The majority of the ocean contains sufficient oxygen to support aerobic respiration, however some locations are oxygen-stressed. When oxygen concentrations fall to undetectable levels, microorganisms turn to alternative electron acceptors such as nitrogen and sulfur during respiration. Regions of the ocean where this occurs are called Oxygen Deficient Zones (ODZ). ODZs are growing in size due to anthropogenic climate change, and understanding how they operate is important for predicting how the ocean may change in the future. Bacteria play a pivotal role in cycling nutrients through such anaerobic pathways as denitrification, and the sulfur cycle, as well as through the chemoautotrophic process, anammox, which is an important component of the energy web in ODZs. Bacterial enzyme abundances are a good representation for how much of each process may be occurring in low oxygen environments. Specific enzymes are known to be involved in key energy transfer reactions during each of these processes, and peptides within these enzymes can be detected using targeted proteomics. The hypothesis of this research is that there will be vertical zonation between denitrification, anammox, and sulfur cycling within the oxygen deficient waters of the Eastern Tropical North Pacific (ETNP). During this research, bacterial samples from the ETNP, off the coast of Manzanillo, Colima, Mexico, were collected using McLane in situ pumps from December 29th, 2016 to January 15th, 2017 aboard the R/V Sikuliaq. Targeted proteomics were applied to six samples from different depths using a list of predetermined peptides involved in denitrification, anammox, and sulfur cycling in order to assess relative enzyme abundance in each sample. Successful completion of sample analysis resulted in a vertical zonation of denitrification, anammox, and sulfur cycling with relative abundance included across the depth profile.

The production of saxitoxin by the dinoflagellate Alexandrium catenella and the bioaccumulation of the neurotoxin in shellfish can result in people contracting paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) after consuming contaminated shellfish. While the Washington State Department of Health (WDOH) routinely tests commercially farmed shellfish for saxitoxin concentrations, people who recreationally farm shellfish are at increased risk of contracting PSP because of the long process from water sampling to warning signs or beach closures. Many Alexandrium blooms are initiated by cysts, a dormant form of A. catenella that can remain viable in sediments for long periods of time. The purpose of this research is to develop a low cost and easy to deploy early warning system for Alexandrium blooms that monitors benthic conditions as a proxy for the likelihood of a bloom. The instrument has multiple nodes along the cable containing temperature and light sensors. Temperatures above 7° C and light reaching the cysts on the seafloor can trigger cyst germination making these variables good predictors of Alexandrium blooms. Because of the simple design and spatial coverage of the instrument, citizen scientists can become engaged in this public health issue and have a direct impact by increasing scientific awareness of Alexandrium bloom progression in Puget Sound. 

Sea surface temperatures that far exceeded the average occurred off the western coast of North America in the winters of 2013 and 2014. The uniqueness of this event has caused scientists and journalists to endow it with a name, the “Blob”. While recent research has determined some of the short term effects of the Blob, including extreme weather across the continent, reduction in fisheries, and a net source of CO₂ to the atmosphere, very little has been proposed on the long term effects. Here, we determine the effects on the formation of North Pacific Eastern Subtropical Mode Water (ESTMW), a body of water that acts as long term storage of heat and CO₂. Historical averages of the effective subduction rate, the rate at which water moves into the mode water; potential vorticity, an indication of the volume of water being subducted; and mode water properties, such as salinity and temperature, are determined from global datasets and compared to those properties in the years affected by the Blob. Yearly values are determined through interpolation between Argo floats, the network of autonomous profiling sensors. A decrease in subduction rate and a significant change in potential vorticity, salinity, and temperature, would mean that this anomaly could have reduced the ability of ESTMW to act as a long term storage of both heat and CO₂. The Blob, and similar future anomalies, could act as a positive feedback on climate change at a global scale.

