S.C. Academy of Science Meetings

SCJAS ANNUAL MEETING 2003

An annual meeting is held in the Spring, usually in late March or early April.  Any member of the SCAS or the SCJAS is eligible to present a paper at the meeting or attend the meeting.  The deadline for submission of abstracts is February 1, 2002.  Papers must emphasize scientific research and education.  The deadline for submission of the papers is February 1, 2002.

The University of South Carolina Aiken will host this year’s Annual Meeting on Friday, April 12, 2002.  The keynote presentation will feature Dr. Dick Barber of Duke University, Dr. Gene Shinn of the U. S. Geological Survey and Dr. Garriet Smith of USC Aiken.  These scientists are renowned for their work on marine systems, especially on the effects of wind born desert dust on marine life.  They have published extensively in Science, Nature and other major scientific journals and have appeared on several PBS broadcasts, most recently on the PBS program “Frontiers of Science” with Allan Alda.  Their work demonstrates a truly interdisciplinary approach to science.  The title of their presentation is “Links among African Dust, Iron Enrichment and Coral Disease.”

Session Highlights

Call For Papers,  Poster, and  PowerPoint Guidelines

Abstract and Pre-Registration Forms  

 Directions to USC Aiken

Maps of USC Aiken

Keynote Speakers

Biographical Sketches

Dr. Richard T. Barber is the Harvey W. Smith Professor of Biological Oceanography and Professor of Botany and Zoology at Duke University. Dr. Barber pioneered much of the work on micronutrients and iron limitation in the open ocean. He has worked in the field of biological oceanography and primary production for many years.

Dr. Gene Shinn is a Research Geologist for the USGS Center for Coastal and Regional Marine Studies in St. Petersburg FL. Dr. Shinn has studied coral reefs and carbonate environments for many years and has spearheaded research on African dust and its effects on the environment and human health.

Dr. Garriet Smith is an Associate Professor of Biology at the University of South Carolina Aiken. He has worked on Marine Microbiology for over twenty years. For the past six years he has studied coral diseases and has identified most of the known coral pathogens.

Presentation Summary

Links among African Dust, Iron Enrichment and Coral Disease

Charles Darwin, in 1845, hypothesized that the dust, which reduced overall visibility and coated the HMS Beagle, originated in Africa. Over a hundred years later, Joe Prospero and others demonstrated that Darwin was correct. Billions of tons of soil-derived dust from the African Sahara and Sahel are transported across the Atlantic and deposited in South, Central and North America each year. The process can now easily be viewed using satellite imagery. The amount of dust transported in a given year is linked to land use practices and climate. Since the early 1970s, the frequency of large dust events in the Caribbean has increased. Although dust deposition events occur throughout the year, maximum dust deposition is greatest in South America during the winter months and the Northern Caribbean during summer months (due to the shift in the Intertropical Convergence Zone). The origin of dust can be traced using chemical techniques. For example, trace metal analysis, isotope ratios and Ca/Al ratios can differentiate between volcanic and transported dust and can even trace the origin of specific dust particles in the atmosphere.

Barber and others have shown that iron is the nutrient that limits phytoplankton growth and productivity in nutrient-poor open ocean environments. In addition, atmospheric deposition is thought to be the dominant source of iron in the open ocean. African dust has been linked to the development of extensive red tides and cyanobacterial blooms in the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico. Shinn has correlated African dust deposition with algal overgrowth of coral reefs and the increased occurrence of coral diseases throughout the Caribbean. It may be that iron from African dust stimulates the growth of specific bacteria and, once a critical population level is reached, these bacteria become pathogenic.

The strongest evidence to date correlating African dust deposition with coral disease relates to Aspergillosis of sea fans. In 1996, it was observed that sea fans and other gorgonians throughout the Caribbean were dying off. The cause of the die-off was found to be the fungus Aspergillus sydowii (a common soil fungus). In a survey of microorganisms associated with African dust, this same fungus was observed. Not all isolates of this fungus were found to be pathogenic. Soil isolates did not cause infections on sea fans, but isolates from diseased sea fans and African dust isolates did.