CO2-hungry microbes might short-circuit the marine foodweb

Results of the EPOCA experiment on ocean acidification in Svalbard

Mesocosm at Kongsfjord, Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard.
Photo: Ulf Riebesell, GEOMAR

13 September 2013/Ny-Ålesund, Kiel. Do the smallest plankton organisms determine the future of the ocean? A five-week long field experiment of the European Project on Ocean Acidification (EPOCA) shows that pico- and nanophytoplankton benefit from higher carbon dioxide concentrations in the water, causing an imbalance in the food web. In addition, the carbon export to the deep ocean and the production of the climate-cooling gas dimethyl sulfide are diminished – two important functions for the global climate. A special issue of the European Geosciences Union’s journal Biogeosciences compiles the results of the study which took place in Kongsfjorden, Svalbard, in 2010. It is the first of four long-term studies using the Kiel KOSMOS mesocosms under the direction of the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel.

Deployment of the mesocosms at Kongsfjord.
Photo: Maike Nicolai, GEOMAR

The smallest of the small seem to be among the winners in the ocean of the future. In a five-week long experiment, an international team of scientists showed that particularly tiny plankton, so-called pico- and nanophytoplankton, grows more strongly under elevated carbon dioxide levels and produces more organic carbon. "If the tiny plankton booms, it consumes the nutrients that are normally also available to larger plankton species", explains Prof. Ulf Riebesell from GEOMAR, head of the KOSMOS mesocosm experiments. "We could clearly see that the boom at the base of the food web happened at the expense of diatoms which are part of the larger micro-phytoplankton. Our experiment was too short to determine whether zooplankton runs short in food as a consequence of this. This seems a reasonable assumption though."

Processing of the samples. Photo: Maike Nicolai, GEOMAR

In a system dominated by pico- and nanophytoplankton, less carbon is transported to the deep ocean. “This may cause the oceans to absorb less CO2 in the future", concludes the GEOMAR biogeochemist. And one more climate-related function may be weakened: the production of dimethyl sulfide (DMS). This gas supports cloud formation over the oceans. Less DMS therefore means that more sunlight reaches the Earth's surface, contributing to the greenhouse effect "These important services of the ocean may thus be significantly affected by acidification."

For the experiment, the Greenpeace vessel ESPERANZA brought nine mesocosms to Svalbard in May 2010 and deployed them in Kongsfjorden off Ny-Ålesund together with the international scientific team. The mesocosms’ eight-meter long flotation frames carry plastic bags with a capacity of 50 cubic meters. Like giant test tubes, they enclose the entire plankton community present in the water column. In seven of the bags, carbon dioxide was gradually added to the water so that it reached acidity levels which are expected in 20, 40, 60, 80 and 100 years. Two of the bags represented the actual fjord environment as controls. About 50 different physical, chemical and biological parameters were measured daily, and samples were collected for further processing in the home laboratories.

"Because we can only work in the ice-free fjord with our mesocosms, we could not start the experiment before the end of May", says Riebesell. "The spring bloom was then completed and the plankton community was characterized by distinct bacterial production and a large number of different phytoplankton species. The grazing by medium-sized meso-zooplankton was comparatively low.” The scientists used nutrients to bring productivity to the level of a natural bloom. “The different responses we observed made it clear that the communities’ sensitivity to acidification depends strongly on whether or not nutrients are available."

With 35 participants from 13 European institutions, the mesocosm experiment was the largest project of the European Project on Ocean Acidification EPOCA which ran from 2008 to 2012. It was made possible with the support of the French-German Arctic Research Base (AWIPEV) at Ny-Ålesund. "EPOCA decided to go to the Arctic because the ocean in this region absorbs more carbon dioxide, due to the low water temperatures. Acidification is faster there than in temperate or tropical regions", says Jean-Pierre Gattuso. The Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS-INSU) scientist from the Laboratory of Oceanography of Villefranche-sur-mer, France coordinated EPOCA. “In addition, it was the aim of the project to investigate the response of organisms within their natural communities and to verify the results from laboratory studies.”

Trends from this first study with the Kiel KOSMOS mesocosms were complemented by subsequent experiments in Norway (2011), Finland (2012) and Sweden (2013): "Time and again the tiniest plankton benefits from the surplus of CO2, they produce more biomass and more organic carbon, and DMS production and carbon export are decreasing", Riebesell summarizes. “This year, our long-term experiment off the west coast of Sweden gave us a chance to see for the first time what this development means for the higher trophic levels, and whether the system can adapt to higher acidity. We await the results with great anticipation."

