Featured Scientist: Meet Giovanni!

Our annual surveys would not be possible without our wonderful collaborators from around the world. We'll dedicate several future blog posts to highlight these individuals, so that you can learn more about them, their research, and the valuable contributions they make to the survey. Today we feature Giovanni Seijo-Ellis from the University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez!

Giovanni successfully completes a 1500-meter CTD cast

Hi everyone! My name is Giovanni Seijo-Ellis, I'm a physics masters student at the University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez, and I'm starting my PhD next fall at the City University of New York's Graduate Center with Dr. David Lindo.

I always knew that I wanted to work on something related to the oceans and as I grew up that interest grew bigger. When I found out as a young teenager that there is a field called physical oceanography, I felt I was born for it. Back in Puerto Rico there are no undergraduate programs in oceanography, so I decided to go into Theoretical Physics, took some advanced oceanography courses and complemented it with atmospheric dynamics courses. I worked for three and a half years for the Puerto Rico Seismic Network doing tsunami simulations and hazard assessments under a National Tsunami Hazard and Mitigation Program grant. 

Ready to launch the XBT!

Then I moved to work with the Caribbean Coastal Ocean Observing System (CariCOOS), the Caribbean Component of NOAA's Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS). There I work as an ocean modeler. I basically work with validation and development of ocean models for the Caribbean region in order to have better forecasts of ocean currents and I also prepare some operational products for the CariCOOS webpage users. Besides that, I also do storm surge simulation and mapping with special focus on energy distribution over coral reefs along the northern and eastern part of Puerto Rico. Every now and then I help in CariCOOS field work (which is probably my favorite thing to do), deploying CTDs, and deploying/recovering sea gliders or anything else that comes up. 

One of the homemade biodegradable
CariCOOS drifters

I met Dr. Lindo some months ago and we quickly noticed that we had many research interests in common, so I decided to apply to CUNY's Earth and Environmental Sciences program where we could work together and I could reach my goal of getting a PhD. A couple of weeks after, he called me to see if I was interested in participating on a research cruise...of course I was interested!!!! Our goal is to understand the cross-shelf exchange of waters between St. Thomas and St. Croix. Ocean circulation/currents in the Caribbean is not as easy to understand as one may think. The rapid variation of the bathymetry has a huge effect on ocean currents and waves which makes it a challenge to model accurately and many mesoscale features are also common in this region. So, does water from south of the shelf break cross to the shallower part north of the shelf break? Or does it move along the shelf break? Or do the shallow water cross into the deeper waters? How does this affect larval dispersal in the region? 

These are some of the questions that will help us understand what is happening in this part of the Caribbean and how it affects larval dispersal near the shelf break, especially on the Grammanik and Hind Banks. To accomplish this we will use data obtained from 8 SVP drifters, 4 Bio-degradable drifters (home-made by CariCOOS), 22 XBT launches, and CTD deployments. The use of plankton nets will allow us to collect fish larvae at different water depths and potentially trace back to their place of origin. 

It's away! Positioning the XBT launcher during deployment

So here I am, learning a lot and enjoying every second. So far it has been an amazing experience, the crew and the science team are wonderful. Everyone on the science team is just great, they are really open to hear any suggestions and really care for everyone to learn how to do everything around here. Doesn't matter if you're an undergrad or graduate student, with or without experience in the field, here you are a scientist and will be treated as one. We are all equal, and that makes it really comfortable for such a diverse group to work together successfully. 

While not working, I really enjoy sailing either on a Catalina 30 sailboat, racing on a J30 or J24 or just relaxing near a pond and sail my radio control sailboat. I also do cross-country mountain biking and ride my MTB to work at least once a week. I really hope and look forward to be able to come back on board the Nancy Foster with this amazing team in years to come!

Thanks!

Welcome Aboard NF-17-03!

Welcome back to another exciting year at sea!

