NURP Project Summary


	The Aquanaut Program (Year 1 of 1) Project Number: NAGL-03-03 Principle Investigators: Babb, I. G., and P. M. Scheifele Region(s): Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary

View project media

The Aquanaut Program is a marine science education initiative developed at the National Undersea Research Center at The University of Connecticut. The primary focus is to involve both high capability as well as highly motivated students in a research project under the mentorship of an active scientist. The specific objectives of the program are:

1) To provide an educational experience for high school students and their teachers highlighting the scientific method and its application utilizing modern in situ technology. In this manner, the students are involved in all facets of research in a "hands on" style. Students and teachers will be involved in developing a research project with a scientist-mentor who has experience in a project that addresses marine resource or environmental issues.

2) To rekindle students interests in a career in the sciences and pursuit of an advanced education. The program seeks out students of all abilities, particularly highly motivated students, and seeks to provide involvement in all aspects of ocean study (e.g. biological, chemical, physical oceanography, ocean engineering, cartography and navigation, and acoustics).

3) To develop a sense of awareness for the ocean environment and hence a sense of responsibility and stewardship.

4) To develop state-of-the-art distance learning resources to allow expansion of the program to other states.

The year 2003 AP was designed to specifically prepare teachers to participate in 2004 with students. As a professional development effort this year's effort allowed the teachers to particiapte directly in the development of research protocols, data collection and analysis and reporting of the various experimental areas of stuudy. In addition, these teachers prepared educational tools to use in preparing students who will participate in year 2004 research as well as educational resources that can be used in classrooms in their schools and others in the region.

A new AP website is under construction and may be found at: http://ap.nurc.uconn.edu/2003/. Within this site all AP protocols, teacher biographies and scientific results can be found. The site remains under construction with data still being added. Along with this web site a relational database for present and past AP data has been concstructed. This database will facilitate a scientific reporting structure for the sanctuary mnanager as well as a dynamic data set that teachers anywhere can use to provide actual oceanographic information for their students to use in the classroom.

With regard to bioacoustics and SBNMS the data indicates generally rising noise levels and the decline of Cetaceans presence, specifically Mysticetes in SBNMS. Since knowledge of propagation is poor more and more consistent data is required to make judgements as to potential impacts to marine life in SBNMS. Based on ambient noise and vessel signature data collected by the AP a recommendation has been submitted to the marine mammal behavior working group to monitor specific sites within the sanctuary, model propagation and determine whale species presence via vocalization classification.

Finally, this year the AP scientists and teachers pursued a new subject area. The objective of this project was to determine whether specific endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) may be present to effect the marine life of Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary. Over the past decade, there has been a number of published reports that indicate that various man-made and natural, organic chemical compounds are recalcitrant to normal secondary wastewater treatment. It fact there is diverse group of organic compounds that are not removed in simple secondary (biological) wastewater treatment. It has been shown that these recalcitrant chemicals may persist in either wastewater or in the waste sludge, and might be allowed to re-enter the environment. Lower forms of marine life may sorb these recalcitrant chemicals and then bio-accumulated them up the natural food chain. Among these recalcitrant chemicals, that are among the most estrogenic are: bisphenol A, a by-product of the commercial production of polycarbonates, epoxy resins and flame retardant, and n-alkyl phenols, the final recalcitrant products of various non-ionic detergents.

With the year-2000 re-activation of Boston Harbor's Deer Island wastewater treatment and the expansion of its diffuser pipes 9.5 miles further into Massachusetts Bay, it became the focus of this research project to determine if the secondary-biologically treated, wastewater being discharged further out in Massachusetts Bay could be impacting the marine life of Steelwagon Bank National Marine Sanctuary. The summer 2003 AP cruise provided a unique opportunity to obtain clam, plankton, and sediment samples down-gradient and at the western entrances this National Marine Sanctuary.