Andrew is a post-doctoral researcher in North Carolina focused on population and conservation genetics in hydrothermal vent communities.



David is a graduate student in Florida. He studies the ecology and conservation of sharks.




Amy is a graduate student in North Carolina studying local ecological knowledge within small scale fisheries.



Chuck is a graduate student in North Carolina focusing on apex predators and how they interact with fisheries.




Lyndell is a graduate student in North Carolina, studying the feeding ecology of cownose rays.




Iris is a graduate student in Washington studying habitat use and feeding habits of juvenile Pacific salmon and herring in Puget Sound.



Michael is a graduate student in Maryland investigating the visual systems of mantis shrimp.



Archives

Second to last day of experiments

At this point we’re running on autopilot a bit.  As one of the Georgia students pointed out earlier today, we’ve become incredibly efficient at the protocols, just in time to start heading home tomorrow.

People have also had time to start analyzing their data from the first round of experiments.  Interestingly, the phytoplankton community has changed significantly in our little patch of ocean over just the short time we’ve been here.  Brian commented “I always assume, incorrectly, that the system will be static throughout the cruise. But it’s not, it’s surprisingly dynamic every year”.

Continue reading Second to last day of experiments

Day 3 at sea: first day in one place

After 6 long hours processing the phytoplankton profile from last night’s CTD, we decided to stay on this station for the remainder of our trip. The profile showed a distinct (and stable) maximum of phytoplankton. Interestingly, this maximum isn’t at the top as you might expect for sun-loving organisms.

Continue reading Day 3 at sea: first day in one place

Short update from the Sargasso Sea

This morning just after breakfast we arrived at station 1 after 24 hours of strait steaming. In past years, station 1 hasn’t had what it takes to be the place of study, but we decided to check it out anyways.

Continue reading Short update from the Sargasso Sea