Sediment erosion and land, no no tree loss

As a foreign student from a small but heavily-developed and very-over-populated country, sediment erosion seemed to be the story which can be hardly seen because most of coast is also hardened with concrete to build buildings, roads, etc.. But here in the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries, it is occurring literally every where. 

Sediment erosion and tree loss

This is really faster than I expected. I had practiced martial art with Jeff and Dave two years ago when these trees made shadow for us.

How to save sea birds?

When I worked at Scripps Institution, Nacho (PhD student) showed me the effects of sea birds on marine ecosystem. I can't remember exactly but his study was very unique. The birds we see everyday is an important part of foodweb because it feeds on fish, crab, and clam. Also, birds may supply nutrients on the surface again by excretion which phytoplankton and bacteria can take up.

Today, for the first time, I seriously think that we all need to appreciate the friends and provide more protection after i met this bird. The bird was still alive with a heavy fishing weight in its mouth. There was nothing i can do much because i couldn't find a hook. The bird swallows the hook. Emm, i don't think I can go fishing anymore.



Rest in peace.

Arduino project 2

Finally, today I got almost all arduino parts to make the automated valve. I have found many useful blogs and forum from which I can get help but I still have some hard time to figure out what all small parts are intended for.
But for now, I would like to introduce the design I am thinking.

DIC analyzer and automated samples which I am going to make.

Ok, can I do this? Emm, it is going to be not easy but it worth to try.

Arduino project

I know there are many genius out there. But when I look at people working on electricity, I think they are really smart! How come they know all circuits and make it work.
Now, I also want to learn about electricity and make some useful tools. So, I have tried to find people out there who willingly teach me and share their knowledge with free of charge. It seems like people in a remote control world are the best I found. However, I have to spend much money to participate in their meeting (i.e., buying stuff). But I can't afford that much money.

My adviser, Jeff, asked me to make some automated sampler for one equipment which we just purchase on August. This equipment is to measure dissolved carbon in water. Unfortunately, it takes long time to finish one sample. That's why he asked me to think or invent an automated tool. Now, I feel like I find my new hobby: Arduino. It is kind of small scale computer but more flexible and unlimited! And CHEAP!

My first Arduino main board!

So, this is Arduino main board. I am going to make a rotating valve on which many samples will be connected. The valve needs to communicate with computer and Arduino to ensure the timing of switching between samples with the measurement.

I can be hard,,very hard to me because I have no experience in computer language and electricity. But I am ready to do it.

Life in the Dead Zone project

o far I have worked in Life in the Dead Zone project for about 3 months. I went to total 3 cruises including a one-week long cruise (LDZ4) and two one-day boat (LDZ5 & 6). Most of data are analyzed with DIC analyzer and membrane inlet mass spectrometer. Unfortunately, I had badly cut my finger and lost some skin due to broken glass vial but I am glad my wound is not so bad.

Classes are also begun from the last week: Environmental Geo Chem I and Oil spill seminar this 2010 fall semester. It is going to be fun, difficult, but most importantly very useful for my study.

Today, I have finally made two important plot: Scanfish plot of LDZ4 and DIC flux from sediment of LDZ 4.

LDZ4 Scanfish (oxygen, salinity, temperature, fluorescence)

In the figure above, most importantly, dead zone (no oxygen) was clearly observed below about 10 m in the mesohaline (middle) of Chesapeake Bay. Then, was there any living organisms which can produce energy by performing respiration without oxygen?

Dissolved inorganic carbon measurement

Not many studies have measured DIC in the dead zone. The figure above clearly shows that there are heterotrophic and/or chemoautotrophic bacteria using other electron acceptors other than oxygen alone. Now, I am very excited to show people that there are lives in the dead zone!

Computer programs?....nooo...not today. But motivation

Yes, scientists use lots of different computer software, namely, Microsoft office, Adobe Creative Suite, Mathematica, Matlab, etc. And there are lots of 'small & simple' programs specialized for certain forms of data. I purchased a student version of Matlab a few days ago and pretty suffered from it because it crash with Windows 7 computer.

But this is not what I want to talk about today. I want to talk about motivation.

As a oceanography graduate student, I am very tempting to make nice figures, animations, graphics showing scientific data into world. But it takes too long time since I don't have any computer background. In fact, I took a Matlab related course once and that's pretty much it. Sometimes, I spend more time for playing with computer software than reading a book or paper, then I feel guilty about it. So  to speak, I have a strong motivation for extracurricular activity than just my job.

As a person from S.Korea, I am (actually was) very scared of professors or teachers. They are supervisor and master of my life and traditionally I must respect them, but cannot love them much. However, my thoughts of teacher was changed after I met Dr. Raleigh Hood at Horn Point Lab. He is not only a master but a friend. He allowed me anything I wanted to do in his laboratory and didn't blame me even if I was deserved. More importantly, though, he changed the perspective of motivation of mine. He let me do whatever I want to. I worked because I should and I believed that it is one kind of motivation in a different shape. Especially, the personality was securely developed during my military service period. But here, we don't call it motivation, but just a order.

Today, my blog is much longer than before because I am very happy after watching a video. Dan Pink in the video talks about motivation and productivity. In scientific studies, it turns out that productivity is lower when people are rewarded by his/her work than people are not rewarded at all especially if the work requires any little creativity. I clearly remember many of my friends who said that their parents will buy this toy, that toy, this game, that game if they got a good score from the test. And the reward seemed to work because they get better scores than mine who never got this kind of offer from parents. But now, I see that my parents are much more wiser than other parents. I cannot say that I am a more productive person than they are now because I don't know what they are doing and I don't think I am very successful right now. However, I believe that I have more potential than them because I have been doing whatever I want without any incentive. I am going to enjoy my life more seriously from today for the higher productivity.



Conclusion of today's blog. Although I spend many time for playing with softwares which I don't need to do, it will make my life much more productive than ever.

Tides in Korea

I went to field trip to Sumjin River in South Korea in summer 2002.

Sumjin River, Korea in 2002

Since Korea is small country, you can see the ocean within 4 hours no matter where you live. Also, ebb-flood tides are so strong that we can observe a huge area of subtidal zone coming out of water twice a day.

I remember here clearly because I had never seen such a beautiful and a broad subtidal sediment.