2011 Photo Highlights : 2011 Annual Report

1. In June, WHOI senior scientist Don Anderson (third from left), Director of the Cooperative Institute for the North Atlantic Region, and other expert witnesses testified before the the House Subcommittee on Energy and Environment, Committee on Science, Space and Technology on the Harmful Algal Blooms and Hypoxia Research and Control Amendments Act of 2011. This spring Anderson and WHOI colleagues successfully predicted a moderate bloom of harmful algae in New England. (Photo by Photo-Op, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)

2. A tassled scorpionfish (Scorpaenopsis oxycephala) lies camouflaged on a coral reef in Kimbe Bay, Papua New Guinea. These carnivorous fish—known for their venomous spines—often wait in disguise for prey to pass. WHOI biologist Simon Thorrold photographed this and other species during a recent research trip to study the movement of fish larvae among different reefs in the bay. (Photo by Simon Thorrold, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)

3. Joel Llopiz, a postdoctoral scholar in the WHOI Biology Department, studies how ocean food webs may differ at different latitudes. Working with fish ecologist Simon Thorrold, Llopiz analyzes isotopes in the amino acids of larval fish, for clues to their prey and feeding patterns. Here he selects fish larvae collected from the tropical Straits of Florida and from cooler, higher latitudes of Georges Bank to compare feeding behavior and nutrition in the two regions. (Photo by Tom Kleindinst, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)

4. One year ago, oil from the Deepwater Horizon oil rig finally stopped flowing into the Gulf of Mexico. In December 2010, the autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) Sentry ventured to the Gulf to survey deep water coral sites near the source of the oil. WHOI biologist Tim Shank took Sentry back to the Gulf in May 2011 (shown here) to map and photograph additional sites supporting corals and other animals deep beneath the surface. During the trip, Shank and his colleagues surveyed more than 1,200 kilometers of seafloor and captured more than 100,000 images looking for coral sites to assess whether or not these communities have been impacted by the spill. They will be returning to sample these coral sites this Fall. (Photo by Tim Shank, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)

5. The paddletail snapper (Lutjanus gibbus) gets around. Its habitat is reefs, and it can be found in tropical marine waters from the Red Sea, throughout Micronesia, north to Japan and south to Australia. This particular example was spotted by WHOI biologist Simon Thorrold, director of the Ocean Life Institute, in the coral reefs of Kimbe Bay on the north shore of New Britain, Papua New Guinea. Thorrold studies how fish populations disperse; such information is essential for identifying critical marine habitats that should be set aside to protect fish populations. (Photo by Simon Thorrold, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)

6. A school of Caranx sexfasciatus (bigeye trevally) swim in Kimbe Bay, located on the north shore of the island of New Britain, Papua New Guinea. Part of the famous Coral Triangle, this large bay is a hotspot for marine biodiversity. WHOI biologist Simon Thorrold, director of the Ocean Life Institute, is leading a long-term study there on the movement of fish larvae among different reefs in the bay. (Photo by Simon Thorrold, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)

7. Scientists have long been able to tag animals on land and follow their movements and habits. But tagging and tracking fish, like this spinecheek anemonefish, through vast oceans is a Herculean task. Tagging fish larvae less than an inch in length had proved almost impossible. WHOI biologist Simon Thorrold, director of the Ocean Life Institute, is among the international team using TRansgenerational Isotope Labeling (TRAIL) and DNA fingerprinting to determine how fish populations disperse and connect to one another in the reefs of Kimbe Bay, Papua New Guinea. Such information is essential for identifying critical marine habitats that should be set aside to protect fish populations that are coming under increasing pressure from fishing and habitat destruction. (Photo by Simon Thorrold, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)

A bigeye trevally (Caranx sexfasciatus) casts a wary eye on WHOI biologist Simon Thorrold, who photographed this and many other species during a recent research trip to the coral reefs of Kimbe Bay, Papua New Guinea. During the day, bigeye trevallies, which are usually two to three feet long, typically move slowly in schools of 1,500 or more. At night, they disperse as each fish forages for crustaceans or small fish. Thorrold is leading a long-term study of the movement of fish larvae among different reefs in the bay.