El Niño and La Niña are large-scale ocean-atmosphere phenomena that originate in the equatorial Pacific Ocean and last on scales of months to years. In addition to driving the global climate, the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) also influences local-scale activities such as oceanic nutrient concentrations and microbial processes. The location where ENSO temperature oscillations originates is upstream of the world's largest, naturally occurring oxygen deficient zone (ODZ), implying that ENSO temporal variations could impact ODZ dynamics. With very little to no oxygen in these waters, microbes use nitrogen species for anaerobic processes, denitrification and anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox), in lieu of oxygen. These microbial processes identify by their chemical markers: nitrate, nitrite, and ammonium. This project was to examine ENSO-driven changes in both the vertical extent of oxygen deficient waters and nutrient concentrations in the Eastern Tropical North Pacific (ETNP) off the coast of Manzanillo, Colima, Mexico. In addition to data from 1965, 1969, 1972, 1994, 2007 and 2012 to the ETNP, I collected seawater samples from December 2016 to January 2017 aboard the R/V Sikuliaq to compare oxygen and nutrient profiles over the past 50 years. I hypothesized that ENSO influences fluctuations in oxygen, nutrient, and microbial process regimes. Nutrient data was compared to the global ENSO and oceanographic state during the preceding and following years of each cruise to examine possible relationships between the variables. Rates of denitrification and annamox were also calculated to see if anaerobic processes also correspond with the ENSO cycle. This project provides insight on the microbial and oceanographic response to ENSO dynamics in an economically and ecologically critical part of the ocean. El Niño and La Niña are modules of the global climate, which are becoming stronger and more frequent in response to anthropogenic climate forcing.

 Deposits of methane sequestered along continental margins and their associated seeps are found worldwide. These seeps are of increasing interest and importance because of their potential as an energy source, their contribution to greenhouse gases, and the unique community of chemosynthetic microorganisms and fauna that they host. One of the bestudied methane seep sites is Southern Hydrate Ridge, which is at a water depth of ~800 m. It is located ~90 km west of Newport, Oregon. Despite extensive geophysical and biological research completed here, no studies have quantified the relationship of seep sites and seafloor geology to the spatial distribution and abundances of microbial and macrofaunal communities. High resolution, georeferenced photomosaics of the individual seeps and the associated biological communities at this site were collected in 2011, using the remotely operated vehicle ROPOS. Detailed visual and spatial analyses of these images has allowed for the quantification and characterization of the diversity and structure of the faunal community. Results show that both the distribution and abundances of seep organisms are highly variable. Further examination of these photomosaics may improve understanding of the relationships between faunal distributions and seep locations, with implications for the impacts that chemical gradients have on these ecosystems

The North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis, NARW) is among the most depleted species of whale existing today, with a current estimated population of only 450. Ship strikes and entanglement issues remain the predominant cause of mortality for this critically endangered species. Thus, understanding NARW distributions, and their overlap with human activities, are a top priority for management and conservation efforts. This study analyzed passive acoustic data collected within the migratory corridor from Cape Hatteras, NC to Brunswick, GA from Oct 2015 - June 2016 as part of a comprehensive seasonal distribution look at NARWs along the Western North Atlantic coast. Four lines of 5-8 Marine Autonomous Recording Units were deployed, stretching across the shelf, in the first deployment of a three year, continuous acoustic monitoring effort. These units were processed using the Low Frequency Detection and Classification System (LFDCS), and detections were screened for daily NARW presence. The results of this study show seasonal movements to and from their calving grounds while passing through Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. Off the coast of Georgia and North Carolina, NARWs are detected primarily on inshore recorders from November to March, suggesting the species take paths closer to shore while migrating. However, in late April, the groups travelling north take a path further away from the Cape Hatteras, NC shore. NARWs were picked up predominantly on inshore recorders throughout all four lines of MARUs, further supporting that critical habitats exist close to the coast in southern US waters. This information provides a better understanding as to where NARWs are spatially and temporally located, which is essential in minimizing human impacts on the species.

The Elwha River was dammed between 1911 and 2014 trapping millions of cubic meters of fine and coarse-grained sediment in the two reservoirs created by these dams. Upon dam removal, much of this sediment was re-suspended and transported into the Strait of Juan de Fuca, reducing light availability to photosynthetic organisms. Phytoplankton abundance has not previously been studied near the Elwha Delta, so it is unknown how the dam removal has affected these organisms. Phytoplankton net tows and chlorophyll samples were collected at several stations surrounding the mouth of the Elwha River to determine overall abundance and diversity in and out of the plume. Chlorophyll concentration and phytoplankton abundances were compared to turbidity levels and salinity to determine their location within the plume. Phytoplankton abundance and chlorophyll concentration was reduced in high turbidity, low salinity water, i.e., inside of the plume. The chlorophyll concentrations measured within the plume were less than half the Strait of Juan de Fuca fall and winter average chlorophyll concetrations as documented in Masonn and Peña (2009). The purpose of this study is to provide a foundation for the Elwha dam removals and future dam removals effect on the base of the marine food web.