Original publication: 
Riebesell, Ulf; Gattuso, Jean-Pierre; Thingstad, T. Frede; Middelburg, Jack J. (Eds.):  Arctic ocean acidification: pelagic ecosystem and biogeochemical responses during a mesocosm study. Biogeosciences Special Issue Volume 10/2013.www.biogeosciences.net/special_issue120.html

Links:
EPOCA
Basic information about ocean acidification

Contact:
Prof. Dr. Ulf Riebesell (GEOMAR, FB2-BI), Tel.: +49(0)431 600-4444, uriebesell@geomar.de
Maike Nicolai (GEOMAR Communication & Media) Tel.: +49(0)431 600-2807, mnicolai@geomar.de

--

Kommunikation und Medien

GEOMAR
Helmholtz-Zentrum für Ozeanforschung Kiel

Wischhofstr. 1-3, Geb. 4

24148 Kiel
GERMANY

------------------------------------------------------------

Tel.: +49 (0)431 600-2807, 2811 or 2802

Fax: +49 (0)431 600-2805

E-mail: presse@geomar.de

International jury selects 19 leaders for Helmholtz Young Investigators Groups

The Helmholtz Association is once again helping scientists to set up their own Young Investigators Groups. Sixty-six researchers from around the world submitted applications in the latest funding round, which is the eleventh that the Helmholtz has held so far. After a rigorous competition process, the jury of international experts selected 19 successful applicants. The annual funding of €250,000 over five years and the possibility of being taken on as a permanent member of staff will give a great boost to these talented young researchers as they embark on their scientific careers.

“We received a large number of excellent applications from world-renowned research institutes, such as the University of California (Berkeley) and Harvard. This goes to show that Germany is a very attractive destination for young researchers,” says Jürgen Mlynek, President of the Helmholtz Association. “The reliable career opportunities that we offer young people allow us to attract the brightest minds. This kind of successful recruitment is a major asset for the German research system.” The programme is especially attractive to applicants from outside Germany and to Germans looking to return home. Nine of the selected candidates come from abroad, and two German scientists who have been conducting research abroad were attracted back to Germany by the Helmholtz funding. The number of female applicants is also growing. About a third of all Helmholtz Young Investigators Groups are now led by women, and women made up 42 percent of this year’s funding round.

A boost for scientific careers
By giving younger researchers the opportunity to set up their own research groups, the Helmholtz Association is offering them very good career prospects. President Mlynek points out that the course of a researcher’s career is set largely during the period between 30 and 40 years of age: “Our Young Investigators Programme is designed with this in mind. It offers young scientists outstanding opportunities to conduct independent research, make their own ideas a reality and benefit from the excellent working conditions and facilities at one of our Helmholtz Centres.” Mlynek also says that the programme strengthens the links between the Helmholtz Centres and their partner universities. The young researchers conduct research at a Helmholtz Centre and give lectures or seminars at the partner university, thus qualifying themselves for an academic career.

On track for the future
The 19 selected researchers outperformed the other applicants in a multi-stage competition that included evaluation by external experts and holding presentations before an interdisciplinary jury. Each Young Investigators Group is evaluated on its performance after three or four years. If the evaluation results are positive, the group leader is given a permanent tenure track position.
Half of the costs for the groups are covered by the Initiative and Networking Fund, which the Helmholtz Association set up to help initiate strategic plans rapidly and flexibly. These plans include addressing new topics, expanding networks in the research system, and developing measures for promoting young researchers. The other half of the funding comes from the Helmholtz Centres. The money enables the leaders of the Young Investigators Groups to pay their own salaries and usually to hire three or four staff and equip a laboratory.

Nineteen Young Investigators Groups and leaders, eleven centres
The 19 researchers selected in this funding round work at eleven different Helmholtz Centres, and between them they cover all six of the Helmholtz Association’s research fields: Energy; Earth and Environment; Health; Aeronautics, Space and Transport; Key Technologies; and Structure of Matter.

Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research
Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY
German Cancer Research Centre
German Aerospace Center
German Centre for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE)
Forschungszentrum Jülich
GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research
Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR)
Helmholtz Zentrum München – German Research Center for Environmental Health
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC), Berlin-Buch

The Helmholtz Association contributes to solving major challenges facing society, science and the economy with top scientific achievements in six research fields: Energy; Earth and Environment; Health; Key Technologies; Structure of Matter; and Aeronautics, Space and Transport. With almost 36,000 employees in 18 research centres and an annual budget of approximately €3.8 billion, the Helmholtz Association is Germany’s largest scientific organisation. Its work follows in the tradition of the great natural scientist Hermann von Helmholtz (1821-1894).

www.helmholtz.de
www.helmholtz.de/socialmedia

Contacts for the Media:

