#UTMSI is researching how microplastics affect human health — the Liu Lab recently attended the UT MD Anderson–UT Austin Collaborative Research Summit, where they connected across campuses to tackle complex environmental and health challenges. 🧪🌊 🤘

Construction is underway on our new, state‑of‑the‑art research vessel for UT Marine Science Institute—built to power discovery across the Texas coast and the Gulf.
👉

New Study Clarifies What Plastics Become as They Weather in the Ocean - Marine Science Institute. The University of Texas at Austin. As many people in South Texas are aware, plastic, like the cushions on outdoor furniture, can dramatically break down when exposed to the sun. The same process is happening to […]

New research from UTMSI shows that sunlight causes ocean plastics to release dissolved chemical compounds—not just smaller plastic particles—reshaping how we understand plastic pollution. 🔬 #UTMSI #TexasScience #Plastic #Ocean #Microplastics #nurdle #MarineDebris

Providing hands-on education and experience is what we do every day. #TexasScience #UTMSI

Thankful for support from the Texas General Land Office Coastal Management Program for projects at UTMSI, including ARK operations, Chinese tallow removal, and seagrass habitat research to guide restoration—plus matching support from UT, private donors & Fennessey Ranch. 🌊🌱

Building Better Tech for Marine Science: A Q&A with Chip Breier Chip Breier (Ph,.D. '06) is a marine biogeochemist and engineer at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

How do you study ocean environments that are nearly impossible for humans to reach? By building the technology to go there. 🌊⚙️ In this Q&A, UT alum Chip Breier shares how he's designing autonomous tools that collect critical data.
🔗 Read the full interview:

Microplastics in the Sand: Beach Combing Goes High Tech A UT chemist says it is now time to develop tests for microplastics, similar to tests for other toxic threats.

You know what we DON’T love this Valentine’s Day? 💔 Microplastics on the beach. 🏖️ Fortunately, our colleagues on the main campus, Carlos Baiz and team are working on a solution 💘 Read the story: cns.utexas.edu/news/feature...
#UTMSI #Microplastics #TexasScience #Robotics

Publish Online A newsletter from The University of Texas Marine Science Institute in Texas, Issue 26.

Even though the temperature feels like summer, our UTMSI Winter 2025 Newsletter is here! ❄️ Check out our 36th issue.
👉 indd.adobe.com/view/c80f982...

From Santa Barbara to the Gulf: Scientists synthesize decades of data to protect a changing Texas coast - NOAA RESTORE Science Program Trapped inside on a cool, sunny day in Santa Barbara, California, a group of scientists are deep in discussion. It’s November 2023, and the group is at the National Center for Ecological Analysis and…

Texas scientists are teaming up to protect our changing Texas coast by synthesizing decades of TPWD data on storms, drought, freezes, and fisheries. UTMSI’s Dr. Zhanfei Liu co‑leads this NOAA‑funded effort 👉

Fast Solutions for an Urgent Problem: Genetic Identification for the Protection of Sharks and Rays A new scientific paper involving a University of Texas marine scientist shows protecting shark and ray populations can begin with DNA analysis.

New e-book written by @ingridbunholi.bsky.social and colleagues. Fast, practical techniques for species ID 🦈 using DNA/eDNA. “From Sample to Rapid DNA and eDNA Identification – An Easy Step-by-Step Guide”

Download here: pt.scribd.com/document/952...
#MarineScience #DNA #TexasScience #UTMSI

🌊 Our UTMSI scientists are at the Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation 2025 Conference, sharing research on coastal ecosystems. We’re proud to be part of this global conversation—and even more excited that Dr. Sharon Herzka, CERF President-Elect, is leading the way!

Stars Over Port A – Benefit for the ARK 🌌

Tomorrow, Nov. 8, 5–7:30 p.m. at the Sip Yard Port Aransas! Enjoy live music, great food (Wok On, Vibe Tacos, Slicee’s), and two drinks with your ticket—all supporting the ARK.
Tickets: $60.
RSVP: (361) 332-6361

#StarsOverPortA #ARK

We’re Hiring! Small Boat Operator – Port Aransas, TX 🌊🚤

The Small Boat Operator will safely operate and maintain small vessels used in scientific fieldwork—transporting personnel, equipment, and assisting with sampling.

Apply now: tinyurl.com/4nkz6crh

You may have noticed a surge in jellyfish lately. While populations appear to be rising, their gelatinous bodies and drifting nature make them notoriously difficult to track. That’s where science steps in. A new instrument on the UTMSI research pier can record smaller stages of jellyfish. 📷 Herzka

Big news! Since 1974, we've been educating K–12 students & visitors. Now, with SEA, we’re expanding our reach with a mobile classroom—bringing ocean learning directly to Coastal Bend schools and festivals. Thank you, SEA, for your continued support and congrats on 25 yrs!

Fast Solutions for an Urgent Problem - Marine Science Institute. The University of Texas at Austin. Genetic Identification for the Protection of Sharks and Rays Rapid genetic testing is emerging as a powerful ally in monitoring and protecting shark and ray populations from the black-market wildlife…

🦈 Fast Solutions for an Urgent Problem - PhD student Ingrid Bunholi's new paper on the use of rapid genetic testing in shark & ray conservation. An e-book is coming soon 👉 utmsi.utexas.edu/fast-solutio...
📷 Erika Beux #Shark #TexasScience #eDNA #UTMSI #Genetics #CaseyLab

In honor of National Campus Safety Awareness Month, we thank the Port Aransas Police, EMS & Fire Dept. for joining us, and Jim Moreno for leading the program. Together, we strengthened campus safety & preparedness.

