A heart-to-heart with clams and crabs
May 18, 2019
Watch the heartbeat of hard-shelled animals in real-time and learn why and how scientists use heartbeat rate measurements to study their life in the coastal ocean.
Interviewing Nils
Where did you go to school?
Germany
What is your area of research?
Benthic Ecology and Sediment Biogeochemistry
Who or what inspired you to become involved in marine science?
The oceans themselves (when snorkeling, fishing and shelling as a young boy), documentaries on marine ecosystems, people I worked with during internships, scientists I have collaborated with over the years
What qualities do you think are important in order to become a scientist?
Curiosity, creativity, tenaciousness, diligence
Why is your research topic important?
The seafloor covers most of planet Earth. Through their water pumping, feeding and burrowing activities animals are extremely important for the health of the seafloor and for processes in the water above. At the same time these organisms are threatened by environmental change. Only if we understand what these animals are doing and how they respond we will be able to understand the consequences of those changes.
What will you be bringing with you to the “meet with an Oceanographer” day?
Antfarm aquaria with burrowing animals, buckets with seafloor sediment and animals (worms and clams) to watch those burrowing, porewater pressure sensors, heart beat sensors, laptops
What is the best advice you have for people interested in becoming involved in your field of research or in marine sciences?
Summer internships, getting involved in restoration and research projects
What is your favorite ocean organism?
mud shrimp
Want to learn more about Nils’s research? Visit his website