Janine Tychsen
Press Officer
Tel.: +49 (0) 30 206 329-24
janine.tychsen@helmholtz.de

Communication and Media Relations
Berlin Office
Anna-Louisa-Karsch-Str. 2
10178 Berlin

Dr. Caroline Krüger
Tel.: +49 (0) 30 206 329-43
caroline.krueger@helmholtz.de

Surprising underwater-sounds: Humpback whales also spend their winter in Antarctica

This photo is one of the very few images showing one or more humpback whales next to Antarctic sea ice or parts of former icebergs. The photo was made in January 2013 during an Weddell Sea expedition of the German research vessel Polarstern. Photo: ITAW/Carsten Rocholl

Bremerhaven, 9. September 2013. Biologists and physicists from the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, found out that not all of the Southern Hemisphere humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) migrate towards the equator at the end of the Antarctic summer. Part of the population remains in Antarctic waters throughout the entire winter. The scientists report this in a current issue of scientific journal PLOS ONE. This surprising discovery based on underwater recordings from the Antarctic acoustic observatory PALAOA. PALAOA is located near the research base Neumayer Station III on the ice shelf and regularly records underwater sounds of humpback whales even in the austral winter months. 

Humpback whale distribution

No finishing line for humpbacks at 60°South: For a long time scientists thought that in spring humpback whales would migrate from subtropical and tropical waters to the northern part of the Southern ocean to feed on krill; later on, in autumn they would return. Today we know that some humpback head even further south and stay there for longer than just a summer. This map is based on the latest findings of AWI scientists and shows the potential Antarctic winter range and winter breeding grounds of humpback whales. Map: Ilse Van Opzeeland, Alfred-Wegener-Institut

Sometimes even scientists need the crucial little quantum of luck to obtain new research ideas. For instance Dr. Ilse Van Opzeeland, a marine biologist and expert on large whales at the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). As she unlocked the door to her office one April morning and, as usual, switched on the live stream of PALAOA, the underwater acoustic observatory, the loudspeakers suddenly resounded with the calls of humpback whales - and this at a time during which the marine mammals should long have been swimming 7,000 kilometres further away in the warmer waters off Africa. "I was totally surprised, because the textbook-opinion until that day was that humpback whales migrate to Antarctic waters only in the austral summer months. And even then, standing believes were that they would only be feeding on krill in the ice-free regions around 60 degrees south latitude. However, our PALAOA observatory monitors an area 70 degrees south – so, much further south than hitherto known feeding grounds. With this in mind, hearing the animals on a winter morning near our observatory was a double surprise," explains the scientist.

Searching for krill

Aerial picture of two humpback whales in the Southern ocean. The baleen whales are searching for krill in the Antarctic waters. According to new research of AWI scientist Ilse Van Opzeeland, we have got a good reason to believe that these animals find enough food close to the Antarctic continent even during dark and cold winter months. Photo: ITAW/Helena Feindt-Herr

Driven by the question whether the winter-excursion of the humpback whales in the eastern Weddell Sea was a unique event, Van Opzeeland developed a procedure for the automatic detection of humpback whale calls and analysed all PALAOA recordings from 2008 and 2009 for acoustic signs of life from these animals. "Along with variable, high-frequency calls from the whales, our recordings also contain stereotyped calls that sound a bit like a moan. We concentrated on the latter in our analysis," the marine biologist says. "Today, we know that, in 2008, the humpback whales were present near the observatory with the exception of the months May, September and October. In the following year, they were absent only in September. Therefore, it is highly likely that humpback whales spent the entire winter in the eastern Weddell Sea during both years," says the scientist.

A possible explanation for the absence of humpback whale calls during some months could be the Antarctic sea ice. "Near the observatory, open water areas in the sea-ice, also known as polynias, regularly form during winter. Such polynias form due to offshore winds which press the sea-ice off the continent out to sea. We suspect that humpback whales use these ice-free areas. When polynias close or change position, the whales may move with them and leave the recording radius of 100 kilometres, which our underwater microphones are monitoring. However, we do not yet have proof for this behaviour," Van Opzeeland explains. 

Based on the underwater sounds, the AWI scientists cannot say what the whales are actually communicating and which animals are calling in the winter months: "Possibly, the calls are produced by young whale cows that are not yet pregnant and skip the more than 7,000 kilometres long, energetically-costly migration to Africa's coastal waters. A humpback whale-female loses up to 65 per cent of her body weight when giving birth to and suckling a calf. With this in mind, it appears energetically advantageous, from viewpoint of the young whale cows, to remain in Antarctic waters during winter. Furthermore, the coastal region of the eastern Weddell Sea likely provides krill concentrations substantial enough for the animals to find sufficient food, even in the colder season, to acquire sufficient fat-reserves for reproduction and the long trip in the following year," explains Van Opzeeland. 

