Samples on the Move at the Woods Hole Science Center

By Brian Buczkowski Jan. / Feb. 2008

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Above: (Right to left) Brian Buczkowski, Sandy Baldwin, Erin Twomey, Bill Winters, and Adrian Green (hand on left) unload cores from the Freezer Farm and into the new storage facility. Photograph by Dann Blackwood. [larger version] Above: John Bratton (left) and John Crusius bear a heavy burden, wheeling samples into the new geotechnical wing. Photograph by Dann Blackwood. [larger version] Above: Elizabeth Pendleton (left) and Greg Miller remove "D tubes" (named for the shape of their cross section) containing split core halves from the old refrigerated vans. Photograph by Dann Blackwood. [larger version]

The long-awaited move of samples archived by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)'s Woods Hole Science Center (WHSC) took place in mid-November 2007, when the samples were transferred to their new home in the K.O. Emery Geotechnical Wing. This new storage wing is part of an addition of new offices and a conference room to the WHSC facilities on the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution's Quissett Campus in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. The new storage facility now houses geologic and biologic samples collected from around the world by WHSC researchers during the course of their marine geologic and habitat investigations.

The new geotechnical wing comprises a refrigerated unit for core and sample storage kept at 4°C (approx 39°F) and a unit for frozen samples maintained at a chilly -22°C (approx -8°F). Adjacent to these cold rooms is a new core lab, which provides short-term storage for dried sediment samples and serves as a staging area for core splitting and sample description and analysis.

The monumental task of moving the entire collection of samples from their old home in outdoor trailers (locally referred to as the "Freezer Farm") to their new location would not have been possible without the back-breaking (and potentially toe-breaking) efforts of Brian Buczkowski, Elizabeth Pendleton, Bill Winters, Ellyn Montgomery, Dann Blackwood, Kate McMullen, Adrian Green, Erin Twomey, John Bratton, Greg Miller, Laura Erban, Sandy Baldwin, P.J. Bernard, Rick Rendigs, Michael Casso, Matt Arsenault, John Crusius, Kevin Kroeger, and Bene Ferre (all USGS).

Many thanks to all those who helped with the "big sample roundup," as well as to those involved in the planning, design and construction of this new addition, including Dave Nichols, Bill Schwab, Janet Paquette (USGS), and Ellen Mecray (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration).

Woods Hole Science Center U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Woods Hole, MA

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Jan. / Feb. 2008

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in this issue:

cover story:
Earthquake Damage Near Nuclear Power Plant

Coastal Processes Affect a Restored Tidal Wetland

Coral-Reef Investigation Featured in Molokai Times

Open House at FISC St. Petersburg

Workshop on Impacts of Sea Level Rise

International Delta Roundtable Meeting

2007 SACNAS National Conference

Ocean and Coastal Mapping Inventory Workshop

Biologists Honored for Polar Bear Research

Brian Atwater Receives Award, Elected to National Academy of Sciences

Peter Barnes Receives Scientist Emeritus Best Publication Award

Ralph Cheng Receives Distinguished Service Award

Janet Thompson Receives Diversity Award

Samples on the Move

Runners Team Up for Marathon

G.K. Gilbert Helps Celebrate Alumni Reunion

New Book on Tidal Freshwater Forested Wetlands

Jan. / Feb. Publications List