[SEMCO] Science Talks at WHOI Ocean Science Exhibit Center

[Kathy Patterson]

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Science Made Public
All talks held at the WHOI Ocean Science Exhibit Center
15 School Street, Woods Hole

July 7, 2009 at 2:30 PM
New Deep Sea Robot Reaches the Ocean Depths
Andy Bowen, Applied Ocean Physics & Engineering
Learn about a new type of deep-sea robotic vehicle called Nereus, a 
unique hybrid vehicle designed to explore the ocean’s last frontiers, 
and hear about its recent successful dive to the deepest part of the 
world’s ocean—the Mariana Trench. To reach the trench, Nereus dove 
nearly twice as deep as research submarines are capable of and had to 
withstand pressures 1,000 times that of Earth’s surface—crushing forces 
similar to those on the surface of Venus.


July 14, 2009 at 2:30 PM
Recycled Clam Shells Help Seed a New Oyster Crop
Diane Murphy, Woods Hole Sea Grant
Oysters are not only an important fishery resource, they’re also an 
important part of the ecosystem, providing habitat and filtering the 
water column. In an effort to restore oyster populations around the 
region, researchers work closely with municipal shellfish officers 
within the shellfish aquaculture industry using a technique called 
remote-setting that utilizes recycled clam and oyster shells. Learn more 
about this restoration and marine life enhancement project.

July 21, 2009 at 2:30 PM
The Hearing and Travels of Icelandic White-Beaked Dolphins
T. Aran Mooney, Biology Department
Atlantic white-beaked dolphins are the most common dolphin species 
around Iceland and are frequently seen riding the bow wave of vessels in 
the summer. These dolphins are acoustically active, producing both 
whistles and clicks with sound energy as high as 305 kHz, much above the 
typical upper hearing frequency limit for toothed whales. Learn how 
scientists use tags to track dolphin behavior in their natural habitat 
to assess what these dolphins hear and how that relates to their role in 
the environment.

July 28, 2009 at 2:30 PM
Planet Puddle: Surprising Complexity in a Simple Climate
Rebecca Walsh Dell, Physical Oceanography
Why is it so hard to predict the climate? Anyone who has ever been 
surprised by the weather knows that it can be very complicated, but it 
turns out that even very simple climate systems can have complex and 
surprising behavior. We’ll discuss how a hypothetical planet with no 
land and no weather can have huge changes in its climate because of ice 
on the sea. Come and learn about ideas that have big implications for 
our understanding of climate change and climate prediction.

For more information, contact Kathy Patterson, 508-289-2700 or 
kpatterson at whoi.edu