Life at the LimitsReseaRch in the antaRctic

pg. 16university and community college system of nevada

2001 GoLf tournamenthighlights

the newsletter of the desert research institute

pg. 3 pg. 7

Fall 2001

tahoe research

INSIDE

dri news summer 2001

Scratch the surface of your average Lake Tahoe Basin resident, say the area’s environmental managers, and you’ll find an unusual level of sophisti-cation about the basin’s planning and environmental issues. These people know their acronyms, buzz words, technical terms, and bureaucratic trivia, and they’re always ready to talk about them.

This awareness underlies a deeply felt commitment to preserving the region’s world-famous beauty, and the people who live there know full well both the difficulty of the challenges, and the consequences of unthinkable failure. Forecasts now offer only a ten-year window to reverse the trend of Tahoe’s environmental degradation, or risk an irreversible loss of the lake’s legendary clarity.

In spite of this grim picture, there is a new sense of optimism for Tahoe’s future among the land use planners and managers in the basin. It may have begun with the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency’s (TRPA) adop-tion of the Environmental Improvement Program in 1997. It continued that

year with the Presidential Summit initiated by U.S. Senator Harry Reid, substantially raising the political and financial commitment of the federal government, manager of more than 70 percent of the basin’s lands. A year ago, Congress made a $30 million annual commitment to Tahoe when it passed the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act.

It continues today with an aggressive new research alliance that has pushed scientists from the Desert Research Institute to the front lines of the battle for the lake’s survival. Environmental scientists, land use planners, natural resource managers, and political leaders, from local governments to the national level, are now linked to focus available research resources to find the best solutions for Tahoe’s challenges.

Dr. John Tracy, executive director of DRI’s Center for Watersheds and Environmental Sustainability, is coordinating the Tahoe efforts of a dozen of his DRI colleagues and leads DRI’s interaction with fellow scientists from the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) and the University of California, Davis (UCD).

DRi joins new ReseaRch alliance focusing on lake tahoe

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A panoramic view of Lake Tahoe from the lookout on the Mt. Rose Highway(Photo courtesy of Steven Braun/Visual Delights)

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DRi joins new ReseaRch alliance focusing on lake tahoe

DRI took the lead in developing a framework agreement known as the Tahoe Environmental Science System (TESS), adopted in 1999 for scientific cooperation in the basin.

Tracy is also co-chair of the TRPA Science Advisory Group (SAG), also established in 1999, which incorporates representatives from DRI, UNR, UCD, TRPA, the U.S. Geological Survey, and the U.S. Forest Service. Chaired by TRPA Senior Planner Kevin Hill, the SAG coordinates the growing volume of research in the basin to ensure that it is focused on the most critical needs identified by local planners to help them answer key policy questions in a timely manner.

“For years, prior to the formation of SAG, science and research in the basin were not necessarily connected with the tasks that the agencies wanted to accomplish,” says Hill. “On the other hand, the management questions were not well articulated for the science community. The fact that this group has already developed a research plan that relates back to key management questions for Lake Tahoe is significant.”

One of President Bill Clinton’s first directives stemming from the 1997 summit was completion of a thorough assessment of existing scientific knowledge pertinent to the future of the Lake Tahoe watershed. That work, an intense collaboration of the three research institutions, TRPA, and the Forest Service, was completed in February 2000, and became the starting point for the formation of a new approach to land use planning in the basin

known as “adaptive management.” (see “Why Adaptive Management will work for Lake Tahoe” by John Tracy, page 5)

On August 21, Nevada’s two U.S. senators, Reid and John Ensign, joined with Nevada Congressman James Gibbons and Governor Kenny Guinn to host U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Director Christi Todd Whitman at a fourth anniversary of Clinton’s summit on the shore of the lake. Nevada’s congressional delegation is already working hard to find more money for Tahoe research, and Whitman promised EPA’s commitment to the effort as well.

Whitman urged the federal agencies managing basin lands to include future proposals for Tahoe research in their agencies’ basic operating bud gets, thereby giving the work a much higher probability for success. Tracy points out that the agencies have already made a start in that direction by specifying funds for SAG, and that recent congressional budget successes have already caused a dramatic increase in scientific activity at Tahoe by DRI scientists and their colleagues from UNR and UCD.

“This is a rare instance where environmental scientists studying a prob-lem have a direct ‘cause and effect’ relationship with the decision-making process trying to resolve it,” says Tracy. “All of the scientists from DRI, UNR, and UCD are acutely aware of how golden an opportunity we have to make a profoundly beneficial impact on Lake Tahoe’s future.”

–John Doherty

Someone finally listened...The first long-term effort to monitor and characterize the health and clarity of the lake’s deep blue waters was launched in the 1960s by Dr. Charles Goldman, a University of California, Davis (UCD) limnologist, who would eventually found UCD’s Tahoe Research Group (TRG). Goldman’s annual reports of the steady reduction of the lake’s clarity have served as an alarm for both the scientific community and political leadership to come to the aid of the lake. Somebody finally heard him, and today, dozens of scientists from Nevada and California institutions, as well as the lake’s federal managers, are in the early stages of a major research initiative for the basin. Here, Goldman uses a magnifying viewer on the deck of TRG’s research boat to examine Lake Tahoe zooplankton.

(Photo courtesy of UCD News Service)

An important early success in the new Tahoe research effort. Dr. Glenn Miller, a professor in Environmental and Resource Sciences at the University of Nevada, Reno, is shown taking water samples along the shoreline of Homewood Bay on Tahoe’s west shore. Miller directed one of the first major successes in the new Tahoe research effort that clearly identified unburned fuel from two-stroke boat motors as a major source of water pollution in the lake. The TRPA subsequently banned the engines from the basin.

(Photo courtesy of UNR Office of Communications)

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As more than a dozen DRI scientists work to find solutions for the decline of the Lake Tahoe Basin’s environmental health, they’re helping to bring an unprec-edented level of attention to an area that has been scientifically neglected, despite its worldwide fame. From its dark, cold, 1,600-foot depth to its glacial peaks and scarps, Tahoe’s ecology is an extremely complex system. It is dynamically inter-active and highly susceptible to natural and human influences, both from within and beyond the ridges that define the basin.

This is just the sort of complexity that makes the Lake Tahoe Basin the ideal challenge to show off DRI’s most potent scientific strength: the Institute’s broad-based multidisciplinary approach to environmental research. So far, DRI’s Tahoe research involves hydrologists, hydrogeologists, geologists, geographers, geomorphologists, forest ecologists, systems microbial ecologists, biologists, atmospheric chemists, watershed ecosystem specialists, and remote sensing specialists working in at least ten different ongoing project areas.

“It’s the water” is more than a catch line for a once-popular beer; it’s also the issue at the core of Lake Tahoe’s future. From a distance, Tahoe’s incredible blue color seems unaffected, but up close, the startling clarity that has long been its hallmark is noticeably declining. Two specific DRI projects are now analyzing water near the lake’s shoreline for turbidity—a measure of how material in water

Left: High-level support for Tahoe research initiative. U.S. Senator Harry Reid, left, Dr. John Tracy of DRI, right, and an unidentified woman discussed research opportunities in the Lake Tahoe Basin at the August summit at Zephyr Cove Beach.

Left: Broad congressional involvement. Nevada’s congressional delegation is heavily involved at Tahoe. Nevada Congressman James Gibbons, center, accompanied by his district director, Jean Rice, discussed the summit’s research agenda with DRI President Stephen G. Wells at Zephyr Cove in August.

Above: Seeking the sources of Lake Tahoe’s air pollution. DRI air quality scientist Dr. Alan Gertler, in white shirt, and UCD air quality scientist Tom Cahill, in grey jacket, brief Nevada Governor Kenny Guinn, right, on their study of the sources of airborne nitrogen and phosphorous deposited in the Lake Tahoe Basin.

Above, right: EPA Administrator pledges support for Tahoe Research. Speaking at the Lake Tahoe Summit at Zephyr Cove, Nevada, on August 21, EPA Administrator Christi Todd Whitman pledged her agency’s support for research funds for scientists working to support land use decisions in the basin. Joining Whitman at the podium were, from left, Nevada Governor Kenny Guinn, and Nevada’s U.S. Senators Harry Reid and John Ensign. Nevada Congressman James Gibbons also spoke in support of Tahoe research efforts.

Tahoe turbidity probed with new technology. Dr. Ken Taylor prepares the instrumented probe that collects real-time data on turbidity on the DRI research platform at Lake Tahoe. Behind him, Graduate Research Assistant Crystal Harrison readies additional instrumentation, which includes a global positioning system and a database management system.

