BBSR 2002 Annual Report - Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences

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