SEACHANGE UNEXE team sample Antarctic cores
Posted on: 04/10/2021 By: Jake Scolding and Alejandro Roman Gonzalez
The University of Exeter SEACHANGE team have completed their first sampling of marine sediment cores collected from the Antarctic continental shelf for Work Package 5. These cores were previously collected in 2020 on a research cruise as part of the ICEBERGS project and have remained frozen since.
A multicorer, deployed from the RRS James Clark Ross, was used to collect these cores from coastal fjords with retreating marine-terminating glaciers along the West Antarctic Peninsula, a region in the southern hemisphere, which is experiencing an intense warming over the last few decades. In the video you can see the location of the different sites that are being studied.
The multicorer takes up to 12 one-meter long cylinders of undisturbed marine sediment at a time. These are then prepared for storage and conservation on board. This can be a busy time on deck and in the wet lab on board the ship resembling a pit stop at a formula one race, with up to 12 scientists carrying out independently but interconnected tasks.
The samples that the team were collecting from these preserved cores were for colleagues at the University of Copenhagen GLOBE Institute who are also SEACHANGE project partners. They will be undertaking analysis to extract environmental DNA (eDNA). The eDNA extracted will help piece together the biodiversity of the era relating to that sediment depth, over a few thousands years for the deepest sediment.
The procedure used to collect a small amount of sediment is very stringent in order to prevent the samples becoming contaminated by other sources of DNA. The team were covered head to toe in PPE including and had to ensure that all pieces of equipment and work surfaces were kept sterile throughout the days sampling.
Sampling sediment core samples for eDNA analysis. A: Sterilising equipment and preparing sampling tubes. B/C: Extracting sediment samples using a 5 ml syringe with the end cut off. D: eDNA samples ready to be sent to Copenhagen.
Although quite an uncomfortable experience (especially on one of the hottest days of the year), the sampling went smoothly and the samples have now been sent to colleagues in Copenhagen.
Now that the restrictions of Covid are starting to ease it is excellent news for lab and fieldwork. The SEACHANGE project is starting to move forward at a faster pace and it is great to start making plans for work in the future.
The staff undertaking the sampling were James Scourse, Alejandro Roman Gonzalez, Jake Scolding and Matt Mason.
