Today, I’d like to share with you my one thing I would love for you all to do to help to protect the oceans.  You’re never too small to make a difference.  You may be one person but you really can make a positive change, share it with others, and push that change forward for future generations!

Many of you may already do what I’m about to suggest (as I’ve noticed those of you on the MOOC are particularly passionate about ocean conservation)… If so, perhaps have a look at this list (you’ll need to scroll down to it), to see if there’s another one thing you could try for yourself!

My ‘one thing’ for ocean explorers…

The one thing I would love all of the ocean explorers to do, if they don’t already, is to re-use and recycle their plastic bags (or swap to fabric or biodegradable ones).  This one thing may sound simple, but it can make a world of difference to ocean life.

Why now?

On Monday 5th October 2015, England joined the rest of the UK in legally forcing companies with more than 250 employees (all large supermarkets and stores) to charge 5p per single-use plastic bag.  For those of you from other countries, or already re-using your bags when shopping, this may not sound like a big deal.  However, visiting the shops this week has opened my eyes to the difference this can make!  I’ve seen people rummaging in pockets to recycle their plastic bags, people buying bags for life, people modelling beautiful multiple use bags with pride, and people taking to the web to discuss the new levy.  By introducing a small charge per single-use plastic bag, English shoppers now have to make a conscious decision as to whether to buy (and use) one.

Problems with plastic bags

Plastic bags can end up at our beaches and in our seas, where they then entangle animals or end up in their stomachs when they mistake them for food.  And it’s not just a problem for the marine life we know well, like whales and turtles, but also for creatures far beyond our view.  In the picture above, you can see a plastic bag found 2,500 metres below the sea surface in the Arctic Ocean.  Now imagine what lurks beneath the waves near dense populations of people!

I remember starting to think more about my use of plastic bags (and how to dispose of them) when I visited Bournemouth’s Oceanarium to see the turtles…

The scientist talking to the public about the turtles explained that turtles like to eat jellyfish and turtles sometimes eat plastic bags as they mistake them for food.  She then proceeded to explain that, even if we really wanted to continue to use plastic bags and then dispose of them, there was one thing we could do… Tie a knot in each bag.  This stops the bag floating around the oceans and looking like a jellyfish and can reduce the chance that a turtle mistakes your bag for lunch!  Some other ideas are shown on the clever poster below (that maybe you could share with your friends, if you’re already pretty good at this one thing)…

This one thing that the lady shared with me at the Oceanarium made me think.  Knotting bags is easy.  Really easy.

And so is reusing them or choosing more sturdy ones for longer term use instead.  You can even start to think about how shop, to choose items with less plastic packaging and to start sending a message to shops about our buying choices, so they stop stocking plastic-heavy products.

To learn more about how changing how you use bags can benefit ocean life, see these websites:

http://www.seeturtles.org/ocean-plastic/

http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/plehner/bag_bans_will_keep_harmful_pla.html

http://www.worldwatch.org/node/5565

Oh, and one more thing…

… please share your one thing in the comments section below.  I’d love to be inspired by and learn from the things you do to save our seas.

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NORTH-EAST PACIFIC

The hydrothermal vents of the NE Pacific are dominated by tubeworms called Ridgeia piscesae.  These worms do not have stomachs and, instead, host their symbiotic bacteria in a specially adapted region called the ‘trophosome’.  They also come in all shapes and sizes.  In fact, they can appearance so different that scientists once thought that they were multiple species!  Instead, they are now known to have multiple ‘morphotypes’ (they can have different body types but their genetic makeup is the same), with a ‘long skinny’ type and a ‘short fat’ type.  The Ridgeia piscesae  worms are particularly important at the NE Pacific vents as they form large clumps, which act as a suitable surface for other animals to live on.  This makes these worms a ‘foundation species’ and they’re likely to play an important role in keeping their community and ecosystem healthy because of this.

I’ve included Lepetodrilus fucensis as a ‘dominator’ for this region too, as this limpet reaches huge densities and abundances orders of magnitude greater than those of other species at the Juan de Fuca Ridge vents of the NE Pacific.