Right: A firsthand look. DRI President Stephen Wells, left, joined UNR President John Lilley, center, and Governor Kenny Guinn on UCD’s research boat at the Lake Tahoe summit in August.

(Photo courtesy of UNR Office of Communications)

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DRi’s inteRDisciplinaRy ReseaRch appRoach

scatters light—and for chlorophyll, the green pigment that gives most plants, including algae, their color and enables them to photosynthesize.

Drs. Ken Taylor and Chris Fritsen are using new techniques that allow them to determine the lake water’s turbidity while in motion along its surface, instead of collect-ing samples and carrying them back to the lab in Reno.

“We’ll be able to look at how much of Tahoe’s increasing turbidity is a result of sediments and siltation entering the lake, and how much is from the growth of phyto-plankton and other microscopic lifeforms due to availability of nutrients,” says Taylor.

This winter they will launch a new DRI research boat equipped specifically for lake projects, which will allow them to sample along the shoreline year-round. Year-round sampling will create a profile of seasonal variations in sediment and chlorophyll levels.

In a related project, Dr. Joe McConnell is working with Taylor and Fritsen to analyze years of turbidity data from the water intake records that have been kept—as required by law—by the basin’s water utilities. McConnell and Graduate Research Assistant and University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) grad student Christine Kirick, have also placed their own instruments at the water intake points to calibrate and supplement the existing data network.

“The products from this project will include the development of methods to mea sure spatial variability of near shore turbidity as well as the development of statisti-cal and modeling techniques using the continuous intake data,” says McConnell. “This will help us understand the processes that drive changes in turbidity, and hence clarity, in the near shore environment.”

The new data will complement more than 40 years of clarity measurements in the center of the lake directed by Dr. Charles Goldman of the University of California, Davis’ (UCD) Tahoe Research Group (TRG). Taylor says TRG’s measurements are conducted by determining how deep into the lake a white disk can be seen. Goldman’s annual reports of the steady reduction of the lake’s clarity have provided an excellent indication of the overall health of the lake and served as a constant reminder of the continuing threat to the basin’s most precious asset.

Another DRI project seeks new knowledge about the extent of the surface area in the Lake Tahoe Basin that contributes to rapid runoff and nutrient loading in the lake. Dr. Mary Cablk and Tim Minor are applying satellite remote sensing techniques to estimate impervious coverage—surface areas that do not permit the snowmelt and rainfall to soak into the ground.

How much of the change in Tahoe’s shoreline over the years is from human devel-opment is highly debatable because natural processes can also greatly influence erosion at the water’s edge. Proof of this comes from damage caused to many lakeside properties in the last decade as lake levels first dropped, then rose rapidly, only to drop again, as drought turned to plentiful snow years, then back to drought. To gain insight into this process, Dr. Ken Adams and Minor have pored over more than 60 years of aerial photograph records to analyze changes to Tahoe’s shorelines and estimate the pattern of erosion. The study concluded that between 1938 and 1998 some 190,000 square meters of shore zone land was lost to erosion while 51,000 square meters of new beach areas were formed. The difference amounted to 429,000 metric tons of sediment eroding into the lake from shore zone sources.

Adams will follow up by looking at the wind and wave processes in the lake’s erosion activity, incorporating the factors of rising and falling lake levels and the frequency, timing, and direction of storms across the basin.

Seasonal change in near shore turbidity. The turbidity of the near shore water is indicated by the color: the red areas are turbid, blue areas are clear, and green areas are intermediate levels of turbidity. This data came from the initial tests of the prototype sampling instrument towed behind DRI’s research platform.

(Graphic by Dr. Ken Taylor)

From another perspective. Tim Minor and Dr. Mary Cablk of DRI are using the revealing spectral capabilities of satellites to determine the amount of surface area that is impervious to snowmelt, adding to the runoff of silt and pollutant-laden water into the lake. This photo, an IKONOSTM image acquired August 10, 2000, shows natural absorbent surfaces in black, and imperious areas—paved roads, parking lots, etc.—in red, in the vicinity of the intersection of U.S. 50 and Highway 89 in South Lake Tahoe, California.

(Graphic by Tim Minor)

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aDaptive management:Racing against time in the lake tahoe Basin

The health of the Lake Tahoe watershed can be measured in many ways, from the Lake’s famed clarity, to measures of air quality, indices of biodiver-sity, and the recreational value derived by residents and visitors. Within the last decade, there has been a growing consensus that no matter what measure is used, everything indicates that immediate action must be taken to reverse the decline of the condition of Lake Tahoe. Similarly, all agree that restoration within the Lake Tahoe watershed must be undertaken as a comprehensive effort that addresses a broad range of ecological, hydro-logical, and socioeconomic phenomena.

A “road map,” if you will, for undertaking this effort has been created through a collaboration among Lake Tahoe agencies resulting in the Tahoe Environmental Improvement Program (EIP). The EIP is a comprehensive restoration program to be implemented in the next decade at a cost of more than $900 million.

For the EIP to be effectively implemented, two key points must be understood and accepted. First, the impact that restoration efforts will have on the broader ecosystem within the watershed is uncertain. That is, we need to admit there is a tremendous amount of learning that will necessarily coincide with the imple-mentation of the EIP. Second, the EIP must not be looked upon as a series of fixed steps; rather it is a living plan designed to be modi-fied as we learn more about Tahoe’s broader ecosystem. In other words, we have much to learn from both our successes and the road blocks to success that we encounter along the way.

Given those two prem-ises, one might ask, “If we’re not certain of what we’re doing and still

have much to learn, shouldn’t we wait to take action until we develop a more complete understanding of the Tahoe ecosystem?” While waiting for knowledge may have some appeal, the reality of the Lake Tahoe situation is we do not have time to wait. In many instances, the only way to develop a greater understand-ing of the Lake Tahoe watershed is to take action and monitor the conse-quences. Ultimately, we will improve the optimal well-being of the Lake Tahoe watershed through a process of learning by doing.

The term recently coined for this process is “adaptive management.” In its simplest form, adaptive management is an approach that can be described as a four-step loop. First, a design or plan is developed based on the best available information. Second, the design or plan is implemented. Third, the impacts are

evaluated, and, fourth, analyses of the impacts are inte-grated into succeeding design and planning activities.

The adaptive management process results in a number of positive outcomes. For example, new and innovative approaches to watershed restoration can be explored in a systematic manner, and quantitative measures of the success of diverse restoration activities can be developed and compared. Overall, the health of the Lake Tahoe water-shed will gradually improve as restoration activities proceed, resulting, in the long term, in a more cost-effec-tive restoration effort.

Many agencies within the Lake Tahoe watershed recog-nize the value of an adaptive management restoration program and are poised to develop and implement their own adaptive management processes. Efforts are now focused on developing a multi-agency framework that will provide each agency with an outline of its role in the comprehensive plan.

DRI believes that the scientific community must work together with agency leadership to develop a robust and effective adaptive management process. Within DRI’s new Center for Watersheds and Environmental Sustainability, the Institute’s researchers have begun work on a variety of projects (see “Tahoe Research Challenges Tailor-Made for DRI’s Interdisciplinary Research Approach” p.3) to provide the science needed to support the adaptive management process. The Institute’s interdisciplinary nature and its long-standing association with researchers from other institutions position DRI well to work with numerous agen-cies to guide future restoration activities within the Lake Tahoe watershed. We will look forward to relating our progress in the coming months and years!

–Dr. John Tracy, Executive Director

DRI Center for Watersheds and Environmental Sustainability

Tahoe’s complex watershed picture. Dr. John Tracy is leading DRI’s combined Tahoe research effort and conducting his own studies into new approaches to watershed research and management. Behind Tracy is a graphic depicting the more than 60 distinct watersheds that compose the overall Lake Tahoe watershed.

(Graphic courtesy of Tahoe Regional Planning Agency)

tahoe ReseaRch challenges tailoR-maDe foRDRi’s inteRDisciplinaRy ReseaRch appRoach

new ReseaRch site in tahoe’s futuRe: a collaBoRation of

DRi, snc, anD RanD

Lake Tahoe’s changing shoreline. Dr. Ken Adams' study of 60 years of aerial photos produced this map of the erosion and accretion of different parts of the shore. Related studies are examining the role of storm-driven wave action and other factors that affect shore zone change.

(Graphic by Dr. Ken Adams)

DRI President Stephen G. Wells and Sierra Nevada

College (SNC) President James L. Ash, Jr., announced recently

that DRI, SNC, and RAND, the world’s most famous think

tank, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to

develop a Tahoe Basin Environmental Science and Policy

Center located on the Incline Village, Nevada, campus of SNC.