These new findings substantiate the significance of the Southern Ocean as a habitat for humpback whales. "In the light of ongoing discussions regarding designation of marine protected areas, our results show that not only the known feeding grounds in the region of 60 degrees south are important for the humpback whales, but also waters further south, off the Antarctic continent. The animals can be found in these regions almost throughout the entire year," the biologist says. 

Van Opzeeland and her team from the AWI "Oceanic Acoustics Lab" now want to find out to which population the humpback whales from the eastern Weddell Sea belong. The scientists are planning to compare calls from the PALAOA recordings with humpback whale song from the coastal waters off Gabon and Mozambique. "Each humpback whale population has its own song. Songs therefore provide an acoustic fingerprint, on the basis of which we will hopefully be able to say where the animals that spend their winters off the Antarctic continent breed," reports the marine biologist. 

Breeding presumably takes place in the coastal region off southern Africa. "We know from other humpback whale-populations in the Southern Hemisphere that their spring southbound migration is relatively straight and direct in course. If this also is the case for humpback whales in the Weddell Sea, it is likely that they belong to populations on the east or west coast of southern Africa," Van Opzeeland states.

Furthermore, the AWI team is analysing data from a chain of underwater acoustic recorders which the Ocean Acoustics Lab scientists have moored along the Greenwich Meridian, 0 degrees longitude, between South Africa and the Antarctic continent some years ago: "We know that humpback whales sing on the breeding grounds, as well as during their migration and that these songs alter from year to year. When and how this change happens, is however still unclear. With the help of the recordings from our chain of acoustic sensors, we may be able to shed more light on how humpback whale song changes between years," says Van Opzeeland. She will therefore have many more humpback whale sounds to listen to during the coming period.

Further information about the PALAOA observatory:

Name:  PALAOA stands for PerenniAL Acoustic Observatory in the Antarctic Ocean. However, Palaoa is also the Hawaiian word for whale and the research station also records the sounds of these ocean giants with its underwater microphones. 

Location:  The small PALAOA research container is unmanned and located approximately 18 kilometres from Neumayer Station III on the Antarctic ice shelf near Atka Bay. The observatory is maintained during the Antarctic winter by members of the overwinterer teams at Neumayer Station III.

Hydrophone:  To deploy the four hydrophones of the observatory, approximately 800 metres from the ice shelf edge, holes were drilled through the 100 meter-thick ice shelf to lower the hydrophones with a cable into the ocean underneath the ice. 

Live stream:  All sounds that PALAOA picks up are transmitted to Neumayer Station III via wireless LAN and sent to the Alfred Wegener Institute in Bremerhaven via satellite link from there. The following link leads to the live broadcast of what PALAOA records in the Antarctic sea: http://www.awi.de/fileadmin/user_upload/PALAOA/spectrum.html

Notes for Editors:

The study appeared under the following original title:

Ilse Van Opzeeland, Sofie Van Parijs, Lars Kindermann, Elke Burkhardt, Olaf Boebel: Calling in the cold: Pervasive acoustic presence of humpback whales (Megaptera Novaeangliae) in Antarctic coastal waters, PLOS ONE, http://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0073007

Your scientific contact persons at the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) are:

Dr. Ilse Van Opzeeland (Tel: +49 (0)471- 4831-1169, E-Mail Ilse.Van.Opzeeland@awi.de) 

Dr. Olaf Boebel (Tel: +49 (0)471- 4831-1879, E-Mail: Olaf.Boebel@awi.de) 

Your contact person in the Department of Communications and Media Relations is Dr. Folke Mehrtens (phone +49 471 4831-2007, e-mail: medien(at)awi.de).

The Alfred Wegener Institute conducts research in the Arctic and Antarctic and in the high and mid-latitude oceans.  The Institute coordinates German polar research and provides important infrastructure such as the research icebreaker Polarstern and stations in the Arctic and Antarctic to the international scientific world. The Alfred Wegener Institute is one of the 18 research centres of the Helmholtz Association, the largest scientific organisation in Germany.

German Aerospace Day – Comet lander, parabolic flight aircraft and a centrifuge

Touching down on a comet - Philae; Credit: DLR (CC-BY 3.0)

Aerospace research covers a broad spectrum of activities – missions to celestial bodies are just as much a part of it as checking the health of astronauts or experimenting in microgravity on parabolic flights. The German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) will present these and other aspects of spaceflight during German Aerospace Day in Cologne, on 22 September 2013.

