Entry 01
February 11 2025
Come along with us on our trip from Rio to Namibia via the mid-Atlantic ridge looking at the role microscopic photosynthesisers play in absorbing carbon from our atmosphere and storing it away in the ocean depths
Hello! If you're new here, I'm Ari, a PhD student at the University of Oxford, an avid science communicator and video reporter/producer for new scientist. I'm about to embark on my second research cruise, for the expedition that will provide me with the bulk of field-data for my DPhil (that's the Oxford term for PhD). Before joining the ship, I spent an incredible week in the Amazon Rainforest - I couldn’t miss the opportunity whilst in Brazil! But I'm now on my way to join the ship and my team in Rio de Janeiro, from where we will sail to Walvis Bay, Nambia, over 47 days at sea.
The cruise, aboard the Royal Research Ship James Cook, is sailing under project CarTRidge. The overarching project is looking into the role the mid-Atlantic ridge plays in carbon export. I'm part of Team Plankton, looking at the role these microscopic photosynthesisers play in absorbing carbon from our atmosphere and storing it away in the ocean depths. We are a team of four: Professor Alex Poulton (Herriot-Watt University), Dr Ben Fisher (Herriot-Watt University) and Frieda Schlegel (The Marine Biological Association/Southampton University) ... and me!
I'm going to be sharing about my own experience of being a PhD student at sea - the ups and downs, night shifts and hours at the filtering rig. If you're interested in more information about the cruise at large, our chief scientist Professor Jonathan Sharples is keeping a blog I'd highly recommend a read.