(Photo by Simon Thorrold, Woods Hole Oceanographic Instiution)

9. A cuttlefish (Sepia sp.) appears to be dozing above a coral reef in Kimbe Bay in Papua, New Guinea. WHOI biologist Simon Thorrold has been working in the area as part of a long-term study of the movement of fish larvae among different reefs in the bay. Cuttlefish are not fish, but cephalopod mollusks related to squid and octopus. Within their fleshy mantle is the cuttlebone, which is made of calcium carbonate and contains many small holes. By changing the amount of gas in the holes, the cuttlefish can change its buoyancy and its depth in the water. (Photo by Simon Thorrold, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)

10. Fish ecologist Simon Thorrold's research on pristine coral reefs in Kimbe Bay, Papua New Guinea yields both scientific results and beautiful images—such as these Teira batfish (which can grow to two feet) streaming past the reef. Thorrold studies dispersal and migration of reef fish using chemical tracers in their ear bones and DNA fingerprinting. His goal is to understand how larval fish journey through the open ocean before finding their adult homes on reefs, and how populations on separate reefs are connected to each other. (Photo by Simon Thorrold, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)

11. A pink anemonefish (Amphiprion perideraion) looks out from the tentacles of its home, a big anemone in Kimbe Bay, Papua New Guinea, where WHOI fish ecologist Simon Thorrold has a long-term research project to study connections among populations of reef fish. Thorrold tracks the migrations and dispersal of fish, ranging from this small reef-dweller to whale sharks, the largest fish in the sea. He also heads the WHOI Ocean Life Institute, which supports research in areas of marine biodiversity, ocean megafauna, and coral reefs. (Photo by Simon Thorrold, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)

12. Can you spot the pygmy seahorse (Hippocampus sp.)? (Hint: Its head is pointing back and to the left, with its left eye partly visible.) This little fellow, about a quarter of an inch long, clings to a stem of a gorgonian coral with its prehensile tail. Its color and the bumps on its body make it resemble the knobby host. WHOI biologist Simon Thorrold found it along a coral reef in Kimbe Bay on the north side of the island of New Britain, Papua New Guinea. He traveled there recently to study the movement of eggs and larvae of coral reef fishes among marine protected areas within the bay. (Photo by Simon Thorrold, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)

13. Senior engineering assistant Will Ostrom guides an Environmental Sample Processor (ESP) into the test well at the WHOI dock in early June 2011. The ESP is a seagoing lab: it autonomously samples seawater, counts the cells in it, analyzes their DNA and other key chemicals, and relays the data back to scientists on shore. This summer a research team led by WHOI scientist Don Anderson will moor the ESP in the Gulf of Maine to provide early warning of “red tides” or Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) that can make fish and shellfish dangerous to eat. HABs form when the toxin-producing alga Alexandrium fundyense has a population boom. The ESP was developed by WHOI/MIT Joint Program graduate Chris Scholin. (Photo by Jayne Doucette, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)

14. On World Oceans Day, let us give thanks for some of the ocean's largest and fiercest inhabitants, like this school of blackfin barracuda (Sphyraena qenie), hovering near a coral reef in Kimbe Bay off New Britain island, Papua New Guinea. Simon Thorrold, director of the WHOI Ocean Life Institute, was there recently to learn if and how tiny larval reef fish disperse among various marine protected areas within the bay. This species of barracuda is typically found along the edges of reefs, often remaining motionless in a strong current without any apparent effort. Voracious predators of other fish, barracuda commonly reach 1 meter (3 feet) in length but can grow to double that size. Research supported by the Ocean Life Institute seeks to provide scientific knowledge to make informed decisions on how to sustain biodiversity, coral reefs, and megafauna such as barracuda. (Photo by Simon Thorrold, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)

15.

Observed by postdoctoral scholar Shawn Arellano (back left), Joint Program students Oscar Sosa and Jeanette Wheeler watch as fellow student Sara Bosshart adds fluorescein dye to WHOI’s racetrack flume to visualize how flowing water moves around a rock on the bottom. Currents near the seafloor influence dispersal of invertebrate larvae, distribution of food particles, and ability of suspension-feeders to capture those particles. The dye exercise was part of a unit on “Life in Boundary-Layer Flow” in the Biological Oceanography course taught by biologists Lauren Mullineaux (in red shirt) and Sam Laney. The students also used a Laser Doppler Anemometer to measure flow speeds and observed particle transport over and deposition onto a rough ‘seafloor.’

