A team led by scientists at the university of louisiana at lafayette and north carolina state university will study a range of phytoplankton, harmful algae, and biological processes on the gomecc…

This federal Cooperative Agreement award by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) under the Ocean Acidification Program (CFDA 11.017) provides $147,843 to a research team led by scientists at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and North Carolina State University. The project aims to study a range of phytoplankton, harmful algae, and biological processes during the GOMECC cruise in the Gulf of Mexico in the summer of 2025. Key activities include collecting water samples, analyzing pigment concentrations, identifying plankton species, and investigating the impacts of ocean acidification on ecosystem productivity, food webs, and carbon export. The project also involves conducting on-deck incubation experiments to determine copepod feeding dynamics and microzooplankton grazing, as well as molecular analyses to characterize plankton communities. North Carolina State University is participating as a sub-awardee, contributing expertise in areas such as sample analyses, data synthesis, and publication efforts.

A team led by scientists at the university of louisiana at lafayette and north carolina state university will study a range of phytoplankton, harmful algae, and biological processes on the gomecc cruise in the summer of 2025. Led by DR. Beth stauffer and DR. Astrid schnetzer, researchers will collect water samples from niskin bottles and filter them to determine concentrations of microscopic plant pigments as far as light reaches in the ocean. They will identify the types of tiny plants they collect, including looking for harmful algal bloom species, which can have detrimental effects on important fisheries and human health.