Widespread in tropical and subtropical oceans, the marine Cyanobacteria Prochlorococcus are the smallest and most abundant photosynthetic organisms on Earth, playing an important role in global primary production. As a collective group, Prochlorococcus have a very large pangenome, consisting of a conserved core genome and variant accessory genes. Prochlorococcus forms two ecotypes, the low-light (LL) adapted lineages—which possess large amounts of accessory genes—and the more streamlined high-light (HL) adapted lineages. The gain and loss of accessory genes in Prochlorococcus reflects their genomic and physiological differences and allows ocean niche differentiation. Recently, uncultivated lineages of LL-adapted Prochlorococcus have been identified in oxygen deficient zones (ODZs) that dominate under high-nutrient, low-light, and low-oxygen conditions. In my research, I explored the possibility that LL-adapted ODZ Prochlorococcus possess accessory genes related to low-oxygen stress (e.g. redox-sensitive enzymes and redox-dependent metabolic processes such as photosynthetic electron transport and photorespiration) that are likely lost in HL-adapted Prochlorococcus. To understand the effects of low-oxygen stress on the LL-adapted Cyanobacteria Prochlorococcus, I assessed the genomic potential for low-oxygen genes through computational analysis of a metagenomics dataset capturing native ODZ Prochlorococcus as well as the annotated genomes of the LL-adapted cultured isolates MIT9303 and MIT9313. I am currently measuring the physiological response of LL-adapted culture isolate MIT9313 under low oxygen conditions through growth experiments, during which the presence and scope of metabolites showing changes in redox chemistry due to low-oxygen stress will be analyzed using liquid chromatography mass spectrometry. My results will show if LL-IV strains contain low-oxygen accessory genes, and if they combat the negative physiological effects of low O2 concentrations. As ODZs grow the global rising temperatures, knowing how LL-adapted Prochlorococcus responds to low-oxygen stress could give insight on how primary production will be affected by a changing ocean.

We know that climate sensitivity can vary within species, but the factors that influence which climatic variables influence population dynamics remain unclear. In this study, I assess whether macroclimate influences the climate sensitivity of four high elevation conifer species: Pacific silver fir (Abies amabilis), mountain hemlock (Tsuga mertensiana), Alaska yellow cedar (Callitropsis nootkatensis), and sub-alpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa). I also investigate if climate sensitivity of tree communities Mt. Rainier is changing over time. To address these questions, I analyzed tree core data from three high elevation sites at Mt. Rainier National Park. Each site is located in a distinctly different climatic zone on the mountain. I compared standardized tree growth to climate variables (mean growing-season temperature, total growing-season precipitation, annual snowpack, climate moisture deficit, etc.) using linear mixed effect models and “treeclim”, a tree ring analysis program in R. With these methods, I determine how influential climate variables differ by location, by species and over time. Gaining more insight into which climate variables have the greatest influence on growth in different areas will allow us to better predict how specific plant populations will react to ongoing climate change. Moreover, studying tree communities at high elevations is particularly important, since behavior at treeline will determine whether a species’ range expands, contracts or shifts, which in turn has implications for both that species and other species. For example, conifer range expansion on Mt. Rainier could positively increase carbon sequestration (by increasing woody cover in the park) while negatively encroaching on the alpine wildflower meadows, a major attraction for tourists. Widespread range contractions could potentially reduce the ability of those forests to sequester carbon from the atmosphere. Thus, with better predictions of tree shifts, we can make more informed management decisions for ecotourism and conservation.

In recent years, local organizations have moved to restore the anthropogenically-altered shorelines of the Salish Sea. Changes to the beach and intertidal have been observed, however little research has recorded effects on the subtidal. This region is home to several species including eelgrass (Zostera marina), an important species in the Salish Sea often used to indicate ecosystem health. This research utilizes multibeam sonar bathymetric data to analyze changes to subtidal seafloor structure in response to shoreline modification and investigates potential subsequent ecosystem consequences. Two Washington state study sites were analyzed, Seahurst Park in Burien, and the Snohomish County Nearshore Restoration Project in Everett. Multibeam data was acquired using a Kongsberg EM 2040 system and post-processed in Caris HIPS to generate a base surface of sub-meter resolution. The data detected eelgrass beds in addition to revealing bathymetric changes. ArcGIS was used to generate descriptive and pattern metrics such as total elevation change, percent area changed, surface roughness, and Bathymetric Position Index. Data revealed small but noticeable changes in bathymetry and the presence of eelgrass following shoreline alteration. The changes observed could indicate that restoration may have negative consequences for Zostera populations and may potentially affect other organisms using the sublittoral habitat.

