SEAWORDS TheMarineOptionProgramNewsletter September2022
2 | Seawords VolumeXXXVII,Number 7 Alohaand Welcometo theSeptember issueof Seawords! Now that summer hasofficiallyreachedit'send,wearediving intothefall semester withafascinatingcollectionof articleswrittenby our talentedSeawordsteam! First,allow ustointroduceyoutofutureindigenousscientist and current KeaholoaSTEM Scholar,LilyKukui Gavagan,asshereflectson her experienceasakanakamaoli (nativeHawaiian) studyingmarine science(page4). Readabout someof theexcitingnew discoveriesinthemarine scienceworldfrommicrobefeedingstrategies(page12) to3-D printed coral reefs(page18).ExplorethemechanismsbehindOceanThermal EnergyConversion(OTEC) andit'spotential tobringcleanrenewable energytoHawai? i alarger scaleonpage14. Lastly,youcanfindSeptember'screatureof themonth,thePacific GoldenPlover,or K?lea,onpage8! Thismonthbesuretokeepaneyeout for theseseasonal migratorsastheybegintoarriveinHawai? i after their summer funinthenorth. What wouldyouliketoseemoreof inSeawords?Sendinyour thoughts,andfollow usonTwitter andInstagramat @mopseawords! AbbieJeremiah,SeawordsEditor
SEPTEMBER 2022 | 3 Contents 2:LETTERFROM THEEDITOR 4:INDIGENOUSSCIENCEAND SCIENTISTS:OURFUTURE 8:CREATUREOFTHEMONTH:K?LEA 12:MARINEMICROBEFEEDINGSTRATEGIES 14:RENEWABLEENERGYFROM THEDEPTHS 18:COULD WEPRINT 3-D REEFS? 20:MOPCALENDAR PhotoCredits Front Page:Pluvialisfulva,Kona,Hawaii.Photoby:Gillfoto,Wikimedia Commons. Tableof Contents:HonoluluAquarium.Photoby:Nick Vargish,Flickr. Back Cover:SlatePencil Urchin.Photoby:PaulineWalshJacobson,Flickr.
St oryBy:Chl oeMol ou,UHHSeawor ds Liason Phot ospr ovidedby:Lilykukuigavagan Maui.Photo by:Curt Smith,Flickr. 4 | Seawords Indigenous Scienceand Scient ist s:Our Fut ur e Lily kukuigavagan
This is thesecond articleof a three-part series highlighting Indigenous MarineSciencestudents at theUniversity of Hawai? i Hilo and their work. Each student profiled for this series was a part of the 2021-2022 Keaholoa STEM Scholars cohort and completed their own independent research projects. TheKeaholoa STEM Scholars Program is an academic program at UH Hilo, aimed at supporting and increasing therepresentation of NativeHawaiian and Pacific Islanders in STEM fields. The program provides paid independent research experiences with mentors in related fields, community outreach opportunities, academic support, and various professional development workshops. Keaholoa is part of a multi-campus, National Science Foundation (NSF) program known as theLouis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (LSAMP) program. Thesecond student to be featured in this series is Lily Kukui Gavagan, a senior in themarine sciencedepartment at UH Hilo, who is minoring in Hawaiian Studies. Growing up in themauka (upland) sideof Maui, Kukui loved theocean and cherished every opportunity she got to visit it. Sherecalls onespecific instancein her childhood that started her on her path of becoming a marine scientist. ?When I was about seven, my cousin, who is an oceanographer for NOAA, gavemeand my family a little tour of her facility and told us what shedid for work. [It] instantly captivated even moreof my heart. I then decided that marinesciencewas thepath that I wanted to go towards in my life.? In high school, Kukui?s lovefor marinesciencewas allowed to flourish whileshealso learned moreabout ?who [shewas] as a kanaka maoli, a nativeHawaiian, and what it means to live, exist, learn, and work as one.? Kukui was a part of the 2021-2022 Keaholoa cohort, for which sheconducted a research LilyKukuiGavagan,a UH Hilo student particapating in the Keaholoa STEM Scholars program .
