Meet Andrea de Leon

Meet Andrea de Leon

What is your job title?

PhD student (marine chemistry/biogeochemistry) at the Australian National University, Canberra.

What do you study and why is it important?

I study the carbonate chemistry of the Southern Ocean, specifically seawater pH. I’m investigating whether siliceous organisms (namely diatoms and siliceous sponges) record the pH of the seawater in which they grow. This would allow us to reconstruct the pH records of the Southern Ocean over time. Ocean pH is related to oceanic and atmospheric CO2 concentrations, hence this would provide some insight into changes in CO2 concentration over glacial-interglacial periods, and into CO2 exchange between the ocean and atmosphere.

What will you be doing on the voyage?

Sampling from the sediment cores, which will later be filtered for diatoms; filtering surface seawater for phytoplankton; collecting seawater from the CTD; helping out with the benthic sampling, and sampling siliceous sponges from the epibenthic sled.

Describe a “typical” day at sea?

Not much sleep, lots of mud and seawater.

Where were you educated?

University of Melbourne(BSc(Hons)/LLB)

How did you become interested in the ocean?

I was interested in biogeochemistry as a tool for investigating palaeoclimate.

Do you get seasick? And if so, any tips on how not to?

I get very seasick. Lie as still as possible and take plenty of seasickness medication.

What do you enjoy about your work?

The variety – I get to do great fieldwork as well as spend time in labs doing analytical work.

What are some of the challenges you face?

Filtering seawater while seasick!

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