Carolina researchers set sail for the Galapagos

A research team from Carolina recently spent three weeks off the coast of the Galapagos Islands for an expedition supported by the National Science Foundation and the Galapagos Science Center.

Led by professors Adrian Marchetti and Harvey Seim of the UNC College of Arts and Sciences’ Earth, marine and environmental sciences department, the team included Carolina students and colleagues from other universities across the U.S. and Canada.

They used a research vessel equipped with equipment and technology to examine plankton, particularly the plant variety known as phytoplankton. Plankton are very small, often microscopic, plants or creatures, but they are a vital resource in marine ecosystems, especially in the Galapagos, which Marchetti calls a “biodiversity hotspot.”

The team’s daily routine on the expedition consisted of waking up at 3:45 a.m. to be at their first station of the day which commenced at 4 a.m. (Karina Vivanco; UNC Center For Galapagos Studies)

The expedition team established a mooring for a WireWalker, a device that uses wave action to collect measurements throughout the water column down to 300 meters, giving the researchers a better sense of changes in ocean properties that they can’t see at the surface.

“The research project itself is trying to look at how the changes in ocean physics influence the amount of sunlight and nutrients these creatures are getting,” Marchetti explained. “If we examine the changes in how the water moves, it will help us understand not only their impacts on the plankton community but also the larger organisms in the area that rely on the plankton for food, which includes all the charismatic animals tourists come to the Galapagos islands to observe, such as sea turtles, sea lions and sharks.”

Each day team members woke at 3:45 a.m. to begin a busy day of collecting water samples, processing and filtering samples at the first station before breaking for lunch. In the afternoons, they repeated the sampling process at another station and prepared for the next day’s work.

“We went in trying to focus on how the environment shapes the biology,” Marchetti said. “While it takes months afterwards to analyze samples, we saw more variations in plankton communities on this trip than we had in research trips past, thanks to the nature of sampling different physical environments. Now, our next goal is to figure out why.”

One of the most important devices on the expedition was the WireWalker, a device that can move up and down using wave action to collect measurements throughout the water column down to 300 m in the ocean. (Submitted photo)

While the trip was successful, there were still unforeseen challenges.

“The currents were even stronger than we expected,” Seim said. “That made sampling challenging, especially for the WireWalker, as this was our first experience working with this technology. In fact, we barely had enough weight to keep it anchored in place, and from when we first deployed it to the end of our expedition, it had moved several kilometers. By the end of the cruise, we had to alter the mooring quite a bit to keep it in place. But this is how science works. You learn from your mistakes, and you make changes to collect the data you need.”

The skills of several students were put to the test as well, including Emily Speciale, a doctoral student who focuses on plankton genomics.

“One of my favorite responsibilities is studying how phytoplankton express genes, which is basically one way how species adapt to their environment,” Speciale said. “I had to look at how the phytoplankton are responding to what is happening around them, whether it be a change in nutrients or the amount of light they’re getting.”

Phytoplankton (pictured) are a vital resource in marine ecosystems. (Submitted photo)

While Marchetti and Seim are pleased with the progress their team made, they are equally pleased with how their students evolved during the three weeks in the Galapagos.

“Emily told me that before the trip she wasn’t sure if she wanted to become a sea going oceanographer, but afterwards she told me she’s hooked,” Marchetti said. “For me, as an adviser, that’s an important outcome of what we’re here to do.”

As UNC-Chapel Hill celebrates University Research Week, read more about Carolina’s research impact.