Meet Ashley Rowden
Meet Ashley Rowden
What is your job title?
Marine Benthic Ecologist.
What do you study and why is it important?
Ecology. I’m interested in the relationships between organisms and their environment, and one another – and how these relationships result in the spatial distribution of these organisms. Specifically I study the larger organisms that live in the seabed known as macro- and mega- benthic fauna. My particular interest is in determining whether suites of organisms can be said to be found together in identifiable assemblages called ‘communities’. Why is this sort of study important? In itself it is probably hard to argue that it’s important, but what we learn from such study allows us to better understand the natural world and it provides information that can be used to better manage human impact upon life in the oceans.
What will you be doing on the voyage?
Helping to organise the activities of the seamount team. Assisting with sampling, sieving, sorting, processing and initial identification of samples. Contributing to at-sea analysis of the video and camera images. And anything else that my hands and head can be usefully busied with.
Where were you educated?
Formally qualifications were first gained at schools in Swansea in Wales, then it was off to Westfield & Queen Mary College at the University of London (BSc Hons Environmental Science) and the University of Plymouth (PhD Marine Biology) in England. But my ‘education’ began and will end somewhere else.
How did you become interested in the ocean?
I grew up by the sea, spent many long hours on the beach and in the water. Couple that with falling for the romantic notion of marine biology and exploration as depicted by the books and films of Jacques Cousteau – and there you have it. Me and thousands of others just wanted the life of those bronzed and red-hatted Frenchmen. It seemed a reasonable dream to follow at the time.
Do you get seasick? And if so, any tips on how not to?
Yes, sometimes. Take preventative medicines (the more potent the better – though not the ones that make you drowsy), work as much as you can outside on the deck (distraction and fresh air help), and eat light and mainly dry foods (don’t eat egg and bacon butties).
What do you enjoy about your work?
Having the opportunity to work in interesting and exciting places with interesting and excited people.
What are some of the challenges you face?
Being away from my partner and two boys. Seasickness. Working when tired. Keeping all the metaphorical balls in the air. Not being able to go for a walk, a surf, a cycle and all those others things that you enjoy doing but which are impossible to do on a ship at sea.
What have you learned/discovered?
I’ve learnt a lot over the years about the ecology of benthic organisms, and discovered that what you learn contributes almost always a very, very, very small amount to our understanding of natural systems. Science is a long game but its fun to play.
What do you hope to learn?
Primarily on this voyage I hope to begin to learn about the diversity of organisms that comprise the macro- and mega-fauna assemblages of the Macquarie ridge seamounts, and how similar or dissimilar these assemblages are from assemblages on seamounts elsewhere in the region.
How do you spend your spare time?
On the ship – reading, watching films, drinking the odd beer or two, and gossiping and talking about real life.
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