Eye on Science...

For people who are wondering, BenDiM2 refers to the Benthic Dinoflagellate Migration project, of which this is the second of three cruises.

Katy Grabowski (Dr. Dan Kamykowski's student) is looking at water samples from the bottom waters. She is examining phytoplankton populations (specifically dinoflagellates) that are the basis of the food chain. We're studying these plankton in the Gulf of Mexico due to the chronic reoccurence of Red Tide blooms in the gulf. Anita McCulloch is also looking at plankton populations, however, she is using HPLC to examine the pigments present in the water to identify plankton species. She is also comparing this data to her work in the Galapagos Islands.

Dr. Carrie Thomas' group is looking at nutrient fluxes in the upper layer of the sediment. They examine the concentration of nitrogen species in porewater. However, the sandy sediment with marled carbonate chunks at the bottom of the Gulf make it tricky to get good cores. When they do obtain good cores, they use flux chambers to monitor nutrients produced in the sediment over time.

Linda Waters-Lindqvist (Dr. Tom Wolcott's student) is looking at Benthic Karenia brevis seed populations and their relationship to benthic nutrient sources. Her project is two-fold. 1) Nutrients coming out of the sediment are measured using a microprofiler to obtain water from the bottom 2m of the water column where dinoflagellates use nutrients to maintain benthic seed populations to determine what is available at what depths for food. 2) Linda is also using autonomous drifters (Mimics) to see how a programmed model of Karenia brevis behavior responds to real light conditions in the water column with simulated nutrient profiles. She is looking to see if, during the course of a 24 hour diel migrational cycle, the Karenia brevis population will stay low enough in the water column to move with the bottom water and be transported on shore in upwelling conditions where additional nutrients are obtained and a toxic red tide bloom can form.

Dr. John Morrison's group is examining the physical oceanographic regime of the Gulf of Mexico to describe the physical properties associated with the waters that the other groups are examining the biology of to understand physical attributes affecting the biological structure.