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Reflecting on this project, Kukui talked about gaining a lot of experienceworking with different professionals and following directions, especially working in different labs. Sheshowed gratitudeto ?all of the many mentors, peers, friends, and other supporters that [shehas] had, and still continueto have, along the way?as they showed her the importanceof independent thought and confidently speaking one?s mind. Sheidentifies this as a ?key point
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project analyzing worm specimens collected from theMokup?papa Discovery Center by her advisor, Dr. Karla McDermid. Theproject began with a visual analysis of thespecimens in order to identify what family they belonged to, followed by a feeding experiment to investigatetheworms?growth in relation to thefood they had readily available, i.e., limu (algae) growing in thetank they werecollected from. To estimatethelength of theworms and get a closer look at themorphology, sheused general microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) at theUH Hilo SEM Lab. Kukui is continuing her research and conducting a form of metabolomics using liquid chromatography mass spectrometry at theUH Hilo Pharmacy research station. Sheis using this techniqueto analyzemetabolomes as well as ?identify and quantify thenumber of chemical compounds within thealgae, thealgaeexudate, and theworms separately.? Someresults that Kukui is excited to shareinclude, ?that these worms arefrom thefamily Amphinomidae, and that theworms wehavearegrowing in thepresence of algae. What wedo not know for certain is if theseworms arefeeding on thealgaethemselves, or the exudateon thealgae.?Sheis hopeful that in thefutureshemay beableto compareher results to assess what theseworms arereally feeding on, giving another ?clueinto these worms?ecology.?
InKukui'sresearch project,worm specimen were visuallyanalyzed and theirfeeding patternswere studied inrelationto theirgrowthrate.
SEM image of worm specimen collected at the UH Hilo SEM Lab
moreIndigenous professors and/or professors who areadept to theways of theIndigenous cultureof that location of theUniversity. This means requiring moreclasses to be taken that arecentered in the Indigenous culture.? Her final comment touched on theimportanceof highlighting Indigenous Scienceand its contributions, ?I believe, and I know that [indigenous science] has a voice everywherein theworld. Every place has its own uniqueculturewith its own ingenuity that brings about new knowledge. [? ] Weall comefrom different oceans, but weall somehow cometogether and meet on this same planet, so why can't our different perspectives on science?? working in [? ] STEM,?but most importantly, an invaluableskill in having a voiceas an indigenous scientist. This experiencehas given her ?moreconfidencewithin [herself] that [shehopes] to carry with [her] throughout [her] career and pass it off to other peoplewho areinterested in thesamethings.? Whilediscussing how institutions might better support Indigenous STEM students, Kukui believes that whileplaces likeUH areoff to a good start by including more Hawaiian-centered curriculum material both insideand outsidethe classroom, thereis always room for improvement. ?I believethat significant changes [will] come[by] hiring and recruiting moreand
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PacificGolden Plover.
By:Lucian Anderson ,UHM MOPAlumnus K?LEA
Photo by: Geoff Whalan, Flickr.
