After days of contemplating the meaning and the best aspect of our project we have come to name our team BOATS (Binding ocean atmosphere terrestrial systems). We are focusing on surveying the larger bodies of water to understand the carbon flux in the Kolyma watershed, which carries terrestrial carbon from land to marine stores, altering it and releasing some to the atmosphere along the way. Instead of walking through buggy forests to reach our sampling sites, we get to ride in style on motorboats. Together we will be surveying the water quality across the Kolyma watershed by measuring a number of parameters. In order to get a more complete understanding of the system, we will take advantage of the skills each of us brings to the barge by focusing on one component of the carbon cycle in depth.
Planning where to take samples
The team is comprised of three students and a few PI’s. Ivan, our mad chemist, is relating DOM (dissolved organic matter) from the waters and soils by characterizing the structure of the DOM. This requires collecting 20-40 L of water at each sample site to extract 50 mg of organic matter. He filtered his first sample last night, successfully filtering 20 L in 7 hours! Lydia, our sunshine, is focusing on the sun’s ability to transform DOC (dissolved organic carbon) and make it available for bacteria to breakdown. She will collect water from several sites entering the Kolyma, in transparent bags that will float in a pond at the Station to allow the sun to work its magic for several weeks. Blaize, our gaseous one, is interested in calculating the amount of CO2 that is being released from a diverse set of streams, rivers and Kolyma main stem points. As bacteria chew through the organic carbon they release CO2 from the water to the atmosphere. We are excited to start sampling today!
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andy says
July 11, 2010 at 5:18 amGreat picture Max!
Claire says
July 11, 2010 at 6:25 pmSpeaking of photography, Blaize, are you getting any practice after that course you took?