(Photo by Tom Kleindinst, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)

16.

An adult snail (large brown shell) and Northern rock barnacles of various ages crust a rock in the intertidal zone of Buzzards Bay. A large white barnacle is attached to the snail, two small barnacles are attached to the large one, and dozens more have settled onto the rock. Northern rock barnacles (Semibalanus balanoides) start life as free-swimming larvae that feed in coastal waters for several weeks before settling onto the substrate. WHOI ecologist Jesús Pineda, who has been studying local barnacle populations with research specialist Vicke Starczak, says the large barnacle has probably been attached to the snail for at least two years.

(Photo by Jesús Pineda, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)

17. Biologist Ann Tarrant and postdoc Adam Reitzel examine tiny starlet anemones (Nematostella vectensis, the tan blobs visible in the dishes) that they culture. The anemones, from salt marshes all along the East Coast, are ideal subjects for Tarrant, who studies invertebrate animals' molecular responses to environmental stresses. Because they had previously developed techniques for studying this species, Tarrant, Reitzel and colleague Matt Jenny (University of Alabama) could quickly begin investigating the anemones' responses to oil pollution from the Deepwater Horizon spill. (Photo by Tom Kleindinst, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)

18. What seems like a fractal landscape of mountains and canyons is actually a "corrugated coral," a reef-building species with a hard skeleton, photographed under a microscope. Pockets of tiny white threads on the coral, which is feeding on tiny swimming animals, are digestive, "mesenterial," filaments the coral polyps extrude to snare and digest prey. The coral was collected in Panama during the MIT-WHOI Joint Program's January, 2011 Field Course in Tropical Marine Ecology at the Liquid Jungle Lab, taught by WHOI biologists Jesús Pineda and Ann Tarrant. (Photo by Liz Drenkard, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)

19. WHOI Senior scientist and Director of the Ocean Life Institute Simon Thorrold is tagging whale sharks in the Red Sea with the support of King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) and reporting back via Facebook. On April 1, Thorrold sent this photo and wrote: "One of the sharks from yesterday was considerably further offshore than we normally see them and in some beautiful blue water that made for a good photo op. This shark also got a GPS tag so we will wait anxiously to see if we hear from the tag in the next few days." Thorrold will continue reporting in through the end of the week. To follow this and other news from WHOI, become a fan of the Institution on Facebook. (Photo courtesy of Pedro De La Torre, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology)

20. Acanthaster (the crown-of-thorns starfish) preys on coral polyps and, when numerous, can damage coral reefs. WHOI biologist Ann Tarrant collected this specimen at the Liquid Jungle Lab (LJL) in Panama and placed it in a tank to observe the behavior of small red crabs (visible on the coral) in its presence. In January 2011 Tarrant and biologist Jesús Pineda led a field ecology course at LJL for MIT-WHOI Joint Program students. (Photo by Jesus Pineda, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)

21. MIT/WHOI Joint Program student Louie Wurch carries tubes containing cultures of Aureococcus anophagefferens, which has been responsible for brown tides along heavily populated coastlines of the eastern U.S. and South Africa. In the first genome sequencing of a harmful algal bloom species, researchers found that Aureococcus’ unique gene complement allows it to outcompete other marine phytoplankton and thrive in human-modified ecosystems, which could help explain the global increases in harmful algal blooms. (Photo by Tom Kleindinst, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)

22. Research associate Bruce Keafer inspects a new instrument known as the environmental sample processor (ESP) in the lab run by WHOI senior scientist Don Anderson. The robotic instrument will be deployed off the New England coast in spring 2011 to identify and monitor harmful algal blooms (HABs). The ESP detects and identifies tiny organisms in the sample by analyzing the DNA in water samples that it takes. It also detects chemicals in the water. Built by McLane Research Laboratories of Falmouth, Mass., the ESP was purchased by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and loaned to Anderson for his project. (Photo by Tom Kleindinst, Woods Hole Oceanographic )

Last updated: July 6, 2012