J. Charbonneau [Ed.])
March 11, 2000
I was lucky growing
up. When I was seven, my family moved to East Greenwich, Rhode Island.
I quickly became captivated by the fantastic coastal waters of the state
- the Pettaquamscutt River neck in Narragansett, the view of Rhode Island
Sound from Matunick, the salt ponds of Charlestown, the white cliff beaches
of Block Island. I learned about the waters of Rhode Island on the level
of a curious boy. Later, I would get a Ph.D. at the University of Rhode
Island, continuing to learn about the waters of this great state on much
the same level, driven by a basic curiosity. The only difference now, is
that technology allows us to study the coast using some great toys.
As a boy, the Rhode Island coast was a great influence. At Goddard Park, I discovered what bioluminescence was. In the summer, we would collect small jellyfish that were about the size of a silver dollar, and store them in a bucket in the dark. After about an hour, we would shake the bucket and watch the circular jellyfish begin to glow a wonderful, bright blue. At Beavertail in Jamestown, I discovered the rich diversity of life in tide pools. My brother, sister and I would collect starfish and hermit crabs, back when the tide pools were teeming with them.
I also got an inkling of what it would be like to study the coast on a higher level. My dad would take us kids fishing off the pier in Narragansett where the URI research vessel Endeavor was docked. There was always a great amount of activity surrounding the ship when it was there. I thought for the first time that studying the ocean might be something I could pursue as a “grown-up”.
About a decade later, I was in graduate school, on that same pier, loading the R/V Endeavor for a cruise to head out to Georges Bank, about 150 miles east of Cape Cod. Our goal was to assess the health of the marine ecosystem and our fisheries using the latest ocean sensing technologies. Near “real-time” images from satellites were used to estimate productivity in different regions of the Bank and to help researchers from URI and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution locate sites for sampling. All levels of the food chain were sampled, including the microscopic plants and animals that drive the ecosystem and the fisheries. Sampling methods ranged from relatively crude nets, to prototype sensors designed to measure dissolved chemicals emitted from specific organisms, including fish and their microscopic prey. It was in graduate school where I first became aware of the awesome power of technology.
The technologies that are currently being developed, many now in Rhode Island, allow us to study marine ecosystem in entirely new ways. A tool that has made a dramatic impact over the past several years is the remote sensing of our oceans via satellites. Satellites offer the ability of rapid assessment of ocean productivity over very large areas by detecting ocean color. From this data, the flow of CO2, the critical “greenhouse gas,” in and out of the ocean can be studied. Remote sensing technology is currently being used by Dr. James Yoder and his laboratory at URI to study processes in the Atlantic and along the eastern coast of the U.S. Amazingly, satellites circling in orbit above our atmosphere can now provide such data with a spatial resolution of tens of feet.
At the opposite extreme, special acoustic and optical probes can measure properties of individual, microscopic particles by bouncing sound or light off of them. In many ways, the acoustic technology is similar to that used in fish-finders, but this version uses higher frequencies of sound. By looking at how particles interact with light, many properties of the particles can be determined, including whether the microscopic particle is a living organism, and, in some cases, what kind of organism it is. Drs. Percy Donaghay, Jan Rines, and Jim Sullivan at URI are making impressive strides in this area of research. By integrating information we learn at the microscopic level with satellite data collected at much larger scales, we obtain a more comprehensive and accurate view of our coastal ecosystems.
Other remarkable technologies supported in Rhode Island include chemical detection systems that can track chemicals in sewage at extremely low levels. Dr. Alfred Hanson of Subchem, a Rhode Island based technology company, has developed such systems. Similar technology can also be used for measuring oil concentrations at low levels. When the North Cape went aground on Moonstone beach and started leaking oil in January of 1996, there was no means available to immediately determine the extent of the spill. The best method at the time, was the computer model of Dr. Malcolm Spaulding of Applied Science Associates, another Rhode Island based company, that predicted the movement and dispersion of the oil based on the currents and tides in the region. The model did an excellent job, but direct measurements of the oil in the water would have been a great benefit to assessment and containment teams. Now, instead of having to ship samples to a laboratory to see if there is any oil in it, the technology is available to measure it directly in the water.
Some of the most exciting marine technology in Rhode Island and neighboring areas involves the development of underwater vehicles. At the Naval Underwater Warfare Center in Newport, research teams have developed automated unmanned, underwater vehicles (AUUVs) to make measurements in areas that research vessels or divers cannot go. The AUUVs are entirely pre-programmed, following an underwater track that is entered by a technician. The Deep Submergence Laboratory at nearby Woods Hole has pioneered the development of the increasingly used remotely operated vehicle (ROV). These devices are usually equipped with robotic arms and are capable of many different types of jobs, ranging from repairing a vessel or underwater structure, to finding “black boxes” from crashed planes in coastal waters.
A direct benefactor of the research and development of new technologies is our Navy, who funds much of this work. Science and technology are approached from a different perspective by the Navy, though. For example, bioluminescence becomes not only an interesting trait of small marine organisms, but an elaborate surveillance tool at night to identify moving objects underwater. Similarly, it is not difficult to imagine that high resolution satellite imagery of coastal waters can be used to map more than just biological processes and river plumes.
Acoustic and optical technologies can be used to detect a variety of underwater objects, including moored mines. Mines have been responsible for 14 of the 18 Navy ships destroyed or damaged since 1950. In 1988 during the Iran-Iraq War, the U.S. frigate Samuel B. Roberts struck an Iranian mine, blowing a 20 foot hole in the hull. The damage done by this one mine was $95 million. The mine cost $1500. The presence of mines was also a key factor in the decision to forego an amphibious landing by our Navy Seals during the Persian Gulf War. As a result, there has been a mandate from the commander for new technology. New methods are currently being developed for mine detection, deactivation, and, in certain cases, detonation. ROVs and AUUVs are expected to become a key component of this work so that divers and trained marine mammals will not have to be put at risk.
The Navy expects that investments now in cutting-edge research by the oceanographic community will pay off in improved tactical capabilities 5 or more years down the road. This strategy of investment has proven very wise in the past. It is a key factor that has enabled our Navy to maintain an impressive level of global technical superiority.
Clearly, ocean research is very strong in the Ocean State, and it benefits all of us. The federal and local investments in ocean research and technology now are giving us many of the tools to monitor the health of the coast, and to detect contamination from many different types of pollutants. This work will help to ensure the future well being of Narragansett Bay and the Sound for Rhode Islanders today and for generations to come.
The coastline of Rhode Island is truly a priceless treasure and an inspiration. The more we learn about it, the more it amazes us. Yes, I was lucky growing up, but am even luckier now. See you on the Bay.
Author description:
Dr. Michael Twardowski is currently a faculty research associate at Oregon State University. He has been awarded a WET Labs Environmental Optics Postdoctoral Fellowship, and a Visiting Faculty Fellowship at the Naval Research Laboratories at Stennis Space Center, Mississippi and Washington D.C. He is currently conducting research in ocean optics with grants from the Office of Naval Research and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. He is the author of numerous oceanographic publications. In the near future, he will be returning to Rhode Island to lead the east coast branch of WET Labs, Inc., in the research and development of environmental monitoring systems.