Dr. Don Redalje

Biological oceanography; marine phytoplankton ecology; physiology; bio-optics; primary production; taxonomy

Professor
Department of Marine Science
1020 Balch Blvd.
Stennis Space Center, MS 39529-9904
phone: 228-688-1174
fax: 228-688-1121
donald.redalje@usm.edu

Education

B.A., Environmental Biology, 1971, University of California, Santa Barbara
Ph.D., Biological Oceanography, 1980, University of Hawaii
Postdoctoral Study, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, 1980-1982

Research Interests

My major research interests include marine phytoplankton ecology, physiology, bio-optics, biochemistry, primary production and taxonomy with particular emphasis on the effects of environmental factors on carbon and nitrogen metabolism, cellular composition and growth at the species and population levels of both laboratory cultures and natural populations.

Additional areas of interest include the biogeochemical cycling of organic materials in the upper layers of the ocean, in both coastal and oceanic environments and the effects of various dissolved and/or suspended components on the light absorption characteristics of marine phytoplankton.

Another area of research interest is the mass culture of marine and freshwater microalgae for the production of various commercially important materials including plant pigments and compounds with anti-cancer activity. Mass culture of microalgae may also be helpful as a means to reduce atmospheric CO₂ and my research examines aspects of how this might be accomplished.

New areas of interest for me are that of Marine Science and Public Policy and of Integrated Coastal Management. This effort includes examination of coastal resources, scientific information and public needs as they each contribute to coastal resource management.

Courses

Biological Oceanography (MAR 401/501) and Biological Oceanography Laboratory (MAR 401L/501L): This is the core course in biological oceanography and laboratory required of all Marine Science students. In this course we examine the important biological components of marine systems, the processes which impact marine ecosystems, the biogeochemical cycling of biologically important elements and materials, and many of the approaches taken by oceanographers to study the ocean. We focus on the physical and chemical environments, microbial communities, phytoplankton, zooplankton, nekton, and the shallow and deep benthos.
The Marine Scientist and Public Policy (MAR 601): Science and politics often come together in complicated and interesting ways. In this course we examine how oceanographers and other marine scientists communicate with those who are responsible for formulating public policy. What information should the scientist provide the policy makers so that informed policies can be developed? In what form should these scientific findings be provided so that policy makers will take home the intended message? We examine these and other related questions following the concepts generally referred to as “Integrated Coastal and Ocean Management.” In addition, students will be expected to choose a marine policy topic (topics may come from the subject areas covered in the lectures, in papers in the marine policy and management literature, or you may, with approval from me, choose another policy related topic) and prepare a term paper on the chosen topic. Each student will prepare an oral presentation of their term paper and present it to the class; the presenter will then lead a class discussion on the material presented.
Fisheries Oceanography (MAR 603): In the past, there has been a profound gap between oceanographers who are concerned with gas or nutrient exchange processes, or the spatial dynamics and processes of water bodies and plankton, and fisheries scientists who are more concerned with biology of fishes, population dynamics, and recruitment or predator-prey relationships. Fisheries oceanography combines elements of both oceanography and fisheries approaches to the understanding of this dynamic and multidisciplinary field of science.

Selected Publications

Redalje, D. G., S. E. Lohrenz, M. J. Natter, M. D. Tuel, G. J. Kirkpatrick, D. F. Millie, G. L. Fahnenstiel, and F. M. Van Dolah. 2008. The growth
dynamics of Karenia brevis within discrete blooms on the West Florida Shelf. Continental Shelf Research(doi:j.csr.2007.04011) 28: 24-44.

Lohrenz, S. E., D. G. Redalje, W-J. Cai, J. Acker, and M. Dagg. 2008. A retrospective analysis of nutrients and phytoplankton productivity in the
Mississippi River plume. Continental Shelf Research 28: 1466-1475.

Huntley, M. E. and D. G. Redalje. 2007. CO2 Mitigation and renewable oil from photosynthetic microbes: A new appraisal. Mitigation and
Adaptation Strategies for Global Change 12: 573-608.

Lohrenz, S. E., D. G. Redalje, P. G. Verity, C. N. Flagg, and K. V. Matulewski. 2002. Primary production on the continental shelf off Cape Hatteras,
North Carolina. Deep-Sea Research II 49: 4479-4509.

P. G. Verity, D. G. Redalje, S. E. Lohrenz, C. Flagg, and R. Hristov. 2002. Coupling between primary production and pelagic consumption in
temperate ocean margin pelagic ecosystems. Deep-Sea Research II 49: 4553-4569.

Redalje, D. G., S. E. Lohrenz, P. G. Verity, and C. N. Flagg. 2002. Phytoplankton dynamics within a discrete water mass off Cape Hatteras, North
Carolina: The Lagrangian experiment. Deep-Sea Research II 49: 4511-4531.