Ready for touchdown with the Philae comet lander

Tucked away on board ESA's Rosetta spacecraft, the Philae comet lander has been slowly but surely flying to its destination, the comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, since 2004. In late 2014, the very first comet landing will take place. During German Aerospace Day, scientists and engineers at the Microgravity User Support Center (MUSC) will be presenting and explaining a full-scale model, and allowing visitors to take a look in the control rooms from which Philae and various experiments on the International Space Station are monitored and controlled.

A model in a simulated martian atmosphere; Credit: DLR (CC-BY 3.0)

Test runs in the wind tunnel

When an Ariane rocket is launched into the skies or a space capsule re-enters Earth's atmosphere, one thing is for sure – extreme thermal and mechanical stresses. The heat and pressure are very high; the speeds surpass sound. Researchers from the Supersonic and Hypersonic Technology Department at the DLR Institute of Aerodynamics and Flow Technology use five wind tunnels to analyse how these and other factors affect the in-flight behaviour of space transport systems and capsules. A wind tunnel will be operating on German Aerospace Day. There will also be an exhibition of the various models used to test engines and spacecraft in the wind tunnels.

A scientist during parabolic flight; Credit: DLR (CC-BY 3.0)

:envihab – earthly sister to the ISS laboratory

A centrifuge that generates six-fold gravity to examine the impact on the human body and permits ultrasound examinations of the test subject's organs as it spins; a hypobaric chamber to simulate altitudes up to 5500 metres and a clinical facility for bed rest studies and investigating the effect of light on the test subjects. :envihab, the new major research facility that is part of the DLR Institute of Aerospace Medicine, consists of a variety of modules in which scientists can research the health of astronauts in space and also people on Earth. Visitors to German Aerospace Day can inspect the various modules and test whether their fitness makes the grade for space travel.

Twenty-two seconds of microgravity for research

There are few opportunities to test the influence of gravity and microgravity on material samples, plants or even the human body. The DLR parabolic flight campaigns give scientists the opportunity to experience up to 31 sequences of 22 seconds in a weightless environment. On German Aerospace Day, the A300 'ZERO-G' will return from its 23rd parabolic flight campaign and will be on show to visitors in the aircraft exhibition.

EAC – a look at astronaut training

Astronauts undergo a rigorous training programme before they set off into space. Experts from the European Astronaut Centre will take part in brief, moderated panel discussions to describe the wide variety of topics covered in training and supporting astronauts, including medical services and ground control. Models of the Columbus research laboratory and the European ATV space transporter will also be on show in the training hall. Reporting from the ISS, astronaut Luca Parmitano will provide a glimpse into living and working in space, while other astronauts such as Hans Schlegel, Alexander Gerst and Samantha Cristoforetti will relate their experiences during 'Astronaut Talk'.

Programme highlights, photographs and background information can be found on the special DLR page for German Aerospace Day 2013.

Contact:

Manuela Braun 
German Aerospace Center (DLR) 
Corporate Communications, Editor, Human Space Flight, Space Science, Engineering 
Tel.: +49 2203 601-3882 
Fax: +49 2203 601-3249

MIT News: Terramechanics research aims to keep Mars rovers rolling

Simulations predict safest path for rovers to travel.

CAMBRIDGE, MA -- In May 2009, the Mars rover Spirit cracked through a crusty layer of Martian topsoil, sinking into softer underlying sand. The unexpected sand trap permanently mired the vehicle, despite months of remote maneuvering by NASA engineers to attempt to free the rover.

The mission mishap may have been prevented, says MIT’s Karl Iagnemma, by a better understanding of terramechanics — the interaction between vehicles and deformable terrain. Iagnemma says scientists have a pretty good understanding of how soils interact with vehicles that weigh more than 2,000 pounds. But for smaller, lighter vehicles like the Mars rovers, the situation is murkier.

“There’s a lot of knowledge in civil engineering about how soils will react when subjected to heavy loads,” says Iagnemma, who is a principal research scientist in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. “When you take lightweight vehicles and granular soils of varying composition, it’s a very complex modeling process.”

Now Iagnemma and researchers from Washington University in St. Louis and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, Calif., have developed a model called Artemis that accurately simulates rover mobility over various types of soil and terrain.

The model works much like a video game: A user plugs in commands to, for example, move the simulated rover forward a certain distance — instructions similar to those that NASA engineers give to rovers on Mars. The simulation then predicts how the rover will move, based on the underlying soil properties, vehicle characteristics and a terrain’s incline.

The team tested the model against observations in the field, including actual drive paths from previous Mars rovers, and found that the simulations behaved much like actual rovers in various terrains. The researchers also performed experiments in the lab, rolling a replica of a Mars rover’s wheel over Martian-like sand. The tests established relationships between wheel dynamics and soil properties — information that the team used to further refine the model.

