Interns Barbara and Jeremy worked with a multidisciplinary team of researchers at UVM examining the temporal and spatial dynamics of phytoplankton abundance and composition in relation to various limiting resources (phosphorus, nitrogen, light, and temperature). Field work will included maintenance of a biogeochemical monitoring buoy moored in Missisquoi Bay, Lake Champlain; collection of weekly water samples; and periodic spatial data collection using sensors and water samplers. Lab work at the Rubenstein Ecosystem Science Laboratory involved maintenance and calibration of advanced aquatic sensors, nutrient assays using a variety of instruments, preparations for field excursions, and data analysis.
Interns worked to understand the resources limiting primary production in Missisquoi bay over the course of the summer, the sources of nutrients to the water column, quantifying variability in spatial distribution of phytoplankton and nutrients in Missisquoi Bay, identifying drivers of this variability, and other related questions.