Chat with Carrie Fraser

What is nutrient recycling and how will global warming impact it?
madeleinefA, Marymount

This is a great question, but tough to answer. The impact of global warming is one of the major questions that scientists today are looking to answer. One thing that scientists do know is that carbon dioxide, one of the gases effecting global warming, can impact primary production in the ocean. Just as on land, photosynthetic marine organisms, such as phytoplankton, take in carbon dioxide to obtain energy so the amount of carbon dioxide will impact the levels of primary production.

However, photosynthesis is not controlled by carbon dioxide alone. Primary producers in both terrestrial and marine environments also require inorganic nutrients, like nitrogen and phosphorus, for photosynthesis. Therefore, it is important for phytoplankton that there are plenty of nutrients available. When phytoplankton and the organisms that eat them die, the energy and nutrients contained within them could be lost. This would reduce the concentrations of nutrients available for photosynthesis unless there was some way for the nutrients to be freed and become available again. Luckily for marine organisms, there is such a way. Nutrient recycling, or the re-release of nutrients back into the environment, is accomplished thanks to the millions of bacteria in the ocean. Bacteria break down dead organisms and feces and reintroduce nutrients back into the environment so that they can be used for photosynthesis. Thus, although global carbon dioxide levels are on the rise, the rate of photosynthesis by phytoplankton also depends on bacteria and the available nutrients.

What is your favorite part of your job? What is the most important thing you do for your job?
adriennecA, Marymount

Despite the fact that I often get seasick, my favorite part of the job is going out to sea to do research. Not only does it allow me to travel to some amazing places and meet new people from all over the world, but I also find it a pleasant escape from the insanity of everyday life. In fact, it may sound corny, but getting away, surrounded by miles and miles of water, allows me to appreciate the enormous power and scope of nature.

Still, while going out to sea and getting samples from the environment is fun and an important part of my job, I wouldn’t say that it is the most important. I think that the most important part of my job, and what I spend the most time doing, is my laboratory work on land. Since the equipment that I need is not typically available on a boat, I process all of the water samples that I collected in the field while in the lab. It is here where any of my discoveries are made.

What was your favorite place to travel for your work, and where do you hope to go next?
Isabel T, Marymount

I would have to say that my favorite place that I have traveled to thus far has been New Zealand. I went there to study some of the fjords in the southern island. While in New Zealand, I saw some breathtaking sites; cool wildlife, including penguins and a pod of dolphins; and of course lots of sheep.

As for where I would like to go next, I know that many people would expect me to say some warm Caribbean island, but it’s not, instead it is Antarctica. While the fact that I’m so pale that I burn under fluorescent lights is one of the reasons, the main reason that I choose Antarctica is that it is like nothing that I have ever seen before. Also, not many people get to go there and experience it for themselves so it would be an amazing opportunity.

Since the beginning of your studies, have you noticed any change in the microbial community?
Emma H., Marymount

Microbes are absolutely amazing organisms in their ability to adapt and change. They can live under the most extreme conditions, from hydrothermal vents to the bottom of an iceberg, and have unique capabilities (i.e. magnetic bacteria). We are finding new populations all of the time. In my own research, I have seen changes in the microbial community on a small scale. For example, while studying a harmful algal bloom in Delaware, I noticed that the bacterial populations living in the area during and after the bloom were very different. What would really be interesting to me would be to examine one location over a long time span and see how time and other factors impact the bacterial population.

Are you away from your family for long periods of time?
51Weedle, Northwest High School

That depends upon the type of research that you choose to pursue. Some researchers could be gone for months on a research trip to Antarctica; while others may never leave there own state. Personally, the longest period of time that I have been away from home is a little over a month. While I did miss my family and friends, I was excited about the research that I was doing and the different places that I was seeing. Also, thanks to e-mail I could occasionally keep in touch with people back home.

How are you able to become a marine researcher? I would love to do something like you do! Is this a hard study to go into?
54Daisy, Northwest High School

I always love to hear that other young people are interested in the field. Not to sound like a cheesy commercial for a tourist resort, but there is something for everyone in marine science. What I mean by this is that people of all different interests call themselves marine researchers. This makes your question slightly more difficult to answer. Typically, to become a marine researcher you need to have some sort of science background, usually from college and/or graduate school. Many people think that you have to the best science grades in the class to become a scientist, but that is not necessarily true. While a deep understanding of scientific concepts are crucial, I believe that the ability to ask good questions and think analytically is more important.

In addition to schooling, one thing that I would suggest is to go out and get some experience. It does not necessarily have to be at an aquarium, but having experience in the marine field, a lab, or some sort of scientific research will greatly help your chances of success later. This will not only enhance your knowledge of science, but will also provide you with skills that you can use later on in your career.

what types of animals are dying because of pollution in your area?
56Noctowl, Northwest High School

To my knowledge, there have not been any direct links recently between any mass animal deaths and pollution. HOWEVER, as mentioned in the Hudson River Plume lesson, pollution can lead to eutrophication and hypoxia, low oxygen levels in the water, and can cause death of fish, crabs, and oysters. In NJ, one of the biggest hypoxia events occurred in 1976 and it resulted in the death of huge numbers of fish, surf clams, and other organisms. These events are not only devastating from an ecological perspective, but also from an economic perspective because they crash major fishing industries.

How you choose which area to look for bacteria? Are there some areas that are better than others? Are there any telltale signs or features that indicate a better spot?
Laura, Sea Girt

Fortunately for those of us who study them and for the ocean itself, bacteria can be found almost anywhere in the marine environment. Although the numbers and species differ depending on depth and location, the wide distribution of these organisms allow us a lot of flexibility when choosing a study site. As a result, we chose our research sites based upon questions that we would like to investigate. For example, I am interested in how salinity impacts different species of bacteria so I am working at locations around the world that have changes in salinity either with depth or distance.

As to whether some areas are better than others and whether there are telltale signs for these locations, I think that again depends on what you would like to find out in your experiments. There are a number of factors, such as depth, location, and amount of primary production, that influence how many bacterial cells are in one spot and which types of bacteria are present. Therefore, depending of what a researcher wants to investigate, he/she can use this information to find a proper sampling site. In my work, I find the best sampling areas are those that contain many bacteria in small volumes of water. This is because it is easier for me to extract DNA and perform other tests if there are many bacteria in the water. To find these areas, I look for places that have high levels of primary production and nutrients. However, when choosing a location, I also have to consider what other conditions are present (i.e. salinity) when designing my experiments.