Improving Ocean Access for Research and Teaching at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute

强烈的年循环和强烈的潮汐使缅因湾的生态系统具有令人难以置信的生产力，它支持着大量的鱼类、鲸鱼和海鸟。这个生态系统在历史上一直是高产渔业的家园，包括对美国建国至关重要的大西洋鳕鱼渔业。这个生态系统现在的变暖速度是全球平均速度的四倍，这种变暖加上几代人的过度捕捞导致了该地区标志性的鳕鱼渔业的崩溃。缅因湾研究所（GMRI）是唯一致力于了解缅因湾生态系统的机构。GMRI的科学家们对从浮游生物到人类的整个食物网进行综合的跨学科研究。从2019年开始，这个团队将包括参加新的NSF REU项目的学生。GMRI的大部分实地研究都包括收集大小不等的鱼类，从几厘米长的幼年灰西鲱到2米长的蓝鳍金枪鱼。这些标准尺寸的冰柜现在分散在整个建筑中，造成了空间和能源的低效利用。虽然GMRI位于缅因州波特兰的海滨，但该研究所没有直接进入水域。此外，随着采样速度的加快，GMRI不得不增加储存冷冻标本的额外能力。该项目将资助建造一个12英尺乘24英尺的浮船坞，为科学家、学生和海洋教育工作者提供安全的水上通道。它还将资助购买一个大型（8英尺乘20英尺）的步入式冷冻室，为研究和教学提供有效的冷冻标本储存。这笔资金支持的两个项目被确定为一项全面战略计划的一部分。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The intense annual cycle and strong tides make the Gulf of Maine ecosystem incredibly productive, and it supports a high biomass of fish, whales, and seabirds. This ecosystem has historically been home to highly productive fisheries, including the fishery for Atlantic cod that was critical to the founding of the nation. This ecosystem is now warming at four times the global average rate, and this warming combined with generations of overfishing has led to the collapse of the region's iconic cod fishery. The Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI) is the only institution dedicated to understanding the Gulf of Maine ecosystem. Scientists at GMRI conduct integrated, interdisciplinary research across the food web, from plankton to people. Beginning in 2019, this team will include students participating in a new NSF REU program. Much of GMRI's field research involves collecting fish ranging in size from juvenile alewife a few centimeters long to 2 meter-long bluefin tuna. These standard-sized chest freezers are now scattered throughout the building, creating an inefficient use of space and energy.While GMRI is located on the waterfront in Portland, ME, the institute does not have direct access to the water. Furthermore, as the pace of sampling has increased, GMRI has had to add additional capacity to store frozen specimens. This project will fund the construction of a 12'-by-24' floating dock to provide safe access to the water for scientists, students, and marine educators. It will also fund acquisition of a large (8'-by-20') walk-in freezer to provide efficient storage of frozen specimens for research and teaching. The two projects supported by this funding were identified as part of a comprehensive strategic plan.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.