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Ostracode Research Activities inNEW ZEALAND
Correspondent: Stephen Eager <Stephen.Eagar@vuw.ac.nz>
Eagar, Stephen. Stephen revisted Tarawa in the Republic of Kiribati (Gilbert Islands) to study the effects of the sewage discharge outlets on the environment. These are not as intense as might be expected with such a dense population as the facilities are flushed with sea water. The results of this work are being published in a book due out late in 1999. In addition, some freshwater ponds were sampled and some of them contained ostracods. Stephen also went to the 28 SOPAC (South Pacific Applied Geoscience Commission) Conference hosted by the Federated States of Micronesia in Suva, Fiji where he presented a paper on "Ostracods from Tarawa: their place in the Pacific scheme of things". A new project on the ostracods from Funafuti, Tuvalu (Ellice Islands) looking at some samples collected by SOPAC and himself. Work is also continuing on some Pleistocene marine faunas from eastern New Zealand. An inventory of all ostracod species is being prepared for a Millenial Symposium to be held in Wellington, New Zealand. An honours degree student, Jane Atkinson, is working on the sediments of Nabuca Reef flat in Suva Harbour, Fiji which have good ostracod faunas. She is looking at why the main channel is silting up, which may be related to the Suva earthquake of 1954.
Mason, Graeme. My present central pursuit (which I expect to be at the core of future work) is to develop and test a theory of the deep structural patterns to be found displayed in the Ostracoda. Peripheral to this project is work mainly based on the New Zealand freshwater ostracods.
Swanson, Kerry. Kerry, along with Thomas Jellinek, represented the interests of ostracodology by participating in the GEOMAR sponsored 'TASQWA" project which is to study hydrological and climatic change in the Southern Ocean over the last 200,000 years. The cruise on the research vessel 'Sonne' occurred on October and November of '98. As part of a joint effort with Patrick DeDeckker (ANU), the recovery of a large number of living ostracods from the deep sea was a prime objective. To date we estimate we have about 70 podocopid species with soft parts, and about 30 myodocopid species. Thomas joined Kerry in Christchurch early in '99 to begin the laboratory work associated with the dissection and photography of the podocopids. It is hoped that this part of the project will be ready for publication late in 2000. A series of cores from the Tasman Sea and Campbell Plateau were also taken for ostracod paleothermometry amongst a raft of other studies by other specialists. Much of the information gathered will be presented at the 'Acheron Symposium' to be organised by Kerry, Thomas and Gerrit van der Lingen (GRAINZ), this meeting will be held in Westport in 2001. The individuals above will also edit the conference proceedings which will be published within a year of the symposium. Jane Guise has also started work on ostracods with Kerry. She will examine the biology and taxonomy of two species from the Avon and Heathcote Estuaries near Christchurch.
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CYPRIS No. 17 (1999): home page, table of contents, ostracode research by country list