Wells said the new center’s focus is developing a unique

teaching and research program, and facilitating research efforts

by the three organizations, as well as other groups researching

Lake Tahoe.

President Ash said SNC’s environmental science program

will benefit greatly from the new center and place the program

at the leading edge of environmental science undergraduate

education. “This collaboration will be a great new day for

bringing together environmental science and public policy in

the Tahoe Basin. We are delighted to be the host site for this

new center at our lake campus.”

Wells said the program will demonstrate how the envi-

ronment can be improved when scientific researchers and

public policy agencies cooperate to advance the state of

knowledge and education about the Lake Tahoe Basin.

“The center should greatly boost the efforts already

under way by researchers and educators. Most important, we

hope the center will create a strong link between the environ-

mental research efforts in the Tahoe Basin and the develop-

ment and implementation of policy to preserve the area’s

ecological health,” said Wells.

RAND is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy

and decision-making through research and analysis. RAND has

a long-established research program in California issues and

has recently expanded its environmental and energy agenda.

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In the past 20 years, much effort has gone into reducing the erosion from watersheds contributing sedi-ment and nutrients to Lake Tahoe. Dr. John Tracy, execu-tive director of DRI’s Center for Watersheds and Environ-mental Sustainability, is working to determine how these applications of land use regulations and restoration activ-ities have affected the level of sediment entering the lake. His analyses show significant decreases in five important watersheds, with increases in two others. The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) and local governments are applying Tracy’s findings in the new policy of “adap-tive management” that will improve the effectiveness of future land use decisions. Tracy is also assessing fish habitats in certain stressed Tahoe watersheds for the TRPA.

Other DRI scientists are looking into the basic origins of Tahoe’s water. Dr. Jim Thomas’ investigation concerns the significance of groundwater entering the lake, whether from snowmelt that has soaked into the alluvial hillsides surrounding Tahoe, or from deeper, wider-based aquifers.

Dr. Gayle Dana, whose usual focus is the glaciers of Antarctica, is improving estimates of evaporation from Lake Tahoe, which will result in a better water budget. Along with Dr. Paul Verburg, she is also examining the impact of prescribed burning operations—designed to reduce fuel that would support catastrophic basin forest fires—on the algae-supporting nutrients entering the lake.

The restoration project for the critical Trout Creek watershed in South Lake Tahoe is one of the highest profile efforts by basin governments to restore a local ecosystem and once-thriving fish habitat. Dr. Roger Jacobson has been directly involved in the development of a scientific strategy to reestablish a sustainable fishery and resurrect the creek’s natural capac-ity to filter its water before it enters the lake.

Compared with high profile issues of sediment loading and surface water runoff, the role of air pollution in Lake Tahoe’s health has not been seriously considered until recently. Dr. Alan Gertler is working with air quality experts from UCD to better characterize this pollutant source. In addition to the human health aspects of air pollutants, Gertler and his associates want to determine the extent of nitrogen, phosphorous, and sediment that might be entering the lake and forest ecosystem from airborne deposition.

Another wrinkle in this line of research is that people and their various activities within the basin have pretty much been blamed as the source of all the lake’s pollution. That assumption is changing with new data that show significant levels of air pollutants may be entering from outside the basin. Assisted by DRI Graduate Research Assistant and UNR grad student Leland Tarnay, Gertler has established a monitoring network in the basin to help distinguish between local and “imported” pollutants.

Tracy suspects this initial group of Tahoe research projects is just the beginning for DRI. “There’s finally a real commitment for Tahoe studies among major research sponsors,” he says. “Now, all those good research ideas that died for lack of any funding potential should start showing up as solid research proposals.”

“We’ve got all the pieces in place here,” he notes. “This is exactly the kind of work DRI was designed to do.”

–John Doherty

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It is perhaps one of Nature’s little ironies that we “higher” forms of life prefer a middle ground when it comes to living conditions. It’s the reason there’s no urban sprawl in the deep Sahara—too hot; no fishing junkets to icy Antarctic seas—too cold; and no gift shops atop Mount Everest—too high. No, we’re more than a bit like Goldilocks, who had to have things just right. However, the “lower” forms of life—those tiny microorganisms that are apparently so much simpler than we are—take an entirely different approach to life on this diverse planet, choosing to survive, even thrive, in some of the most extreme environments known: in the boiling sulfur springs of Yellowstone National Park; in the desiccating waters of the Great Salt Lake; in the super-hot, metal-laden waters surrounding deep sea vents; and in the sub-zero seas of Antarctica.

DRI’s Dr. Alison Elizabeth Murray has the honor of studying some of these remarkable little extremists, and she is employing the latest tools of biotechnology and genomics to understanding their diversity, their adapta-tions, and their roles in the ecosystem. As part of the National Science Foundation’s Life in Extreme Environments, or LExEn, Program, she’s preparing to spend six weeks in Antarctica, where she’ll collect planktonic microorganisms to optimize methods of looking at the diversity and patterns of gene expression of these organisms living in their natural environment, that is, in water at –1.8˚C (29˚F). They’ll also be studied as they are subjected to scientist-induced stresses, such as changes in light, temperature, and nutrient levels.

While it may be simpler to study cultured microorganisms in a labora-tory rather than in a natural, and in this case harsh, environment, it’s just not always possible. “Only one percent of these types of organisms have been successfully cultivated,” explains Murray. “So, we know very little about how

they survive these extremes.” By looking at the microorganisms in situ, that is, in their actual environment, researchers not only bypass the problem of cultivating them, they also get a far more accurate picture of what reactions and adaptations enable them to live where they do.

It’s these reactions, which can’t literally be “seen” in such small organisms, that hold the key to understanding their survival tech-

niques, and it’s here, according to Murray, that the genomic approach comes in. “Molecular biology has revolutionized what we can learn about these microorganisms. We’re utilizing technology that has largely been developed in biomedical research and learning to apply it to the environment.” That means looking at the tiniest bits—the DNA and RNA—of these tiniest crea-tures and identifying which genes are being actively

taking a veRy close lookat life at the limits

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Slippery sampling ahead. Murray, secured by a rope, prepares to lower a Niskin bottle into the Antarctic Ocean to collect bacteria-bearing water. The bottle allows scientists to sample water at a specific depth while protecting the sample from contamination by water at other depths or by air.

(Photo by Lynda Goff, University of California at Santa Cruz)

Above: Local residents keep an eye on the project. Dr. Alison Murray, with an Emperor penguin posing obligingly in the background, on the sea ice during her last research visit to Antarctica. Below: Connect the dots… Microarrays appear as ordinary glass microscope slides, but after being exposed to RNA-bearing samples and scanned by a laser, they will show a colored dot pattern. For Murray’s experiments, green dots could indicate that certain bacteria (and their genes) are present in surface waters and the red could represent those found at a 100-meter-depth below Antarctic sea ice. The yellow-orange colors would represent genes found at both sampling points.

(Photo by Alison Murray)

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taking a veRy close look at life at the limits

us anD them anD themthe amazing aRchaea

Thirty years ago, if you’d asked biologists to tell you something about archaea, they’d have looked at you quite blankly. Thirty years ago, no one knew they existed. At that time, it was widely held that there were, at the most basic level, two domains of life: the eukarya—organisms like humans, that have cells with nuclei—and the bacteria (prokarya)—whose simple cells contain no nuclei.

This was the widely accepted paradigm of life in the late 1970s, when Dr. Carl Woese and his colleagues at the University of Illinois set about study-ing the relationships among prokaryotes using DNA sequencing—something that had never been done before. It was then that they discovered the completely distinct group of organisms that have come to be known as archaea. Since most archaea don’t look different from bacteria under a microscope, new technology was key to the discovery: molecular biol-ogy made it possible to see the genetic differences that lie beneath the surface. And, genetically and biochemically, archaea are as different from bacteria as they are from hummingbirds, horses, or humans. While some archaeal genes have similar counterparts in bacteria, others are shared with the eukarya. A large portion of archaea genes, however, are unique, establishing them as a distinct group of organisms.

In any case, they are an interesting bunch, living in the harshest, and most bizarre, environments imaginable. In the harsh category are acidic boiling pools, alkaline lakes, and salt marshes, while the bizarre includes, among others, the digestive tracts of cows and termites, the mud at the bottom of the ocean floor, and oil deposits deep below the Earth.