ARCTIC

On the recently explored Arctic mid-ocean ridge, scientists found dense aggregations of straw-like tubeworms called Sclerolinum contortum.

 WEST PACIFIC

The West Pacific vents have a very different set of ‘dominators’ to the NE Pacific ones.  Instead of tubeworms, these vents are overridden with barnacles, limpets and hairy gastropods (Alviniconcha hessleri).

The hairy snail isn’t actually as fluffy as it sounds, as the hairs are actually spines that protrude from its very thin shell.  This snail is also rather splendid on the inside as it has blue blood and large gills (in which it stores its bacteria).

MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE

The mid-Atlantic Ridge is dominated by an alien-like, ‘glowing’ shrimp called Rimicaris exoculata.  This shrimp clusters on vent fluid and constantly moves around, organizing itself like a busy bee on a hive.  It stores bacteria under its carapace and has no eyes.  Instead of eyes, the shrimp has an ‘eyespot’, which researchers debate the purpose of.

CENTRAL INDIAN RIDGE

The Central Indian Ridge vent communities seem to comprise a combination of other ‘vent dominators’.  The vents here resemble those seen in the West Pacific but with the notable addition of a North Atlantic type shrimp.

EAST PACIFIC

Like the NE Pacific, the East Pacific is dominated by a tubeworm that has the same symbiotic relationship with bacteria in its trophosome as Ridgeia piscesae.  Larger than Ridgeia and perhaps, arguably, more iconic, the dominator here is called Riftia pachyptila and this was one of the first vent species scientists first laid their eyes on when they first discovered vent life in the Galapagos in 1977.  Follow this link to learn more about the discovery of hydrothermal vents: http://www.divediscover.whoi.edu/ventcd/vent_discovery/.

 ANTARCTICA

Finally, at the Antarctic East Scotia Ridge vents, we get to meet every* vent ecologist’s favourite yeti crab – Kiwa tyleri.  This hairy-chested crab, colloquially known as the ‘Hoff’ crab, carries bacteria on its body, which gives it a furry appearance.

*I cannot speak for all vent ecologists but, let’s face it, Kiwa tyleri is rather impressive!

I hope you have enjoyed this whistle-stop tour of the ‘vent dominators’ of the world and that you will enjoy exploring the deep with us as more vents are discovered and their dominators are revealed!

References

Ramirez-Llodra E, Shank TM, German CR. (2007) ‘Biodiversity and Biogeography of Hydrothermal Vent Species: Thirty Years of Discovery and Investigations’, Oceanography, 20(1):30-41.

Rogers AD, Tyler PA, Connelly DP, Copley JT, James R, Larter RD, et al. (2012) ‘The Discovery of New Deep-Sea Hydrothermal Vent Communities in the Southern Ocean and Implications for Biogeography’, PLoS Biol, 10(1): e1001234. doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.1001234

Thatje S, Marsh L, Roterman CN, Mavrogordato MN, Linse K (2015) ‘Adaptations to Hydrothermal Vent Life in Kiwa tyleri, a New Species of Yeti Crab from the East Scotia Ridge, Antarctica’, PLoS ONE, 10(6): e0127621. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0127621

Pedersen, Rolf B., Hans Tore Rapp, Ingunn H. Thorseth, Marvin D. Lilley, Fernando JAS Barriga, Tamara Baumberger, Kristin Flesland, Rita Fonseca, Gretchen L. Früh-Green, and Steffen L. Jorgensen (2010) ‘Discovery of a black smoker vent field and vent fauna at the Arctic Mid-Ocean Ridge’, Nature Communications, 1: 126.

Zelnio, K. (2008) ‘The 27 Best Deep-Sea Species #14: Alviniconcha, the Hairy Vent Snail’, available at: http://www.deepseanews.com/2008/10/the-27-best-deep-sea-species-14-alviniconcha-the-hairy-vent-snail/, accessed 18/09/2015.

