Project Name: Ship Emissions on Marine Phytoplankton

What we need from you

Location: Sargasso Sea, South Pacific, Centre of the Indian ocean  

Type of vessel: Sailing boat course I cannot go on traditional research vessels because they too emit combustion aerosols that would contaminate my incubation experiments. So I must find a way to sail to these remote ocean areas!

Berths: 2 berths (for myself and an assistant)

Duration/timing:  3-5 days between Feb. 2021 and before Feb. 2020

Necessary equipment: 

Sunlit space on deck to set up a ship board flow thru incubator (1x1x0.5 m) and space and power source for a small Masterflex® Peristaltic Pump (~0.2×0.2 m footprint); space to store 2 action packers and 1 cooler, each ~0.7X0.5×0.5m

Objectives

We will identify the effects of specific ship aerosol components on phytoplankton abundance and community structure. By combining experimental data, remote sensing and ship traffic data with existing chemical transport models we will : 1) Quantify the relative importance of ships as sources of nutrients; 2) Explain how effects may vary spatially and in time; 3) Generate a global map identifying, characterizing and ranking “sensitive areas” ; 4) Create the starting point for modeling long term impacts due to climate change and changes in shipping industry; 5) Provide scientific information for policy makers engaged in the shipping regulatory process.

Lead Scientist

Joana Tavares-Reager.

I am a 4th year PhD candidate in the Earth System at the University of California, Irvine where I study marine biogeochemistry and phytoplankton ecology.  I am the quintessential “old grad student” who decided to go back to school after having worked in the field for many years.  I graduated with a BS in marine science 15 years ago from the Federal Univ. of Rio Grande in Brazil (where I am originally from). Then I moved to the US and got a masters in Marine Science and Policy at the Univ. of Delaware and spent most of the following ten years teaching, working as a science communication consultant, and starting a family.