Currently browsing author

Abbie Chapman

Abbie Chapman

I am a PhD student at the National Oceanography Centre in Southampton, focussing on the variety of life found at hot springs on the seafloor. I am a facilitator on Exploring our Oceans.

FutureLearn Homepage RSS

One thing you could do to help protect the oceans…

Hello ocean explorers! 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)... Continue reading →

Vent Dominators

In this blog post, I will show you some examples of the creatures that dominate the communities at hydrothermal vents around the world.  I recommend following this link to an interactive map of vent sites around the world whilst reading this blog post, so you can navigate around each vent ‘province’ and learn more about the vents at which these animals thrive!  There is also a Google Earth file to download, if you’d like to interactively view the vent locations within this program. Continue reading →

Abbie Chapman: My Research

Hello Ocean Explorers! 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. Continue reading →

Abbie Chapman: What does the ocean mean to me?

For me, the oceans will always be synonymous with family days at the beach, watching our dog chase the retreating tide whilst building sand monsters as fragile as the dreams from which they were inspired.  The oceans also brings me calm, instilled by the sound of the waves gently lapping along the sparkling sands of faraway shores.  As I have grown older, what the ocean means to me has evolved, but its power to restore peace and to spark the imagination has never faltered. Continue reading →