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I’m Abbie and I’m very excited to be one of your facilitators for the ‘Exploring our Oceans’ MOOC.  I’m just about to start the second year of my PhD at the National Oceanography Centre, where I will be focusing on seafloor hot springs (or hydrothermal vents) around the globe and the variety of life that depends on them.

In this blog post, I’d like to introduce you to the research I’m doing for my PhD and why it is particularly relevant today.  I’ll add a section at the end about my background, for those of you that might be interested in how I came to study these exciting ecosystems.

What are hydrothermal vents?

Hydrothermal vents are hot springs found on the seafloor that tend to be found in tectonically active areas, where the Earth’s tectonic plates move apart or come together (at spreading centres and subduction zones).  If you look at the diagram below, you can see that hydrothermal venting occurs when cold seawater seeps down into the Earth’s crust.  Here, it is heated by magma and mixes with the wealth of chemicals present in these newly-forming rocks.  This means that, when the water returns to the seafloor, it has been chemically altered and is incredibly hot.  This fluid is called hydrothermal fluid.  Hydrothermal fluid varies in temperature and mineral content, which also affects how it appears when you see it.  If it is lower in temperature (but still very hot!) and emerging from cracks in the rocks, it is called ‘diffuse venting’.  If the temperature is higher and there are high levels of light-coloured minerals, ‘white smokers’ are formed.  Lastly, if the temperature is higher still and darker-coloured minerals are being ejected, ‘black smokers’ can be seen.  The ‘chimneys’ often associated with hydrothermal vents are formed as the minerals precipitate out of the fluid (upon contact with cold seawater) and accumulate on the seabed, building up into chimneys.

How do animals survive at vents?

The discovery of life at hydrothermal vents changed our view of life on Earth.  Before the discovery of the life at vents, we thought that life depended on sunlight (to generate energy by photosynthesis) to survive.  The animals found at the first-discovered hydrothermal vent (on the East Pacific Rise) proved otherwise.  Instead, these animals have a symbiotic relationship with bacteria.  These bacteria create energy via chemical reactions with sulfur and sulfides.  This chemically-sourced energy is why the animals dependent on these bacteria are called ‘chemosynthetic’ (or, relying on chemosynthesis).

Why do I study the biodiversity of hydrothermal vents?

Hydrothermal vents have been explored for around forty years (which is actually quite a short length of time, when you think about how long we’ve been studying terrestrial environments for).  During this time, researchers have documented the discovery of uniquely adapted animals – creatures that are able to thrive in toxic environments without light, at the bottom of seas around the globe. In addition, researchers have mapped the distributions of vent animals across space and through time, to try to identify biologically-defined zones (similar to the savannah, rainforest and tundra separations we make on land) and to investigate what influences the vent communities around the world and what makes them so variable (e.g. large numbers of worms are seen at North-East Pacific vents, whereas crabs and limpets dominate Antarctic vent environments).

The biodiversity of hydrothermal vents has been studied by other researchers.  They have documented how many species have been found at each vent site and have run statistical analyses to compare communities.  So far, it has been found that vent systems have low numbers of species (or low species richness), but high numbers of animals (high biomass).  However, there have not yet been statistically powerful tests to compare the diversity of vent communities around the globe.  It is difficult to make statistically strong comparisons between vents as sampling methods differ between cruises and some vents have been studied more often than others.  For my PhD, I will be using new statistical techniques (and ‘R’ programming software) to study the biodiversity of hydrothermal vents from a new perspective, to try to determine where the diversity ‘hotspots’ are around the globe.

Why now?

My area of research is likely to pop up more and more frequently in the news in the coming years, as vents are geologically interesting systems.  They host a wealth of metals and minerals that are used in everyday technology like smartphones and laptops. If companies are looking to mine these deep-sea environments, we need to understand what this will mean for the animals that live in them, to plan the best way to protect them.

