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Author: Kristin Huizenga

I am a PhD student studying Biological Oceanography at the University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography. My interests are in food webs, ecology, and the interaction of humans and the ocean, whether that is in the form of fishing, pollution, climate change, or simply how we view the ocean. I am currently researching the decline of cancer crabs and lobsters in the Narragansett Bay.
The bigger the better? Larger North Atlantic right whales tend to birth more babies
Conservation

The bigger the better? Larger North Atlantic right whales tend to birth more babies

North Atlantic right whales are growing less and having fewer babies. Could stress be the cause?
May 30, 2022 Kristin Huizenga
Gifted healers: Some corals have the whole package when it comes to recovery
Coral

Gifted healers: Some corals have the whole package when it comes to recovery

In a watery world where a wound can mean deadly infection, what makes some corals heal faster than others?
December 16, 2021 Kristin Huizenga
Creatures in the cool lagoon: Are Arctic lagoons the next refuge for ringed seals?
Behavior

Creatures in the cool lagoon: Are Arctic lagoons the next refuge for ringed seals?

Seals need ice for rest and to raise pups, but where can they go in a melting world? Maybe lagoons.
October 18, 2021October 17, 2021 Kristin Huizenga
Puerto Rico and the Blue Economy: Towards an Energy Independent Island
Undergraduate Research

Puerto Rico and the Blue Economy: Towards an Energy Independent Island

After Hurricane Maria, parts of Puerto Rico had no power for over a year. Can clean energy help?
August 28, 2021August 30, 2021 Kristin Huizenga
It’s getting hot in here: IPCC and the ocean
Climate Change

It’s getting hot in here: IPCC and the ocean

With unequivocal evidence that humans are warming the planet, what does the future hold for the ocean and for us?
August 20, 2021March 31, 2022 Kristin Huizenga
Reading “All We Can Save” against the backdrop of climate crisis
Book Review

Reading “All We Can Save” against the backdrop of climate crisis

With near daily reminders that the impacts of climate change are already here but with few concrete steps being taken,…
July 22, 2021July 24, 2021 Kristin Huizenga
To Combat World Hunger, Protect Biodiversity
Biodiversity

To Combat World Hunger, Protect Biodiversity

Variety is the spice of life – or if you are an ecologist you might say “biodiversity” is the spice…
June 22, 2021June 21, 2021 Kristin Huizenga
Sea lions and seals and PFAS, oh my: Location still matters for Australian pups
Pollution

Sea lions and seals and PFAS, oh my: Location still matters for Australian pups

I recently found myself falling down a chemical pollutant rabbit hole. Every news source seemed to be shouting “PFAS chemicals…
May 25, 2021May 25, 2021 Kristin Huizenga
Let them eat plastic – Animals eating microplastic could choke the ocean
Plastic Pollution

Let them eat plastic – Animals eating microplastic could choke the ocean

Plastic pollution may bring to mind big images - dead birds, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, and beaches filled with…
April 30, 2021 Kristin Huizenga
Getting warmer – How will climate change shape disease?
Parasitism

Getting warmer – How will climate change shape disease?

Is a warmer world really a sicker world? When it comes to the ocean, it's not always that clear. However,…
January 14, 2021January 13, 2021 Kristin Huizenga
Of rain and reefs: Future downpours in French Polynesia could change the coast
Coastal Management

Of rain and reefs: Future downpours in French Polynesia could change the coast

In many ways, coral reefs are the Goldilocks of the ocean. But as climate change shifts conditions near many of…
December 3, 2020December 3, 2020 Kristin Huizenga
Two by two includes corals too? Researchers call for a coral “Noah’s Ark”
Conservation

Two by two includes corals too? Researchers call for a coral “Noah’s Ark”

In the Bible, the story of Noah’s Ark describes a storm so intense and so long that the earth is…
November 12, 2020 Kristin Huizenga
It’s a match! Cod do best when paired with copepods
Fisheries

It’s a match! Cod do best when paired with copepods

What makes or breaks the young life of a cod? Maybe it's food. Researchers investigated the overlap between young cod…
October 15, 2020 Kristin Huizenga
Crushed it: Sea turtles can help us understand hurricanes in the mid-Atlantic
Cyclones

Crushed it: Sea turtles can help us understand hurricanes in the mid-Atlantic

Predicting what hurricanes will do is a matter of life and death, but when Hurricane Irene headed north in 2011,…
September 16, 2020September 16, 2020 Kristin Huizenga
Consider the marsh crab: Climate change shifts which species are key
Ecology

Consider the marsh crab: Climate change shifts which species are key

Munching, nibbling and burrowing their way through life, the humble marsh crab can now add “keystone species” to its ecological…
August 3, 2020 Kristin Huizenga
Fig leaf or laurel wreath – When does “green” development help or hurt the ocean?
Coastal Management

Fig leaf or laurel wreath – When does “green” development help or hurt the ocean?

Making new coastal development more environmentally friendly seems like a win-win, but how much is helpful and how much is…
July 1, 2020March 15, 2022 Kristin Huizenga
A game of shark and ray: Rays act differently when sharks are around
Behavior

A game of shark and ray: Rays act differently when sharks are around

As our oceans change, we don’t really know what the current decline of sharks means for stingrays, or for the…
June 1, 2020June 1, 2020 Kristin Huizenga
The Blob: A movie monster of the sea
Climate Change

The Blob: A movie monster of the sea

The Blob, the Pacific marine heatwave from 2016, sounds more like a movie monster than a natural phenomenon. Still the…
May 15, 2020May 15, 2020 Kristin Huizenga
Follow the breadcrumbs: Sponges show how some animals clean up viruses
Biology

Follow the breadcrumbs: Sponges show how some animals clean up viruses

These days, hunkered down in our homes (if we are lucky) and washing our hands till they’re raw, it can…
April 1, 2020April 2, 2020 Kristin Huizenga
Catch prey while the sun shines – Herring grow bigger when they can see their food
Climate Change

Catch prey while the sun shines – Herring grow bigger when they can see their food

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a sea creature in possession of a home in higher latitudes (further from…
March 2, 2020April 29, 2021 Kristin Huizenga

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