While there are plenty of these extremists in the archaeal family tree, researchers have been surprised by recent findings of large “mainstream” populations in the plankton of the open sea, indicating that the archaea—creatures we didn’t know existed thirty years ago—may be among the most abundant micro-organisms on the planet.

Makes you wonder what other little surprises Nature has in store for us.

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Home is 13,000 feet under the sea. In January 2002, Murray will study the tubeworms that lives in the extreme environment of these mineral deposits formed over deep-sea vents in the Pacific Ocean west of Costa Rica. The study is part of a project led by Dr. Craig Cary, a professor at the University of Delaware's Graduate College of Marine Studies, who provided us with this photo.

New kid on the block. The archaea branch of evolution wasn’t added to the evolutionary tree of all of Earth’s life-forms until the late 1970s. Though they resemble bacteria under a microscope, archaea are as genetically and biochemically different from bacteria as they are from hummingbirds, horses, or humans.

(Phylogenetic tree graphic courtesy of Ed DeLong)

expressed under various conditions. That is, which genes are “turned on” to cope with, say, an increase in water temperature or a drop in avail-able nutrients. The goal is to discover not just what a reaction to the environment is—like eliciting an immune response when exposed to a pathogen—but also how it happens—what bit of DNA codes your immune cells to respond that way. “We’re trying to understand, on a gene expression level, what major patterns these microorganisms are using to live in these places.”

To identify which genes are being expressed, Murray will construct DNA microarrays—something like microscope slides—packed with some 15,000 different microbial genes robotically arranged in a grid pattern. With the help of an existing library of Antarctic microbial DNA, these microarrays will allow the research-ers to “match up” expressed genes from the collected Antarctic organisms with known genes on the slides. This matching process will show which genes are being used to help them survive in their frigid surroundings.

While understanding individual responses to environmental changes is key, Murray says the study will shed light on how the microbial commu-nities as a whole fluctuate in changing conditions, as well as on the overall diversity of organisms that call the Antarctic seas home.

According to Murray, “The two big questions in microbial ecology are, ‘Who’s out there?’ and ‘What are they doing?’” She is already acquainted with some of who’s out there, particularly a microor-ganism belonging to a class of creatures known as archaea (see sidebar). Just seven years ago, says Murray, researchers found that these particular organisms constitute as much as 25 percent of the biomass of the Antarctic surface waters at certain times of year, making up a significant fraction of the planktonic community. But, she explains, “we haven’t been able to cultivate them, so we don’t know much about their basic metabolic processes. Interestingly, we do know that their closest culti-vated relative lives at 100˚C (212˚F).”

The researchers are eager to learn more, since it’s a fairly safe assumption that such an abundant organism plays an important role in the functioning

Hot tail, cool head. Alvinella pompejana, or the Pompeii worm, survives the highly variable temperatures of its habitat with the help of the furry coat of bacteria growing along its back.

(Photo courtesy of University of Delaware Graduate College of Marine Studies)

In past years, DRI’s Annual Fund has provided support for building expansion, equipment, and a variety of other programs and activities. In

all of these efforts, private support has proved to be instrumental in accom-plishing the Institute’s diverse research goals.

This year, the focus of the Institute’s Annual Fund appeal is support for DRI’s most prized asset: our faculty. In particular, I want to tell you about an

outstanding group of newcomers and the Institute’s commitment to helping them achieve their full potential as researchers. In this issue of the dri news, you’ve

met Dr. Alison Murray, a top-notch addition to our Division of Earth and Ecosystems Sciences. Besides Alison, this Fall we are fortunate also to have 12 other new addi-

tions to DRI’s faculty. All of them bring to DRI outstanding scientific training and experience, an entrepreneurial spirit, a dedication to team-building, and a level of

enthusiasm for their work that you would recognize immediately if you had the pleasure to meet them in person.

Since you may not have that opportunity, I would like to introduce you to several of them. The following pages give brief personal and professional sketches, focusing on the expertise and interests each brings to DRI. I think you will notice immediately the depth, variety, and inventiveness they represent. Looking at them also gives a great overview of the interdisciplinary nature of DRI’s work, and the Institute’s dedication to partnering as a means to enhance its capabilities. Take Dr. Ania Panorska. Since joining DRI, she has worked in each of the Institute’s divisions. Or take Dr. Matt Bailey, who is working in conjunction with the University of Nevada, Reno’s Physics Department and the Nevada Terawatt Facility. Or take Kerry Varley, who is dedicated to including University of Nevada, Las Vegas students on her projects so the students can gain practical experience to augment their studies. All are working beyond the confines of an individual discipline, and all are adding greatly to DRI’s pool of scientific talent and research capabilities.

As an institution that earns almost all of its funding through research grants and contracts, DRI depends on its faculty for its annual income, in fact, its very viability. The Institute is fortunate, indeed, to have these new additions to an already stellar cadre of scientists. At the same time, DRI also has an obligation to nurture new researchers to prepare them for long-term and productive careers at DRI. In others words, we need to provide our new faculty members with the resources they need to “jump-start” their scien-tific careers. When we asked this year’s group of newcomers what their needs were, the responses were wide-ranging, including: a drilling rig; coring equipment; a raft for examin-ing lakebed sediments; time for proposal development and writing papers; and travel support to attend scientific workshops and conferences to meet with peers and present research findings.

While it seems unlikely that you have a drilling rig or coring equipment at your disposal, you can help meet our faculty’s needs through a contribution to the 2002 DRI Annual Fund! We know that there are many, many calls upon your philanthropy, but we hope the spirit of enthusiasm and the dedication to excellence that our faculty members represent will inspire you to support them and the Desert Research Institute.

Sincerely,

Dr. Stephen G. WellsPresident

Newcomers, themselves, several years ago,

Drs. Chris Fritsen and David Benson recently

were named co-winners of the 2001 Peter B.

Wagner Medal of Excellence. The award, which

recognizes achievement by DRI faculty in the

early stages of their careers, was established by

Sue Wagner, in memory of her late husband,

Peter, a DRI scientist who died in the crash of a

research aircraft in 1980. Benson’s work has

focused on developing more accurate mathemat-

ical models to describe the movement of pollut-

ants in groundwater, and Fritsen’s research

examines how environmental and climate condi-

tions affect microorganisms inhabiting polar ice,

and whether similar life-forms may be found on

other planets.

Sue Wagner, former Lieutenant Governor of

Nevada and past special assistant to three DRI

presidents, is currently a member of the Nevada

Gaming Commission. In establishing the award,

she recalled her husband’s early career years

and wanted to “inspire the younger people

to show them we recognize the impor-

tance of their science.”

Left to right: Dr. Chris Fritsen, Sue

Wagner, Dr. David Benson, and DRI

President Stephen G. Wells.

a letteR fRompResiDent stephen wells

examination of the air, letting researchers detect airborne elements like arsenic, cadmium, selenium, and mercury. “These things can have various detrimental health effects, but are hard to detect because they exist at extremely low concentrations.”

Julianne Miller: No Stranger to the Rain… As a geology student earning a Bachelor’s degree at the University of Washington, Julianne Miller was familiar with rain. But Miller became more, not less, immersed in precipitation when she came to sunny Las Vegas, earning her Master’s in Water Resources Management and becoming a researcher with DRI’s Division of Hydrologic Sciences. “The point of most of my research,” explains Miller, “is to understand exactly what happens to rainfall in this arid environment—how much runs off, how much infiltrates—and what this can tell us about flood control, water-shed management, and waste management.”

Understandably, most flood control models and designs were developed in areas where it rains much more than the four inches per annum average of southern Nevada. “A lot of the models we’ve been working with come from other parts of the country, say the Midwest. Out here, we not only have much less rain, we have very different types of storms, and our watersheds obviously respond very differently. We’re trying to modify these designs so they make sense here, and so we aren’t spending a whole lot of money we don’t have to spend.”

Dr. Saxon Sharpe: Ancient History Lesson… As technology sweeps us pell-mell into the future, DRI researcher Dr. Saxon Sharpe is reaching far back into the ancient past for help with at least some of our modern problems. Sharpe is a paleo-ecologist who describers her job—in the very simplest terms—as “finding out what went on in the past so we can predict what might happen in the future.”

For Sharpe, that means using the subtle clues left behind in mineral deposits, lakebeds, even mollusk shells, to draw conclusions about how the Earth’s climate has fluctuated over the past centuries. She’s currently applying her expertise to the study of the proposed high-level nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain in southern Nevada. “We look at evidence of past climate variability in the area, and based on that, make predictions about future climate conditions.” The possibility, says Sharpe, of future glacial ages with cooler weather, increased precipitation, and elevated groundwater tables, needs to be considered in the engineering design of the long-term storage facility.

