Overview:
Marine reserves are a type of marine protected area with full protections. This means that taking of marine species within an Oregon Marine Reserve is never allowed. Many studies from around the world show that marine reserves can provide long-term conservation benefits to marine organisms, populations, and biodiversity. In...
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In recent years, an increasing number of large whales have become entangled by crab trap lines off the U.S. Pacific coast. Wildlife managers are interested in knowing whether the whales are from threatened or endangered populations. In this lesson, students will learn how whale populations are defined, and how...
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Students in math classes often ask, “When am I ever going to use this?” This integrated math and science unit offers students an opportunity to discover for themselves why geometry in living organisms is both adaptive and essential.
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The Northern California Ecosystem off Oregon and Washington supports juvenile salmon and other commercially valuable fish species that feed on copepods and other zooplankton. Fluctuations in ocean conditions lead to variations in the types and numbers of copepods occurring off the Oregon coast. Because researchers have been regularly sampling...
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Photographic evidence collected over the past decade indicate that seagrass abundance at Valino Island in South Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve has declined over recent time. Is seagrass wasting disease the culprit, and what are the ecological impacts of reduced seagrass abundance?
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Ocean acidification is negatively affecting marine organisms that make their shells of calcium carbonate, such as oysters, clams, and pteropods. To investigate the phenomenon of an observed oyster larvae die off, students explore the cause, impacts, and potential solutions for ocean acidification.
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The population of Southern Resident killer whales has been on the decline for decades, dropping 20% since the mid 1990s. Starvation appears to be a factor in the deaths of many of these whales. The Southern Resident killer whales survive mainly on a diet of Chinook salmon, which is...
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The reproductive success of common murres at Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area varies from year to year. Students will learn how researchers monitor seabird populations and explore data to determine how seabird reproductive success is connected to environmental conditions and trophic relationships.
A reflection on the significant personal cost incurred by Linus Pauling as a result of his anti-nuclear and anti-war activism. Specifically, this talk focuses on Pauling's harassment by the mainstream media and his receipt of death threats as a result of the public positions that he took as an activist.
Outreach is a small, but significant component to modern research.
Developing an exhibit for public display can be an effective way to communicate science to broad audiences, although it may be a less familiar method to scientists than writing papers or giving presentations. I outline the process of developing an...