The Planet Ocean Seminar Series is free and open to the public. Seminars are currently run as both in-person and virtual events, so registration is required. Once you register to attend virtually, you will receive the link to join the webinar. For further information, please call the UNCW Center for Marine Science at 910.962.2408.
Nov. 12, 2024
The Surface Water and Ocean Topography Mission:
NASA's New Eye in the Sky for Earth's Water
with Dr. Tamlin Pavelsky
After almost two decades of development, NASA launched the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) Mission in December 2022. SWOT is designed to provide the most complete measurements ever of Earth’s surface water, including rivers, lakes, and oceans. It uses radar technology to track detailed variations in water levels that can help us understand water storage in millions of lakes, the flow of water through rivers, and ocean currents. In this talk, we will explore this exciting new mission and get a first look at some of the data and results that are beginning to come out from it.
Dr. Tamlin Pavelsky is a professor of global hydrology in the Department of Earth, Marine and Environmental Sciences at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He earned his doctorate in geography from UCLA in 2008. His research has focused on understanding the global distribution of water in rivers, lakes, and mountain snowpack using satellite imagery, field measurements, and regional climate models. Since 2013, Dr. Pavelsky has served as the hydrology science lead for the NASA Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite mission. For his work leading the surface water community towards solutions for measuring river flow from space, Dr. Pavelsky was awarded a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, the highest award given by the U.S. government to early career researchers. He grew up in central Alaska in cabins without electricity or running water.
Sept. 10, 2024
The Long-Lost Nile Branch May Help Solve the Riddle
Surrounding the Placement of the Largest Egyptian Pyramids Field
with Dr. Eman Ghoneim
Scientists have long hypothesized that the Nile River may have previously been closer to the narrow desert stretch that is home to Egypt's largest pyramids field than it is today. This assumption, however, remains speculative, since no waterway has been found near the pyramids, while the Nile River lies several kilometers away. Radar satellite imagery, in conjunction with geophysical data and deep soil coring enabled us to confirm the presence of a buried major Nile branch passing closer to the Old and Middle Kingdom pyramids. This long-lost branch served as a crucial water conduit for the movement of laborers, large stones and building material to the pyramid sites, which might explain why the Ancient Egyptians chose this location for the construction of their pyramids.
Eman Ghoneim received her Ph.D. in 2002 in physical geography from the University of Southampton, UK. She held a research assistant professor position at the Center for Remote Sensing, Boston University from 2003-2009. In 2010 she joined the Department of Earth and Ocean Sciences and become the Director of the Space and Drone Remote Sensing Laboratory (SDRS).
Apr. 9, 2024
Emerging Challenges for Coastal Birds:
Sea Level Rise, Heat, and Disturbance
with Dr. Ray Danner
watch recorded webinar
Feb. 13, 2024
Robotic Oceanography:
Expanding the Impact from Science to Decision-Making
with Dr. Catherine Edwards
watch recorded webinar
Nov. 14, 2023
Sensory Systems to Self-Driving Cars:
Science at the Intersection of Mechanism, Theory, and Opportunity
with Dr. Lorian Schweikert
Dr. Schweikert's Lab
Sep. 12, 2023
An Overview of Marine Mammal Research at UNCW
with Dr. Michael Tift
April 18, 2023
Conservation in a Changing Climate: Impacts on Seagrass Resiliency and Restoration
with Drs. Jessie Jarvis and Stephanie Kamel
Watch recorded seminar
Feb. 7, 2023
The Climate Crisis: Where We Are, What We Can Do
with Dr. Maureen Raymo
Nov. 15, 2022
Ten Things I Learned from Studying the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill for a Decade
with Dr. Steven A. Murawski
WATCH RECORDED SEMINAR
Sept. 13, 2022
A Tale of Two Brothers: Art Meets Science in the Open Sea
with Dr. Sönke Johnsen
WATCH RECORDED SEMINAR
VIEW PREVIOUS PLANET OCEAN TOPICS
SAVE THE DATE!
Fun for the Whole Family!
Oct. 5, 2024
10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for future events and marine science news.
The 2023 Global Marine Science Summit, sponsored by the William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust, is a three-day event hosted at the University of North Carolina Wilmington's Center for Marine Science. The Global Marine Science Summit focuses on bringing together international scientists, policy makers and industry leaders to share their experiences, develop solutions for global marine science issues, and improve the economic climate of coastal regions.
2023 plenary speakers:
2023 Program and Schedule
Energy and Environment Institute
University of Hull, UK
The Energy and Environment Institute (EEI) at the University of Hull is a transdisciplinary research Institute, established to explore the impacts of climate change on environments, societies and cultures, and the pathways for a transition to net zero. Our work focuses on identifying the solutions to mitigate, adapt, and build resilience in the face of climate change, alongside educating and training the future leaders. In his presentation, Dr. McLelland will introduce some transdisciplinary research highlights from the EEI.
Graduate School of Oceanography
University of Rhode Island, USA
Some of the most notorious organic contaminants are persistent, bioaccumulative and hydrophobic, including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and organochlorine pesticides, such as DDT. Yet many emerging contaminants in water possess very different physico-chemical properties and pathways. Per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) are at least as persistent as PCBs, also bioaccumulate but are much more soluble in water. Both are of concern to humans near production and contaminated sites, but also pose risks in the remote Arctic environment. Using a combination of active water sampling and relying on passive sampling approaches, we investigated the presence of legacy and emerging organic contaminants in ocean basins, with a particular focus on the Arctic Ocean. For PFAS, the available evidence suggests that atmospheric transport is still more important than water mass transport, though we detected first signs of PFAS in Atlantic water masses reaching the Arctic Ocean. For PCBs, in contrast, mass flux estimates suggest that ocean transport is important, and that there are more PCBs entering the Arctic Ocean through the Fram Strait than being exported. Global surveys of PCBs imply limited transport away from sites of production and use, but there is evidence of global fractionation for different POP. Both PCBs and PFAS bioaccumulate in marine biota, but pathways and tissue distributions differ.
Institut de Ciències del Mar (CSIC)
Barcelona, Spain
Our planet is facing rapid changes caused by human pressures since the industrial revolution, with global warming as a major driving force. This presentation will focus on Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs), natural events with different negative socioecological impacts, some of which can be considered indicators of the ongoing planetary changes.
Some HABs produce toxins that cause human health problems due to the ingestion of contaminated seafood, direct contact with water, or inhalation of aerosolized toxins. Other HABs affect aquatic fauna, including wild and cultured fish and the habitat, with subsequent impacts on human well-being. In the last 50 years, significant progress has been made in understanding the factors that can favor HABs and their dynamics, as well as the characterization of many toxic chemical compounds. We know that eutrophication, human activities on coastal ecosystems, overfishing and global warming, are key HABs drivers. Addressing these factors contributes not only to mitigate HABs impacts, but also to protect the environment for the future generations. The actions in this direction, however, require a drastic change on our socioeconomic structure and the way humanity interacts with the environment: we need to degrowth, for a healthy planet.
MarineQuest provides K-12 marine and environmental education in coastal North Carolina.
Harris Muhlstein: MarineQuest School Program Coordinator
Morgan O'Connell: Research and Volunteer Coordinator
The North Carolina National Estuarine Research Reserve (NCNERR) promotes informed management and stewardship of North Carolina’s estuarine and coastal habitats through research, education and example.
North Carolina Sea Grant provides research, education and outreach opportunities relating to current issues affecting the North Carolina coast and its communities.
LEARN MORE ABOUT NC SEA GRANTCenter for Marine Science
Phone: (910) 962-2408
Fax: (910) 962-2410
Monday-Friday
8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
