Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Science

FSU is one of the 15 high-power oceanographic institutions across the U.S. southern tier and Caribbean member of the Gulf-Caribbean Oceanographic consortium.

The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) and the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium (LUMCON) led the Gulf-Caribbean Oceanographic consortium to work on the proposal to the National Science Foundation for the operation of a new research ship.

Photo credits: GLOSTEN – USM

Dr. Ian MacDonald, Oceanography professor for the department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science at FSU was working with them and subsequently read through the proposal to offer his perspective and represent what he thinks FSU scientists will be doing in the future.

“Hopefully, having this capability in our region will expand the variety of research projects our faculty can pursue and can help to facilitate more research in the Gulf and Caribbean region.” Dr. MacDonald says.

“The National Science Foundation (NSF) has selected the Gulf – Caribbean Oceanographic Consortium, cooperatively led by The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) and the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium (LUMCON), to operate the third new oceanographic research ship to carry out regional scale research in the Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean.
The new ship will transform regional, national and international research important to the U.S. and the world. For instance, it will enable valuable research on environmental change, the global hydrologic cycle, biodiversity in the ocean, and marine mineral resources. The consortium will also create opportunities for students and the public to connect with marine scientists and their work, and it will work collaboratively to build and grow an inclusive, diverse and science-informed community.” USM – Tuesday, 09/10/19

Full article by the University of South Mississipi HERE

In the media:
LUMCON
The Washington Post