About the event: Sailing into the Spotlight!
Each spring, brilliant blue “by-the-wind sailors” (Velella velella) wash up on Oregon beaches. Where do they come from, and why are they here?
Join Assistant Professor Rebecca Helm and Dr. Tom Iwanicki at 1pm on February 26th to explore the mystery of these jelly-like drifters and discover how your Coast Watch observations can help scientists track their movements.
Come find a new appreciation for these tiny but mighty sailors of the sea!
Two Shipwrecks, Photo Credit: Dr. Tom Iwanicki
About Dr. Iwanicki:
Dr. Iwanicki is a postdoctoral fellow and sensory ecologist studying the neustonic zone, the crucial and often overlooked layer of the ocean’s surface. His research not only unravels the mysteries of this unique habitat, but also sheds light on the impact of human activities, such as plastic and light pollution, to marine ecosystems. Using underwater photography and spectral measurements, Dr. Iwanicki characterizes light conditions and catalogs the diversity of animal coloration within this habitat. He models how and what animals see, particularly key and threatened species like sea turtles and seabirds, to better understand marine ecology and human impacts. By understanding the light environment and visual ecology at the ocean’s surface, Dr. Iwanicki seeks to emphasize the neustonic region as a unique habitat that requires distinct conservation policies. His work will support the development of effective regulations to mitigate the impacts of plastic pollution and light pollution, safeguarding the delicate balance of our oceans and biodiversity.
About Assistant Professor Rebecca Helm:
Rebecca R. Helm is a marine ecologist who studies life in the open ocean. Her research focuses on the ecology of the high seas, and how biodiversity on this ‘other half’ of Earth is impacted by human activity. She has authored publications in scientific journals like Science, PLOS Biology, and Marine Biodiversity. She is also active in science outreach, is a Templeton Foundation Beyond the Ivory Tower fellow, and her reporting has appeared in outlets including The Atlantic, Slate, and BioGraphic. She received her Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Brown University and was a postdoctoral researcher at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and was an NSF Postdoctoral Fellow at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. Before joining Georgetown, she was an Assistant Professor at the University of North Carolina Asheville. She is now an Assistant Professor in the Earth Commons Institute at Georgetown.
Here’s a slide showing the geographic prevalence of Velella Velella in Coastwatch reports. During the webinar, Dr. Hannah Epstein, Oregon Shores Marine Conservation Manager will share annual and seasonal distribution as well. See you this Thursday!
Coastwatch V. velella – Google Slides
This webinar will be hosted online via Zoom on Thursday February 26 from 1 to 2 pm.
The Zoom link will be sent to participants after completing registration.
Register for this event – HERE
For more about Oregon Shores go to www.oregonshores.org