Multiple Approaches for Evaluating Novel Marine Coatings in the Pearl Harbor Naval Base and in the Laboratory
Abstract
The Principal Investigators and their associates will provide to ONR-collaborating chemists whoare formulating experimental marine" coatings the following tests: (1) static field-immersiontesting of accumulation of macrofouling organisms in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii,"" coupled withperiodic digital photography, estimates of percent cover, and mechanical force-gaugemeasurements of adhesion strength" of hard-fouling organisms; (2) evaluation of the invertebrateand microbial communities growing on test surfaces in Pearl Harbor; a"nd (3) laboratoryevaluation of: (a) the settlement and attachment of tropical fouling animals, especially the tubeworm Hydroides e""legans, bivalve Dendostrea sandvicensis, and the ascidian Phallusiaphilippinensis; (b) fluid shear forces necessary to remove fouli"ng organisms from coatedcoupons in a calibrated turbulent flow cell; and (c) mechanical forces necessary to removesubmerged foulin"g organisms with a precision motorized force gauge. Overall, we will providesignificant and rapid evaluation of experimental coatin""gs in a tropical setting where marinebiofouling is rapid and severe. On a time-available basis, we will utilize metagenomic analyse"sof biofilm-bacterial DNA to determine the diversity of bacteria that induce recruitment ofbiofouling invertebrates on experimenta"l surfaces, and how well conserved settlement cues areamong disparate bacterial species that isolated from these surfaces. This eff""ort focuses ongaining a much better understanding of the basis of marine biofoulingIn 2017-2019, we will continue to test novel c"oatings supplied on panels by ONR contractors fortheir efficacy in either resisting fouling (anti-fouling) or removal of attached marine organismsunder moderate flow (foul-release). Our Pearl Harbor test site continues to be an excellent sitefor such field anal"ysis of experimental coatings, because recruitment by fouling organisms isconsistent and heavy throughout the year. We will develop"" D. philippinensis as an additionalmodel species for laboratory testing, Additionally, because we are aware that settlement andmet""amorphosis of H. elegans is brought about by several biofilm-bacterial species, we will carryout research on whether these other ba"cterial species/strains induce H. elegans to settle andmetamorphose using a similar mechanism to that of P. luteoviolacea or other" novel and yetundiscovered mechanism. Lastly, basic research on the molecular basis of bacterial attraction forlarval settlement a""nd on the structural basis for attachment of fouling organisms will continue,employing both the most up-to-date methods in molecula"r biology and electron microscopy.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Sep 29, 2017
- Source ID
- N000141712979
Entities
People
- Michael Hadfield
Organizations
- Office of Naval Research
- United States Navy
- University of Hawaiʻi System