The University of Georgia Skidaway Institute of Oceanography will kick off its 2021 Evening @ Skidaway speaker series on Tuesday, Feb. 9, with a program on using satellites to explore the ocean.

Due to restrictions imposed by COVID-19, the talk, titled “Oceanography from Space,” by UGA Skidaway Institute scientist Sara Rivero-Calle will be presented virtually. The program will be presented via Zoom and will begin at 7 p.m.

Rivero-Calle holds a life-size model of a CubeSat satellite.

Rivero-Calle’s research focuses on microscopic marine plants known as phytoplankton. Rather than collecting samples in research vessels, Rivero-Calle uses miniature satellites to study them from space. The miniature satellite Rivero-Calle has been using is named CubeSat and is only slightly larger than a shoe box.

“With satellites, a whole new world opens up,” Rivero-Calle said. “You can look and take global snapshots of what’s happening in the ocean, which you can’t do if you have to go out in a boat and take your samples.”

The talk will be the first of ten Evening @ Skidaway programs to be presented on a monthly basis through November.

Tuesday, March 9 – Natalie Cohen – “What’s so hot about hydrothermal vents?”

Tuesday, April 13 – Dan Ohnemus, “A Look at Climate Mitigation Solutions: Ideas for the Century Ahead”

Tuesday, May 18 – Adam Greer, “The Secret Life of Ocean Critters”

Tuesday, June 8 – Clifton Buck, “Is it the Sun? Skepticism and Myth Making in Climate Science”

Tuesday, July 13 – Catherine Edwards, “Alexa, Map Fish Habitats! Artificial Intelligence For Robotic Fisheries Management”

Tuesday, August 10 – Open Lab Night, Labs TBA

Tuesday, September 14 – Clark Alexander, “I’m all shook up – earthquakes and tsunamis”

Tuesday, October 12 – Marc Frischer, “Climate Change and Shrimp Black Gill – Is There A Connection?”

Tuesday, November 9 – Jay Brandes, “The Ocean’s Plastic Problem – A Very 21st Century Pollutant”

All the programs will be presented virtually until COVID-19 restrictions are lifted enough to allow a return to in-person presentations. To join the Feb. 9 program, RSVP to mike.sullivan@skio.uga.edu. You will be sent a link to access the presentation.

For additional information, contact Michael Sullivan at (912) 598-2325.