Chemistry
Tiny ocean creatures play a big role in the global fate of toxic pollutants
Scientists on the “biggest ever expedition on global change” studied the tiniest creatures in the ocean to learn about their…
Author: Carrie McDonough
I am the founder of oceanbites, and a postdoctoral fellow in the Higgins Lab at Colorado School of Mines, where I study poly- and perfluorinated chemicals. I got my Ph.D. in the Lohmann Lab at the University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography, where my research focused on how toxic chemicals like flame retardants end up in our lakes and oceans. Before graduate school, I earned a B.Sc. in chemistry from MIT and spent two years in environmental consulting. When I'm not doing chemistry in the lab, I'm doing chemistry at home (brewing beer).
Undergraduate Research
Notes from the Undergrads: Summer Research Projects in Oceanography (Part II)
Undergraduates from all over the US have come to the University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography this summer…
Undergraduate Research
Notes from the Undergrads: Summer Research Projects in Oceanography! (Part I)
Undergraduates from all over the US have come to the University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography this summer…
Biology Chemistry
The Secret’s in the Slime
Scientists have recently discovered that the hagfish’s notorious slime has uses beyond defense: it also mediates uptake of toxins through…
Science Communication
Oceanbites Wants to Hear From You!
We here at oceanbites want to know what you're interested in reading about. Whether you're new to the site or…
Chemistry
We Don’t Know the Half of It: Hundreds of Contaminants in Dolphin Blubber from Southern California
Dolphins and humans are continuously exposed to low levels of various halogenated, persistent manmade pollutants through their diets. In this…
Science Communication
Attention Grad Students: Apply to Attend ComSciCon15!
Applications are now open for the Communicating Science 2015 workshop, to be held in Cambridge, MA on June 18-20th, 2015!…
Chemistry Human impacts Pollution
Oil Spill Sleuths use Chemical Fingerprinting to Identify Sources of Tar Balls
Tar balls are small globules of thick, sticky oil that can be found on some shorelines. In order to mitigate…
Ecology Fisheries Human impacts Pollution
Cartilaginous Conundrum: Are Sharks and Skates Safe to Eat?
While smooth dogfish may not be on your list of favorite seafood, cartilaginous fish (mainly sharks and skates) may increasingly…
Biology Chemistry Pollution
Why Do Sea Turtles Get Tumors?
Large numbers of green sea turtles are growing tumors that impede their swimming, block their sight, and prevent them from…
Biology Chemistry
Hired Mussels: Mussel Farming to Clean Up Excess Nutrients
Plants need nitrogen and phosphorous to grow, and humans need plants to survive. In our quest to produce more and…
Human impacts Pollution
How Much Garbage is in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch?
There’s been a lot of news floating around about “The Great Pacific Garbage Patch”, the region of the Pacific Ocean…
Biology Chemistry
Baby Beluga is at Heightened Risk: Pollutant Accumulation in Arctic Predators Affects Gene Expression
Analyzing changes in gene transcription is a way to detect adverse effects in organisms before they are observable on the…
Chemistry
From Your Sofa to the Sea
Oceanographers from Spain have measured several commonly used (and potentially harmful) organophosphate ester flame retardants in the air over the…
Biology Chemistry Fisheries
Big Fish Eats Little Fish: Biomagnification of Natural Toxins
Naturally occurring poisons produced by some microorganisms can concentrate to dangerous levels in carnivorous fish, just like man-made pollutants do.…
Chemistry Geology
A Song of Ice, Fire, and Climate: Could Warming Seas Release Methane from Beneath the Seafloor?
In 2008, scientists were troubled to find methane bubbling up from marine sediments off the coast of a string of…
Chemistry
Double Trouble: Marine Plastic Debris Absorbs Toxic Pollutants
Recently, you may have heard that scientists have discovered small plastic particles floating in the open ocean and in the…
Biology Chemistry
Like Mother, Like Son: Stingrays Pass Toxic Pollutants on to Their Offspring
Animals in early stages of development are particularly susceptible to harmful effects of toxic pollutants. For this reason, the transfer…
Chemistry
Model Suggests 40% of Global Dioxin Emissions End Up in Oceans
Researchers at the University of British Columbia recently presented a global model simulating how dioxins, a group of very toxic,…
Biology Chemistry
Intense Weight Loss by Migratory Humpback Whales Could Increase Health Risks Posed by Pollutants
Australian and Norwegian researchers measured levels of pesticides and PCBs in southern hemisphere humpback whales to find out whether extreme…