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<b>For more information, contact: </b> <b> For
immediate release: April 17, 2007</b><br>
Kate Madin, Sea Grant Educator<br>
(508) 289-3639<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:kmadin@whoi.edu">kmadin@whoi.edu</a><br>
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<div align="center"><b><font color="#000099">“Oceans Alive” Speaker
Will Examine Coastal Ocean Cooling</font></b><br>
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Standing on the shores of Cape Cod, it appears that the ocean stretches
seamlessly to the horizon, but this vast body of water is anything but
uniform. Distinct water masses flow, meet, and diverge off Cape Cod,
all part of the larger North Atlantic ocean circulation. Join WHOI
Physical Oceanographer Glen Gawarkiewicz, to hear how scientists brave
the winter ocean to study the formation of cold, dense water off Cape
Cod, using — and testing — a new tool, the REMUS autonomous underwater
vehicle (AUV).<br>
<br>
Continuing Woods Hole Sea Grant’s 2007 “Oceans Alive” lecture series,
Dr. Gawarkiewicz will talk about how currents off Cape Cod are linked
to local conditions, the Gulf of Maine, and the Arctic, and how
fisheries, whales, and harmful algal blooms are all affected. The
lecture takes place at 7 p.m. on April 24th in Redfield auditorium on
Water Street, Woods Hole. <br>
<br>
Water masses with different saltiness, temperature, and density form
because of ongoing and seasonal ocean processes – the addition of fresh
water from rainfall or melting ice, cooling in the winter air, or high
wind, or evaporation. Behaving a little like oil and water, waters of
different densities don’t mix well. Colder, saltier water is denser and
sinks, while warmer, fresher water is less dense and rises to the
surface, carrying nutrients for ocean life. Complicating the situation
still further, all this water is on the move.<br>
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Along Cape Cod’s eastern edge flows a shallow current of seawater
moving south: All the southward water moves past the outer Cape and
then the current splits in two. “Outer Cape Cod is tremendously
important,” said Gawarkiewicz, “because it is a choke point in the
larger coastal circulation.” How the water masses form, and where they
go, can affect the fish populations, where whales feed, and how harmful
algal blooms move down the coast, since the current links the Arctic
with Cape Cod. “The East of Cape Cod Current is a highway carrying
fresh water down from the Arctic,” he said, “and at the same time
carrying climate signals here from far upstream.”<br>
<br>
In his talk Gawarkiewicz will focus how the system acts in winter, when
the cold water forms, and how they solved one mystery. Cold water is
blown toward the shore by winter winds, and then sinks. But below the
surface, the sea is colder than expected. “There has been a
long-standing mystery about where the cold water at depth comes from,”
said Gawarkiewicz. <br>
<br>
You will hear about the difficulties his team encountered during the
stormy Cape Cod winters when they tried to deploy and retrieve
equipment. He will also talk about the first use of a newly designed,
sophisticated REMUS AUV to gather data, how their results lay the
groundwork for future observation of our coastal ocean via long-term
observatories. <br>
<br>
This is the first time this important current system has been
thoroughly studied in the winter, and for good reason: “This study
would have been incredibly expensive if we had done it through
traditional [ship-based] methods,” Gawarkiewicz said. “Using the new
REMUS is a whole new way to measure the coastal ocean and study
processes, at lower cost.” The development of the new REMUS was funded
through the Office of Naval Research, and Woods Hole Sea Grant and the
WHOI Coastal Ocean Institute provided funding for the Outer Cape Cod
Winter Cooling study, which spanned two winters. Even so, working in
the coastal ocean in winter hasn’t become any more comfortable – “My
cold tolerance has improved quite a bit, since beginning this project!”
he said.<br>
<br>
Gawarkiewicz, who specializes in coastal oceanography and modeling
coastal front dynamics, received his Bachelors degree from MIT in Ocean
Engineering, and his PhD from the University of Delaware in Physical
Oceanography. He has been at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution since
1989 and is now an Associate Scientist in the Physical Oceanography
Department.<br>
<br>
Woods Hole Sea Grant’s “Oceans Alive” lecture series for 2007 concludes
on Tuesday, May 1, at 4:00 p.m., with “Young Scientists Present:
winning science fair projects,” which showcases the projects and
talents of the winners of local high school science fairs, students
from Falmouth Academy and Falmouth High School.<br>
<br>
All presentations are in Redfield Auditorium on Water Street in Woods
Hole, and are free and open to the public; families and students are
especially encouraged to attend. Light refreshments will be provided.
Parking for evening lectures is available in the parking lot opposite
the auditorium, and parking for the May 1 afternoon lecture is
available in on-street, metered spaces.<br>
<br>
For more information, contact the Woods Hole Sea Grant Program,
508-289-2398 or <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:seagrant@whoi.edu">seagrant@whoi.edu</a>.<br>
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