NASA Quest Space Team Online QuestChat

Date: September 27, 2001

Featuring: Carlton Hall

Thu Sep 27 14:15:16 2001

 [ Lori/NASAChatHost - 0 - 21:47:09 ]
Please join us Thursday, September 27, for a webchat with NASA expert Carlton Hall Ecology Research Scientist, from the Kennedy Space Center. This chat continues the theme featured in the September 20 webcast from KSC featuring: "ISS - A Home in Microgravity" -- Living in Space Begins on Earth. Please be sure to read the expert’s profile before joining us, so that your questions will be appropriate to Mr. Hall's field.

[ Lori/NASAChatHost - 1 - 21:47:49 ]
You may go ahead and place questions in the chatroom now to be answered during the webchat. Please don't post test messages or repeats -- though you may not see your question, it is in the chatroom. Again, PLEASE do not repeat your questions. Enjoy the chat :-)

[ Lori/NASAChatHost - 4 - 09:41:03 ]
Hello to our early arriving participants!! The webchat with Carlton Hall will begin in about 20 minutes. If you haven't read Carlton's bio, you still have time -- see http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/people/BIOS/space/c_hall.html. Enjoy the webchat :-)

[ Lori/NASAChatHost - 5 - 09:59:33 ]
We are ready to begin our webchat with Carlton Hall. Carlton will share with us a little about what he does at the Kennedy Space Center.

[ CarltonHall/KSC - 6 - 10:00:55 ]
Hi. This is Carlton Hall at KSC. Really looking forward to a fun chat.

[ Lori/NASAChatHost - 7 - 10:01:22 ]
Welcome Carlton!!

[ CarltonHall/KSC - 11 - 10:04:06 ]
RE: [Nancy] I had heard that woodpeckers were a problem to previous launches - is that true?
In the past, NASA has had several problems with woodpeckers attacking the foam on the external fuel tank. To solve that problem, we set up a plan to minimize their nesting sites near the launch pads, while increasing nesting sites several miles away. This seems to be working.

[ CarltonHall/KSC - 13 - 10:06:28 ]
RE: [Brandy] Do launches cause any trauma to the animals?
Launches tend to frighten wildlife, due to the loud noise generated by the rocket motors. The shuttle main engines fire about five seconds before lift-off, so most birds and wildlife have time to get out of the way before the solid rockets fire.

[ CarltonHall/KSC - 14 - 10:08:51 ]
RE: [JACQUELYN] what advice can you give to me about working in your profession or for NASA?
The best advice I have would be to try to get involved with NASA's education programs during the summer, at both the high school and college level. NASA has some great programs that let students come to the center to work, in the summer. Many of our staff were students in these programs.

[ CarltonHall/KSC - 18 - 10:11:09 ]
RE: [Eugene] Will the Florida Scrubjay be affected by the West Nile virus?
The possible impact of the West Nile virus on the threatened population of Florida Scrub Jays at KSC and across Florida is a major concern. Birds of this type are known to be very susceptible to the virus and their populations are already declining due to habitat loss.

[ CarltonHall/KSC - 19 - 10:13:06 ]
RE: [Brandy] How many eggs can a single turtle produce?
To the best of my knowledge, sea turtles typically produce between 50 -100 eggs per nest. Some turtles may nest more than once in a season. Also, if they are disturbed during nesting they may stop laying.

[ CarltonHall/KSC - 22 - 10:16:13 ]
RE: [Timothy] What endangered species are there at KSC?
At KSC, and the Merritt Island refuge, we commonly use the number 20 for the estimate of federally listed endangered species. Some only pass through while some are here year round. Examples include Florida Scrub jay, Florida Scrub lizard, eastern indigo snake, loggerhead sea turtle, green sea turtle, manatee, wood storks, southeastern beach mouse and gopher tortoise.

