 |
|
|
| - Air quality - Amphibian Deformities - Communicating - Global Climate Change - Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences |
- Pesticide Alternatives - Plants - River - Shores |
Soon after fuel oil started leaking from the New Carissa, the freighter which ran aground off the Oregon coast in February, 1999, OSU faculty and student researchers were out in their slickers and hip boots in the nearby tide pools They were surveying for the absence or abundance of intertidal species, including sea stars and limpets.
"You would not want this kind of accident to happen anywhere. But if it does, it's fortunate that it's here," said Distinguished Professor of Zoology Jane Lubchenco. "After the initial spill, the ship went aground near sites where we have been collecting data for the last 20 years. We're in a position to study the effects intensely."
It is crucial for the preservation of our environment for us to understand human impact, she says, and that is problematic in the absence of good baseline data. For instance, when the Exxon Valdez spilled oil in Alaska in 1989, "there had been no experiments to show the patterns, their causes, and how the patterns change over time."
"It is crucial for the preservation of our environment for us to understand the human impact."
To better understand the big picture, Jane Lubchenco and Bruce Menge, CO-holders of the OSU Wayne and Gladys Valley Chair of Marine Biology, have initiated an ambitious study of the 1,200 miles near shore from Oregon to Southern California. They lead a team of researchers from OSU as well as Stanford and the U. of California at Santa Cruz and Santa Barbara. Relevant data will be compiled on zooplankton survival, invading species, salmon declines, coastal planning, and the biological impacts of global warming.
Because of the importance of this project, it got a boost from a five-year, $17.7 million grant, the largest-ever from the Packard Foundation.
Water and air quality, diseases, fisheries, agriculture, contaminants, global climate change, endangered species . . . scientific knowledge is growing about many critical issues. A new program will improve the flow of accurate information to the public about the environment. OSU now operates the Aldo Leopold program on behalf of the Ecological Society of America, supported by a $1.5 million, five-year grant from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation. OSU researchers Andy Blaustein and Mark Hixon were among 20 scientists chosen nationally as the program's first communicators to the news media, communities, and policy makers.
The OSU Environmental Science Programs prepare the future's problem-solvers. Undergraduates and graduate students focus on such topics as forest ecology; atmospheric processes; and environmental chemistry, engineering, and policy. Their course work is enhanced by internships in government, industry, and education.
The graduate research program of OSU's College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences was rated fifth in the nation, making Oceanography the highest nationally ranked program in the state. All of that College's educational programs are unique in Oregon.
When Bill Clinton was President, he and Vice President Gore invited OSU researcher Jane Lubchenco to brief them on the environment. She and other scientists stressed the environmental, economic, and social havoc which global climate change may cause. Lubchenco, past president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and of the Ecological Society of America, raises a strong and persistent voice, encouraging world leaders to address environmental problems, and urging the U.S. to lead the way.
The traditional use of chemicals to kill pests can cause environmental problems while not solving agricultural ones, says Paul Jepson, chair of the OSU Department of Entomology. "Pesticides often kill the very predators that would naturally eat the problem insects." Jepson's research is helping to encourage the use of environmentally safe agricultural strategies, and building awareness of the need for more study on systems as a whole.
How do our forests and crops respond to air pollutants, acid rain, and other environmental stresses? OSU's Bill Winner is helping to find out how a combination of factors can have compounded impacts on the physiology and ecology of plants.
Amphibian Deformities. Exposure to ultraviolet light, which may be increasing due to erosion of the Earth's protective ozone layer, may be a cause for deformation of frogs in the Cascade Range of Oregon and elsewhere in the world, according to research by Andrew Blaustein, OSU zoologist. The frogs may be the "canary in the mine" alerting us all to dangers. Blaustein's pioneering studies address worldwide scientific concern about declining amphibian populations.
The restoration of Oregon's Willamette River is among the Pacific Northwest issues that have received attention from OSU's Center for Analysis of Environmental Change. The center helps scientists to collaborate on research on complex issues and to apply their knowledge in socially relevant ways.
Air quality in urban areas is one focus of study by Pat Muir of OSU's Department of Botany and Plant Pathology. She examines the effects of air pollutants and the chemistry of fog, rain, and dry pollutant deposition. For instance, wood smoke can increase the presence of formaldehyde and other compounds to levels of concern. As an enthusiastic teacher, Muir inspires students to conduct research on specific environmental issues while considering the big picture.
Oregon State University Research Office
312 Kerr Administration Building, Corvallis, OR 97331
Phone 541-737-3467 Fax 541-737-9041
researchsupport@oregonstate.edu
Copyright © 2008
Oregon State University
Contact Us | Site Map | OSU Home Page | OSU Disclaimer
