Meet 2022 NOAA Hollings Scholar – Anna Finch

Through the NOAA Hollings Scholar program – US Integrated Ocean Observing System, SECOORA and University of South Florida College of Marine Science (USF CMS) hosted Anna Finch (University of Washington) in summer 2022. Anna’s project focused on the investigation of phytoplankton dynamics in the Florida Keys. She also had the opportunity to participate on research cruises to get a behind the scenes view of ocean observing – especially buoys.

Mentors for this internship are Dr. Frank Muller-Karger (USF CMS), Dr. Digna Rueda-Roa (USF CMS), and Gabrielle Canonico (US IOOS).

Anna’s project analyzed the fluctuation in distribution and abundance of various phytoplankton functional types across seasons in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Utilizing pigment data alongside the CHEMTAX program, the study estimates the proportions and abundances of each functional type. Furthermore, the research investigates the degree to which environmental factors like nutrients and temperature explain this variation.

By understanding how phytoplankton communities in the Florida Keys respond to environmental changes, the project seeks insights into their potential reactions to climate change.

Anna presented her research during the AGU Fall Meeting in December 2022. You can see her pictured above with her poster titled “Seasonal Pigment-Based Characterization of Phytoplankton Functional Types in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary: 2016 to 2021”. Click here to read the abstract.