[ CarltonHall/KSC - 23 - 10:18:48 ]
RE: [Stacey] During the webcast, it was mentioned that KSC has how many of the different climate zones of the world? What are they again? Thanks!
From a biological view KSC is unique in that it has species from both the temperate Carolinian zoogeographic region and the warm subtropical Caribbean region. Since we are on the coast we have saltwater, freshwater, and terrestrial species form both regions.

[ CarltonHall/KSC - 26 - 10:21:39 ]
RE: [Macy] What kinds of endangered plants do you work with?
At KSC, the only "endangered plant " is curtis reedgrass. We do have several other protected plants such as mangroves and orchids.

[ CarltonHall/KSC - 28 - 10:23:54 ]
RE: [Georgina] What makes the Florida Scrub Jay different from the other scrub jays?
The Florida Scrub Jay is unique in that it evolved in Florida and does not exist anywhere else. Its behavior of mating for life, defending a territory, and having helpers to guard the nest and hunt for food makes it unique.

[ CarltonHall/KSC - 29 - 10:27:11 ]
RE: [Eugene] Are there any kind of erosion problems around the launch pads?
Erosion near the launch pads has become a major concern during recent years (since Hurricane Floyd). We have had several areas of dune wash-over, one as recently as a few weeks ago, and we appear to be loosing a lot of beach during this fall storm season. We are working with NASA and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to try to minimize impacts to nesting turtles and dune vegetation, but it is a big problem.

[ CarltonHall/KSC - 32 - 10:30:29 ]
RE: [Johnny] How are you successfully protecting endangered plants & animals there?
We are working with the US Fish and Wildlife Service to develop land management plans to improve the habitat quality at the center using controlled burns in uplands, and water level manipulations with fire in wetlands. We also work with NASA planners to develop a plan to limit the locations of new facilities to areas that have been previously disturbed, or to areas that will have the least impact to wildlife populations.

[ CarltonHall/KSC - 33 - 10:33:38 ]
RE: [Stacey] Do the launches to damage to the surrounding area -- with all that smoke & chemicals & vibrations?
The most significant impact from launch comes from the exhaust of the solid rocket motors. They produce aluminum oxide powder (pretty inert) and HCL (acid) gas. The acid can damage the vegetation near the pad for a few months, but with all the rainfall we have, it usually grows back before the next launch. Remember, NASA has two launch pads that they usually rotate launches from.

[ CarltonHall/KSC - 37 - 10:37:48 ]
RE: [Vic] What are watershed dynamics and why are they important?
When we discuss watershed dynamics we are talking about the way water is stored, or moves across the ecosystem. Does it infiltrate to the groundwater, is it used by the plants, or does it runoff to lakes, streams or at KSC to the estuary? If man alters the watershed in a poor fashion, he can impact water quality, cause flooding, and in some cases destroy the ecology of the system. Good planning and monitoring can minimize impacts while maintaining biodiversity.

[ Lori/NASAChatHost - 39 - 10:41:59 ]
Great questions!! Keep them coming :-)

[ CarltonHall/KSC - 40 - 10:42:06 ]
RE: [Britney] Why is it such a big deal to protect endangered things?
Animals and plants become endangered by two processes, natural and man-made. Our concern is with man-made causes that seem to be producing extinction rates that are exceeding those that destroyed the dinosaurs. This is alarming in that these animals may be indicators of habitat quality that may impact man's ability to live on the earth some day. Also, they may have medicinal value. There is a good book called the "Sixth Extinction" that all students should read.

[ CarltonHall/KSC - 41 - 10:44:28 ]
RE: [Cassie] What is your favorite part of your job?
I really enjoy working with the technical issues of wildlife and fisheries science, with emphasis on trying to improve the quality of the habitats that have been degraded by past activities, before we became aware of the problems that we see now. NASA is the greatest!

[ CarltonHall/KSC - 44 - 10:47:00 ]
RE: [Macy] What is curtis reedgras?
Curtis reedgrass is a perennial that looks a little like spartina bakerii (cord grass). It grows only in Florida as far south as Merritt Island (KSC). It is found in freshwater swales in pine flatwoods.