Dr. Kenneth Adams: How Was the Weather?… If you think predicting tomor-row’s weather would be challenging, you should try Dr. Kenneth Adams’ job—reconstruct-ing the weather conditions of thousands of years ago.

Adams is looking at the shorelines formed by Lake Lahontan, an ancient inland sea that covered much of northwestern Nevada, to produce estimates of the wind conditions when the lake was present. “I’m trying to use the beach features—gravel, sand, boul-ders—to reconstruct the wind climate of 13,000 years ago,” he explains. “Basically, if you come upon a beach made of sand, you know it didn’t take much wave action to move

those sand grains. A beach strewn with cobbles and boulders, on the other hand, had much larger waves impacting the shore.”

The beach deposits can, therefore, be related to wave activity and ultimately to how strongly the wind blew so many years ago, and that wind is of great interest to climate change researchers developing global circulation models. “This will hopefully become a reliable way to check their wind estimates, says Adams. “So far, they don’t have a good way to do that.”

Jim Brock: Rolling on the River… If the Truckee were a big river, there might not be such a fuss. But in northern Nevada, everyone from developers to environmen-talists wants a share of the Truckee’s water, and it’s a challenge to meet their needs. Aquatic ecologist Jim Brock has been studying the Truckee for more than 15 years and, in that time, has come up with some important ways to measure its health and guide its management.

Much of Brock’s work has focused on a computer simulation model of the Truckee’s water quality, a tool that helps managers make crucial decisions on when, for example, to release more water to help fish populations or to retain more flow for water quality purposes. But, like any tool, the model is only as good as its parts, and Brock is constantly working to improve it. “My expertise is really in figuring out what data we need to make the model more certain and in designing the research instru-ments we need to get those measurements.” To that end, he’s currently involved in a study of how riverside vegetation affects the climate factors used in the model. “Weather data from the Reno airport is not necessarily going to apply all along the river. The right correction factors are going to make the model a more accurate tool for predicting future conditions.”

Dr. Mary Cablk: Vive la différence… As an ecologist with an emphasis on wildlife, Dr. Mary Cablk is, in her own words, something of an anomaly at DRI. But instead of her field being separate from the atmospheric physics, hydrology, geology, and archaeology going on at the Institute, she says it’s actually integrated with all of them. “I’m involved in a huge variety of research projects,” says Cablk. “My work is all over the board.” That work includes wildlife surveys, environmental impact statements, computer modeling, and remote sensing, all part of interdisciplinary efforts to better understand the world as a whole, and not just piece by piece.

That, says Cablk, can mean interacting with a variety of agencies. For example, she is working with Heavenly Ski Resort and the U.S. Forest Service to survey a local population of American Pine Marten, which are members of the weasel family. Their forest habitat can be affected by human activities such as development or logging. She’s also working with the military at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twenty-nine Palms, California, studying fringe-toed lizards. “There are five species of these lizards in the desert southwest, and all but this one has some type of protection. The Marines have had the foresight to real-ize that this lizard may end up there too.”

–Jackie Allen

Dr. Ania Panorska Dr. Matt Bailey Dr. Don Sada Rosemary Carroll Kerry Varley Dr. Johann Eng elbrecht

Dr. Ania Panorska: Math Whiz… You remember it. Sitting in algebra class think-ing, “What am I EVER going to use this for.” Well, you should have paid attention, because mathematician and statistician Dr. Ania Panorska has your answer. In the year since joining DRI, she has worked on projects in each of the Institute’s divisions. “It’s really the nature of statistics and mathematics to cross many disciplines,” observes Panorska.

Currently, Panorska is working with Dr. Mary Cablk from DRI’s Division of Earth and Ecosytems Sciences on a statistical computer model to aid military officials in predicting development around some of the country’s military bases. “We take into account not only environmental factors like water availability and slope of the land,” she explains, “but also societal factors like utilities, schools, and shopping.”

Panorska is also planning a project with the Division of Atmospheric Sciences to create a statistical model for the dispersion of toxic chemicals in the air. The aim, she says, is to be able to quickly and accurately predict how and where a toxic plume from hazardous material spills or other sources might travel.

Dr. Matt Bailey: High Voltage Vocation… The citizens of ancient Greece believed lightning bolts were hurled from Mount Olympus by the god Zeus. Of course, here at DRI in the 21st century, everyone knows where lightning really comes from: Dr. Matt Bailey’s lab.

Bailey, working in conjunction with the UNR Physics Department and the Nevada Terawatt Facility, creates laboratory simulations of atmospheric lightning discharge. The work is perhaps the most realistic study ever undertaken of this most dramatic and powerful of Nature’s phenomena. “Lightning is poorly understood,” explains Bailey. “There haven’t been any really realistic laboratory studies performed in the presence of ice crystals and aero-sols—the kinds of things that are around when lightning really strikes—before this.”

Bailey is particularly interested in assessing the role of lightning in releasing nitrogen oxide into the atmosphere. “We humans make it, too, as a pollutant with our internal combus-tion processes. I’m interested in finding out who or what makes more.”

Dr. Don Sada: Spring Fever… What’s an aquatic ecologist doing at a place called the Desert Research Institute? Plenty, according to Dr. Don Sada, whose research on aquatic invertebrate and vertebrate communities in the Great Basin has taken him to more that 2,000 springs and spring-fed wetlands throughout the western United States.

Much of Sada’s current work focuses on tiny snails, just one- to four-millimeters high, that live in such springs. “Nevada has a large number of species that occur only in this state,” he explains. “Not too long ago, we didn’t even know about them, so there’s a lot to learn.”

According to Sada, there are 45 such snail species that are found nowhere but Nevada. Besides being concerned with conserving these endemic species, he’s also inter-ested in how they can help assess the environmental changes that affect these important habitats and understand the hydrological systems that support them. Right now, he’s busy preparing an upcoming conference on western springs that will bring together hydrolo-gists, biologists, land users, and resource managers to discuss the importance of these small, but vital wetland regions.

Rosemary Carroll: Model Behavior… Sometimes a scientist slogs through mud, sometimes she slogs through numbers. DRI’s Rosemary Carroll, whose research focuses primarily on numeric computer models of hydrologic systems, knows all about both.

After a certain amount of numerical slogging related to the Prairie Pothole wetlands area in North Dakota, Carroll helped create a computer model of how water moves through that system, given changes in various conditions. “This particular model,” explains Carroll, “looks at how the surface and groundwater hydrology will react and respond to changes in climate.”

At DRI, Carroll has literally slogged through Carson River mud to formulate mercury transport models. She is currently part of a team of DRI researchers refining a three-dimen-sional groundwater flow model for a small but important bit of land in central Nevada—the Shoal site, used for a 1963 Department of Energy (DOE) underground nuclear test. The groundwater model will help predict the possible movement of contaminants through the system and give DOE the information it needs to eventually reclaim the site.

Kerry Varley: Walking in Their Footsteps… In the ten-plus years that DRI archaeologist Kerry Varley has been walking and working in the mountains, valleys, and deserts of southern Nevada, she’s come to greatly admire those ancient people who preceded her. “People think of the Great Basin as so barren, so harsh,” says Varley. “But I’ll tell you, the people that lived here thrived. They were doing quite well, thank you, because they were clever and resourceful.”

Varley points to tinajas, natural basins used by native people to collect the sparse rainfall of the area, as one example of that resourcefulness. The tinajas were carefully tended and covered with makeshift lids of tilted stones to protect their precious contents from evaporation and thirsty animals.

Being an archaeologist, says Varley, “is the best job in the world,” and she happily shares that enthusiasm with others interested in the field. Besides pursuing her own projects in Great Basin prehistory, she goes out of her way to include University of Nevada, Las Vegas students looking for practical experience to augment their studies.

Dr. Johann Engelbrecht: Every Breath You Take… Take a breath, and you know you’ve gotten your next dose of oxygen. But, what else might you have gotten? DRI researcher Dr. Johann Engelbrecht hopes to be able to tell you exactly that as he prepares DRI’s Environmental Analysis Facility to accommodate some impressive new equip-ment—a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and an ICP Mass Spectrometer (ICP-MS). Both, says Engelbrecht, will improve our understanding of air quality issues that may affect human health.

