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All Brown Bag Seminars (unless otherwise noted) are held from 12 noon - 1 p.m. in the NOAA Central Library, 2nd Floor, SSMC#3, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring. Teleconference is available - email Library.Reference@noaa.gov. Call Mary Lou Cumberpatch (301-713-2600 ext.129) or Skip Theberge (301-713-2600 ext. 115) for further information or to set up a Brown Bag.
A list of previous Brown Bags is available on the Archive Brown Bags page.

Upcoming Seminars are on September 4, 10, 12, 18; October 2, 16, 30; November 6, 20

Thursday, September 4
Legislative Day: Fourth in a Series of Panel Presentations given by Knauss Sea Grant Fellows

Using GPS collars to monitor the activity and habitat use of Canada lynx in Minnesota
Powerpoint slides (pdf format)
Presented by Julie Palakovich Carr, Office of Senator Maria Cantwell
Since direct observation of free-ranging animals is difficult, remote methods for monitoring animal behavior have been developed. Recent advances in GPS collars allow for both the location and activity of an animal to be recorded internally in the collar. Although several studies have validated the activity counter portion of GPS collars for large herbivores, this has not been done to date on a small carnivore. Methods to relate animal activity level and habitat use were developed by observing a captive Canada lynx wearing a GPS collar. These methods were then applied to data collected from seven free-ranging lynx in northeastern Minnesota. Differences in habitat selection when lynx were active or inactive were analyzed. Additionally, I will be highlighting my research on the effects of maternal characteristics on Atlantic cod recruitment and the effects of a restored oyster reef on water quality.

The Decay of Particulate Organic Matter in the Ocean and of Bills in the U.S. Senate
Powerpoint slides (pdf format)
Lynn Abramson, Office of Senator Barbara Boxer
What do the biological carbon pump and the legislative process have in common? Both concern some form of progression or transport: the biological carbon pump involves the movement of particulate organic matter through the water column, whereas the legislative process involves the movement of bills through Congress. A predictive understanding of either of these processes requires investigation of the source, alteration, and exchange of “material” during transit. In this seminar, Lynn Abramson will draw parallels between her dissertation work on the marine carbon cycle and fellowship work in Senator Barbara Boxer’s office, discussing her perspective on some of the strategies and obstacles involved in affecting science-based policy decisions.

Regional adaptation in feeding preference for chemically-rich seaweeds by the marine herbivore, Ampithoe longimana
Powerpoint slides (pdf format)
Amanda McCarty, Legislative Fellow, Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries and the Coast Guard
Field and laboratory manipulations and molecular analysis were used to better understand the ecology and evolution of marine seaweed-herbivore interactions. This work focused specifically on comparisons between populations of the amphipod Ampithoe longimana from cold-temperate New England, warm-temperate North Carolina, and subtropical Florida. Populations from throughout this distribution are exposed to locally distinct seaweed communities, exhibit regional variation in tolerance for a chemically-defended seaweed, and have limited gene flow between regions. Therefore, A. longimana serves as a unique example of a locally adapted marine organism.

Wednesday, September 10
Anand Gnanadeskian, an oceanographer at NOAA's Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory, Princeton, N.J., will present "Carbon sequestration through ocean iron fertilization: A review of the major issues".
Abstract:
Fertilizing the ocean with iron ("the Geritol solution") has been proposed as a method of removing atmospheric carbon dioxide levels. This talk will discuss how ocean biology stores carbon in the ocean, how iron fertilization might enhance this storage, consider some of the challenges to verifying changes in storage, and highlight some potential unintended consequences of fertilization.

Friday, September 12
Dr. Nancy Knowlton, holder of the Sant Chair, the first endowed ocean science chair at the Smithsonian Institution, will discuss her work on oceanic and coral reef ecology.

Thursday, September 18
Corals/Marine Protected Areas: Fifth in a Series of Panel Presentations given by Knauss Sea Grant Fellows

October 2
Dr. John L. "Jack" Hayes, NOAA Assistant Administrator for Weather Services and Director, National Weather Service will present a seminar.

Upcoming Sea Grant Fellow seminars:
Thursday October 16
Thursday October 30
Thursday November 6
Thursday November 20

Additional seminars: OneNOAA Science Discussion Seminar Series