It's the little things

I love my job as an ecologist. I get to travel, conduct research, collaborate, all in the beauty of the landscape! However, my job, as with any job, isn't always a ray of sunshine. In fact, many times my job as a field ecologist brings extreme challenges and tedious tasks. For example, it can be really mentally and physically draining when you have an 8-10 hour field day with constant rain and winds. You get soaked, cold, and grumpy. It's in these moments where I remember to appreciate and find happiness in the little things. It's the little things that provide the extra boost of motivation to keep going. 

A chamber capped on the first try!













The perfect scoop of Nostoc!

















An ARA balloon inflated just right!

















Perfect parallel tape of a scintillation vial!
A good standard curve on the first try!
No algae in the MIMS samples!
Field chocolate ... field chocolate
The wind that blows away all the bugs!
1000 mL measured in a single pour!
The little sheep watching from the hill.

Adventures on an island off an island

Yesterday was only my 4th day in Iceland but we were already off on our first field trip excursion. It was a beautiful sunny day and we headed to Haimey, one of the Westman Islands, an archipelago off the southwest coast, for some hiking, sight-seeing, and birding. We had an early 7 am start from Reykjavik (which wasn't too bad considering the sun had been up since 3) and headed south to catch our ferry. After a scenic drive through Iceland and a short 30 minute ferry ride, we arrived at port. 

The small city is home to around 4500 residents and is surrounded by cliffs and two volcanic mountains, Helgafell and Eldfell. After a quick stop at Krónan to grab lunch, we began our hike up Eldfell. Eldfell last erupted in 1973 and is the youngest volcanic mountain in the world. The hardest part of hiking a volcano is the loose soil resulting in a two steps forward, one step back effect. At the top of the mountain we had a panoramic view of the island with cliffs on one side and the city on the other.

After Eldfell, we followed a random trail and discovered a cave! After taking some photos and pretending to be in Lord of the Rings, we began the most anticipated part of our trip, the search for puffins! Iceland has the largest population of puffins in the world and the Westman Islands are home to some of the largest colonies as well. With this in mind, we had high hopes. 

After a few hours of walking along the coast and peaking over cliffs we finally spotted our puffins! Small relative to the gulls and massive cliffs, the puffins zipped around the waves as tiny black specks. We spent the next couple hours sitting by the cliffs and enjoyed the scenic views. Once we returned to town, we followed the loud music coming from the center of the city and stumbled upon a celebration of Sjómannadagurinn (Sailor's Day). Celebrated throughout all the coastal towns of Iceland, the first weekend of June is dedicated to honor those who work at sea and in fisheries. My favorite event during the festival was the pillow fights. Historically used as a test of manhood, the pillow fight involves stepping out onto a plank overhanging the port and fighting until one of the players falls into the icy cold water below. 

Once we arrived back to the mainland, we had a quick drive before we arrived at our next site, the Beglengd Seljalandsfoss Waterfall. Standing at 75 meters, the waterfall cascaded over the edge of the plateau. The best part of this waterfall was that we could walk behind it! Following the path along the side, we ventured behind the waterfall for amazing views of the waterfall, rainbows, and some splashes of water. Overall, we had an amazing day exploring the island and experiencing the local culture. I can't wait to explore more of Iceland throughout the rest of the summer. 

Getting Settled In & Set Up

Hello! I’m Marie and I am a St. Catherine’s undergraduate student starting my junior year this fall. I am new to the Iceland team, and this is my first research position. I’m sure I will have a lot of new and challenging experiences this summer. So far, we have been doing a lot of preparation for the field and getting the lab set up for our work. The lab we are working in now is different than the one last summer, so we have been trying to figure out where our equipment can go (and we have a lot of stuff!). We are finding space for the gas chromatograph which is challenging because the people we are working with are getting set up as well (they just moved too!) The lab is in the heart of Reykjavik, right across from the Harpa, and there is a huge mural of a fisherman on the side of the building.

The view outside of our lab.

The mural on the side of the lab.

We have been weighing a lot of filter papers and tins, which should make our lives easier later in the summer. To do that, we had to set up the scale, which was a good learning experience for me as I had never done that before. We have weighed over 600 filters and 200 tins so far, and we will need to weigh more before the summer is over!

Look at all the filters and tins!

