Sunset from the James Clark Ross
Studying the state of pteropods in the modern ocean
Pteropods are tiny swimming snails that live in the surface ocean. They feed on phytoplankton and zooplankton and are eaten by other larger zooplankton and fish. They have been called the 'potato chips of the sea' because of their important role in the marine food chain.
Pteropods make their shells from the mineral aragonite, the more soluble form of calcium carbonate. This means they are at higher threat from ocean acidification than organisms which form calcite shells, such as oysters. Pteropods reach their highest abundances in the polar and sub-polar oceans where carbon dioxide is more soluble. This, combined with their mineralogy, puts them at high risk from ocean acidification.
Pteropods make their shells from the mineral aragonite, the more soluble form of calcium carbonate. This means they are at higher threat from ocean acidification than organisms which form calcite shells, such as oysters. Pteropods reach their highest abundances in the polar and sub-polar oceans where carbon dioxide is more soluble. This, combined with their mineralogy, puts them at high risk from ocean acidification.
Left: Studying pteropods collected in the Scotia Sea on board RRS James Clark Ross. Centre: The pteropods I was looking at! Right: CT scans of pteropods. The red material represents thin areas of shell and the white material represents thick areas of shell.
Ship time
Some of the samples for my research come from the Scotia Sea. I was lucky enough to be able to go on the Western Core Box research cruise with the British Antarctic Survey from November - December 2015 aboard RRS James Clark Ross. I was collecting pteropod samples using a bongo net for future research back in the lab in Pennsylvania. Spending time at sea was a great way to get perspective on the scale of the Southern Ocean ecosystem.
Some of the samples for my research come from the Scotia Sea. I was lucky enough to be able to go on the Western Core Box research cruise with the British Antarctic Survey from November - December 2015 aboard RRS James Clark Ross. I was collecting pteropod samples using a bongo net for future research back in the lab in Pennsylvania. Spending time at sea was a great way to get perspective on the scale of the Southern Ocean ecosystem.
Top Left to bottom right: RSS James Clark Ross in Port Stanley; Retrieving the bongo net after a deployment to 200 m; The science party from JR15002 - the western core box cruise; Mr. Friendly, a skua who, or so I'm told, calls in to see the crew when the ship reaches Signy Research Station each year; the seals on the beach at Bird Island Research Station; some humpback whales who came to see what we were doing.