The ability to conduct and communicate climate related environmental changes relies heavily on the tool used for documentation. A key benefit of video as a scientific tool can allow scientists to obtain uninterrupted documentation over all temporal scales that provide physical and structural evidence of change. We present a video system to be used for the acquisition of duel field of view angles and 360 degree mosaics that is easily deployed and compatible for use with both stationary and mobile data collection. The visual acquisition system focuses on providing physical change information for use in comparison of GIS-based change models. Along with the video system, we present the protocol for its use and results from preliminary tests focused on measuring the accuracy and precision of the system. Additionally, a case study of a nearshore habitat, a system that experiences a significant amount of change from different climate and environmental forcings, was conducted. Completion of such a system allows scientists to use video to monitor and collect visual data regarding ecosystem change over temporal and spatial scales, and provides a communication tool for education and outreach purposes.

Zinc is essential for the regulation of many biological processes in all known species. However aquatic species, especially invertebrates, are relatively sensitive to zinc toxicity compared to most terrestrial organisms. As oceans warm due to climate change, zinc previously trapped in ocean sediment will be released into the water column, exposing sensitive benthic and coastal species to elevated, potentially harmful zinc levels. Our study focuses on the impacts of elevated zinc on the calcium uptake of the pacific oyster. Previous research has shown that zinc can mimic other ions, disrupting calcium uptake in the gills. This is thought to be due to their similar size and charge, and could be especially harmful to shellfish and other organisms which use calcium to form their calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) shell. In our study, sixty-four oysters were randomly distributed into four tanks of varying elevated zinc concentrations. Following a 72 hour exposure period, the oysters were dissected and the gills were analyzed using Flame Atomic Absorbance Spectroscopy (FAAS) for calcium concentrations. The uptake of calcium through the gills of the oyster is expected to decrease as the concentration of zinc exposure increases. These results contribute to the growing body of knowledge concerning the interplay between zinc and calcium ions in aquatic organisms. Additional research is needed to characterize this effect on a wider variety of marine organisms, especially those in areas with significant run-off from urban or industrial localities.

The Ocean Research College Academy (ORCA), a running start program in partnership with Everett Community College has been conducting research in the Possession Sound since 2004. Those carrying out this investigation added to ORCA’s longitudinal data set in 2016 and 2017. Possession Sound is part of the north Whidbey Basin of the Puget Sound and is bordered by Snohomish County to the east and Whidbey Island to the west. Dissolved oxygen (DO) is an important factor in the survival of many aquatic species, and the loss of these species due to a lack of dissolved oxygen can disrupt the lives of other predatory animals and negatively affect marine industries. As DO levels fall below 4 mg/L, waters become hypoxic which can be fatal to marine life. This study investigates the effect of temperature on DO levels in the Possession Sound from a single site location (referred to as Deep) during 2015 and 2016. Water samples were collected from a depth of about 20 meters by deploying a Niskin sampling bottle. Then DO and temperature were measured with a YSI-85 handheld instrument. Results show that DO levels are lower in waters with warmer temperature. For instance, a DO level of 7.7 mg/L was observed at 11oC, while a DO level of 4.78 mg/L was surveyed at 12.16oC. These results are attributed to water molecules being less dense in colder water, allowing for more volume to be occupied by dissolved oxygen. This suggests that warmer temperatures in Possession Sound may not be suitable for sustaining diverse and healthy marine life. Since this research only investigated dissolved oxygen at 20 meters deep, it would be of interest to investigate DO levels of surface waters in order to probe the effect of photosynthesis on DO in the future.