Annette and I also worked on repairing the fans. We have magnets attached to the fans so that when they spin they rotate a stir bar in a chamber to mix the contents continually. The silicone sealant we used was from last summer, so we had to battle to get the tip cleared, but we did it! A lot of what we have been doing so far is setting the foundation for the rest of the summer, so while pictures of what we are doing now may not be as stunning as field photos, it is important work.

Ecologist in Training

Our last season of fieldwork is over but its benefits persist. I miss Iceland and its beauty, but with good memories, I am eagerly working with some of the data. Last summer in Iceland was an incredible experience and gave me the opportunity to grow as a student and a scientist. It gave me the chance to explore new ideas, meet great people and experience a different culture. The intense combination of lab and fieldwork was a good reminder of nature’s complexity and the effort it takes to understand it. It was rewarding to watch the samples and data accumulate over the summer. Every task requires full attention whether it be weighing filters, carefully pipetting or organizing field equipment. It helps to always keep the overall goals in mind because it fuels the motivation to do my best work.

Measuring nitrogen fixation on a rainy day

I’ve gained a deeper appreciation for the hard work that goes into scientific studies like this one. The work that we do requires a lot of patience and optimism. Shaking chambers of algae in the wind and rain may not sound ideal, but having a fun team that can always make you laugh makes all the difference. Everyone had good advice to offer and I did my best to absorb all the information I could. They encouraged me to be confident in my abilities and helped me to better understand my strengths and weaknesses. It could get overwhelming at times with so many long days and a never-ending to-do list, but with support and encouragement from the team, it didn’t seem too bad. I loved working with such great people!

Working at the channels

I had fun learning the stream ecology methods used in the field and in the lab. My interest in ecological areas of study like biodiversity and nutrient cycling continues to grow and I find that the more I learn the more I want to know. I began last summer with a lot of uncertainty about where I saw myself in the future, but by the end I could picture myself working with confidence on a similar project. I feel like I’ve found my place within my biology degree and I’m very thankful for this amazing opportunity.

One Fixation Method

Nostoc Pink algal bloom

Sampling days in the field have been long yet extremely productive. We have collected nitrogen fixation data on primary producers found in four streams with varying temperatures. We can calculate the rate that primary producers are fixing nitrogen using a technique called Acetylene Reduction Assay or ARA. This is one method of measuring fixation which allows us to compare how rates of fixation change across a temperature gradient. You may be thinking “Whoa! Back up. What is this girl talking about?” Let me explain. Some primary producers, for example, one of my favorites, Nostoc Pink, can take nitrogen gas (N₂), which is abundant in the air, and utilize the nitrogen for growth and other critical cellular processes. But for the organism to use the nitrogen from N₂  gas, it must be converted into a usable form of nitrogen. One particular enzyme known as nitrogenase allows for some organisms to be able to do just that! This enzyme breaks the bonds in N₂  gas, or as we call it, "fixes N₂  gas",  and allows for nitrogen to be transformed into ammonia. Ammonia is a nitrogen-containing compound that can be incorporated into the cell.

Saturating chambers with acetylene gas

ARA, the technique that we have been performing on the streams, mimics the process of breaking the bonds in N₂ gas. With this technique, we use acetylene gas in place of N₂  gas. Because N₂  gas is found in such high concentrations in the environment, it is extremely difficult to detect a change in concentration. Luckily, acetylene is a molecule which has similar properties to that of nitrogen gas. I like to think of them as cousins. Because of their similar properties, the nitrogenase enzyme can break the bond in the acetylene molecule and allows us to detect rates of fixation. When performing Acetylene Reduction Assay, we saturate chambers containing primary producer samples with acetylene gas and take an initial gas sample. We let the algae “do its thing” for 2 hours and then take a final gas sample.

Charlie and Me

Back at the lab, we use an instrument called a gas chromatograph to detect gases and concentrations of gases that are present in the samples we collect. We can determine differences between the initial gas sample and final gas samples to calculate a rate of acetylene fixation. We then can use a known conversion factor which allows us to determine the rate at which  N₂ gas is fixed by each primary producer based on how fast they fixed acetylene gas. This data allows us to determine differences in fixation rates across streams and temperatures. It is very exciting to watch the data compile and observe “fixation” right before my eyes! I have spent many hours working with the gas chromatograph; one might even say we have become very close friends. Today I am spending my time in the lab running gas samples with our gas chromatograph which has been named Charlie by some of the other team members. I intend to find out the story behind Charlie's name, and I will be sure to let the story be known!