Deadline for applications: 15 September 2023
EPA Office/Lab and Location:
A research opportunity is available at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Office of Research and Development (ORD), Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment (CPHEA), Pacific Ecological Systems Division (PESD) in Newport, Oregon.
Research Project: The research participant will have the opportunity to collaborate with a team of EPA and external researchers conducting 1) coastal acidification and hypoxia research in EPA National Estuary Program (NEP) sites around the country and 2) developing coastal acidification indicator for National Coastal Condition Assessment (NCCA) Survey. Under the guidance of the mentor, the research participant will have the opportunity to conduct research to characterize coastal acidification and hypoxia dynamics in NEP sites nationwide based upon observations from autonomous water quality monitoring sensors and other associated datasets and assist in the development of coastal acidification indicator for the NCCA.
Under the guidance of a mentor, the research activities may include:
- Outreach and collaborating with NEP researchers around the country
- Collaborating with NCCA partners around the country
- Organizing water quality datasets relevant for ocean acidification and hypoxia research (e.g. pH, CO2, dissolved oxygen, temperature, salinity, pressure)
- Analyzing water quality datasets to characterize ocean acidification and hypoxia dynamics and drivers
- Laboratory analyses of water samples for carbonate chemistry samples (total alkalinity, DIC and pCO2)
- Assisting with deployment and maintenance of in situ sensors at NEP site in Oregon and field sampling for method development for NCCA.
- Analyzing total alkalinity and pH data to develop coastal acidification indicator for incorporation into the National Coastal Condition Assessment
- Comparing of water quality observations with existing water quality standards and published biological thresholds for acidification and hypoxia
- Utilizing software programs for data organization and analysis (e.g. R, Matlab, Python)
- Presenting research results at scientific conferences and research symposiums
- Peer-reviewed manuscript preparation, writing, editing, and publication
Learning Objectives:
The research participant will have the opportunity to gain knowledge by interacting with a multidisciplinary team of EPA and external researchers. The research participant will gain experience operating in a collaborative science project, gathering and synthesizing large datasets, preparing presentations and scientific papers, water quality standards, climate change research, and scientific communication with stakeholders. The research participant is encouraged to collaborate on writing of manuscripts for project presentations and peer-reviewed publications.
Mentor(s): The mentor for this project is Cheryl Brown (Brown.cheryl@epa.gov). If you have questions about the nature of the research please contact the mentor(s).
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University of Guam. More information.
