Bonjour from the Ronald H. Brown!
As we pass by the Isle de Clipperton, a French territory, I am going to write a little bit about what I do here on the ship. My name is Alyse Larkin, I am a postdoctoral researcher at UC Irvine in Dr. Adam Martiny’s lab, and I am one of the few microbiologists on P18.
Traditionally, GO-SHIP cruises do not include biological measurements, so I am particularly excited to be adding microbiology to the P18 scientific roster. It is critically important to understand both how environmental variability influences the marine microbial community and, in turn, to understand how the microbial community influences biogeochemical cycling. The P18 transect will cover a large range of oceanographic provinces, and therefore represents an excellent opportunity to better characterize the function of marine microbes in the environment and their response to environmental
change.
While on the ship I will be sampling microbial DNA and particulate organic carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus. Every latitudinal degree I take surface water from the CTD, filter it, and preserve the DNA for metagenomic analysis. Additionally, I use a huge filtration array to sample the ship’s “underway system,” which pipes surface water from the bow through the ship, for particulate organic matter.
To accomplish a thorough understanding of both microbial community and C:N:P patterns, I am usually filtering water in the ship’s bioanalytics lab for about -16- 18 hours a day. But I don’t mind! I get to see lots of beautiful sunrises and sunsets from my little window, depending on the direction the ship is pointing while on station.
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