north shore by millions,” said Oyster Bay Town Supervisor Joseph Saladino.

East Hampton Star: Letters to the Editor for October 21, 2021

• Op-ed: “The eight current trustees have done an outstanding job over the past two years and longer. They have defended public access to our beaches and have worked closely with Stony Brook University’s Chris Gobler to monitor water quality in our harbors, ponds, and lakes.”

NBC New York: Long Island Beaches Stink — And the Rotten Egg Stench Is Coming from Seaweed

• Dr. Chris Gobler, a marine sciences researcher at Stony Brook University, said the red seaweed was first seen in the Long Island area just three years ago, but is now found in waters stretching across Suffolk County’s South Shore. The invasive species came from Japan likely by boat, according to Gobler, and has only been in North America since 2007. Also ran in Times News Express.

Newsday: Former News 12 meteorologist Britta Merwin anchoring Fox’s new weather streaming service

• When the streaming service Fox Weather debuts on Monday, one of its meteorologist anchors will be a former News 12 Long Island forecaster who received her atmospheric-science degree from Stony Brook University. “I came to Stony Brook for the meteorology program — they have a great atmospheric-science department,” says Britta Merwin, 37, who was born in San Antonio, Texas, and raised around the country as her father, a now-retired U.S. Air Force colonel, moved to different postings.

KHQ-TV: Mad Minute stories from Monday, October 25th

• Dr. Chris Gobler, a marine sciences researcher at Stony Brook University, said the red seaweed was first seen in the Long Island area just three years ago, but is now found in waters stretching across Suffolk County’s South Shore. The invasive species came from Japan likely by boat, according to Gobler, and has only been in North America since 2007.

CapCod.com: Nitrogen-Sensing Technology Making an Impact on Cape Cod

• Designed by Dr. Qingzhi Zhu at Stony Brook University’s School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, the sensor measures nitrogenic concentrations in real time and transmits the data where it can be analyzed remotely to assess septic system performance, removing costly barriers associated with monitoring septic systems.

Babylon Village Patch: Babylon Officials Transplant Live Hard Clams into Great South Bay

• The location was picked based on a study conducted by Stony Brook prior to 1986. The overall intention of the program is to place adult clams in specific areas where they will reproduce.

The City:  Governors Island Climate Research Hub Hopefuls Include Ex-Bloomberg Deputy Mayor

• The Trust declined to provide more details about the 12 proposals it received for the climate hub. But THE CITY spoke to backers of three of those dozen, including a team from Stony Brook University.

Harlem World: Trust For Governors Island Announces Climate Center Interest From Harlem To Hawaii

• Over 30 leading university and non-profit research institutions were represented as lead institutions or academic consortium partners in 12 eligible expressions of interest received, including: Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY.

Gamers Grade: Study of destructive California fire finds resilience planning must account for socially vulnerable

• Fischer and co-authors Sara Hamideh and Payel Sen of Stony Brook University note that while some elements unique to Paradise can’t be generalized to other towns, the case study reveals new ways of conceptualizing interdependencies among community components and the role those interdependencies play in population return and housing recovery. Also ran in Phys.org, Mirage News,

Southampton Press: Nine Run For Five Seats on Southampton Town Trustees Board

• Andrew Brosnan has captained research vessels for SUNY Stony Brook Southampton, an experience that has provided him with in-depth knowledge of the local marine environment. Describing himself as “deeply involved in local environmental advocacy,” he served as chairman of Surfrider Foundation’s Eastern Long Island Chapter for four years, helping to spearhead environmental awareness campaigns. Also ran in the Sag Harbor Express.

Mid-Island Times: Town plants over a million clam seeds in Great South Bay (Also in Bethpage Newsgram)

• “We are pleased to partner with the DEC and Stony Brook University as we continue to expand our shellfish restoration program to our south shore, following our tremendous success in increasing planting on the north shore by millions,” said Supervisor Saladino. Based on the information gathered, Stony Brook determined where shellfish larvae from the spawn of the clams will drift in the next year. Using these calculations, they will continue to monitor the success of clams that are planted and spawned as a result of this effort.

 

Latest Seminar Videos

The Larry Swanson Waste on Wednesday’s Seminar Series has kicked off for 2021! The videos are available on our YouTube channel

Our other seminar series have been in full gear, as well. Check out the latest from our East End/Southampton Lecture Series, the Topics in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences Seminar Series, and our Oceans, Sustainability, and Atmospheres Colloquium! Greg Metzger, the South Fork Natural History Museum and Nature Center Chief Field Coordinator, kicked things off with his talk, “SOFO Shark Research and Education Program Update: Highlights and progress the team has made” at Southampton. There were also seminars by SoMAS faculty Sara Hamideh, Sharon Pochron, and Professor Emeritus Marv Geller!