“Once you have a model you trust that is really representative of how the rover behaves, it can help mission planners make path plans in a safer way,” says team member Carmine Senatore, who is a research scientist at MIT. “It could say that this path looks shorter and faster, but if the soil is not what we expected, it may be much more dangerous, so it’s better to go another way.”

Senatore, Iagnemma, Raymond Arvidson of Washington University, and collaborators will outline the details of the model in a paper to appear in the Journal of Field Robotics.

Beach sand and cake flour

For the most part, the terrain over which Mars rovers travel — including the most recent Curiosity mission — is relatively benign, consisting mostly of flat, firm surfaces. But occasionally, rovers encounter more challenging environments, such as steep dunes covered in fine, loose soil.

“Think about the difference between beach sand, which you can walk on and even play volleyball on, and cake flour,” Iagnemma says. “The reason [for that difference] goes down to the microscale of the material.”

To know how much work is required for a rover to get over a dune, Iagnemma says one needs to understand the properties of an environment’s soil. To develop its model, the team estimated soil properties on Mars based on a variety of data sources, including measurements of the planet by orbiting sensors and images from the rovers themselves, as well as data on the amount of torque required to drive a wheel through a particular type of terrain.

The team coupled Martian soil data with properties of the rover, such as its size and weight, and developed a model to predict the likelihood and extent to which a rover may sink into a given terrain.

Iagnemma and Senatore refined the model with experiments in the lab. The researchers set up a bed of both coarse and fine soil, similar to sediment that has been observed on Mars. They built a straight track overhead, and attached a spare wheel from the Mars rover Opportunity. Powering the wheel with a motor, the team observed the wheel’s performance, noting how much the wheel sank into the soil, and the amount of torque needed to overcome sinking.

“Sometimes in a car you end up doing things like rocking it back and forth,” Iagnemma says. “There’s limited strategies for a Mars rover because it’s not a very dynamic vehicle, and moves very slowly. So we have to be more creative and develop strategies to get out.”

On the dunes of escape

To test the model against real-world scenarios, scientists from Washington University and JPL performed tests of roverlike vehicles in the Mohave Desert’s Dumont Dunes. The researchers drove the vehicle over multiple locations, and measured the extent of sinking by analyzing images taken of wheel tracks. The model, simulating the same soil and vehicle conditions, produced very similar driving patterns.

Along the same lines, the researchers analyzed images taken by the rover Opportunity of its own wheel tracks on Mars. In particular, the team studied the rover’s path as it crossed a ripple of sand in a region called Meridiani Planum, just south of the planet’s equator. The model accurately reproduced the vehicle’s behavior as it climbed over small dunes, making its way across the sandy ripple.

Iagnemma says that going forward, Artemis may be used to help planners chart the safest routes for the rover Curiosity, which is expected to traverse more challenging topography in the future.

“There are goals for taking the rover into places that are more difficult to travel, like dunes and steep slopes,” Iagnemma says. “That time hasn’t really been reached yet, so there’s a little time to get the model refined for Curiosity.”
###

Written by Jennifer Chu, MIT News Office

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue Building 11-400, Cambridge, MA 02139-4307 United States

UCSB Study Shows Relationship Between Landscape Simplification and Insecticide Use Varies Greatly Year to Year

(Santa Barbara, Calif.) –– A new UC Santa Barbara study that analyzed U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Census of Agriculture data spanning two decades (1987-2007) shows that the statistical magnitude, existence, and direction of the relationship between landscape simplification –– a term used for the conversion of natural habitat to cropland –– and insecticide use varies enormously year to year.

Ashley Larsen, Credit: Andy McDonald

While there was a positive relationship in 2007 –– more simplified landscapes received more insecticides –– it is absent or reversed in all previous years. The findings were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (PNAS).

The author, Ashley E. Larsen, a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology, built on an earlier study published in PNAS by extending the temporal dimension of that analysis. That study found a strong positive relationship between landscape simplification and insecticide use when examining 2007 data for seven midwestern states. Larsen's results also showed 2007 was positive, with increased land area in cropland leading to increased cropland treated with insecticides. But in 2002 and 1997, there was no statistically significant relationship; 1992 was negative (increased cropland but decreased insecticides); and 1987 was generally negative, but sometimes null depending on the model specification used.

According to Larsen, the increase in agricultural production over the past four to five decades has corresponded to massive changes in land use often resulting in large scale monocultures separated by small fragments of natural land. Ecological theory suggests that these simplified landscapes should have more insect pest problems due to the lack of natural enemies and the increased size and connectivity of crop-food resources.