The SEM allows researchers to look at and categorize individual particles that make up the air we breathe. “An air filter might capture cement particles from construction work, road dust, and particles from various combustion processes like power plant emis-sions or brush fires. We’ll be able to see each of these individually.” The SEM also helps researchers find bioaerosols, those airborne beings like pollen and fungi that are such anguish to the allergically inclined. Like the SEM, the ICP-MS will also mean more thorough

Dr. Johann Eng elbrecht Julianne Miller Dr. Saxon Sharpe Dr. Kenneth Adams Jim Brock Dr. Mary Cablk

Fellows ($1,000+)

American Express Financial Advisors/

Jason GlavishAmerican Express

FoundationArthur & Eliza

AndersonJ. Robert & Carole Anderson

BarrickBear IndustriesThe Cashman Companies/

Tim CashmanJames Coleman

Colorado State UniversityCountess Angela DandiniDoloris Darden & Jack FegelyJohn DohertyJohn & Dee EllisEyewitness News 8/KLAS TV Las VegasFred Gibson, Jr.Jack & Tish HessIan Mackinlay Architecture, Inc.Bruce & Nora JamesJohn H.O. La GattaMoya Olsen LearLockheed Martin/Joe StockettClaudia MinerNevada State BankNews Channel 8/KOLO TV RenoMartin & Peltyn, Inc./Roger PeltynRobert & Viola PolviRichard L. Spees, Jr.SprintWal-MartStephen & Beth WellsWilliam N. & Myriam Pennington

Foundation

Colleagues ($500-$999)

Charles & Cecile ClipperFred DavisRR Donnelley & Sons/Paul EricksonFord Motor Company FundAssemblywoman Dawn GibbonsOmer & Claudia KingLayne & Associates/Bruce LayneBob & Sandy MillerRobert & Del NolandTim Treichelt

Peers ($250-$499)

Dr. J.D. BukryRobert (Llee) ChapmanCarl GarlingtonWeldon (Don) Havins, M.D.James & Judy KropidMechanical Contractors Association of

Southern Nevada, Inc.George F. PeekJim RomaggiMary E. ShaverShirley Morgan SmithKathy Smith-Miller & Franklin MillerStan & Candy SolesSprint Foundation KPS|3/Casey StrachanWilliam A. "Tom" ThomasElmer & Esther VacchinaTerry & Betsy Van NoyMaureen WardenBarbara WeinbergMelanie WetzelArthur YoshidaDesi & Karen Zamudio

Associates ($100-$249)

Airport PlazaJackie & Rob AllenMarilyn AllenAmerican Ready MixAnonymousW.T. & Jean AshbyTom AtkinsonDrs. Patrick & Kelli BrandnerDarcia BrownMr. & Mrs. Anthony CampitelliWilfred J. CarrKenneth & Linda CiriacksJ.R. ClarksonRobin & Dawn CootsZane CourtneyHarold & Betty DaytonJames P. Fahey IIIFrank & Victoria FertittaKenneth G. GareyEugene T. GastanagaJack Gillies & Heidi FackelmannJohn & Dorothy GoetzBob & Donna Goff

Hafen & Hafen RealtyStephen S. HamiltonEarl M. HillLarry HinderksIncline Medical CenterWayne JohnsonTerry & Virginia KatzerJohn & Patricia KingRoger, Betsy & Laura KreidbergLakeside Distributors/Frank & Bonnie

KratzerGwen LeonardRose McKinney-JamesGail S. McQuaryCharles & Mary MerdingerBurnham MoffatJames MurphyRemax Realty ProfessionalsBrad RobertsMartha RomeroKyle RufBrad & Sharon StanleySteamboat Springs School DistrictAustin & Joan StedhamEdwin SweeneyTed Wiens Tire & Auto CenterThe Stonebury Group, Inc.UCARWackenhut ServicesDr. Robert C. WeemsDr. Robert G. Whittemore

Friends

Dr. James BargerWilliam R. BeckShirley CooperHilary CrowleyFrances E. CrumleyRussell C. CullisonMario DepillisStuart FloydDenise M. GerbichLinda GreggHarley HarmonJack HorganHillary HutchinsonEunice HylinIBM International FoundationRobert E. KeislarMiriam Baron LewisCol. William McCarty

Jack & Helmi McCorkleLyle C. MealsLarry & Patricia MetzgerScott L. MilesGordon & Nancy NitzMargaret OlsonVirginia PlathPaul Albert PopeRick PurcellChristopher RiddlebergerJohn & Mary Louise RileyMr. & Mrs. Grant RoelfPhillip RuderScolari's Las VegasPaul & Carolyn SeymourDavid ShaferDr. & Mrs. William TappanThe Casey Family TrustDavid WharburtonJohn & Madeline WoodbridgeBarbara Yoerg

PROJECT SUPPORT

Bechtel Nevada CorporationCharles H. Stout FoundationHoward Hughes Corporation/KLVX

Channel 10 Las VegasLevi Strauss FoundationNational Endowment for the

HumanitiesNevada Power CompanySierra Pacific Power CompanySouth Routt School DistrictThe E. L. Cord FoundationThe Robert Z. Hawkins FoundationThe William H. & Mattie Wattis

Harris FoundationU.S. Department of the NavyUnion Pacific FoundationW. Rudolf & Doris M.

Gunnerman Foundation

thanks to ouR 2001 annual funD DonoRs

In the world of western water resources, the thousands of small springs and seeps throughout the region might be considered insignificant compared to the region’s major rivers, lakes, and irrigation systems. To raise the awareness of the biological and cultural significance of the Intermountain West’s spring-fed wetlands among scientists, land owners, resource managers, and users, the Desert Research Institute is sponsoring a conference in Las Vegas, March 7-9. The conference includes a field trip to springs in Ash Meadows, north of Las Vegas.

“Human activity has focused on these resources for thousands of years because they often provide much of the reliable water across large, arid landscapes, says Conference Chairman Dr. Donald W. Sada, an aquatic ecologist in DRI’s Division of Hydrologic Sciences. According to Sada, springs, and the wetlands they create, are a critical water source for native plants and animals. Many wetlands are occupied by protected species, which as a group, have experienced high extinction rates in the western U.S. Wetlands also frequently attract recre-

ational users, are important for livestock, and are valuable resources for evidence of prehis-toric human occupation.

“Scientifically, these springs and wetlands provide excellent indicators of changing hydrological and biological conditions, information on the long-term reliability of the water resource, and records of the impact of climate variation,” says Sada.

“Many professionals and user groups—hydrologists, biologists, anthropologists, the land users, and government managers at all levels—recognize the importance of springs, but they collaborate all too infrequently.”

Rather than the classic science conference format where tightly focused, highly techni-cal papers are presented, conference speakers have been selected because they can speak to an audience with a broad spectrum of interests and levels of expertise.

The main conference objective is to stimulate people with diverse interests toward collaborative working relationships. Developing collaboration will help ensure resource use while preserving the biological and cultural integrity of western springs.

–John Doherty

DRi sponsoRs confeRence on cultuRal, Biological significance of westeRn spRings

Sponsored by the Desert Research Institute and Las Vegas Valley Water District

May 7-9, 2002Registration Fee: $175

Palace Station Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada

For information:Dr. Don W. Sada dsada@dri.edu (775)673-7359

WWW registration: www.dri.edu/Springs.htmlOr write to:

Springs Conference, DRI, 2215 Raggio Parkway,Reno NV 89512

Ecology/PaleoecologyNancy Erman, University of California, Davis

Weston Ponder, The Australian Museum, Sydney, Australia

Richard Castenholz, University of Oregon

James E. Deacon, University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Hydrology/PaleohydrologyJay Quade, University of Arizona

Marith Reheis, U.S. Geological Survey

Rick Forester, U.S. Geological Survey

Cultural UseKay Fowler, University of Nevada, Reno

Stephanie Livingston, University of Nevada, Reno

Greg Seymour, Southern Nevada Water Authority

Dave Rhode, Desert Research Institute

Resource ManagementGary Garrett, Texas Department of Parks and Wildlife

Larry McKinney, Texas Department of Parks and Wildlife

Don Sada, Desert Research Institute

Dave Herbst, University of California, Santa Barbara

13

The Salt Creek pupfish is found only in Salt Creek on the floor of Death Valley.

(Photo by Dr. Don Sada)

Dr. Don Sada at Badwater Springs on the floor of Death Valley counting Badwater snails which live under the salt crust and graze on algae. The snails are found only on the floor of Death Valley, an example of the unique species often found in isolated western spring ecosystems.

