BIOS students removed trash and debris from Whalebone Bay during the 30th annual International Coastal Cleanup on Sept. 19, sponsored locally by Ernst and Young in partnership with Keep Bermuda Beautiful. Students at BIOS from the University of Rhode Island and Roger Williams University, as well as students in the BIOS Research Experience for Undergraduates program, teamed up with Bermuda Ocean Explorers for the event. In three hours they gathered 17 bags of trash and four bags of recyclable aluminum and glass, and removed half of an abandoned boat hull. Educator Kaitlin Baird, who helped coordinate the event for BIOS, said the experience “was a great opportunity for students to give back to the community.”

In August, the University of Southampton awarded Prof. Nicholas Bates a second, merit-based Doctor of Science (D.Sc.) in recognition of his many contributions to the field of ocean sciences. To earn this honor, a copy of every scientific paper he has authored or contributed to was presented to the University.  The binders filled six feet of shelf space, and took six months for internal and external examiners to review.  Congratulations on this honor!

BIOS’s newest gliders made their research debut in late September when they slipped into waters near St. David’s Head and headed to a predetermined destination 50 miles offshore Bermuda. For the next nine months, the duo known as Jack and Minnie will use their payload of scientific sensors to record daily changes in water chemistry and currents, as the summer cap of warm surface waters is mixed and replaced with cooler, nutrient-rich waters from below, and tiny microbes and phytoplankton respond to the changing conditions.

New grants from the National Science Foundation will extend and improve two long-term climate observation programs led by BIOS scientists.

Download the full 2014 Annual Report at: /uploads/annual-report-2014.pdf

BIOS offers internship opportunities to both undergraduate and recent graduate students.  Volunteer internships may run for 8, 10 or 12 weeks in the summer, with flexible timing and duration.  BIOS interns can expect to work in BIOS laboratories with faculty and staff mentors,  participating in active research projects of mutual interest. A BIOS Volunteer Intern could have the opportunity to participate in an open-ocean research cruise aboard the R/V Atlantic Explorer, SCUBA dive on Bermuda’s coral reefs, learn progressive techniques from scientists at the forefront of their field, gain hands-on experience with cutting-edge laboratory equipment, and engage in workshops and seminars with peers and BIOS staff.

Susan Brittner came to Bermuda in 2007 when her husband, Darrel, transferred for work to the Fairmont Southampton hotel. After almost two years in Bermuda working at a bank, she saw the posting for the marine operations position. “I felt like someone had written that ad specifically with me in mind,” she said.  Brittner, 59, helps to coordinate the schedule for the 170-foot BIOS research vessel Atlantic Explorer, a job that daily requires a multitude of decisions and skill sets. After spending more than 20 years in the Canadian Navy, she said she “really couldn’t ask for a more appropriate place to wind up.”

BIOS trustee John Farrington was named a fellow of the American Geophysical Union (AGU) this summer, a tribute to member scientists who have made “exceptional contributions to Earth and space sciences.”

In March of this year, the newly christened Risk Prediction Initiative (RPI) 2.0 hosted a workshop on the medium-term outlook for the frequency of hurricane landfalls in the RMS v11.0 risk model. According to this model, the computed risk for hurricanes over the medium-term (next 5 years) increased more than 100% in some regions, which forces insurance companies to hold more capital. This has direct consequences for Bermuda’s (re)insurance industry.

Hamilton, Bermuda (October 28, 2019)—Global experts on climate change are among an impressive lineup of scientists and reinsurance industry leaders joining entrepreneur-philanthropist Michael Bloomberg and Bermuda Premier David Burt this Wednesday at the first Bermuda Climate Risk Forum.