Sargassum, Phytoplankton, and Biogeochemistry at CSI

 

Hello, my name is Tara Hinton! I’m a sophomore here at the Outer Banks Field site, majoring in Environmental Studies (and possibly Folklore!) and minoring in G.I.S.

 I came to the Outer Banks field site with interdisciplinary interests and experience in fieldwork but decided to focus on scientific research and hone my data analysis skills this semester. I had the pleasure of interning at CSI in the Ecology and Biochemistry in Marine and Coastal Systems Lab (Lindsay is the P.I.!) under Claire Johnson, a graduate student in the lab. Lindsay’s lab uses biogeochemistry to study productivity and nutrient cycling in aquatic, and marine ecosystems. As a graduate student, Claire is interested in nitrogen fixation by sargassum and phytoplankton in the Gulf Stream.

A bit about my role as an intern:

As an intern in this lab, my work was split between experiments and data analysis. Clair gave me responsibility over a couple of years of phytoplankton data, which I searched for trends. Throughout the semester, I worked on ways to visualize this large dataset in Excel; which involved many ridiculously-colored Excel spreadsheets. Here are a couple of figures that I created to visualize data. HABs, harmful algal bloom-forming species, are phytoplankton that can become a nuisance or are toxic to marine life. I looked into the abundance of HABs in three years of data that Lindsay and Claire collected from the Gulf Stream.

But it wasn’t all Excel spreadsheets and data analysis! With Claire’s guidance (and patience!), I developed an experiment to test nutrient use in phytoplankton from sargassum-dominated areas of the Gulf Stream. Essentially, I tested phytoplankton growth responses to the additions of nutrients, like phosphate and nitrogen, in different salinities.  In relatively nutrient-poor areas of the Ocean, phytoplankton and sargassum play an important role in cycling nutrients, so it’s critical to understand how different communities respond to nutrients. Plus, with increasing anthropogenic nutrient inputs to aquatic environments, it’s important to understand how organisms at the bottom of the food chain react! 

 

Gulf Stream Trip

Lindsay’s lab routinely makes boat trips to the Gulf Stream, collecting phytoplankton and sargassum for experiments as they go. I was delighted when Lindsay and Claire invited me to go out on the boat for a Gulf Stream Cruise in mid-October! I was so excited to collect phytoplankton samples for my experiment and venture out to the Gulf Stream for the first time. 

Fieldwork almost always involves early mornings! Claire, Rebekah (our wonderful lab tech and OBXFS 21’er), and Emmy (our amazing photojournalist intern) left CSI far before the sun rose. After loading tens of empty buckets for water samples and sargassum onto a fishing boat, we set off of foggy Hatteras waters into the rougher swells of the ocean. And boy – seasickness is no joke! Fortunately, I felt better just in time to help out with data collection – and spot two sea turtles (sorry to disappoint – no pictures)!

Rebekah and I take LICOR and YSI measurements, while Claire records the data.
More data collection!

After collecting data, water samples, and sargassum, we headed in and hauled our buckets and buckets into the truck and back to the lab. The sun set over CSI, and we took a break to chat and eat dinner together. These are some of the best moments in lab work; I love getting to personally know the brilliant people working alongside and mentoring me. 

Filtering water samples in preparation for the next day’s experiments!

Analysis

After adding nutrients to my phytoplankton samples, Claire and I analyzed them for chlorophyll a content, and I analyzed my samples under the microscope. Although I’ve put all of my experiment supplies away, cleaned all of my beakers and vials, and closed up the microscope, I’m excited to continue analyzing the data that so many people helped me gather this semester.

A diatom, a type of phytoplankton, to the right.

Reflections

Thanks to the patience and knowledge of my mentor, I got a great taste of lab work in the ecology and biogeochemistry fields.  There’s so much to say about what I learned, but a couple of lessons stick out.

Experimental design is an involved process, but staying on your toes in lab work is just as difficult! It is so important to have a printed experimental protocol during lab work, so that experiments go smoothly and efficiently.

Research is difficult, and it is alright to mess up. Between pipetting incorrectly and learning to perform dilution calculations on the fly to Gulf Stream-induced sea sickness, I have certainly had my fair share of not-so-graceful moments. It’s important to learn from mistakes but to also be gentle with yourself. 

Research is as much about being playful and creative as it is about logic and expertise. This is a great attitude to have when trouble-shooting and designing experiments! Though I’m not sure if my future will hold more Gulf Stream cruises and phytoplankton experiments, I am so grateful for the experiences, expertise, time, and resources that my wonderful mentor, Claire, and my professor, Lindsay, have extended to me.