NOAA Ship Nancy Foster in Brewers Bay, St. Thomas, USVI

The FORCES Lab at the NOAA Southeast Fisheries Science Center (SEFSC) invites you to join us again as we board the Nancy Foster and experience the wonder of the marine world! The 2017 survey begins in the Caribbean Sea around the stunning islands of the US and British Virgin Islands. We will continue our historical sampling grid from previous years, collecting water and plankton samples.We will also seek out information about the cross-shelf transport of water and planktonic organisms around these islands, and hopefully capture spawning events of commercially valuable reef fish. We are pleased to be sailing with collaborators from NOAA Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML), University of Miami (RSMAS), University of the Virgin Islands (UVI), City University of New York (CUNY), University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez (UPRM), University of South Florida (USF), and USVI Department of Planning and Natural Resources (DPNR). 

Later, the Foster will make her triumphant return to the Gulf of Mexico, going on the hunt for recently spawned patches of larval bluefin tuna! We have many new and exciting sampling schemes planned for this portion of our survey that we look forward to sharing. 

From L-R: Scientists Sarah (UVI), Giovanni (UPRM), Jason (RSMAS), Kristen (UVI),
Jess (CUNY), & Tanya (CUNY) enjoy the view as we set sail from Old San Juan, Puerto Rico

Once again, we'd like to offer a glimpse into what life on a research vessel is like, as well as introduce our incredible collaborators, veteran researchers, and up-and-coming young scientists. We hope you'll join us!

Check out posts from last year's cruise blog!

Featured Scientist: Angela Ferrá-Elías!

Today's featured scientist, and final guest post for NF1602, is Angela Ferrá-Elías, from the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez! Angela is new to our cruise team, but quickly became one of us - we have loved sailing with her! Read more about her research and passion for her field!

Angela presents her research at the American
Meteorological Society Annual Meeting

"¡Saludos! My name is Angela Ferrá-Elías, a graduate student from the Marine Science Department at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez (UPRM). Since I was 10 years old, I have been in love with the weather, ocean and the atmospheric phenomena. It was at this age, while attending 6th grade in elementary school, that I said, “when I grow up, I want to be a meteorologist”. This has been my dream since then and pursuing this dream, I completed a degree in physical science and a curricular sequence in Atmospheric Science and Meteorology in May 2013. During my years as an undergrad student I worked as a summer intern in the Geological and Environmental Remote Sensing Laboratory (GERS Lab) with Dr. Fernando Gilbes in the Geology Department at UPRM. Through these internships I combined my knowledge in meteorology with oceanography and remote sensing techniques. These opportunities opened my way to graduate studies in Physical Oceanography and with these opportunities came a new passion... the oceanography.

"As a masters graduate student I’m trying to focus my research and studies experience in the relationship and interaction of the ocean and the atmosphere. My research focus is based in the detection of mesoscale eddies in the eastern Caribbean Sea using sea water bio-optical properties. The objective is to identify if some bio-optical parameters are goods trackers for mesoscale eddies.

L: Angela deploys a CTD with Omar; R: Angela and Aras rinse down the mini-bongo net

"Because of my type of research I’m always behind the computer working but I really like and enjoy going out and doing some field work! This is why this experience aboard the NOAA Ship Nancy Foster is so exciting for me…. I’m going out! Finally, I have the opportunity to be in the field and learn new things. Even if I have experience working with the CTD, the best way to learn is by practicing and with this opportunity I definitely have much more experience.

Meteorology and Climate Change
workshop at US Fish & Wildlife
Service, Cabo Rojo, PR

"In my free time I enjoy going to the beach, doing some snorkeling, watching tv series and “dormir” (sleep)! But I also enjoy educating. This is why I work as marine educator in Sea Grant Puerto Rico and outreach coordinator in AECiMa (Asociación de Estudiantes de Ciencias Marinas). With all the experience and the knowledge obtained in this oceanographic expedition I definitely have more outreach activities to coordinate in my beautiful Puerto Rico. 

"Thanks for this amazing opportunity aboard the NOAA Ship Nancy Foster!" 

Thanks for reading all about our amazing guest scientists from NF1602! Keep checking back this week for some fun microscopic critters, and our final cruise post!