Creatureof theMonth:
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In Hawai? i during thewinter months, a specific bird makes its return to thetropical islands after spending thesummer in theicy north. Ancient Hawaiians called thesebirds K?lea. Beforetoday?s current environmental knowledge, peopleat thetimeonly knew that thesebirds left every summer, flying north. K?lea is theHawaiian name for thePacific Golden Plover (Pluvialisfulva). They sport a muted golden coloring with a white underbelly speckled in brown spots, likefreckles on a person. When spring comes, theK?lea molts its yellow and whitefeathers making thebird darker with a black face, underbelly, and wingtips with a whiter speckled body. In Hawai? i and other tropical areas, they feed on invertebrates along the shoreline. In theArctic, they eat berries that grow in theregion. They areusually faithful to their matewith an estimated 80% fidelity rate. K?lea can befound in Hawai? i and California, across Southeast Asia and Oceania. During the breeding months they inhabit Alaska and Siberia. TheK?lea arrivein Hawai? i in AugustSeptember. In April, theK?lea migrateto thenorth wherethey breed in Juneand July. This journey takes 3-4 days of flight depending on wind patterns between Hawai? i and Alaska. Thebirds feed on thethawing berries and insects in Alaska. Once theeggs arelaid, theparents will taketurns incubating eggs. The eggs arebrown with yellow speckles, nearly identical to thetop soil. Thefemales areoften first to arriveback in Hawai? i in early August followed by themales in lateAugust then theoffspring in October. Theoffspring appear to haveamazing instincts, likesalmon returning to theplaceof their birth to releasetheir eggs. Historically theK?lea is mentioned in Pacific Island and Hawaiian history and chants. In 1773, James Cook on his second voyagein Tahiti, learned of the K?lea from thelocal Tahitians. They informed him that thebirds arevisitors to theislands and go north in thespring months. Later, on his third voyage, hespotted the samebird now flying south from Alaska. Historically theK?lea is mentioned in Pacific Island and
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Hawaiian history and chants. In 1773, James Cook on his second voyagein Tahiti, learned of the K?lea from thelocal Tahitians. They informed him that thebirds arevisitors to theislands and go north in thespring months. Later, on his third voyage, hespotted the samebird now flying south from Alaska. Ancient Hawaiians had ??lelo No?eau, sayings, about theK?lea such as, ??O ka hua okek?lea aia i Kahiki,?or, ?Theegg of theK?lea is laid in a foreign land.?Since K?lea eggs werenever seen in Hawai?i, this was said of a subject that no oneknew anything about, or about something far away, impossibleto reach. In onetalefrom ancient Hawai?i, theK?lea is the incarnation of thegod Koleamoku, god of healing who brought messages to theAli? i (chiefs). The belief was that if a K?lea was circling around your home, that the resident could expect a death in their family. K?lea areshrinking in population sizebut they are currently listed as ?Least Concern? by theIUCN. Researchers have difficulty finding nests becausethe eggs aredeftly camouflaged with thetopsoil. Thehatchlings are sizableoncethey break from their egg and can begiven tags. Telling theageof theK?lea is very difficult. Currently, theonly precise way to determinethebird?s ageis by dating thetag that is attached to it. Theoldest known K?lea resided on Bellows Air Baseon O?ahu having resided therefor 21 years and 3 months. It's possible that thebird may havebeen older.
K?lea can bespotted all across O?ahu. Someareknown to resideat theLongs Drugs in Ala Moana Shopping center and rooftops in Waimanalo. Thek?lea at the Honolulu Zoo is unableto migrate, making him a permanent resident.
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Wild k?lea can beseen at thezoo's picnic areas as well. It is likely if you area resident of theHawaiian islands you will seethesebeautiful birds that captured theminds of Ancient Polynesians, Europeans, and everyonewho has been to the islands. Pay closeattention towards theend of summer and enjoy seeing them return from their trek, 3000 miles from the north.
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K?lea. Watercolor on paper. Illustration
by:Ayssa Perez, MOPStudent
UHM
Research has shown that in around one m illiliter of ocean water, there are around ten m illion viruses of various species, a few thousand protozoa, and around one m illion m arine bacteria. These m icroorganism s are the basis for the m arine food web, feeding not only other single celled species but larger m ulticellular organism s including fish and even Earth?s largest species, the blue whale. There are two m ain ways that m arine bacteria that do not photosynthesize obtain food: active feeding, where they continually seek out food, and passive feeding, where bacteria wait for nutrients to pass by. Previous research had a lim ited scope and painted the picture that bacteria only m ove around their im m ediate environm ent in order to obtain nutrients. New research done by University of Technology Sydney, ETH Zurich, and the University of Queensland has found that this m ight not always be the case. The study showed that m arine bacteria engage in form s of active feeding, such as chem otaxis, the m ovem ent of an organism in a direction reacting to a gradient concentration of a particular substance. The use of chem otaxis is thought to be a way for m arine m icrobes to find large aggregations of nutrients. In order to test this theory, a two year experim ent was carried out, testing fourteen different species. It was found that 54%of the species showed preference for higher concentrations of chem icals secreted by prey plankton. This is highly indicative that, at least in the case for the tested species, chem ical signatures within the water are utilized for foraging. This is the first research of its kind. Even the nam e ?plankton?m eans to drift. These bacteria have dem onstrated aim less drifting and passive feeding to be their preferred m ethod of resource gathering, but it seem s there is m ore to the picture than previously realized. It m ay seem like a sm all find, but with the ever-changing ocean environm ent, oftentim es dictated by abiotic factors such as winds and current, there is now a potential for predictive ecological m odeling that could result from these findings If there is a way to pinpoint and assess m icrobial health in the ocean, chem ical tracing for larger organism s like fish could help explain biom ass congregations and even m igratory patterns.