#CampusSafety #CommunityPartners #PortAransas

Bob and Kevin are back in action! Yesterday, a 2nd Sofar buoy "Kevin" was deployed at West Flower Garden Bank by FGBNMS scientists. The Hu Lab will use the data from both Kevin and Bob to monitor the environmental health of the coral reefs.🔹 Meet Kevin: spotters.sofarocean.com/historical/S...
#UTMSI

In with the tide | UTMSI Sunrise fieldwork Join researchers from the University of Texas Marine Science Institute (UTMSI) as they capture stunning high-resolution imagery of plankton using the In-Situ Ichthyoplankton Imaging System Deep-Focus…

Join researchers from #UTMSI as they capture stunning high-res imagery of plankton using an advanced shadowgraph-based system that continuously collects images of fish larvae, jellies, amphipods, and other planktonic organisms in their natural environment.

The long journey to an estuary - Port Aransas South Jetty When parents are looking for infant daycare or primary school for their kids, it must be as perfect as possible. However, there needs to be a reconciliation between perfection and reality when it…

🐟🌊 Less than 1% of baby fish survive past the larval stage. PhD student Juan Pablo Lozano-Peña is studying how rock pools at the Port Aransas jetty help them find shelter on their journey to estuaries.

Read more: www.portasouthjetty.com/articles/the...

🌟 Staff Spotlight: Caitlin Neill 🌟

Research Tech in the Nielsen Lab, “Drip Master” of Solid Phase Extraction, and lifelong learner. Outside the lab, she enjoys sewing, crocheting, music & softball. If she were a marine organism? A Christmas Tree Worm!

📷: Izzy Nelson

#UTMSI #StaffSpotlight

On Aug 22, the GSA hosted the 1st MSI Graduate Student Symposium at the Patton Center with 9 presenters from Integrative Biology & Chemistry. Thanks to the College of Natural Sciences , MSI Director Sharon Herzka, UTMSI GSA & Student Services Budget Committee for support!

In the past year, ARK at UTMSI cared for 1,204 animals — including 574 sea turtles, hundreds of birds, and a few freshwater turtles. 🦅🐢

Sea Turtle Hotline: 1-866-TURTLE5
Bird Hotline: (361) 749-6793

📷 Big Kahunas, a loggerhead sea turtle, released Oct.

Gaining insight through entrails - Port Aransas South Jetty Deep in the collections of the Museo Gregoria-no Etrusco of Vatican City hangs a bronze mirror that, through my work in our Texas estuaries, has taken on a new personal meaning. The mirror was cast…

Institute Insights: Gaining insight through entrails 🐟🔬

David Malcolm dissects fish guts to study estuarine food webs, revealing how environmental shifts ripple through the food chain—like modern-day haruspicy.

www.portasouthjetty.com/articles/gai...

📷: David Malcolm

#UTMSI #InstituteInsights

🎓 Big congrats to our newest Master's grad, Kody Barone!

His research explored how mangrove dieback from the 2021 freeze impacts blue carbon storage in South Texas marshes—highlighting the resilience of soil carbon in coastal wetlands.

#UTMSI #BlueCarbon #Mangroves #TexasScience

Being a scientist has its benefits, especially when it’s 100F+ in Texas. The Nielsen Lab and USGS colleagues are enjoying cooler weather while sampling at Grewingk Glacier in Alaska to learn about the sources, export, fate, and bioavailability of #mercury released by rapidly retreating glaciers.

When Hanging Out Takes Work - Marine Science Institute. The University of Texas at Austin. Often, scientific research confirms what scientists already suspected, but other times, science reveals a twist that no one saw coming. That’s the kind of study that recently showed how much […]

Science and the Sea: When Hanging Out Takes Work 🐠

Hovering in place isn’t easy—fish can burn twice the energy staying still midwater vs. resting on the bottom!

utmsi.utexas.edu/science-and-...

📷 Philippe Bourjon, CC BY-SA 4.0

#ScienceAndTheSea #UTMSI #FishFacts #TexasScience

🎬 Just days away! Join us Friday, Aug 1 | 2–3:30 PM at the Patton Center for a free screening of Our Texas, Our Future, an @HEB docuseries celebrating Texas’ natural beauty. 🌿

Info: utmsi.utexas.edu/event/h-e-b-...

#OurTexasOurFuture #HEB #UTMSI #TexasScience

Kelly Dorgan will join UT's cohort for the 2025-2026 Research Leaders Academy. Congrats Kelly!
research.utexas.edu/news/new-coh...

Bad weather or bad clothing? - Port Aransas South Jetty I hold firmly to the Scandinavian belief that (barring extreme weather events) “there is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing.” I often find myself employing this saying when justifying to…

❄️ Institute Insights: Arctic lagoons through snow, ice & t-shirt weather?

Mathea Kurtz-Shaw shares what it’s like to do fieldwork across 3 extreme Arctic seasons.

Read more: www.portasouthjetty.com/articles/bad...

#InstituteInsights #UTMSI #ArcticResearch #TexasScience