04/25/06 OSU Oceanography

Leave it to the Beavers to make splash when it comes to new marine discoveries. Researchers at Oregon State University, known for it's outstanding oceanography curriculum are discovering new methods to chart everything from the habits of halibut to the ability to predicate tsunamis. They are doing it by revolutionizing the mapping of undersea terrain using multi-beam sonar to create a method to chart 950 square nautical miles of the ocean floor . Up until the university researchers got involved the rich Oregon coastal waters have been navigated and studied using old depth charts and outdated contour maps. The University, along with additional state agencies are investing $5.6 million dollars for the two year study that they believe will benefit not Oregon's' vital coastal ecosystem and contribute vastly to the commercial and sport fisheries industry and booming Oregon Coast tourism. Being an alumn I can proudly say "Go Beav's"