S A R A H A A R O N S
A S S I S T A N T P R O F E S S O R , G E O S C I E N C E S D I V I S I O N
Funds from the Vetlesen Foundation were essential in supporting the initiation
and start-up of the shared geochemical facility through supporting the purchase
of the multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer, which is
now successfully producing isotope data.
The Shared Geochemical Facility at Scripps Institution of Oceanography was
completed in early 2024. The installation of the MC -ICP-MS took approximately
one month. During this process, we encountered an Argon gas leak, causing
pressure instability within the instrument. A thorough investigation was
conducted to identify the leak, and once located, the necessary parts were
replaced. Several rounds of testing confirmed that the pressure was stable and
the Argon leak had been resolved. To ensure the instrument operated correctly,
additional supplies were purchased, including tubing for Argon and Nitrogen gas
connections, connector fittings, adapters, cones sets, benches, a table, an
ultrasonic bath for cone cleaning, and racks for use with an autosampler. A new
autosampler was also installed, allowing us to begin automated measurements.
Over this period, approximately four 230L Argon tanks have already been
consumed.
Methods have been successfully established for measuring stable iron (Fe),
radiogenic neodymium (Nd), and strontium (Sr) isotopes. Thermo provided an
initial training session on operating the Neoma using the Qtegra software,
attended by PhD student Linqing Huang and master's student Emma Ling. A
more advanced three-day training session is scheduled at the end of October,
2024. Several students have plans to use this instrumentation for isotope analysis
in the coming months including undergraduate Kelly Loo, and master’s student
Anusha Goswami.
L I A S I E G E L M A N
A S S I S T A N T P R O F E S S O R , I N T E G R A T I V E O C E A N O G R A P H Y
D I V I S I O N
"Funds from the Vetlesen Foundation allowed me to better understand the ocean’s
dynamics and how it regulates the climate on Earth. I intend to pursue the strong
tradition of geophysical fluid dynamics (GFD) present at Scripps Institution of
Oceanography building upon the scientific approach I developed over the past few
years. This approach relies on GFD principles to extract the synergy between data of
different nature: satellite observations, in situ measurements, idealized models and realistic numerical simulations, such as the latest global coupled land-ocean-
atmosphere simulations at km-resolution performed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and the Goddard Space Flight Center (NASA).
My research focus is on exploring scale interactions in the ocean, especially between
mesoscale eddies (50–500 km) and
submesoscale fronts (1–50 km). I
would like to understand their
entwined dynamics in order to
quantify their climate impact,
especially regarding heat transfer
in the coupled ocean-atmosphere
system. An example of the research
enabled by your funding is this study on
how fine scale ocean fronts impact
the atmosphere and in particular
storms. This study is under revision
at Nature Communications Earth and
Environment."
GEOPHYSICAL FLUID DYNAMICS
Visible Infrared Image from the Suomi satellite captures an extensive
phytoplankton bloom just west of the Drake Passage, one of the most
turbulent regions in the ocean. Mesoscale eddies and submesoscales
filaments are noticeable on this image.
The Ocean Pavilion returned for a second year at the COP28 climate conference in
Dubai. Its mission remained to underscore the integral role of our ocean in climate
and serve as the central hub for conference delegates to exchange ideas on
addressing the climate crisis by leveraging ocean science and solutions.
The 240-square-meter pavilion was located in the venue’s “Blue Zone” where
negotiations took place. It was composed of a main theater, reception and lounge
areas, two meeting rooms, an “immersion” theater for showcasing films, and a
media room.
The space was regarded as one of the best at COP29 and its inviting design led to
quality engagements between pavilion staff and visitors. The pavilion helped
Scripps garner coverage from several major media organizations and exposed
influential negotiators from several countries to the urgent ocean issues with which
society is reckoning.
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