World’s next generation of marine scientists present cutting-edge research on Kaua‘i

Chosen from an international pool of applicants, 50 future or recent PhD graduates in marine science have gathered on Kauaʻi this week to share the latest research in their fields of oceanography.

The presentations are being made during the Physical Oceanography Dissertations Symposium known as PODS and the Dissertations Symposium in Chemical Oceanography known as DISCO, which are being held simultaneously at the Royal Sonesta Kaua‘i Resort in Līhu‘e. They began last Saturday and will continue through Thursday.

The up-and-coming scientists chosen for the symposiums are at the top of their fields and “doing really cutting-edge research,” said the leader of the chemical oceanography symposium Christopher Sabine, a professor and interim vice provost for research and scholarship at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.

The scientists specialize in chemical or physical oceanography, which – along with geological and biological oceanography – make up the field dedicated to the study of the sea, which covers about 71% of the Earth’s surface.

Oceanography is not like the marine science that exists in the popular imagination, Sabine said. Its scientists, broadly speaking, don’t study popular “charismatic megafauna” like whales, polar bears and monk seals. Instead, they research the watery environment in which these iconic animals live.

Physical oceanographers concern themselves with the physics of the ocean, or the movement of its waters. Chemical oceanographers examine those waters’ chemistry, while geological oceanographers study the seafloor. Biological oceanography is dedicated to the interactions of marine organisms with their physical and chemical surroundings. All of these disciplines are interrelated.

“They connect together very well, because a lot of times we can use chemicals to understand the movement of the ocean,” Sabine said. “And on the opposite side, the physics and the movement of the ocean definitely affects the chemicals and the chemical distribution.”

Sabine is excited to see his field’s latest generation of scientists turn their attention to the importance of coastal regions, among other topics including coral reefs and El Niño climate patterns. All three are particularly relevant to the Hawaiian Islands, where federal funding for the construction of a coral nursery on Kaua‘i was recently announced.

“There’s a lot of exciting new work on trying to understand El Niño, what causes them and how they are changing as our climate system evolves,” Sabine said. “And of course, our weather patterns here in Hawai‘i are strongly impacted by El Niño patterns, whether we’re in an El Niño or a La Nina.”

Eric Chassignet, a professor and director of the Center for Ocean-Atmospheric Prediction Studies at Florida State University, is a featured speaker at this year’s symposia.

The esteemed oceanographer’s current work includes the study of marine debris movement. He creates computer models to determine where marine debris released by a given country goes, and where marine debris on a given country’s coastline comes from. His research is supported by the United Nations.

Oceanography ultimately goes beyond the study of the sea to encompass all Earth systems, Chassignet said.

“You cannot have an ocean without the cryology of sea ice, and the ocean is moving around because you have an atmosphere on top,” Chassignet said. “Then you have our land, rivers and everything else that also affects the ocean. It’s very hard to look at the ocean by itself.”

The physical and chemical symposia are held every two years at locations throughout the state of Hawai‘i. They are sponsored by the National Science Foundation, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NASA and the Office of Naval Research.

Each of the four federal agencies funds oceanographic research. Symposia participants, in addition to receiving career insight from leaders in their fields, have the opportunity to meet agency managers who will likely support their work for the next three decades.

Because the symposia are supported by U.S. agencies, which generally can only fund U.S. researchers, the majority of participants hail from universities based throughout the United States. But some international participants are always included. This year features researchers from South Africa, Germany, Australia and Tasmania.

“Why we bring this symposium to places like Kaua‘i is, obviously, it’s a beautiful island, and we want to expose people to the amazing diversity and different types of environments in Hawai‘i,” Sabine said. “But we also want to share what we do with different communities.”

Sabine encourages contact from any Kaua‘i community member with questions about the symposia and its participants’ research. More information about the Physical Oceanography Dissertations Symposium and the Dissertations Symposium in Chemical Oceanography may be found online at pods-symposium.org and discosymposium.org.