[ CarltonHall/KSC - 46 - 10:49:22 ]
RE: [Macy] What important discoveries have you come across in protecting endangered species at KSC?
Probably our biggest discovery, as it relates to the ecology of KSC, is the requirement to burn scrub vegetation every 5-10 years to maintain habitat quality for all of the habitat-specific species. Prior to 1985, most people thought fire was bad (Smokey the Bear). The ecosystems here evolved with fire, and need it to maintain a healthy state.

[ CarltonHall/KSC - 50 - 10:51:59 ]
RE: [MsWilsons3rdGradeclass] What can we do as individuals to help preserve our planet Earth and its inhabitants (plants, animals & people)?
I believe the most important thing we can do to preserve our planet is to start early thinking about using renewable resources and recycling. We must think globally, but act locally (someone said that once). Everything we do has an effect.

[ CarltonHall/KSC - 51 - 10:54:39 ]
RE: [Debbie] Do you tag these endangered species so you can keep up with them?
We do a lot of tagging of wildlife in our research. We use color bands on the Scrub Jays to allow us to follow families, and determine reproductive success and mortality, as well as migrations (they don't usually fly more than 1-2 miles). We are using radio tags on indigo snakes to track movements of males and females to assess habitat use patterns, and impacts of watershed fragmentation by roads and construction.

[ Lori/NASAChatHost - 52 - 10:55:52 ]
We have about five minutes left for today's chat.

[ CarltonHall/KSC - 53 - 10:57:35 ]
RE: [Trisha] As a Ecology Research Scientist, what are the biggest problems people in your field see today? Are these an ecologist's major concerns?
I think the biggest problems we see today involve balancing growth and development of human needs with conservation and maintenance of ecosystems and biodiversity. I like to think the quality of life is only as good as the quality of the environment in which it exists. Education is a major issue.

[ CarltonHall/KSC - 54 - 10:59:53 ]
RE: [MsWilsons3rdGradeclass] What is the most important part of your job at KSC?
The most important part of my job is ensuring the NASA managers have the best scientific data and information available to make good decisions regarding environmental issues (whew). NASA is responsible for operating KSC within the rules established by environmental laws and, as such, they are liable in the court systems.

[ CarltonHall/KSC - 55 - 11:01:06 ]
RE: [Vic] Is the book you are talking about "Sixth Extinction" by Richard Leakey?
That's the one. I found it very thought provoking.

[ MsWilsons3rdGradeclass - 56 - 11:01:15 ]
Thanks for sharing with my class today!

[ Vic - 57 - 11:01:40 ]
Thanks for chatting with me Mr. Hall!

[ Lori/NASAChatHost - 58 - 11:02:46 ]
While Carlton is answering the last question for today, I want to take this opportunity to thank him for sharing what he does at KSC with us all. I also want to thank our audience for such thought-provoking questions!

[ CarltonHall/KSC - 59 - 11:03:39 ]
RE: [Vic] What exactly is biodiversity?
We think of biodiversity as the number of species present in a region. Other important terms might include species richness, and species evenness. These relate to the numbers of individuals and species. You should be able to find more complete discussions on the Internet.

[ CarltonHall/KSC - 60 - 11:04:35 ]
RE: [MsWilsons3rdGradeclass] Thanks for sharing with my class today!
Thank you all for the great questions. This has been really fun for me.

[ CarltonHall/KSC - 61 - 11:05:15 ]
RE: [Vic] Thanks for chatting with me Mr. Hall!
Thank You!

[ CarltonHall/KSC - 62 - 11:06:10 ]
Lori -- thank you for having me as a guest. Great questions.

[ Lori/NASAChatHost - 63 - 11:07:10 ]
Join us again -- you can see when our events are scheduled at: http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/calendar/index.html. Have a great day all :-)

[ CarltonHall/KSC - 64 - 11:07:39 ]
I hope everyone has a wonderful day. Thanks again, and keep thinking about our environment. It's the only one we have for now. Bye!