The ocean has been sucking up heat-trapping carbon dioxide (CO2) building up in our atmosphere–with a little help from tiny plankton. Like plants on land, these plankton convert CO2 into organic carbon via photosynthesis. But unlike land plants that are held fast to terra firma, plankton can sink into the deep ocean, carrying carbon with them. Along the way they decompose when bacteria convert their remains back into CO2… Edwards, her advisor, WHOI scientist Ben Van Mooy, and co-author Kay Bidle from Rutgers University went to sea to collect and analyze particle samples from several locations across the North Atlantic, including the Sargasso Sea, the subarctic North Atlantic near Iceland, and the western North Atlantic near Massachusetts. The spatial coverage was important, Van Mooy said… “We typically think of temperature and other physiochemical factors as being critically important in determining the bacterial processing of diatom detritus and how deep it sinks in the ocean, but this work shows that the molecular composition of ‘infochemicals’ really matters,” said Bidle.
Archives for April 2015
Rutgers EcoComplex Showcases Largest Living Wall to be Installed in N.J.
Inside the Rutgers EcoComplex Greenhouse in Florence, a vertical garden is taking shape. The leafy expanses- sprouting with ivies, ferns, orchids, flowering lipstick plants and nearly 120 other species- will eventually grace the interior of Rutgers University’s new Institute for Food, Nutrition and Health and set the record for the largest living wall in New Jersey… “It’s a living tapestry, a living piece of artwork,” said Michael Coraggio, CEO and founding principal of EcoWalls, which was tasked with the design and installation of the wall… EcoWalls is a Rutgers-incubated business located on the 500-plus acre campus of the Burlington County Resource Recovery Complex. It was founded in 2007 by Coraggio and Ryan Burrows, both of whom graduated from Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences. They have since expanded into a national company with displays at Walt Disney World, the San Diego Zoo Safari Park and the Philadelphia International Flower Show, among other venues.
Climate Change Affecting High-Altitude Regions at Faster Rate, Rutgers Study Finds
A new study co-authored by Rutgers climate scientist Jim Miller in the Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences found that in the past 20 years temperatures above 4,000 meters (13,120 feet) have warmed 75 percent faster than at altitudes below 2,000 meters (6,560 feet). As snow accumulates later in the fall and melts faster in […]
New Jersey Aquaculture Innovation Center Plays Important Role in Oyster Industry [VIDEO]
Oysters are a popular dinner choice near the shore. But before they end up on your plate, and in your stomach, they’re spawned at the New Jersey Aquaculture Innovation Center in Cape May… “Most of the oysters, local oysters that you would buy at a restaurant at any of the Delaware Bay counties, primarily were spawned and started in this facility,” said Sean Towers, of Rutgers NJ Aquaculture Innovation Center… The Center, powered by Rutgers University, does more than selling oysters to local farmers. They’re putting an oyster blueprint together, so others can follow… Right now, the emphasis, is oysters. And algae, the oysters’ diet. But once the oyster blueprint is complete, the focus can shift elsewhere.
Six Receive George Hammell Cook and Dennis Fenton Distinguished Alumni Awards
Six graduates of the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences (and its predecessors) were honored with alumni awards for outstanding achievement at an annual luncheon and celebration on April 26, 2015, at the Cook Student Center. The honorees receiving the George Hammell Cook Distinguished Alumni Award, given to those with undergraduate degrees from the school, […]
Rutgers Scientist Elected to National Academy of Sciences
Joachim Messing, director of Rutgers University’s Waksman Institute of Microbiology, has been selected to membership in the National Academy of Sciences, one of the highest honors an American scientist or engineer can achieve… Messing, who is considered to be among the world’s top experts in molecular genetics, was among 84 new members elected and recognized this year for their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research… “As one of the world’s leading molecular geneticists, Joachim Messing has been instrumental in creating disease-resistant crops that are feeding the world,” said Rutgers University-New Brunswick Chancellor Richard L. Edwards. “The Rutgers University community is proud of Dr. Messing’s induction into the National Academy of Sciences and his many accomplishments on behalf of humanity.”
SEBS & NJAES Faculty and Staff Receive 2015 Celebration of Excellence Awards
The 22nd annual “Celebration of Excellence” Awards Luncheon of the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences and the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station (NJAES) was held on April 23 at the Neilson Dining Hall on the Cook/Douglass Campus. Rick Ludescher, dean of academic programs at the school, served as Master of Ceremonies while Executive Dean […]
Ocean Bacteria Get ‘Pumped Up’ by Dying Phytoplankton
The ocean has been sucking up heat-trapping carbon dioxide (CO2) building up in our atmosphere–with a little help from tiny plankton. Like plants on land, these plankton convert CO2 into organic carbon via photosynthesis. But unlike land plants that a…
Rutgers Day 2015 Attracts Record Crowd
Despite cool morning temperatures, sunny skies brought out a record crowd of 91,000 to the seventh annual Rutgers Day, where visitors had the opportunity to learn about the research, service and education taking place at New Jersey’s only Big Ten research university… The Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station used Rutgers Today to unveil the Rutgers Scarlet Strawberry, which went on sale to the public for the first time at the master gardener plant sale Saturday morning. The Scarlet Strawberry, in development for the last 10 years, is bred to thrive in the New Jersey climate… Meanwhile, at the start of the 4H State Dog Show on Cook Campus, a band of about 20 deer ran around the perimeter of the show grounds. “It felt like we were on the Serengeti!” said Jean Scalea Bjugstad, who was attending the show with her son, Julian, and his Collie/Newfoundland dog, Bear. “All the dogs sat up and took notice and there was lots of barking.”
Thousands Come Out for Rutgers Day
Visitors from around the state came out to Rutgers’ campuses in Piscataway and New Brunswick Saturday for a showcase of the state university’s activities… Dylan Klein, a second-year PhD student at Rutgers, is studying the effects of exercise on horse…