Mediterraneans in the Artic – Cèlia Marrasé.
December, 13 - 2007
Mediterraneans in
the Artic – Cèlia Marrasé.
I work at the Institut de Ciències del Mar in Barcelona (Catalunya, Spain). I am a member of the scientific team lead by Carlos Pedros-Alio and the first one of my team to arrive on the ship. It was not easy to find the 26 boxes that were sent from Barcelona in late June. As we did not participate in the first legs of the expedition, most of our boxes were still in the cargo. The cargo is in the top of a big container and we needed to use the crane and the cage to reach our boxes
I appreciated very much the help from several science and crew members who moved and carried the boxes for over an hour outside at –20ºC but always with sweet smiles on their faces. Thanks!
Once I had the boxes, I spent several days setting up the laboratory. There is not too much space in the lab, therefore the colonization of the space had to be done in a very efficient way.
The investigations of our team are centered in the microbial world living in the extreme low temperatures of the Arctic. We are taking water samples for different biological and chemical analyses; our objective is to find empirical relationships between the physical and chemical variables and the diversity and function of the microbes. We are also carrying out this type of study in areas of the Mediterranean and Antarctic seas, and Atlantic Ocean.
Here in the Arctic, the distinctive factors are: the lack of light during part of the year, the low temperatures and the ice cover. Comparing the species composition and activities of microbial communities in systems with diverse chemical and physical regimes is a good way to learn more about the importance of the different forces that determine how microbes use organic and inorganic matter and how this influences other components of the food web. This knowledge is needed to better predict the consequences of natural or anthropogenic changes on these trophic dynamics – or in other words, on the biological production of the system. This will also help us to evaluate the capability of the system to buffer these changes at short and long time scales.
Unfortunately I cannot yet report a summary of my findings, as we will analyze our samples at home. My job on the ship is basically taking samples and filtering water to concentrate the microorganisms and the organic matter.
Given the high abundance of these microbes (between 108 to 109 of bacteria and 105 to 107 of nanoflagellates in 1 liter of sea water) it is surprising that we need to do this. The reason is their size; they are really small (1000 to 100 times smaller than 1 mm). Although small, these organisms are indispensable. Without them the biological machine cannot function.
I appreciate the opportunity to write these words offered by Dustin and Monika and the help of Elizabeth in correcting my English.
I would like to finish by thanking everybody in the ship. All of them have worked together to make an excellent atmosphere on board
I work at the Institut de Ciències del Mar in Barcelona (Catalunya, Spain). I am a member of the scientific team lead by Carlos Pedros-Alio and the first one of my team to arrive on the ship. It was not easy to find the 26 boxes that were sent from Barcelona in late June. As we did not participate in the first legs of the expedition, most of our boxes were still in the cargo. The cargo is in the top of a big container and we needed to use the crane and the cage to reach our boxes
I appreciated very much the help from several science and crew members who moved and carried the boxes for over an hour outside at –20ºC but always with sweet smiles on their faces. Thanks!
Once I had the boxes, I spent several days setting up the laboratory. There is not too much space in the lab, therefore the colonization of the space had to be done in a very efficient way.
The investigations of our team are centered in the microbial world living in the extreme low temperatures of the Arctic. We are taking water samples for different biological and chemical analyses; our objective is to find empirical relationships between the physical and chemical variables and the diversity and function of the microbes. We are also carrying out this type of study in areas of the Mediterranean and Antarctic seas, and Atlantic Ocean.
Here in the Arctic, the distinctive factors are: the lack of light during part of the year, the low temperatures and the ice cover. Comparing the species composition and activities of microbial communities in systems with diverse chemical and physical regimes is a good way to learn more about the importance of the different forces that determine how microbes use organic and inorganic matter and how this influences other components of the food web. This knowledge is needed to better predict the consequences of natural or anthropogenic changes on these trophic dynamics – or in other words, on the biological production of the system. This will also help us to evaluate the capability of the system to buffer these changes at short and long time scales.
Unfortunately I cannot yet report a summary of my findings, as we will analyze our samples at home. My job on the ship is basically taking samples and filtering water to concentrate the microorganisms and the organic matter.
Given the high abundance of these microbes (between 108 to 109 of bacteria and 105 to 107 of nanoflagellates in 1 liter of sea water) it is surprising that we need to do this. The reason is their size; they are really small (1000 to 100 times smaller than 1 mm). Although small, these organisms are indispensable. Without them the biological machine cannot function.
I appreciate the opportunity to write these words offered by Dustin and Monika and the help of Elizabeth in correcting my English.
I would like to finish by thanking everybody in the ship. All of them have worked together to make an excellent atmosphere on board
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