Profile

There is more CO2 in the atmosphere today than there has been for the entire of human history.  This CO2 dissolves in the ocean and reacts with ocean water to create a weak acid.  This is called “Ocean Acidification” and it is particularly harmful to bugs in the ocean which build their homes out of calcium carbonate (the same thing as chalk and the white cliffs of Dover).

The microscopic bugs which I am looking at are called “Foraminifera” and they are very beautiful .  They are also like time machines because they have existed for millions of years and are used by geologists to look at ancient climate change which happened when the dinosaurs lived.  This is why I am using them to look at the recent past (the last 30 years) to see how they have been affected by the current climate change and ocean acidification which is happening today.

Every day is different for me and can vary based on what part of the project I am doing.  Here’s a selection of some of the things I get up to:

Ship Work

Sometimes I go out to sea – anywhere from the Pacific Ocean to the Arctic Ocean to the sub-tropical Atlantic Ocean to collect sediment samples from the sea floor .  My other samples are collected in a big cup called a “sediment trap“, suspended in the ocean water at ~1.5km depth.  This cup collects all the dead stuff which falls from the surface of the ocean .

Microscope Work

In the microscope lab I look at the dead bugs under the microscope and pick them out with a very fine paintbrush.  I then measure the size and weight of the bugs using a computer program and this can tell me something about how happy these bugs were.  The bigger the bug, the happier!

Chemistry Work

I crush my dead bugs so they can be cleaned with chemicals.  When they are cleaned, I can measure the chemistry of their shells on a big machine and this can tell me something about the water where they lived and how acidic it was.

Computer Work

Eventually, when I get all my data off the machine, I then have to plot it in diagrams and write a story about what is happening based on what I see and what other scientists have seen.  I will then try to publish my findings in a scientific magazine so they can be read by other scientists.