Texas Estuarine Coastal Exchange (TEX-ECE)
Several faculty members, technicians, and students from The University of Texas Marine Science Institute (UTMSI) will participate in this multidisciplinary expedition aboard the R/V Pelican. Together, they will investigate how sediments, ocean conditions, and marine organisms interact offshore of Mustang and San José Island, Texas. This collaborative effort will provide new insights into coastal ecosystem processes and how they respond to environmental change.
Texas Estuarine Coastal Exchange (TEX-ECE) Logistics
Texas Estuarine Coastal Exchange Dispatches
Updates and reflections from the Texas Estuarine Coastal Exchange Expedition will be shared here.
Research Overview
This research expedition investigates the physical, chemical, and biological processes that shape coastal ecosystems offshore of Mustang and San José Island. During the Sediment Leg, scientists will study the seafloor to understand how mud, sand, organic matter, and microbial communities record environmental change over time. Sediment cores and samples collected across the study area will reveal carbon storage, sediment structure, ancient and modern DNA, and the diversity of microbes and small animals living within the seafloor. Seismic surveys will further uncover the layering and geological history beneath the seabed. If time permits, additional sediment cores will be collected in deeper offshore waters.
During the Water Column and Biology Leg, researchers will focus on the ocean above the seafloor. Instruments lowered through the water column will measure temperature, salinity, oxygen, and other characteristics that define marine habitats. Water samples will be collected to analyze nutrients and carbon, and zooplankton will be gathered to study the tiny drifting animals that support the food web. Mud and small organisms from the seafloor will also be collected to link biological patterns with environmental conditions throughout the region.
Throughout both legs, the ship’s flow-through seawater system will collect continuous measurements of inorganic carbon as the vessel moves between sampling sites and in and out of Port Aransas. These real-time data help scientists track changes in water chemistry and connect underway conditions with the samples collected onboard.
This expedition is funded in part by the Texas Gulf Coast Research Center.
More Information
Learn more about the Texas Estuarine Coastal Exchange expedition at The University of Texas Marine Science Institute's official website.