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A group of six scientists and students from The University of Southern Mississippi Department of Marine Science has recently returned from a cruise on the Gulf of Mexico studying how the coastal oceans influence climate-related greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The project, led by Department of Marine Science Chair Steven Lohrenz, is in collaboration with Dr. Wei-Jun Cai of the University of Georgia. The group is studying how carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, is taken up and released in coastal waters. “This is one of the most extensive surveys to date of the dynamics of carbon dioxide in northern Gulf of Mexico coastal waters,” said Lohrenz. “We are seeing evidence for a very strong biological influence over much wider areas than previously studied.” The Gulf of Mexico has been identified by the North American Carbon Program as a region of particular importance in influencing carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. The team has found preliminary evidence for particularly strong uptake of carbon dioxide in the vicinity of the Mississippi River, where high biological production is believed to be responsible for reducing carbon dioxide levels in surface waters. “This cruise will generate data that are critical to my research on remote sensing of particle dynamics in coastal waters,” said marine science doctoral student Sarah Epps of Anchorage, Alaska. “In a world where growing instrumentation and remote sensing technologies allow us to observe large areas of the sea, it becomes increasingly more important to gather data to validate and calibrate these capabilities.” The project is conducted aboard the research vessel Cape Hatteras from the Duke Marine Laboratory. The cruise, one of a series of cruises that will be conducted by this team, is funded by the National Science Foundation and NASA. University of Southern Mississippi marine science doctoral student Sarah Epps of Anchorage, Alaska, downloads data from an instrument while on the research vessel Cape Hatteras in the Gulf of Mexico. Epps, along with five other Southern Miss Department of Marine Science scientists and students, recently returned from a two-week cruise studying how the coastal oceans influence climate-related greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. (Southern Miss Public Relations photo) About The University of Southern Mississippi The University of Southern Mississippi, founded in 1910, is a comprehensive doctoral and research-extensive university fulfilling its mission of being a leading university in engaging and empowering individuals to transform lives and communities. In a tradition of leadership for student development, Southern Miss is educating a 21st century work force providing intellectual capital, cultural enrichment and innovation to Mississippi and the world. Southern Miss is located in Hattiesburg, Miss., with an additional campus and teaching and research sites on the Mississippi Gulf Coast; further information is found at www.usm.edu/gulfcoast .
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