Bioaccumulation of heavy metals due to river runoff is a pressing issue. Through the Ocean Research College Academy (ORCA), I will conduct research during the spring term analyzing the presence of heavy metals in the Puget Sound and the possible bioaccumulation in harbor seals. Sediment is collected using a Van Veen Grab from set sites around the Puget Sound once a month for the span of a year. Sediment samples will also be taken from various sites along the Snohomish River during the month of April. These samples will be sent to the Everett Environmental Laboratory to be tested for levels of mercury, arsenic, lead, zinc, cadmium, and copper. We will then attempt to obtain harbor seal excrement from the Everett Marina and send to the lab to be tested for the heavy metals listed above by the beginning of May. The data will be used to compare the amount of heavy metals found in the sediment of the Puget Sound to the amount of heavy metals found in secondary consumers (in this study harbor seals).

Marine based industries, particularly the shellfish industry, are increasingly concerned about the viability of their product due to changing ocean pH conditions. Many other organisms with calcareous shells or exoskeletons are impacted by this change in sea water acidity due to anthropogenic gases. One such organism is the Artemia salina, or brine shrimp. Acidification causes dissolution of the shells into calcium and carbonate ions that float freely in the water. It was hypothesized that three closed systems could be created to replicate the ocean conditions of the present and future, specifically in 50 years and 100 years. Brine shrimp were chosen to be test subjects due to their ease of propogation. The closed systems provided pH, Ca2+ concentration, and the vitality of the tested brine shrimp community data. The working hypothesis is that Ca2+ ion concentration will increase as the exoskeletons dissolve with the decrease of pH.

Where plankton reside in the water column is affected, among other things, by haloclines. Therefore the salinity stratification of the water can have major effects on the levels of plankton present. Our study focused on Possession Sound zooplanktons’ response to varying levels of salinity in a vertically stratified column. We questioned the preferred salinity level of various zooplankton found in a sample of Possession Sound water. We hypothesized that most zooplankton will prefer waters approximately 24 ppt since that is the average salinity of Possession Sound. We have so far looked at literature surrounding the subject and constructed the necessary apparatuses for the experiment. As part of our spring thesis research, we plan on observing the plankton’s response to the introduction to this environment.

The harvest of oil from large-scale algal cultivation has become an attractive source of alternative and sustainable biofuel to replace traditional fossil fuels. Understanding how algae store and breakdown their synthesized oils sequestered within specialized organelles known as lipid bodies is key to improving algae oil production. My study is to: a) propose a model alga, b) cytologically probe lipid body architecture, c) and document lipase activity gaining access to oils within lipid bodies. To select a model alga for my studies, I conducted a survey of my laboratory’s algae culture collection looking at organisms across a variety of taxa, lipid body morphology, spatial arrangement, and total number of lipid bodies. BODIPY 505/515, a lipophilic dye, was used to integrate the lipid bodies of these organisms. Chrysochromulina sp. was identified as the best model organism for its simple compliment of two large lipid bodies. Counterstained lipid bodies indicate a strong co-localization of an endoplasmic reticulum membrane with lipid bodies. Fluorescein diacetate was used as a fluorescent indicator for lipase activity. Over a 24-hr time course study, flow cytometric data showed fluorescein diacetate fluorescence increasing as BODIPY 505/515 fluorescence decreased. Cytological studies also show fluorescein diacetate localizing to lipid bodies during its peak fluorescence. These results indicate an endoplasmic reticulum membrane surrounds Chrysochromulina sp.’s lipid bodies and lipases are involved in gaining access to fatty acids through the endoplasmic reticulum membrane. In determining effective algal lipid harvesting protocols it is paramount to first understand cellular lipid usage. Developing the most efficient methods of converting algal lipid bodies to biofuels will accelerate the viability of the global transition to alternative fuel sources.