Predicting how key ecological and biogeochemical processes respond to changing environmental conditions such as temperature, light and carbon dioxide concentrations requires a combination of field and laboratory manipulation at various scales. This proposal seeks to restore and enhance the ability of scientists at the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium (LUMCON), and throughout the member consortium institutions, to examine how environmental changes impact key ecological and biogeochemical processes critical to the health of our coastal ecosystems.
This proposal requests two state of the art large walk-in environmental chambers in order to enhance our ability not only to simulate in-situ environmental conditions but experimentally manipulate environmental conditions in a controlled manner. Because LUMCON is Louisiana's primary field marine laboratory, the emphasis on empirical research is particularly high. Whether cultured organisms (fish, phytoplankton, marsh grass) are used, or organisms are brought back from sampling trips, the environmental chambers are a critical component of the experimental work that has been and will continue to be performed at LUMCON.
Broader Impacts
The LUMCON site is incredibly active with student (K-12 and college) training and public outreach. College students actively publish with their faculty mentors, and the environmental chambers that need replacing are routinely used in educational/training programs on-site. Thus, the purchase of the new chambers will enhance the infrastructure of LUMCON in a way that benefits both researchers and students. LUMCON does a great job integrate educational opportunities into station programs. For example, they have an internship program onsite, hosted a JASON Foundation for education expedition, served as a partner site for the Gulf of Mexico Center for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence program, and developed the Bayouside Classroom. Such educational opportunities are invaluable to the area, as LUMCON services the needs of educational systems in a culturally diverse and typically underprivileged region of the United States.
This project provides researchers with important tools they need to study living marine organisms. Many of coastal Louisiana's environmental challenges, including the over-fertilization of the oceans, reductions in coastal fisheries, and changes in the environmental chemistry of Louisiana's weltands need to be studied by collecting live organisms in the field and culturing them under controlled environmental conditions. This project purchased a suite of environmental chambers for the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium's Defilice Marine Center in Cocodrie, LA. The chambers will allow researchers and students at any consortium school (and many non-consortium schools) to conduct experiments in controlled conditions. The temperature range in these chambers are well suited to mimic temperatures found in coastal Louisiana. The capacity of these chambers is also well suited for incubating air, water and sediment sampls, allowing for a wide range of conditions to be simulated. The design of these chambers is well suited for their use in coastal Louisiana, where salty and humid conditions can cause metalic surfaces to rust. The interiors are made of stainless stell and the condensing mechanisms are covered with heresite. Overall, these chambers will help researchers better understand the numerous environmental challenges facing coastal Louisiana. These chambers will also contribe to infrastructure of one of the gulf coasts leading marine laboratories. Furthermore, the location of these chambers in Cocodrie, LA is wel suited for their use by a wide range of users. Users are likely to come from Louisiana's RI schools, such as Tulane and LSU, medium sized universities, such as the University of New Orleans and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, smaller schools such as Nicholls State University, and leading historically black colleges and universities such as Grambling State University and Xavier University.