The world’s reliance on plastic is a contemporary dependence as its malleable function, low production cost, and increasing abundance has been universally favored over all other products. Created with the intention of short-term and one-time use, the global production of plastic reached 299 million tonnes in 2013, with 10-20 million tonnes ending up in the oceans annually. This study explores the contribution of microplastics to the marine environment from river systems, and quantifies the microplastic load within the stream as it passes from rural to urban environments. Microplastics are separated into two categories based on how they are formed; primary and secondary. Primary microplastics are manufactured, generally as resin pellets, which are melted down to form anything from shampoo bottles to water bottles. Secondary microplastics form from the breakdown of macroplastics after extended exposure to UV radiation and/or weathering. The sampled river is fed by a remote, glacially fed lake in the Cascadia Mountain Range, flowing into the upper Skykomish River, the Snohomish River, and eventually to the Puget Sound. Samples were collected by towing a 335 µ mesh manta trawl and analyzed, after a wet peroxide oxidation and density separation, to quantify the concentration of microplastics present in the stream. From the samples processed thus far, and the data from another study conducted on the same river system, a correlation has been found between the amount of plastics in the stream and the populations of the towns the stream passes through. This correlation implies that the growing quantity of microplastics within the stream, as it flows from rural to urban environments, is supplied through anthropogenic influences. Following this study, microplastic pollution can no longer be thought of as a coastal and marine issue, but rather a problem that starts much further inland. 

Zooplankton live throughout the water column and what they ingest gets passed to marine life in the higher trophic levels and can ultimately be consumed by humans. Microplastics, 5 mm in diameter or smaller, can contain and absorb high concentrations of toxins and have been consumed by zooplankton in laboratory studies. This research examines whether zooplankton are eating microplastics in Puget Sound. Zooplankton samples were collected from two locations on the east side of Whidbey Island, at an approximate depth of 180-200 meters, and preserved in formalin to prevent further ingestion or regurgitation of microplastics. Samples were then processed according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s methods for the analysis of microplastics in the marine environment. The zooplankton and other organic materials were dissolved and the remaining inorganic components were weighed and examined using light microscopy. The most abundant plankton collected were various species of amphipods, chaetognaths, copepods, and shrimp. Microplastic fibers were observed after completion of the chemical digestion. These results suggest that zooplankton are consuming microplastics in situ and provide evidence of the introduction of microplastics into the marine water column.

Chemosensation is a key component of navigation and communication for aquatic invertebrates. The posterior tentacles of nudibranchs are called rhinophores and are their primary olfactory organs. We videoed and measured active water currents driven by cilia around the clavus of rhinophores using dyes and neutrally-buoyant glass beads to observe speed and patterns of flow. The speed of particle flow toward the rhinophore averaged between 0.1 and 1.0 mm/s across five species, and particles were apparently pulled in viscous laminar flow toward the rhinophore from up to 3-5 mm away. For the lamellate rhinophores found in dorid species, fluid is split into medial and lateral lamellae at the midline of each rhinophore and moved anterior to posterior through the lamellae. These rhinophores can rotate around their vertical axis to pull in water from the left or right. In other dendronotid species, fluid is pulled downward into the cup-shaped clavus of the vertically-oriented rhinophore and released in all directions at the base of the clavus before the stalk. In a burrowing arminid fluid moves distally to proximally parallel to the ridges of the conical rhinophore. Scanning electron microscopy showed densely-ciliated areas on the unexposed surfaces of the rhinophores which facilitates fluid movement through the leaflets of the clavus. Exposed surfaces had small patches of presumably-sensory cilia as found on all skin. We hypothesize that these currents minimize the boundary layer thickness and thus decrease the response latency of olfactory receptors to changes in odor density, and also increase the volume of water sampled per time. Some species show little or no current flow and a comparative study will help us determine the adaptive function of sniffing.

Plastic pollution in the marine environment is an increasing concern leading to the need for more studies. Microplastics (0.3-5 mm in size) are the most concerning because they cannot be easily spotted, last the longest, and are easily ingested by marine organisms and make their way through the food chain. These microplastics are generated by many industries from cosmetics to laundry, to traffic erosion of tires. This study examines the distribution of microplastics found on Seattle beaches and on beaches to the north and south of the city. I collected sediment from three 1 m² quadrants on each beach of my 10 sample sites using the Beach Sampling Protocol from the Port Townsend Marine Science Center to ensure comparison of data with other studies. Samples were taken directly below the wrack line left by the previous high tide. In the lab, after a subsample was weighed out, density separation and wet peroxide oxidation were performed, in addition to other standardized analyzes. My results show the levels of microplastics and changes in concentration of microplastics found in sediments close to Seattle and at greater distance on the beaches. As the beaches erode, these microplastics are transported into Puget Sound and the larger Pacific Ocean. It is important that marine plastics are studied so that preventative measures can be put in place to limit microplastic pollution, in addition to having a baseline study for future research. 

