©1996, West Publishing Company (Modified by Asper, 1997; revised by Lohrenz, 2000) Slide 1 Lesson #14 The Future: What don’t we know? Vernon Asper USM

©1996, West Publishing Company (Modified by Asper, 1997; revised by Lohrenz, 2000) Slide 2 Job Security The oceans remain relatively unknown to us so there is a lot left to do –If you’re looking for a career, this one is wide open –USM started a Marine Science Major in the fall of 2007 so keep us in mind Here are some hot fields: –Mapping –Hydrothermal communities –Hydrate deposits and cold seeps –Natural products –Things we don’t know that we don’t know

©1996, West Publishing Company (Modified by Asper, 1997; revised by Lohrenz, 2000) Slide 3 Mapping The science of hydrography Most of the ocean has been mapped but at low resolution using older techniques –Lead line –Sextant and celestial navigation New methods allow high accuracy maps to be created quickly –Multibeam echosounder –GPS We need to re-map most of the world’s oceans!

©1996, West Publishing Company (Modified by Asper, 1997; revised by Lohrenz, 2000) Slide 4 Hydrothermal communities Discovered in the 80’s Odd creatures live at hot vents Rely on dissolved chemicals for food Bacteria are the basis of the food chain Complex inter- actions that we still don’t completely understand Role in the ocean’s chemistry? Propagation?

©1996, West Publishing Company (Modified by Asper, 1997; revised by Lohrenz, 2000) Slide 5 Gas Hydrates Gas Hydrates consist of “frozen” water molecules entrapping methane They occur in polar sediments and in deposits of the continental slope – between the depths of 300 and 500 m –cold in contact with the sea floor. May contain large amounts of gas, but currently there is no economical method for its recovery.

©1996, West Publishing Company (Modified by Asper, 1997; revised by Lohrenz, 2000) Slide 6 Hydrates In the Gulf, these are found in numerous places There is an unusual array of life forms associated with them. This ecosystem starts with the gas and oil, bacteria feed on that, and others feed on the bacteria and so on. This is a “chemosynthetic” community, not using sunlight directly

©1996, West Publishing Company (Modified by Asper, 1997; revised by Lohrenz, 2000) Slide 7 We have a long term program to study them Students participate in all aspects of the work There is a lot to be done!

©1996, West Publishing Company (Modified by Asper, 1997; revised by Lohrenz, 2000) Slide 8 Natural products Many marine organisms produce unique chemicals The unique environments require unique capabilities These chemicals often have human applications: –Cancer –Antibodies –You name it……

©1996, West Publishing Company (Modified by Asper, 1997; revised by Lohrenz, 2000) Slide 9 Natural Products Researchers look all over for potential drugs –Extreme environments –Specialized lifestyles –Defense mechanisms –Disease resistance –Etc. Samples are subjected to a variety to tests Anything that “hits” (reacts with test compounds) is subjected to further refinement Ole Miss has one of the world’s leading efforts

©1996, West Publishing Company (Modified by Asper, 1997; revised by Lohrenz, 2000) Slide 10 Things we don’t know that we don’t know Oceanography is still in its infancy We know relatively little about it and are still in the exploration phase Exciting new discoveries are being made every day. Southern Miss is part of that!

©1996, West Publishing Company (Modified by Asper, 1997; revised by Lohrenz, 2000) Slide 11 THE DEPARTMENT OF MARINE SCIENCE Opportunities for research and teaching assistantships are available for qualified graduate students for the academic year at the USM Department of Marine Science (see Current annual stipends range from $20,400 for Master Students to $21,600 for first year Ph.D. students, with full tuition waivers, health insurance coverage and other university fees paid. The department has active ongoing basic and applied research programs in all emphasis areas (biological, chemical, geological and physical oceanography and hydrographic science), with strong field- and lab-based interdisciplinary research components. Departmental resources include extensive laboratory and state-of- the-art analytical and computational facilities. The location of the department at the NASA John C. Stennis Space Center provides ready access to coastal systems and collaborative opportunities with a myriad of federal agencies (NASA, NOAA, NRL, NAVO, USGS, EPA). Potential students are encouraged to contact the Department at or to contact individual faculty members (see and should visit for additional information and application Graduate Assistantship (M.S., Ph.D.) opportunities Department of Marine Science University of Southern Mississippi

©1996, West Publishing Company (Modified by Asper, 1997; revised by Lohrenz, 2000) Slide 12 Course Summary We hope this course provided some useful information. We are very excited about what we do and enjoy sharing our experiences Please visit our web site at: Enjoy your Christmas break!