Science Communication
Why I want to talk about science with you
I’ve been a writer here at Oceanbites for about a year, but now it’s time for me to hang up…
Author: Virginia Schutte
I just finished my graduate education in the Odum School of Ecology at the University of Georgia. I received my Ph.D. in Ecology in August 2014. My dissertation is all about the creatures that make the habitat for an ecosystem just by growing themselves. I've done my research in mangroves; trees that live at the edge of the ocean in the tropics. Before coming to UGA, I earned my B.S. in Biology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where I worked on a variety of marine ecology projects.
Human impacts
Oil spills leave a deadly legacy
This study shows that after several days of exposure to oil-contaminated water, coral larvae survival isn’t reduced very much (hooray!).…
Physical oceanography
Oceanbites Mingles With ArcticMix (Part 3)
This is part 3 of 3 in a series on the recent ArcticMix expedition aimed at improving ocean models that…
Ecology
Activity at one end of a migration affects fitness at the other
Effectively managing migratory species requires an understanding of what impacts them along their entire migratory route. This paper evaluates how…
Ecology
Small ocean currents can make a big difference in population connectivity
Marine population connectivity studies that reveal unexpected dispersal limitation have in the past attributed this pattern to “chaotic genetic patchiness”.…
Coastal Management
Profiling developing countries to improve marine resource management
This study quantifies the higher quality of life found in coastal communities in developing countries. It also highlights the need…
Coastal Management
Stop, collaborate and listen: decision-oriented data collection improves marine conservation
Managers often need specific information in order to best preserve a particular marine resource. This paper details a step-wise approach…
ocean engineering
Staying ahead of commercial exploitation in the deep sea
The first seafloor massive sulfide mine in the Pacific is expected to begin commercial operation in 2017. Licenses have already…
Ecology
Epic: sperm whales hunt squid
Bad environmental news can seem overwhelming at times. No matter how environmentally aware you are, you will still need to…
Conservation Fisheries
Survival at different stages of the fishing process informs management strategies for the silky shark
Knowing that a species has low survival rates after encountering a fishing vessel is useful. But knowing exactly what about…
Fisheries
Analyzing bycatch to better understand natural fish communities
Commercial shrimp trawlers haul in 3 to 15 times more of anything else than they do shrimp. Most of these…
Coastal Management Ecology Policy
Local natural resource management can combat the effects of global environmental disturbances
Global environmental problems can't be solved overnight by one person, but there are things we can do locally to positively…
Biology Ecology Genetics
Puncture wounds hold the key to new marine forensic technique
Identifying the culprits responsible for injury is a very useful thing, but tricky in the ocean, where saltwater cleans wounds…
Ecology
Manta ray movement and motivations
Everyone loves manta rays, but how much do we actually know about their basic ecology?
Ecology technology
Digitally partnering with spearfishers to survey fish communities
Cameras mounted on spearfishing guns are a viable source of scientific data, which could lead to new citizen science partnerships