What happens when the form in which whales communicate, locate food and find each other, is clouded by large ships, sonar technology and increased ice cracking noise in their environments? This presentation considers what the world of whales looks like beneath the ocean. I address this by taking a closer look at the auditory world of whales as a direct result of the lack of visual abilities due to limited light. I have focused on the chaos whales feel as a result of noise inserted within the depths of the ocean. With an increase in technological advances we see an increase in the number of ships and consequently of noise in the ocean. Underwater noise pollution is also attributed to ice fractures and collisions. These events do not occur at one singular time, they occur simultaneously for unknown periods of time and unpredictable areas. Understanding how animals feel and what they think is a difficult task, but we can better understand them by taking a closer look at their behaviors as the noise in the ocean becomes more abundant. My intention is that I will be able to formulate the chaos heard underwater into a humanized perspective and begin to understand these creatures as the hearing, feeling mammals they are.

Organic matter, such as detritus, occurs naturally in marine sediments. However, anthropogenic activities, such as historical timber industry practices and nutrient enrichment (eutrophication) leading to algal blooms, have enriched organic matter in marine sediments, compromising the stability of benthic communities. Added organic material can facilitate microorganisms, which alter the chemistry of the water in marine sediment. This study focused on factors associated with the success of benthic anaerobic bacteria that reduce sulfate into sulfide, which can be detrimental to organisms living in and on the sediment. We investigated if wood or algae would be a more productive carbon source for sulfate reducing bacteria and if grain size, fine versus coarse, would affect the amount of sulfide produced by anaerobic bacteria. Sediment microbial communities were cultivated in a four-week long mesocosm experiment in which wood or algae carbon sources were mixed in fine or coarse sediment. We measured sulfide levels throughout the experiment to determine which treatments were most productive. We found that algae led to earlier and higher sulfide levels within four weeks, as compared to wood. Furthermore, fine grained sediment produced higher concentrations of sulfide, particularly in the presence of algae. Our findings suggest organic material in the form of algae, such as from algal blooms, is a more readily available source of carbon for sulfate reducing bacteria. Future research could extend the timeline of an experiment to investigate what sulfide levels may be produced with wood in sediment.

The Amazon tidal river consists of the lowermost 800 km of the Amazon River that is affected by tides.  The effect of tides on surface suspended sediment concentration (SSC) in the Amazon has not yet been characterized, and may impact estimates of surface SSC as monitored through remote sensing.  To assess potential tidal influence on surface SSC, water samples were collected and filtered in field; published remote sensing maps were also collected and compared to field measurements.  Thus far, this project has identified discrepancies between in situ and remotely-sensed estimates of surface SSC, and constrained the influence of tides on the observed signals.  In situ surface SSCs more accurately matched with remote sensing maps on sites located directly in the Amazon mainstem, while tributaries showed exaggerated differences in surface SSC.  Field surface SSCs in the Amazon mainstem also did not vary significantly with tidal  seasons, suggesting that ocean tides play a smaller role in surface sediment transport than originally hypothesized.  Further conclusions will look into the roll that tides play on total bedload, especially at sites close to the river mouth where tidal influence is strongest.  Explanations for surface SSC discrepancies will also be included in the paper's conclusions; since many of the discrepancies occur in freshwater tribuataries, the seasonality of phytoplankton blooms will be cross-linked to satellite SSCs.  Finally, suggestions for future usage of remote sensing in strong tidal areas of the Amazon River will be given and the success rate/percentage of correlation of satellite surface SSC with field SSCs will be assessed.  With a better understanding of the effects of tides on surface SSC and how well remote sensing captures variability, we can better monitor sediment discharge into the tropical Atlantic Ocean as well as sediment delivery to the floodplain of the Amazon River during seasonal floods.

