BEST is getting set to present a free lecture by Rachel Parsons on the topic of ‘Microbial Oceanography, Microbiomes, and Microplastics’ at Bermuda College on October 31.

A spokesperson said, “The community is invited to attend this free lecture on Thursday, October 31 to learn about the fascinating role of microbiomes, the first forms of life on the planet, and how they continue to play a vital role in the wellbeing of the oceans and their occupants.

“Rachel Parsons, a Microbial Oceanographer at BIOS, will explain the fascinating world of microbiomes and the important work taking place at BIOS. Within the marine environment, microbes perform essential biogeochemical processes. Marine microbes are ubiquitous.

“They are found on the surfaces of particles, the floating seaweed, Sargassum and even on marine microplastics. Microbes, invisible to the human eye, include bacteria, viruses, archaea, protist and fungi, all performing vital ecological functions, from recycling organic matter to carbon sequestration.

“The Microbial Ecology Laboratory at the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences is currently investigating the Sargassum microbiome and how ocean microbes respond to Sargassum dissolved organic matter. Since microplastics are entangled within Sargassum floats, we are also investigating the microbial biofilm formation on these microplastics from an ecological and human health perspective.

“While microplastics are a hot topic, less is known about marine nanoplastics. These are plastics smaller than 20µm. The lab has been focusing on developing a microscopy method for studying suspended nanoplastics in the Sargasso Sea.

Read more here: https://bernews.com/2024/10/best-presenting-free-environmental-lecture/