(Photo by Doug Threloff, U.S. National Park Service)

C o n f e r e n c e I n v i t a t i o n

inviteD confeRence speakeRs inviteD confeRence speakeRs

“spRing-feD wetlanDs as significant cultuRal anD Biological ResouRces of the inteRmountain west”

For Dr. Kent Hoekman, the recently appointed executive director of DRI’s Division of Atmospheric Sciences (DAS), leaving a 21-year career with Chevron has meant freedom from the long commutes and hectic pace of life in the San Francisco Bay area. But in addition to a faster trip to the office (it’s less than 10 minutes from his home to DRI’s Northern Nevada Science Center in Reno) he also has a bit more freedom once he arrives. “In private industry there are inherent limits, a narrowing of where you can focus your energies. At DRI, there’s naturally more freedom of scope, and the opportunity to explore more environmental issues.”

During his years with Chevron, Hoekman studied motor vehicle emis-sions and fuel formulation. He eventually found himself out of the lab and into the arena of public policy, where he advised agencies like the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the California Air Resources Board on emission control policy and air quality issues.

“Interacting with regulators, the oil companies, all the various players, was intellectually very stimulating,” he notes. “Really, it’s what brought me to DRI—a chance to bring this mix of science, politics, and policy-making together in a research environment.”

As director of DAS, that research environment includes scientists studying basic atmospheric processes, air quality, vehicle emissions, climate modeling, and meteorology. And, though Hoekman’s background is in industry, he says it’s really not so different. “All my research was driven by air pollution issues,

just like much of what we are doing at DAS. Environmental problems are environmental problems, wherever you are.”

Hoekman sees his years of policy experience giving an already strong division a vital boost. “I think I can help them put a little more energy into policy issue debates, to see more of the good science being done here, ultimately, have an impact in the policy arena. That could be climate change, for example, or Las Vegas air quality, or renewable energy issues—so many things.”

Yes, the freedom—of a short commute and expanded role in his job—is a welcome change for Hoekman, just as his expertise is a welcome addition to DRI’s research efforts.

–Jackie Allen

14

DRi sanD Dune ReseaRcheR wins faRouk el-Baz awaRD fRom geological society of ameRica

DRi’s newest Division DiRectoR is happy foR the chance to look at atmospheRic ReseaRch fRom all angles

Dr. Nicholas Lancaster, a Desert Research Institute scientist who is regarded as one of the world’s foremost experts on sand dunes, has received the Farouk El-Baz Award for Desert Research from the Geological Society of America. The international award recognizes outstanding achievement in arid lands studies.

Lancaster has studied dune fields and blowing sand processes from Africa to Antarctica, including major deserts in Mexico and the United States. He is credited with developing landmark concepts for understanding the movement and development of dunes on a daily basis, as well as the response of dunes to climate change and other environmental influences over the span of centuries or millennia.

A research professor in DRI’s Division of Earth and Ecosystem Sciences, Lancaster has worked at the Institute since 1991. His current research also focuses on the influence of vegetation on wind transport of sand and dust and on the use of radar remote sensing to assess sand dune evolution and evidence of ancient environments in arid regions.

Lancaster is also looking at the impacts of climatic and sea level change on wind-driven dune forma-tion, and on the role of blowing sand in dust emissions. Earlier this year, dust blown from a Chinese desert created a noticeable haze in the western U.S., and dust from the Sahara Desert periodically crosses the Atlantic Ocean to Florida and the Caribbean.

Dr. Nicholas Lancaster, winner of the 2001 Farouk El-Baz Award, stands in a dune field in Tunisia, on the eastern edge of the Grand Erg Oriental.

(Photo by Gary Kocurek)

Dr. Kent Hoekman

Peter S. Guilfoyle, founder and president of OptiComp Corporation of Zephyr Cove, Nevada, has been awarded the 2001 Rudolf W. Gunnerman Silver State Award for Excellence in Science and Technology. Guilfoyle’s selection was based largely on his development of a new type of optical crosspoint switch which improves data transmission from fiber-to-fiber across network junctions on optical fiber networks. It also allows for networks to be implemented in new ways within the data and telecommunications industry.

Governor Kenny Guinn will present the award’s medallion and $25,000 prize to Guilfoyle at the Govenor’s Industry Appreciation Luncheon in November. Earlier this year, Guilfoyle received Nevada’s 2001 Inventor of the Year award.

Guilfoyle graduated from Carnegie-Mellon with a MSEE and a BSEE and is acknowledged for developing the first digital optical computer as well as numerous advances in optoelectronics and laser applications. OptiComp Corporation is a research and development firm specializing in optoelectronic technologies involved in optical comput-ing, fiber optic networks, and telecommunications. Under Guilfoyle’s direc-tion, OptiComp was the recipient of R&D magazine’s 1994 Top 100 award, and it was also named a recipient of a Roland Tibbets Small Business Innovation Research Award in 1996, 1998, and 2000.

The Gunnerman Award was established in 2000 by Rudolf Gunnerman to recognize scien-tific achievement and technology development in Nevada and to showcase the state as a strong supporter in key areas of innovation.

Nominees must demonstrate the highest quality of research, work accomplishment, and commitment to the field and be involved with work that will have a direct and favorable impact on the greater population. The majority of the work cited for the award must have been completed in Nevada.

Gunnerman is an environmental inventor and scientist who came to the United States from Germany in 1945. His firm, Clean Fuels Technology, Inc. of Reno, is actively involved in promoting the use of A-55 Clean Fuels, a water-bearing emulsified fuel that reduces emissions of nitrogen oxides and particulates.

Gunnerman holds seven U.S. patents and over 70 international patents in the area of energy-related sciences and has devoted a significant portion of his life to studying the effects of pollution and the technological responses to these effects. He serves as a trustee of the DRI Research Foundation.

For information on the Gunnerman Award and nomination materials, see DRI’s web site at www.dri.edu.

15

2001 gunneRman awaRDeD to lake tahoe inventoR peteR s. guilfoyle

In the late 1960s, long before the building of DRI’s Southern Nevada Science Center, the Institute rented a converted restaurant, across from what was then the Nevada Southern University, from Aileen Maki and her late husband, Sulo Maki. DRI then moved to a duplex complex also owned and leased from Mr. and Mrs. Maki. The couple later donated one of the duplexes and land to DRI, beginning a long tradition of support for DRI building and education projects. In presenting the Medal to Mrs. Maki, Wells noted that “The gifts of Sulo and Aileen Maki will continue to enrich the Institute and Nevada for generations to come.”

long-time suppoRteRaileen maki Receives

DRi pResiDent’s meDal

Pictured are President Wells, Aileen Maki (seated), Margaret Ball, standing, and Marian Burrows.

Peter S. Guilfoyle

16

The KAP Construction team (left to right: Paul Kaplan, Andrew Evans, John Schreiner,

and Bill Dippel) and judge of the best-dressed contest, Judy Cail.

The always competitive FASTFRAME team (left to right): Craig Park, Dexter Baker, Steve Buszka, and

Nelson Burk.

DRI Research Foundation trustee emeritus Howard Wahl gets ready for the tournament.

The winners and still champs: Brendan Egan’s team, Sierra Crest Equities Inc., again won the men’s competition. Left to right: Brendan Egan, James Allen, Louis Smith, and Stan Thomas.

International Services finished first in the

women’s competition. Left to right: Trace Gill, Jeanie Parson, Dana

Hall, and Sue Hoffman.

The tournament’s unique hole-in-one grand prize, four 100-ounce bars of gold bullion, made the evening news. Left to right, KOLO TV, News Channel 8’s Terry Hendry, Tad Dunbar, and Pete Giddings, with Jim Rosima of R.G.W. Private Security Services.

The best-dressed mixed team was Custom Tiles. Left to right: Stan Hirayama, Janice Hirayama, Nadine Watts, and Don Watts.

Thanks to volunteers like tournament founder Jerry Cail, the

tournament was again a great success.

DRi golf touRnament

17

Tournament sponsor Sprint’s team (left to right): Scott Mitchell, John Sande, Bill Raggio, and Rob McCoy.

One of Nevada Bells’ six teams included (left to right): Mark Amodei, Robert Bass, Mark Shultz, and Michael Thomas.

The best-dressed men’s team was Nevada State Printing. Left to right: Barry Sethman, Corky Corbit, Rob Corbit, and Don Lilley.

Some of the volunteers who made the tournament so great. Left to right: Colleen Aleo, Barbara Jackson, Martha McRae, Linda Piehl, Anne Hanson, and Mark Jackson.

Tournament committee member Sean Smith (right) presents Mike Kurz with his longest drive trophy.

Red Hawk’s team might have finished last, but its members were first-rate tournament hosts.

Left to right: Terry Reynolds, Greg Peitzmeir, Sal Frazzita, and Skylo Dangler.