"There is a debate currently in ecology about what the most efficient land use policy for agricultural production is," said Larsen. "Some think that complex landscapes are better, that they have minimal effect on the environment, in which case we'd need to grow over a larger area. Others think that we should grow in a concentrated area and preserve what isn't in agricultural production. This land sparing-land sharing debate is getting a lot of attention. My study results don't support either land sharing or land sparing. They just show that we don't really understand how either of those policies will affect insecticide use."

Larsen used USDA county-level data for 1987, 1992, 1997, 2002, and 2007 as well as from the National Agricultural Statistics Service Cropland Data Layer for 2007 for the same seven Midwestern states as the earlier PNAS analysis –– covering more than 600 counties in Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin. She performed a single-year cross-sectional analysis for each year followed by a fixed effects analysis for all years together. She then compared fixed effects models with year, county, and year- and county-fixed effects. County-fixed effects control for unobserved effects, such as the soil quality unique to each county, and year effects control for year shocks, such as droughts shared by all counties in the study region.

With just county-fixed effects, the analysis showed a strong negative relationship between landscape simplification and insecticide use. When year-fixed effects were included, that relationship dropped to null. Including both year- and county-fixed effects, the relationship remained null and similar to the year-only model, indicating that year effects are very important.

"It would be very difficult to inform policy questions, such as land sparing or land sharing in terms of insecticide use, if the relationship between landscape simplification and insecticide use flip flops year to year," concluded Larsen. "These varied results make it hard to say a complex landscape is better or a simplified landscape is better. My next step would be to try to unlock what's behind that variation."


UC Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106 • (805) 893-8000

The World Food Prize Recognizes Young Kenyan Woman for Scientific Biological Breakthroughs

Combating Deadly Grain Mold as Winner of 2013 Norman Borlaug Award for Field Research and Application, Endowed by the Rockefeller Foundation


The second annual award recognizes researchers under 40 who emulate the scientific innovation and dedication to food security demonstrated by Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Dr. Norman Borlaug.

Dr. Charity Kawira Mutegi,
Copyright: The World Food Prize Foundation 

Des Moines, Iowa (September 5, 2013) – A young Kenyan scientist who made major breakthroughs in combating the deadly aflatoxin mold contamination that occurs in stored grain, which has been a serious problem in Africa and around the world for decades, was today named the 2013 recipient of the prestigious “Norman Borlaug Award for Field Research and Application, Endowed by the Rockefeller Foundation.”

Dr. Charity Kawira Mutegi, 38, who currently serves as the Kenya Country Coordinator for the Aflasafe Project for the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), on assignment from the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI), was named winner of the award. At the request of the World Food Prize Foundation, Mamadou Biteye, the Rockefeller Foundation’s Managing Director for Africa, made the announcement during the renowned African Green Revolution Forum in Maputo, Mozambique.

Aflatoxin, a naturally occurring mold, is a major concern for farmers and consumers worldwide; it is toxic to people who consume it either directly through contaminated grain, or through milk or meat if livestock have been fed contaminated grain. It is one of the most carcinogenic substances known.
Dr. Mutegi spearheaded efforts to identify the cause of, and solution to, a 

Dr. Mutegi gathering data from a farmer in Kenya,
Copyright: The World Food Prize Foundation

deadly outbreak of aflatoxicosis in 2004-05, fatal to 125 people in eastern Kenya who consumed contaminated grain. Her diligent research led to innovative solutions to avert future outbreaks and safeguard the region’s staple crop of maize. Dr. Mutegi is leading efforts for the development of a biocontrol product in Kenya that can be used to significantly reduce aflatoxin levels in maize. This works by introducing naturally occurring non-toxic strains of the fungus, which have a competitive advantage over the strains that produce the deadly aflatoxin, a technology that was developed by the US Department of Agriculture – Agriculture Research Service (USDA-ARS), and locally adapted for use in several African countries by IITA and partners.  The non-toxic strains outcompete the toxic strains, thus reducing aflatoxin contamination in the maize crop. The microbial bio pesticide she and her team are developing – “aflasafe KE01” – is affordable for farmers, is natural and environmentally safe, and once applied to a field, the effects last multiple growing seasons, making it extremely effective.

“Dr. Mutegi is an inspiration to other young scientists around the world. She tackled a critical problem, and has effectively transferred her own scientific knowledge to farmers and policymakers to help improve food safety for the entire region,” said Amb. Kenneth M. Quinn, President of The World Food Prize. “Like Dr. Borlaug, she has put the needs of people first, and has shown persistence, innovation, effective communication, contribution to science, and application of that science to improve lives and livelihoods.”

