Introduction

A note from the MOGEL webmaster:

Welcome to our blog! MOGEL is an acronym for "Maryland Organic Geochemistry and Ecology Laboratory". We are located at the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory in Solomons, Maryland, part of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science. Under the direction of professor Rodger Harvey, we study a wide range of topics on the biogeochemistry of aquatic environments. Please feel free to check out our website, which has examples of our research in a variety of locations, from the Arctic Ocean to the Chesapeake Bay.

MOGEL is lucky to have Charlie Morgan working with us for the summer. Charlie is an undergraduate student at Lyon College, in Batesville, Arkansas, majoring in biology and chemistry. He is visiting us as part of the Maryland Sea Grant Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Program. For his summer research project, Charlie will be working with two other MOGELites, Karen Taylor and Rachel Pleuthner, on a study of the effects of climate change on the Bering Sea. MOGEL's segment of this large, multi-disciplinary study is focused on how changing sea-ice conditions are affecting euphausiid (or krill) populations and how these changes propagate through polar food chains. Krill are small crustacean zooplankton that are important food species for whales, seals, and even some sea-birds.

Charlie, Karen, and Rachel will be sailing in the Bering Sea aboard the U.S. Coast Guard Icebreaker Healy. This blog will detail Charlie's experiences on his first oceanographic cruise. We will try to have regular updates, so check back often. Please be patient, though, as occasionally weather or science may interfere with our ability to make postings. If you have any questions, you can contact the MOGEL webmaster (mogel@cbl.umces.edu). Thanks, and enjoy.