Left to right: DRI President Stephen Wells, tournament chair and DRI Research

Foundation trustee Jason Glavish, and Foundation Chair Terry Van Noy with the

coveted gold bars.

Linda Nicoll receives her longest drive trophy from tournament committee member Tom Aleo.

july 13 & 14, 2001

1 HR FotoAdele’s at the PlazaAd SpecAirport Plaza HotelDebbie AraminiAtlantis ResortJennifer BaroBaskets by Mary LeeBenihana’s Japanese SteakhouseBertha Miranda’sBig O TiresBobo’s Mogul MouseKiemmy BocBoomtownBully’s Sports Bar and GrillCynthia BurkGary CanepaCarriage HouseMike ChamberlainLlee ChapmanRobert ChavezCircus CircusDennis CollingCookies by DesignRobin and Dawn CootsRick CoppolaRod CorbitJohn CurryCustom TilesJ.L. “Skylo” DanglerDayton Valley Golf ClubRay DeckerDegussa Corp.

John DohertyEagle Valley GolfEthel M’s ChocolatesFisher Space PenFlamingo HotelFranke Contract GroupLisa FranksFuller ColorFuture Computer Technologies, Inc.Fred GibsonJerry GillJason GlavishGolfer’s DepotFred GregovichFred GrovesGroves-FischerDana HallVicki HallHarrah’sLynn HettrickIntoHomes MortgagesBarbara JacksonBruce JamesMichael JensonJJ’s Pie CompanyJLH, Inc.John EllisJohnson Matthey RefineryKaplan ConstructionJohn KempfLarry KloneBryan KnellerKTHX Radio Station/Dave Chapman

Steve LambertLas Vegas Country ClubLas Vegas Golf and TennisLedcor IndustriesMike LeeMacaroni GrillKen MaitozaMandalay Resort GroupJoal McCannRobert McCoyMcDonald’s/Tom McKennieMartha McRaeMGM Mirage/Primm ValleyTodd MihevcClaudia MinerE. Scott MitchellNapa SonomaRob NemethNevada BellNevada State PrintingNewmont GoldLinda NicollODC IntegratedPacific Granite and MarblePane Vino Italian RestaurantPatagoniaGregory PeitzmeirPeppermill HotelRichard PerryPort of Subs/Mae AnneQ&D ConstructionQuest NevadaQuizno’s Subs

R.R. Donnelley & Sons Co.Jill RantapaaRC’s Golf ShopReno HiltonTerry ReynoldsRuby River SteakhouseSafari MicroSB GeoBarry SethmanLarry SheetzSierra Crest Equities, Inc.Silver Oak Golf ClubSilver Peak BrewerySkyline CaféRodney SledRobert SmithKathy Smith-MillerJohn SnowSpecialty FinancialStallion MountainBarbra TalkingtonJohn ToddScott TurekUNRGayle ValdesPat Van BrocklinHoward WahlDonald WattsWelcome Aboard TravelSteve WellsWhispering Vine Wine CompanyWingfield Springs

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thank you to ouR 2001 touRnament sponsoRs…

anD suppoRteRs!

continued from page 8

of the ocean ecosystem, perhaps freeing up nutri-ents that allow other creatures to survive. This particular group of archaea is also of interest because it lives in a seemingly backwards cycle, flourishing in the colder, darker parts of the Antarctic year and diminishing in the warmer, brighter summer months. “Our September trip, in the early part of the Antarctic spring, will coincide with this big population swing,” she notes, “so we’ll be able to look at the dynamics of that shift.”

Murray says the project will not only answer questions about what lives in these Antarctic waters and how the organisms survive so well, but will also result in genomic technology methods that can be used to study other organisms living in extreme environments. Ultimately, she’ll be help-ing herself, as she prepares for another investiga-tion set to begin in January 2002. In that project, headed by Dr. Craig Cary of the University of Delaware, Murray will use the same biotechnology techniques to study gene expression in a community of organisms living in yet another extreme environment—the mineral deposits surrounding deep-sea vents in the Pacific Ocean west of Costa Rica.

This time, the microorganisms have a partner in the form of a five-inch, tube-dwelling worm that shares a symbiotic relationship with the fleece of bacte-ria that grow on its back. That Alvinella pompejana, or the Pompeii worm, gets by only with a little help from its friends is hardly surprising considering that it lives deep below the surface, withstanding tremendous pressure and living in virtual darkness. To make things even tougher, the water is laden with heavy metals and there are huge temperature disparities within its tiny living space: it’s as hot as 80˚C (117˚F) where the worm’s tail rests, and about 22˚C (72˚F) where the head emerges from its tube-shaped home.

Researchers know that the feathery bacteria covering the worm’s back play a crucial role in allowing it to survive in such an environment, but precisely how the relationship works is still very much a mystery, as it is for many of the similar symbiotic associations being found in other extreme marine systems. “The lack of understand-ing comes in part from our inability to cultivate these creatures free from their hosts,” explains Murray. “Even when we can cultivate them, it’s unlikely that the responses we measure in the lab will truly represent what happens in the natural ecosystem.”

To reach the community, Murray and her colleagues will use Alvin, a three-person research submersible owned by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, that can dive as low as 13,124 feet below the ocean surface. Alvin became a vital tool in finding and investigating deep-sea life-forms when, in 1977, researchers first discovered the giant tube worms and other extraordinary crea-tures living around vents off the Galapagos Islands. Alvin even lends its name to the Alvinellids, the class of small deep-sea worms to which the Pompeii worm belongs.

Murray’s part of the project will look at the rela-tionship of the Pompeii worm and its resident bacte-ria at the gene expression level and will be the clos-est look to date at how the components of such a system work together. “We’ll look for what we’re

calling a core metabolism. Is there some core gene set, a theme of life in this community? It’s exciting because this is the first time a project to sequence a ‘metagenome’ of a whole community has been funded.”

While developing the technology to understand how life survives in the most inhospitable places is justification enough for this work, you can leave it to enter-prising humans to come up with practical, even mundane, applications for what’s discovered. Industry is quite interested in these little survivors, and most espe-cially in the enzymes that help them function in their brutal habitats. The enzymes

that remain active at cold temperatures could be used to develop detergents that work well in cold water. Heat-loving organisms have already yielded an enzyme that has made possible the common forensic use of DNA fingerprinting. The same enzyme is also used extensively in medical diagnosis and biological research. And enzymes from microorganisms that tolerate highly acidic, salty, or alkaline conditions have potential applications for improving animal feed, producing stonewashed denim, even extracting crude from oil wells.

Clearly there is far more than meets the eye, or microscope, when it comes to these little creatures. In Nature it seems, there’s someone, or someplace, for everyone. These tiny extremists are happy inhab-iting even the nastiest places on Earth. Perhaps what’s really surprising is not that they can survive where they do, but that we “higher” forms of life may have so much to learn from them.

–Jackie Allen

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taking a veRy close lookat life at the limits

Antarctic samples will be analyzed in DRI lab in Reno. In her DRI lab in Reno, Murray plates E. coli bacteria with genes cloned from Antarctic seawater. She brings all the samples she collects back to Reno for similar laboratory analytical treatment.

A ride to work. Murray will reach the tubeworms using the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute's Alvin research submersible.

(Photo by Rod Catanach, Woods HoleOceanographic Institution)

printed on recycled paper with soy inksdri news fall 2001

dri news is published by the Desert Research Institute, a nonprofit, statewide division of the University and Community College System of Nevada. DRI is internationally recognized for excellence in environmental research. Eighty-seven percent of the Institute’s budget comes from research grants and contracts. DRI operates the Dandini Research Park in Reno. Articles appearing in dri news may be reprinted without restriction unless noted otherwise.

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ContributorsJackie Allen

John R. DohertyLynn Taylor

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Groundwater scientist Dr. David Benson and polar ecosystem biologist Dr. Chris Fritsen this year shared the Desert Research Institute’s 2001 Peter B. Wagner Medal of Excellence. Benson’s research has focused on developing more accurate mathematical models to describe the movement of pollutants in ground-water, and Fritsen’s work examines how environmental and climate conditions affect microorganisms inhabiting polar ice, and whether similar life-forms may be found on other planets.

The award, which recognizes achieve-ment by DRI faculty in the early stages of their careers, was established by Sue Wagner in memory of her husband, Peter, a DRI scientist who died in the crash of a DRI research aircraft in 1980. Mrs. Wagner, who later served as a special assistant to three DRI presidents, has also held elected office as a state legislator and lieutenant governor, and is currently a member of the Nevada Gaming Commission.

2001 wagneR meDal of excellence awaRDeD to two scientists at DRi