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By : A l ex an dr y a Robi n son , UH M M OP St udent M ar i n e M i cr ob e Feedi n g St r at egi es
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Plankton speciesdiversity
Photo by: Christian Sardet;CNRSTara Expeditions; Wikimedia Commons.
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OTEC works by taking advantage of temperature differences in tropical waters to produce a closed looped system that produces steam that spins a turbine.Liquids with low boiling points, such as ammonia, are run through a closed loop. Water from the ocean shallows (between 20 and 30? ) is pumped into the evaporator where it vaporizes the low boiling point
Renewable Energy from the Depths
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With climate change continuing to wreak havoc on the world?s ecosystems,scientists and engineers have been pushed more than ever to find ways to harness electricity with more reliable and ecologically friendly designs.So far, innovation has brought us wind, solar,and geothermally powered energy sources.But what if we could use the differences in ocean temperature as a source of energy?The Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC), enables us to do just that. Makai Ocean Engineering has been developing marine engineering technology in Hawai? i since 1973.In 2015,they connected their first OTEC plant to the grid in Kailua-Kona, Hawai?i.The currently operating onshore OTEC plant has the capacity to produce
OTEC estimates that 12 offshore plants could cover all of Hawaii?s energy needs.
By: Haley Chasin, UHM MOP Alumna 100 kilowatts of energy,enough to power roughly 120 homes. However,OTEC has proposed a larger offshore plant that would have the capacity to produce 100 megawatts of energy, an amount that could power 120,000 homes.
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Photo source:U.S. EnergyInformation Administration; Wikimedia Commons.
Makai'sOcean Thermal Energy Conversion.
liquid. The vapor spins a turbine and ends up in the condenser where deep sea water (around 5? ) is being pumped into. When the vapor is exposed to the cold water it turns back into a liquid and the process starts again. The technology itself is not a new concept. The use of temperature difference to produce steam that pushes a turbine is also utilized in coal, gas, and geothermal power plants. What is unique about OTECis that due to the necessity of both cold and warm waters, this type of energy source is limited to tropical environments relatively close to the equator, like Hawai?i. Papua New Guinea, the Philippines and off the coast of southern Japan are other possible places OTECwould be successful. However, it has some logistical barriers to overcome.
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The currently operating onshore OTECplant uses pipes 1 meter in diameter and reaches a depth of roughly 600 meters. Despite this, the plant can only generate a small amount of energy when compared to other renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar, making it cost ineffective. To become competitive with other renewable energy options, OTEC would need to vastly scale up operations. Their proposed offshore plant would need pipes 10 meters in diameter to reach a depth of 1 kilometer. The increased size of the pipes would increase the energy conversion efficiency and reduce the cost of energy. As it exists now, the OTEC system can tackle other issues besides energy production. It can power air conditioning, support cold water aquaculture, or be
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Photo by: Sodai Gomi;Flickr.
source of renewable energy for island communities around the world, communities who often rely on imported fossil fuels for energy. OTECwould provide the opportunity for island communities to harvest clean energy from their own renewable resources. used to produce hydrogen. OTEC?s future potential usefulness lies in its reliability; it?s able to generate electricity 24 hours a day year-round. If the issues of energy conversion and cost effectiveness are remedied OTECcould become a reliable Kona Coast.
