The interns on the dock preparing to go out to the ocean and deploy a research glider. Left to right are Jace Marquardt, interns Zechariah Webb (Yakama) and Kasey Ingram (Navajo), and Dr. Jack Barth from OSU’s coastal oceanography lab,
CORVALLIS, Ore. – Two Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission’s (CRITFC) Center for Coastal Margin Observation and Prediction (CMOP) summer interns, Kasey Ingram and Zechariah Webb finish out their summer of science.
Ingram (Navajo) and Webb (Yakama) capped their internship by collaborating with Oregon State University (OSU) researchers in the successful deployment of an autonomous ocean glider off the Washington coast in early August.
Working with Dr. Jack Barth at OSU’s coastal oceanography lab, the interns helped prepare and launch Glider 1138 from the vessel Monte Carlo as part of the Northwest Association of Networked Ocean Observing Systems (NANOOS) summer mapping effort. The glider is equipped with sensors that track critical ocean conditions such as hypoxia, acidification, upwelling, and marine heatwaves.
Ingram and Webb, who were based at OSU in Corvallis, spent the summer assisting with research that supports regional fisheries and ocean health monitoring. The deployment came as early glider data revealed low-oxygen conditions offshore, underscoring the importance of real-time monitoring to coastal communities and fisheries.
Their internships were supported through a partnership between CRITFC and OSU.