The primary producers of the ocean are responsible for nearly 50% of the carbon fixation on Earth. Many eukaryotic primary producers such as globally important diatoms require Vitamin B₁₂, also known as cobalamin, as they lack the biosynthetic pathway for the metabolically expensive molecule. A symbiosis between eukaryotic autotrophs and some marine bacteria has been proposed as the source of cobalamin to these B₁₂-requiring phytoplankton, but the quantitative nature of this relationship is not fully understood. With advancements in analytical techniques in liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, we can learn more about microbial symbiosis, including vitamin interchange in pelagic microbial communities. This research will investigate the null hypothesis that the mean production of cobalamin of two species of pelagic proteobacteria (Ruegeria pomeroyi DSS-3 and Sulfitobacter sp. SA11) is equal under three different treatments: growth in a limited-carbon environment, growth in an environment enriched with stress molecules from a well-studied model diatom (Thalassiosira pseudonana), and growth in media with stressed T. pseudonana filtrate added. The alternate hypotheses state that cobalamin output will be affected by these different treatments. Data resulting from the experiments will undergo one-way ANOVA tests to determine statistical differences between means. With a more complete understanding of how bacteria and eukaryotic autotrophs interact, the possibilities for this field are significantly expanded. Quantifying cobalamin production in marine bacteria on a per-cell basis under varying conditions is a possible benefit of this research, as well as understanding more about the level of control bacteria exert on their symbiosis with eukaryotic autotrophs.

Ichthyoplankton are a very important aspect of aquatic ecosystems. Larval fish populations can be a determining factor of the overall health of the ecosystem. Rockfish, for example, are known for their long lifespans and low survival rate past the larval stage. For this study, specific locations in Possession Sound were sampled for the presence of larval fish, with a specific interest in the potential presence of larval rockfish. Eelgrass beds are ideal spawning locations due to their sheltering and food source benefits. Therefore, a 500μm plankton net was horizontally towed over eelgrass beds located at southern Whidbey Island and the Mount Baker Terminal (MBT), as well as nearby offshore sites with a minimum depth of 20 meters. It was hypothesized that larval fish populations would be higher at the eelgrass bed sites compared to the offshore sites, due to eelgrass being a favorable habitat for the larval fish. Data collection occurred between the months of February 2017 and April 2017. Preliminary results support the hypothesis with a total of 24 individual larval fish being found in eelgrass beds, and only 12 being found in open water tows. The overarching goal of this study is to help determine whether or not the eelgrass beds in Possession Sound are current homes to larval rockfish. Due to their endangered status it is important to know where larval rockfish thrive in order to know how to protect them in the future.

Rivers are conduits for transporting sediments and organic material through the watershed and to the ocean. The Elwha River recently was involved in the largest dam removal in history within the USA. Studies of the dam removal impacts have never been done as extensively as they have for the Elwha River Restoration project. Now, the river is no longer blocked, and 21 million m³ of sediments have been made available for erosion, and it is not fully known where the sediments are depositing and how they are affecting the ecosystem. In order to quantify where organics are being stored in the river system, sediment samples were collected along the river and shoreline, and grain size and loss on ignition (LOI) analysis performed on them. Most of the samples with more than 2% organic content were at sites in the reservoir and side channels, and organics less than 1% were retained on the beach and riverbank. Therefore, finding organic matter in the river and shoreline systems can inform us how the ecosystem is recovering, and whether overtime organics are fully transported to the ocean, or whether organics will be consumed, transformed, or altered along the way.

In this day and age, people, especially students, gravitate towards visual imagery to gather information and inspiration. This transformation in the cultural climate has made us want to explore the modern-day ways in which libraries are used, and if this continues to involve the preservation of written materials. Our work aims to re-energize written text found within various literary works that have become increasingly overlooked upon the shelves of the university libraries as we shift into a digital age. We plan to approach this idea by curating words and phrases into a more abstract and visually relatable form.This project consists of two experimental processes. The first is the collection of words and phrases from random library books, and the systematic creation of a new text composition from these found segments. The process relies on the structural form of a book by methodically selecting words/phrases using an algorithm, which directs us to a specific line on a specific page within a text. The algorithm depends on the physical existence of pages in order to guide our selection of the words and phrases used. The second experimental process will be the translation of the written composition into a video counterpart. By taking words/phrases out of their original contexts, and compositing them into a visual network, we are able to explore the ways in which words and images have infinite possibilities of meaning. In this way we have found a new use for written materials, one that goes beyond an academic setting by placing words into a completely different medium. We plan to present the culmination of our translational experiment with a physical installation. The installation will be a closed and immersive environment, in a form similar to a photo booth, where a viewer sits inside to access the multi-channel display of the resulting visuals, audio, and text.