Ben Oostdam story # 536

Diatoms
Chesapeake Bay
Ruth Patrick turning 102
Kent Mountford

I first met Ruth at the opening of "her" (the Academy of Natural Sciences') fieldstation
sometime in the late 1960's. In the early seventies, we were Board Members of IDRES
(Institute for the Development of Riverine and Estuarine Studies), in Philadelphia, PA.
ANS scooped me once when they made a more lucrative job offer to the former Director
of the Nathrang Institute of Oceanography, whom I met and "bailed out" as one of the
last occupants of the GAP, PA, Vietnamese Refugee Camp.
Of course, their other scoop was to start "Environmental" as early as 1947,
while I only got around tuit in 1968, but still well ahead of Pres. Nixon's establishing the EPA!
Incidentally, marine diatoms make it as far up the Delaware Estuary
as Philadelphia, thanks to the so-called "salt water wedge" ...

The "Bay Journal" is an excellent publication not only printed on recycled
paper for some two decades, but now also featuring a splendid website.
One of its main authors nowadays is Karl Blankenship, but another
fascinating contributor is Dr. Kent Mountford, a former associate of Dr. Ruth Patrick.
Please read his latest (November, 2009) article below, in which he gives more
details about diatoms and Dr. Ruth Patrick! :

Phytoplankton: small organisms play big role in Bay
Past is Prologue / By Dr. Kent Mountford -
Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay :
Bay Journal volume 19, Number 8, November 2009

BLO fecit 20091113 - stories