Deep-sea mining is a destructive process that will likely reduce biomass and may cause species loss. As vents are low in species richness to start with, we do not yet know what impact the loss of even one species would have on a vent ecosystem.  However, we have the unique opportunity to quantify vent biodiversity patterns and drivers, to identify the best means of management, before policies and guidelines are finalised for industry.  This is an unusual and exciting opportunity to have, when you consider that most protected areas on land were designed after some human impacts had already taken place.

How did I come to study hydrothermal vents at the University of Southampton?

Firstly, I did not take science A levels.  I studied Chemistry and Mathematics to AS level, but took Geography, French, and English Literature to A level.  As a result, I could not study Oceanography for my undergraduate degree at Southampton (without a foundation year).

I studied Physical Geography at the University of Southampton and managed to take some modules at the National Oceanography Centre (NOC) in Physical Oceanography (using a lot of maths to look at temperature, salinity, and the transport of heat around the world), enabling me to change my overall degree to Geography with Physical Oceanography. It was only when I took on a Masters degree at the NOC that I was able to choose biology and ecology modules and I loved them!  I was exposed to deep-sea ecology for the first time and was privileged to be taught by Professor Paul Tyler, who was awarded an MBE for his contributions to deep-sea biology!  I was also fortunate enough to experience fieldwork in the Solent with a micro Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) on a course with Dr Jon Copley and I knew that I couldn’t stop learning about this ‘new underwater world’.  I completed a research project with Jon as part of my Masters course, analysing videos and imagery recorded using an ROV at an Antarctic vent.  Again, I knew that I couldn’t stop my studies there!

After my Masters, I found Oil Spill Response Limited and was fortunate enough to work with an amazing team of people in both Business Development and Consultancy trainee roles.  I underwent response training and learnt how to model oil spills!  However, when I saw PhD opportunities that would enable me to study deep-sea environments in more detail, I had to apply.  Now, I’m a (very lucky) student researching hydrothermal vents at the University of Southampton’s National Oceanography Centre, where I am fortunate enough to also participate in teaching and public engagement activities, just like this MOOC!

I think the moral of this story is that, if I had taken science A levels, I could have been studying vent ecosystems sooner (and perhaps more confidently).  However, the ‘long way round’ was still a possibility, so there is no need to give up on a career path because you fear you might not have the right background.

Back to the MOOC…

You’ll be learning about deep-sea mining and spectacular vent environments as part of this course and I’m looking forward to learning with you!  Keep an eye on the MOOC blog for more posts about my research and the research of other mentors on the MOOC too!

The post Abbie Chapman: My Research appeared first on Exploring our Oceans .

Bigbury-on-Sea, Devon, UK.  A home away from home for me, with a fabulous sea tractor to get you across to Burgh Island (pictured).  

Image source: Abbie Chapman.

Once (and still) a treasure trove of happy memories of sandcastles, ice creams, crabs and family fun, the oceans are now also full of life and energy.  When I learnt to scuba dive as a teenager, I interacted with the sea in a new way and was made to feel very small in this ‘big blue’ world full of life, colour, and activity.

The big blue world and me.  

Image source: Sam Southgate (taken at the National Marine Aquarium, Plymouth, Devon UK). 

I was introduced to the study of the oceans (Oceanography) via a BBC documentary (BBC Two’s ‘Oceans’) and was fortunate enough to pursue my own studies as part of my Physical Geography degree at the University of Southampton.  The oceanography that I first encountered was Physical Oceanography – the study of the saltiness (salinity), the heat, and the energy that the oceans were responsible for transporting around the globe.  It was only when I took on a Masters degree in oceanography specifically that I had my eyes fully opened to the wealth of research that takes place in this realm.

This gull also seems to be learning about the sheer energy and power of the sea!  

Image source: Abbie Chapman (taken at Bigbury-on-Sea, Devon, UK).

Now, the oceans, to me, are also the key to conservation, to governmental planning, to climate, to the past, to new species, to future medical cures, to knowledge…

The oceans, to me, will always have a place in my heart, thanks to my childhood beach adventures and my scuba experiences beneath the waves.  However, as I learn more from those working around me at the National Oceanography Centre, the oceans are also what I want to help protect and a passion I’d love to share with future generations.

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