Beneath Two Meters of Arctic Ice, Texas Scientists Will Seek Better Understanding of Carbon Cycling and Climate
Marine scientists will study coastal ecosystems in the Arctic throughout the year through a $1 million NSF grant.
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From the College of Natural Sciences
The Hunt for Oil Plumes
Marine scientist Dr. Tracy Villareal will serve as chief scientist on a research cruise this August into the Gulf of Mexico to study the impacts of the oil spill on phyto- and zooplankton communities and map deepwater oil plumes.
Explore Oil Spill Related Research
Marine Science Institute faculty have years of expertise studying the Gulf of Mexico. Our new "Gulf Science" Web site highlights faculty areas of research related to the oil spill and the Gulf.
Texas Marine Scientist Studies Oil Spill Effects on Oxygen Levels in the Gulf of Mexico ‘Dead Zone’
Marine scientist Zhanfei Liu is studying the effects of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on oxygen levels in the northern Gulf of Mexico in part through a recently received National Science Foundation grant for Rapid Response Research (RAPID).
Amos named 2010 Environmental Hero
Tony Amos, who started rescuing sea turtles off the Texas coast in 1982, was named a NOAA Environmental Hero last week for his role as the founder of the Animal Rehabilitation Keep (ARK) at the University of Texas Marine Science Institute (UTMSI) and Mission-Aransas National Estuarine Research Reserve in Port Aransas, Texas. Amos’s ARK rescues, re...
Marine Science Institute Receives $595,626 to Study Mission-Aransas NERR Nutrients
Goal of project is to describe where and how nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, enter and leave the Mission-Aransas National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) and how nutrients are used and reused in the NERR.
Study: ‘Dead Zone’ Effects on Fish
Whether a large area of low oxygen water called the “dead zone” in the northern Gulf of Mexico could cause declines in environmentally and economically important fish populations is the subject of a new study by University of Texas at Austin marine scientist Peter Thomas.
Omega-3s May Extend the Lives of Fishes, Too
People that get a healthy dose of omega-3 fatty acids in their diets may have a reduced risk of heart disease, high blood pressure and strokes, and fish are a major source of these fatty acids. But, what good are omega-3s to the fish themselves? It turns out that omega-3s may give young fish the boost they need to dart away from predators, leadin...Metacommunity Organizer
Marine scientist Pablo Munguia uses pen shells to study the effects of habitat destruction on metacommunities. In order to understand how habitat destruction affects different kinds of species and communities, ecologist Pablo Munguia begins simply. Munguia hops over the side of a small boat into the northern Gulf Coast waters. He takes a dead p...
Postcard: Peter Thomas
I’m sorting fish we collected in Florida’s Pensacola Bay estuaries to study the effect that low oxygen levels are having on Atlantic croaker reproduction. Croaker is one of the most common inshore fish along the coasts of the southeastern Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. Low levels of oxygen, known as hypoxia, have been increasing dramatically i...
Marine Scientists to Assess Arctic Ocean Environment
AUSTIN, Texas — Through a $2.9 million, three-year grant from the Minerals Management Service (MMS), a team led by University of Texas at Austin marine scientists will assess the biological and chemical conditions on the seabed of the Chukchi Sea before the area opens for offshore oil drilling. The contract from the MMS (U.S. Department of the Int...
Discovery of Giant Roaming Deep Sea Protist Provides New Perspective on Animal Evolution
AUSTIN, Texas — Groove-like tracks on the ocean floor made by giant deep-sea single-celled organisms could lead to new insights into the evolutionary origin of animals, says biologist Mikhail "Misha" Matz from The University of Texas at Austin. Matz and his colleagues recently discovered the grape-sized protists and their complex tracks on the oce...Finding Giant Deep Sea Protists
Biologist Misha Matz found giant deep sea protists that provide new insights into the evolution of animals. This is the story of their discovery.Postcard: Hedy Edmonds at the Gakkel Ridge
My graduate student, Lucia Upchurch, and I are standing on the ice above the Gakkel Ridge, which spans deep below us at the bottom of the Arctic Ocean. We are here as part of a multi-institution, 40-day expedition to explore the ridge and ocean floor with two robotic autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs). Our research vessel, an icebreaker named ...
Coral Health And Bacterial Communities
PORT ARANSAS, Texas—Bacterial communities endemic to healthy corals could change depending on the amount and type of natural and man-made dissolved organic matter in seawater, report researchers from The University of Texas at Austin Marine Science Institute and Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota, Florida. Healthy corals naturally exude a surround...Read It Now
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