Addie Biesel Senior Thesis Interview

Interview by UW Oceanography undergraduate Lauren Bayne, March 2020.

What is your research project about and how did you come up with this idea? When did you think of this project and what helped you decide on the topic?

I am studying nepheloid layers (layers of suspended particles in the water column) in both South Africa and the Eastern Tropical North Pacific (ETNP). Specifically, I am studying the biology within these layers to try and quantify how nepheloid layers are interacting with the biological pump. It was definitely hard for me to narrow down on a topic because I have always been interested in all four aspects of oceanography. Thankfully, Rick Keil approached me at the end of last school year and invited me to be a part of his cruise to the ETNP, and to work in his lab for my senior thesis. With his help and guidance, I settled on this project looking at the biological components of nepheloid layers, a topic I remember being intrigued by back in OCEAN 310. I find it a little ironic because somehow, I managed to pick a project that does in fact encompass a bit of all the aspects of oceanography!

What are your goals for this project once finished?

I think this depends a little bit on how the data turns out! It is definitely a topic that intrigues me and could potentially be quite important in the study of the ocean’s biological pump. If I discover that nepheloid layers really do play a large role in the biological pump I would love to continue this research in the years to come or maybe in grad school! However, if my project doesn’t quite turn out how I would dream, it may not go past my senior thesis. Either way, I learned a lot about this specific topic that I find fascinating and will take it with me into my future studies no matter what.

What excited you about performing this research and what made you nervous?

I was excited to dive into this research because it was such a unique topic and there really isn’t that much information about it. I had (and still have) high hopes that what I find will actually be influential in oceanography research, specifically about nepheloid layers. At the same time though, it is a project that there wasn’t a lot of information about, so I really didn’t know what my results would be. But I suppose that’s science! I was also nervous about this project simply because I hadn’t really done any major research before this. A whole year of completing my own research sounded very daunting. I was worried I would take on too much, that I would mess something up, wouldn’t finish it in time, etc.

How did you perform this on the Thompson? What were your steps and what tools did you use? Did you have to change things to be able to do them off the coast of south Africa?

While on the Thompson my main motivation was just to collect my samples, since I couldn’t do any lab analysis until I returned. Every time the CTD went down I would look at the transmissometer profile to see where (if anywhere) in the water column there was a potential nepheloid layer by looking for a reverse peak (indicating the water is less clear, or perhaps filled with particles). Then I would collect 30 liters of water at the depth in question. After that I would spend three hours filtering the water onto a glass fiber filter. I ended up getting 15 different samples that were frozen and shipped back to Seattle. I don’t think I had to change up anything from the procedure we had planned and used on the ETNP cruise.

Did anything unexpected occur on the cruise? If so, how did you manage to fix this? Was there any kind of team work on the ship?

I don’t think there was anything really wrong with the science done on the ship, and certainly not with my project. However, about everything else went quite wrong. The entire ship, both the crew and science party, became very sick with what we believe to be norovirus. This wiped out almost everyone at one point or another throughout the cruise. As miserable as it was, I think this really did bring us all together as not only a team on the cruise but as a closer senior class in general. We really rallied around each other and helped everyone complete their own research, especially if they were too sick to do this themselves.

What was your favorite part of the cruise?

My favorite part of the cruise was probably my watch. Watches are essentially our work shifts, so during that time we would do whatever needed to be done such as running the CTD, the underway CTD, sampling, etc. My watch team really came together and became best friends for the duration of the cruise. We would spend our four hour shifts totally goofing around and making the most of our rather unfortunate circumstances on the cruise, on top of doing science of course.

Throughout the entire project what was the most challenging part for you?

I think that hardest part so far is actually the current phase I am in. Post cruise with my samples in Seattle, it’s now all on me to make or break this project. During the proposal stage it was still broken up into chunks, I had to complete a little at a time throughout the quarter. Now however I have until the end of the quarter to run my lab procedures, analyze my data, and make graphs, all on my own time. And we’re already halfway through the quarter! I think all the work is looming a bit large. I trust it will all get done, but I do think data analysis is undoubtedly the most challenging part for me.

How does this thesis project affect your feelings about graduating and post undergraduate life?

It definitely makes graduation feel more real. I had been hearing about the senior thesis for four years, and now being one of the seniors completing my own project is wild. So far, I have enjoyed taking some ownership of my own research, something that had scared me in the past. I think this makes me generally excited for the future and my plans to one day go to graduate school and continue my research and studies.