JUNE 26
SCIENTIFIC WORKS
Sneha's research stay in Malaga
Sneha has been working at the University of Málaga in collaboration with the Polar Marine Ecology group in order to process the many preserved seawater samples taken from Kongsfjorden during the YESSS field campaign. Here she is learning to use the flow cytometer which allows her to count and categorize different types of cells. That will later present a clearer understanding of the community composition of all the different types of phytoplankton in each season.
The flow cytometer passes a laser through each individual cell and the result is a unique signature that shows us how big the cell is and what kinds of pigments the cell contains based on fluorescence. Since phytoplankton are the base of the marine food web, understanding the community composition as it changes with increasing temperatures is one step in understanding how this ecosystem will respond to climate change.
