BBSR 2002 Annual Report - Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences

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Since the first group of visiting scientists and studentsarrived at Flatts Inlet in 1903, BBSR has been exploringthe natural environment of Bermuda. It has provided a wealthof information to help ensure that this mid-Atlantic jewel isprotected.While BBSR is well known for its global contributions,for example to global climate change and acid precipitationstudies, it has also made important contributions to Bermudaitself through its role in addressing local environmentalquality issues.When the board and staff met in 1987 to discuss researchand educational goals leading up to BBSR’s centennial year in2003, BBSR had already provided decades of research onBermuda’s inshore environment. By then, it was arguablyamong the most thoroughly studied island environments inthe world, but there was (and is) much more to learn aboutBermuda’s air and water quality, and the critical marinehabitats that surround the island.The program that marked the beginning of BBSR’s comprehensiveresearch on Bermuda’s environment was theBermuda Inshore Waters Investigation (BIWI) in the 1970s,which was followed by the formation of the Marine andAtmospheric Program. It was at this time that the BermudaGovernment began regularly funding scientific work at BBSR.4BERMUDA’S ENVIRONMENTMonitoring the Island’s Most Precious ResourcesDr. Kent Simmons explains the importance of protecting Bermuda’spristine natural environments.The BIWI project encompassed almost every aspect of themarine sciences and increased our overall understanding ofthe Bermuda islands. The BIWI team was responsible for thepublication of a three-volume study, The Bermuda MarineEnvironment. These volumes were a compilation of all thelocal marine knowledge generated over the previous decades.They were augmented with chemical, biological, geologicaland physical databases generated by BIWI and present what isnow the foundation of all Bermuda environmental qualitystudies. By the mid-1980s, the rich biodiversity of Bermuda’swaters had been catalogued in an equally important volumeedited by former BBSR Director Dr. Wolfgang Sterrer, TheMarine Fauna and Flora of Bermuda, which included contributionsby many BBSR scientists and students.Bermuda in the 1980s was in the process of dealing withsome significant local environmental concerns. With the needto better manage the island’s domestic waste and the plannedconstruction of the Tynes Bay Waste Treatment Facility, theBermuda Government recognized the potential environmentalthreats posed by future developments of this type. Thegovernment began to expand its programs to include additionalaspects of the near-shore marine environment and alsoto address a variety of atmospheric and terrestrial issues. Inaddition, fish stocks had declined dramatically during the
previous two decades. Research conducted by scientists atBBSR, the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, and theBermuda Aquarium was influential in the government’sdecision to ban the use of commercial fish pots in 1990.To address these concerns, BBSR’s Bermuda researchprograms hired a number of new scientists, like BermudiansDr. Robbie Smith and myself. The 1987 workshop participantsreaffirmed the importance of this research. Both Dr.Smith and I came up through the ranks as students in BBSR’seducational programs, including the Bermuda Programme,which has now provided summer internships to Bermudianundergraduate students for more than two decades. In thisprogram, I worked under the supervision of BBSR scientistsTony Knap and Tim Jickells and was motivated to pursue acareer in marine science.After receiving my doctorate in 1987 from the Universityof New Hampshire for my dissertation research on Bermuda’sgroundwater, I returned to BBSR as afull-time scientist. I have beenworking for many years on atmosphericand terrestrial problems andstudying the impacts of the TynesBay Incinerator ash and smoke stackemissions. Incinerator ash is the byproductof waste combustion, inwhich domestic waste is reduced bysome 90 percent of its initial volume.The ash is thought to contain heavymetals and organic contaminantsthat, if disposed of incorrectly, pose asignificant threat to the local environment.Likewise, the smoke stackemissions contain acidic gases such as sulfur dioxide andnitrogen oxides, particulates, metals and organics that potentiallyimpact rooftops and drinking water, soils andvegetation. Environmental monitoring has been a criticalaspect of this program to help ensure that the ash is disposedof properly and that stack emissions are controlled.Also developing in conjunction with the waste treatmentfacility was Robbie Smith’s