The award is funded by the Rockefeller Foundation, and administered by the World Food Prize. In 2011, during the 25^th Anniversary World Food Prize Award Ceremony, Dr. Judith Rodin, President of the Rockefeller Foundation, announced a $1 million contribution to the World Food Prize to endow the new award in honor of Dr. Borlaug, who did his groundbreaking research on improving wheat crops while working for the Rockefeller Foundation, and went on to found the World Food Prize. This year’s announcement is especially momentous as we near the 100^th anniversary of Dr. Borlaug’s birth in March 2014, and also celebrate the 100^th anniversary of the Rockefeller Foundation.
Dr. Mutegi will be formally presented with the $10,000 award on World Food Day, October 16, 2013, in Des Moines, Iowa, as part of this year’s World Food Prize international symposium.

Dr. Mutegi is originally from Kenya and has dedicated her time and efforts to improving food security there.
During her studies of the 2004-05 outbreak, through support by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, Dr. Mutegi compiled the first-ever report in the country that provided a holistic outlook on possible avenues for contamination, and also proposed an integrated approach to managing aflatoxin contamination along the maize value chain, including regulatory and policy measures. As part of her work, she facilitated the training of more than 300 agricultural extension officers, who then worked with farmers, and over 70 maize traders and millers to increase awareness and management of deadly aflatoxin.  She reached over 46,000 farmers in education campaigns about aflatoxin.

At the same time, she has engaged the government and sparked Parliament to establish a committee to investigate sources of contaminated grain, create heavy penalties for traders dealing contaminated grain, and investing in education efforts directed at Kenyan farmers who contribute to 75 percent of the country’s maize production. She has also documented the extent of aflatoxin contamination in peanuts, and proposed affordable means to prevent it.

Dr. Mutegi is currently leading the Kenyan collaborative project funded by USAID and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, to develop the biological control approach as a long-term solution for managing aflatoxin.
Dr. Mutegi credits her success to her “supportive work environment, guidance from senior scientists, mentorship and my personal work ethics. I do share the United States Marine Corps’ perspective that ‘no one ever drowned in sweat,’” she said. “An extra effort towards a worthwhile course as to save the lives of numerous non-suspecting citizenry is indeed worth the effort.”
Dr. Mutegi said she has dedicated her life’s work to food security because she has seen the effects of contamination firsthand.

“The devastating effects of maize grain contaminated with aflatoxins on many Kenyan households cannot be understated. Several lives have been lost, tons of staple food destroyed, millions of shillings worth from the livestock sector have been lost; and by extension, several livelihoods have been destroyed through death and/or economic disempowerment,” she said.

“Having studied and understood the subject matter on aflatoxins, I was confident that the solutions were not far-fetched, but rather required a dedicated course. In addition, my desire to engage in identifying lasting solutions for the aflatoxin problem was propelled by the fact that I come from an area that suffers perennial risk to aflatoxin contamination and exposure. I therefore could not overlook an opportunity to be part of the solution.”
Dr. Mutegi was educated at the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, where she received her Bachelor’s degree in Food Science and Post-Harvest Technology. She received her MSc in Food Science and Technology at the University of Nairobi. She earned her PhD at the University of KwaZulu Natal, South Africa.

Dr. Mutegi may be reached for interviews at c.mutegi@cgiar.org or +254 731 670 911.

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ABOUT THE NORMAN BORLAUG AWARD FOR FIELD RESEARCH AND APPLICATION, ENDOWED BY THE ROCKEFELLER FOUNDATION: An independent jury of experts chaired by Dr. Ronnie Coffman selected Dr. Mutegi from an impressive group of more than 40 candidates who were evaluated based on the attributes and accomplishments that reflect those demonstrated by Dr. Norman Borlaug during his work at the Rockefeller Foundation in developing high-yielding, disease-resistant wheat in Mexico and introducing adaptable wheat varieties into India and Pakistan during the 1950’s and 60’s, for which he received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970. The first recipient of this award, named in 2012, was Dr. Aditi Mukherji, a social scientist and water expert from India. More details at www.worldfoodprize.org/borlaugfieldaward.

ABOUT THE WORLD FOOD PRIZE:  The World Food Prize was founded in 1986 by Dr. Norman E. Borlaug, recipient of the 1970 Nobel Peace Prize. Since then, The World Food Prize has honored outstanding individuals who have made vital contributions to improving the quality, quantity or availability of food throughout the world. The Prize also hosts the annual Borlaug Dialogue international symposium on global food security issues and a variety of youth programs that aim to inspire the next generation to work in the fields surrounding global agriculture. More details at www.worldfoodprize.org.



Contact information: The World Food Prize Foundation , The World Food Prize - CST, 666 Grand Ave Ste 1700, Des Moines, 503092500