By: Lucian Anderson, UHM MOP Alumnus
Photo by:
Arthurmlee1. Wikimedia Commons. 18 | Seawords
Co ul d We Pr int 3 - D Reef s ? Brain coral platygyra.
The process of 3D printing coral reef structures is complex First a group of researchers needs to take a boat out to a coral reef.Divers need to go in with underwater cameras to take photos of the coral reefs.Thousands of photos are taken to create an accurate 3D recreation of the coral reef on a computer.Genetic information is also collected to provide data on the organisms that live on the reef and what elements are beneficial to the reef and its local ecosystem In the final stage, this 3D model is turned to a digital file for 3D printing with the porous ceramic material.Using the genetic information, the researchers can 3D print reefs tailored to a localized area.
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In April 2022,students at four universities in Israel developed a possible method to curb the ecological damage caused by climate change,at least in the Mediterranean They have created a method of 3D printing coral reef structures.To clarify,one can? t 3D print coral since coral is a living colony of polyps.However,it is possible to create structures for the polyps to cling to, and with the right environment, they could eventually form a colony
3D printing is not a new technology but one that has evolved exponentially over its existence It was conceptualized in the 1940s and made reality in the 1980s By the 2020s, it became available to consumers to print everything from figurines to basic engineering designs and in some medical studies creating human organs for transplants.
A Dutch crowdfunding project,Coastruction is 3D printing coral reefs as well However,they doubt that 3D printing will save or be completed for all the world's reefs.A marine biologist from Coastruction, Astrid Kramer, says 3D printing coral reefs could be a short term solution for vulnerable coastal areas stating, ?what we can do is two things:by placing these structures, we can protect fragile low lying areas that are suffering from erosion or flooding because the reefs are dying.And we are placing substrate for research purposes,because a lot of scientists are working extremely hard to find those species that can withstand higher temperatures, and they will grow into new reefs that can adapt to climate change? This brings in an innovative way to combat climate change and provides a temporary remedy to give more time to alleviate some of the damage.How long does it take for each reef to be printed?Some reefs can be kilometers long but 3D printing can take hours on a small figurine Can vulnerable communities afford to do this,or will they require outside help?For some countries it may be easier to use an old vessel than to use a 3D printer at this scale.However, given the advances in 3D printing technology it is possible that this method of creating structures for coral reefs will become more advanced in the next few years
Coral reefs are the most biodiverse areas on the planet.At least a quarter of all the world's fishes live in them.Scientists predict 70 90%of coral could perish by 2100.They are perishing from a mixture of ocean acidification, heat, and sea level rise brought on by climate change,in addition to local stressors such as sedimentation and overfishing Not only are they ecological treasure troves, but they also protect coastal communities from the effects of storms, hurricanes,and other weather events that will be more powerful due to climate change.
Some communities and researchers create artificial reefs by sinking old boats or planes.So how is the process of 3D printing better than sinking an artificial reef?The materials used for the 3D printed structures are made of a ceramic that mimics the natural world According to Professor Ezri Tarazi of the Israel Institute of Technology, "three-dimensional printing with natural material facilitates the production of highly complex and diverse units that is not possible with the usual means of mold production".
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Volume XXXVII,Number 6 Editor: Abbie Jeremiah Dr.Cynthia Hunter (eminence grise) Jeffrey Kuwabara (eminence grise) W riting Team:Brenna Loving,Chloe M olou,Lucian Anderson, Alexandrya Robinson,Haley Chasin,Sara Bower Seawords M arine Option Program University of Hawai? i,College of Natural Sciences 2450 Campus Road,Dean Hall 105A Honolulu,HI 96822 2219 Telephone:(808) 956 8433 Email:<seawords@hawaii edu> W ebsite:<http://www hawaii edu/mop> Seawords isthe monthly newsletter newsletter of the M arine Option Program at the University of Hawai? i Opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of the M arine Option Program or of the University of Hawai? i Suggestions and submissionsare welcome.Submissions may include articles,photography,art work,or anything that may be of interest to the marine community in Hawai?i.and around the world. All photosare taken by M OP unlessotherwise credited.
