2016 Photo Contest Winners

 Congratulations to our 2016 Photo Contest Winners and Honorable Mentions!

Category 1: What does coastal and estuarine science mean to you?

WINNER: Adam Obaza

This image depicts a garibaldi in a kelp forest off of Catalina Island (December 2013) with a small piece of Sargassumhorneri,an invasive algae, in the bottom right corner. This photo reminds me to enjoy the natural beauty of coastal ecosystems but also keep working on stressors, such as invasive algae. In the time since this photo was taken, our group has pioneered removal efforts of S.horneri off the California coast.


 

HONORABLE MENTION: Boris Radosavljevic

The photo was taken in July 2013 on Herschel Island, Yukon, Canada, and shows a team of scientists from the Alfred Wegener Institute (Potsdam, Germany) carrying out different tasks at a retrogressive thaw slump. Retrogressive thaw slumps are thermoerosional landforms indicative of ice-rich permafrost that are initiated by erosion of coastal cliffs. Disproportionate warming of the Arctic will likely result in permafrost degradation and higher rates of coastal retreat. Consequently nutrient and sediment fluxes to the nearshore will increase, affecting ecosystem functioning, coastal hazard risks, and could potentially act as a positive feedback to ongoing climate change through the global carbon cycle.

 

HONORABLE MENTION: Rafael Batista

 Motivational photo to always remember that research never ends. Location: Capibaribe Estuary, Pernambuco, Brazil Date: August 2015

 

HONORABLE MENTION: Matt Macintosh and Jennifer Walker

This photo is me checking my seine net for tears on a beautiful hot summer's day in Townsville, Queensland, Australia. The photo was taken March 6 2015 by my friend Matt Macintosh. I was lucky enough to be able to complete my Master's degree in Townsville, where I worked in the Estuary and Coastal Wetland Ecology Research Group to complete my research project. My project was based around diets of coastal fish, and this day is one of the days that I seined to collect my samples.

 

HONORABLE MENTION: Jaclyn Fiola

Who knew there are soils underwater? This picture is of augered soil from the bottom of the Rhode River subestuary of the Chesapeake Bay, a part of our investigation of the nature of subaqueous soils. The bottle contains relatively undisturbed surface materials! It also shows our glamorous tools of the trade: a soil knife, an old Gatorade bottle, and a gutter. Science! 8/15/15

 

HONORABLE MENTION: Sepehr Eslami Arab

Dai Ngai, Mekong Delta, Vietnam, April-9, 2016, Life of the millions of people living along countless rivers and channels in the Mekong Delta depends on water properties, morphological dynamics and the response of this complex system to land subsidence and climate change. The picture was taken during a field campaign of Utrecht University.


 Category 2: Coastal and estuarine flora and fauna

WINNER: Jaclyn Teixeira

Location: Boiler Bay State Park, Oregon, USA. This photo was taken during a Coastal Marine Ecology class field trip - Portland State University. Date: April 10th, 2016.


HONORABLE MENTION: Kimberle Stark

This photo of an Atlantic puffin was taken in July 2016 on Machias Seal Island in the Gulf of Maine/Bay of Fundy boundary area. Machias Seal Island supports the largest puffin breeding colony in the Gulf of Maine (as well as razorbills, Arctic terns, and common murres) and unfortunately the puffins are having the worst breeding success ever recorded due to the lack of forage fish.

HONORABLE MENTION: Alma Y. Ceja

A young Pacific red octopus curls in tentacles in fear of desiccation at Fort Ross, CA in February of 2016.

HONORABLE MENTION: Holly Greening

 

Atlantic puffins taken at Machias Island, Maine in June 2008. Atlantic puffins were just starting to nest, and many interactions between individuals (including those captured in this photo) were ongoing. Photos taken by Holly Greening and Gerold Morrison.

 

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