If you have ever watched a documentary about deep ocean exploration, you have probably heard that “95 percent of the ocean floor is unexplored.” In fact, we do have a global map of the ocean floor generated by satellite data that allows us to see features on the ocean floor larger than 3 miles (5 kilometers) in length. Missing from this picture, however, are the geologic features smaller than this size, not to mention millions of plants and animals inhabiting the deep ocean and seafloor.

In an innovative collaboration, BIOS molecular ecologist Leocadio Blanco-Bercial and reef ecologist Tim Noyes are exploring how DNA can be recovered from seawater to reveal which fish species are active on Bermuda’s reefs. As fish swim, water passing over their gills and waste passing through their guts all deliver sloughed off cells to the surrounding seawater, leaving a trail of genetic material behind them. Within that genetic material, a specific short sequence of DNA can be recovered by scientists and traced like a fingerprint to a single fish species. But to learn more about fish communities from the DNA sequences swirling in the seawater, scientists first need to document which sequence belongs to which species.

The research vessel Atlantic Explorer sailed from BIOS in June sporting a new instrument package on its mast and bow designed to measure climate-relevant, constantly shifting gases, moisture, and heat between the ocean and the atmosphere.

The 13th annual International Coral Reef Symposium (ICRS) convened in Honolulu, Hawaii in June with more than 2,500 scientists, policy makers and managers in attendance from 70 countries. The conference theme ‘bridging science to policy’ provided students and professionals with the opportunity to communicate their recent findings and ongoing research programs to an audience with the shared goal of improving coral reef conservation through the application of science. BIOS associate scientist Eric Hochberg co-chaired a session on remote sensing of coral reefs, during which he gave a presentation about the NASA-funded COral Reef Airborne Laboratory (CORAL) mission (of which he is the Principal Investigator). This symposium also saw three BIOS alums from the NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program. Michael Wooster, Naomi Huntley and Mia Thomas (pictured) presented their research in both oral presentations and poster sessions, demonstrating the positive impact this program has on the careers of young scientists.

There was a period during the last ice age when temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere went on a rollercoaster ride, plummeting and then rising again every 1,500 years or so. Those abrupt climate changes wreaked havoc on ecosystems, but their cause has been something of a mystery. New evidence shows for the first time that the ocean’s overturning circulation slowed during every one of those temperature plunges — at times almost stopping.

Mark Guishard, who heads the Risk Prediction Initiative at BIOS, was elected in June as a Fellow of the Royal Meteorological Society, an organization of professionals and scientists dedicated to the understanding of weather and climate. He also received the designation Registered Meteorologist from the society’s chief executive Prof. Liz Bentley during their annual conference, held at the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom. “It is an honor and a privilege to be recognized by my peers in academia and the profession of meteorology,” he said. “This achievement comes from the support and encouragement of my family, teachers, employers, and mentors.” Guishard began his 20 years of work in atmospheric sciences with the Bermuda Weather Service in 1997, which he went on to direct for six years until 2012.

An interdisciplinary team of scientists joined forces in July for their first annual research cruise dedicated to revealing how specific microbes take up and transform organic matter within a web of ecological interactions in the waters southeast of Bermuda.

A global marine research project designed to justify marine protected areas worldwide is set to launch in Bermuda next spring and will include the expertise of BIOS coral reef scientist Gretchen Goodbody-Gringley.

A record 150 permitted lionfish cullers competed in the 6th annual Groundswell Lionfish Tournament, a day-long contest to capture invasive lionfish on Bermuda’s reefs. After cullers landed their catch, the fish were given to attending scientists who weighed and collected samples of stomach contents and gonads, as well as fin clips for genetic analyses. These samples will be studied by scientists in Bermuda and other areas threatened by lionfish invasions to further a global understanding of lionfish ecology, physiology, reproduction, and distribution.

BIOS welcomed the first student users of its new high-tech facility known as the MAGIC Room—a room designed to facilitate data analyses, scientific collaboration, and learning among students and visitors from Bermuda and abroad. Students sat at a large, U-shaped table in swivel chairs that pivoted for views of multiple screens, including a multi-screen video wall at the front of the room and an 84-inch high-definition touchscreen on an adjacent wall. As underwater gliders roamed the ocean 50 miles away, students discussed the gliders’ near-real time measurements of oxygen, salinity, current strength, and other incoming physical and chemical data.