Deep sea trash (Image provided/NOAA)
The Geneseo student authors are Nikki Fuller '22, Emily McMahon '23, Allison North '23, A.J. Petty '23, Chryssanthi Tzetzis '23, Jacob Calus '25, Abisage Sekarore '25, Gabriel Rosado '22, Erin Patton '22, and Julia Cappiello '22, under the guidance of coauthor Associate Professor Mackenzie Gerringer. Their findings are published in the Marine Pollution Bulletin. Read the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) press release about the article.
The collaborative research team examined hours of deep-sea observations recorded by NOAA Ocean Exploration, the NOAA Ship Nancy Foster, and the human occupied submersible Alvin, operated by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. This work was supported by a grant from the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation and NOAA Ocean Exploration aimed at increasing participation in deep-sea research to Gerringer.
Research opportunities like these increase students' sense of belonging and science identity, in addition to providing practical skills in data collection, data analysis, and writing, as described in a previous publication by Gerringer and colleagues.
First author on the current study, Nikki Fuller '22, completed a paid summer internship through the grant before beginning her graduate program studying plastic pollution at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). Fuller commented on the experience, sharing that "knowing plastic pollution exists is one thing, but seeing it at such depths and in such remote areas of the Atlantic Ocean was a truly mind-blowing experience,” Fuller said. “I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to work alongside such amazing people, learning new tools and gaining different perspectives. This experience has strengthened my commitment to continuing on my path in pollution research and finding solutions to this critical issue.”
Additional authors of the research article include, Andrea M. Quattrini, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution; Kasey Cantwell, NOAA Ocean Exploration, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; Daniel Wagner, NOAA Ocean Exploration, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration & Ocean Exploration Trust; Brian R.C. Kennedy, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Ocean Discovery League, & Boston University; Thomas Morrow, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; Samuel Candio, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; S. Adam Soule, University of Rhode Island; and Anna P.M. Michel, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.