Benthic Ecology Research Program(BERP). After receiving his doctorate in 1991 from theUniversity of Georgia, Dr. Smith also returned to BBSR,focusing much of his attention on problems linked to thedisposal of incinerator ash in the near-shore waters. Manyorganisms bioaccumulate contaminants within their tissues;as these contaminants are magnified up through the foodchain, they can reach potentially toxic levels. The BERP teamcurrently monitors the health of Bermuda’s coral reefs,seagrass beds and mangroves, provides information relevantto the management of marine resources, and examinesThe quality of Bermuda’s air andwater and the diversity of thespecies found in its waters are thefoundation for the quality of lifeenjoyed by both residents andvisitors to the island.potential environmental impacts while contributing to ouroverall understanding of ecological processes. Dr. Smith’steam now includes scientists Dr. Shane Paterson and GrahamWebster, and two additional former Bermuda Programmeinterns, Dr. Joanna Pitt and Ph.D. candidate ThaddeusMurdoch. With support from the Bermuda Government, ThePew Charitable Trusts, the Curtis and Edith MunsonFoundation, and the U.S. National Fish and WildlifeFoundation, this team is conducting extensive research on theeffectiveness of Bermuda’s marine protected areas as a modelfor other nations to protect their coral reef fisheries.While many of the Bermuda environmental qualitystudies can be linked back to the development of the TynesBay Waste Treatment Facility, other programs have foundtheir origin elsewhere. BBSR’s Analysis of Marine Pollutionsummer course, offered since the 1970s, identified in the mid-1990s the antifouling paint compounds tributyl tin (TBT) andIrgarol 1051 in several of Bermuda’senclosed harbors. TBT is knownworldwide for its toxic effects onmarine organisms, and effectiveJanuary 1, 2003, the InternationalMaritime Organization banned itsuse in many countries, includingBermuda.Dr. Richard Owen’s ecotoxicologygroup at BBSR, working withcolleagues from the UnitedKingdom, has demonstrated thatIrgarol 1051, the compoundexpected to replace TBT as theadditive of choice for antifoulingpaints, has a devastating impact on coral photosynthesis atlow levels, similar to levels already measured in the marineenvironment. An important publication in 2002 by Dr. Owen,with Dr. Tony Knap, Kelly Carberry and Lucy Buxton, documentedthis global threat to coral reef environments. SimilarBBSR studies have focused on the determination of pesticidesin Bermuda’s groundwater, and scientists are working toformulate an early warning diagnostic assay of pollutantexposure and impact for marine organisms.The quality of Bermuda’s air and water and the diversityof the species found in its waters are the foundation for thequality of life enjoyed by both residents and visitors to theisland. Since the 1987 long-range planning workshop,research and education programs at BBSR have contributedgreatly to local understanding of the environment, and, Ibelieve, have helped ensure its protection. My colleagues and Ilook forward to continuing to monitor these importantresources in BBSR’s second century.Left: Dr. Thomas Sleeter investigates oil pollution as a graduate student at BBSR in the 1970s. A young student looks on.Upper right: A BBSR summer course student monitors the health of a coral reef in Bermuda’s inshore watersLower right: Associate Research Scientist Dr. Kent Simmons uses an Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer to analyze Bermuda air andsoil samples for traces of heavy metals5
Page 1 and 2: The Bermuda Biological Station for
Page 3 and 4: 2 4 68 10 12TABLE OF CONTENTSFrom t
Page 5: This report outlines BBSR’s advan
Page 9 and 10: BATS have documented a rise in ocea
Page 11 and 12: scallop larval rearing. Since the s
Page 13 and 14: The resulting libraries of bacteria
Page 15 and 16: The Risk Prediction Initiative: A S
Page 17 and 18: HONOR ROLL OF DONORSTHE ASSOCIATES
Page 19: HONOR ROLL OF DONORSTHE ASSOCIATES
Page 22 and 23: Matching GiftsHONOR ROLL OF DONORSO
Page 24 and 25: FINANCIAL OVERVIEWOperating Revenue
Page 26 and 27: STATEMENTS OF FINANCIAL POSITIONDEC
Page 28 and 29: STATEMENT OF ACTIVITIESYEAR ENDED D
Page 30 and 31: 1. OrganizationNOTES TO FINANCIAL S
Page 32 and 33: 7. Sponsored ProjectsNOTES TO FINAN
Page 34 and 35: Air Quality ProgramDr JAK Simmons,
Page 36 and 37: GRADUATE RESEARCH PROGRAMSAssembly
Page 38 and 39: Neuer, S, R Davenport, T Freudentha
Page 40 and 41: 2002VOLUNTEERSLore AyoubSandra Blaj
Page 42 and 43: ScientistsSenior ScientistsNicholas
Page 44 and 45: Bermuda Biological Stationfor Resea

BBSR 2002 Annual Report - Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences

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