Dr. Rau and David had the opportunity to collaborate with the VIISTA (Virus Infection at the Interface of Sinking, Turbulence, and Aggregation) PIs and their NSF Growing Convergence Research Project. This was a one-month cruise aboard the Kilo Moana in the California Current to try to understand how viruses, microbiology, and turbulence microstructure affect carbon export in the ocean. This was a fantastic opportunity to study phytoplankton particles and aggregates in their natural environment! We sampled for biopolymers, stress markers, and performed laboratory and in-situ aggregation and disaggregation measurements! Very much looking forward to digging into this data with the broader team!
