June 28, 2010

By Emelia DeForce

The powers that be around this ship asked us all to write "Reflections on Shipboard Life." I don't want to reflect – that means I have to think about the past. I only want to think about what the future holds as that is where the excitement and passion in my life exists.

My PAST: Forget your past, move out, write up five years of science, prepare manuscript, cook, save money, make science happen, meet the right people (even if you really don't want to), talk on the phone...talk...talk...talk, drink beer, finish degree, apply for jobs, move out again, make money, borrow money – no Emelia, make money.

-OR-

My PRESENT AND FUTURE: Spend no money, walk on water for 35 days while studying quite possibly one of the most widespread and long-lasting legacies of humanity: PLASTICS. Furthermore, have the unique opportunity to ask questions about the fate of these tiny pieces of human impact that float in the open ocean. What more could a Tasmanian devil ask for? Whew! This was a necessary mental reorganization event.

I am a microbial ecologist; this means I study microbes in nature. I believe you have to think like a microbe to study them. Imagine wandering the vast deserts of the Sahara with a group of your famished friends looking for water and food when, lo and behold – in the far distance you spot a football field-sized pile of redwood logs. You team up with your best mates when you arrive at the soon-to-be gold mine of food and shelter, but there is a lot of work to do. You delegate one group to start chopping away at the wood because it holds reserves of fresh water and small grubs and insects for food. You realize you all will have to change your appetite, but it's not a problem because you are in dire straits. Another group starts to stack up the logs and make shelter against the whipping winds and sweltering sun. In due time, after enough hard work, your needs in life are met: food, sleep, and shelter!

I equate this to the microbes living in the vast stretch of North Atlantic Ocean known as the Sargasso Sea. No safe haven, little sustenance here for the tiny microscopic individuals. When a floating piece of plastic drifts by, I can't help but believe that this is a platform that offers food and shelter for organisms living in the open ocean. I imagine they cooperate as a group and inhabit the human-given gifts of plastic. It becomes their new home. They adapt to it using new metabolic pathways and communication strategies among the gathering masses of microbes on the newly formed small city.

We are collecting and preserving copious pieces of plastic in a systematic manner here in the wildly blue abyss to answer some of the questions about the roles that microorganisms play in the fate of plastics at sea. I anticipate that we will discover microbes may be the very answer to the irresponsible catastrophe that humans have created with the plastics regime. With sound science and proper funding, we can tackle these questions and get answers. I hope to continue on this scientific journey. I'll keep you posted...