{"id":11525,"date":"2023-02-03T22:27:51","date_gmt":"2023-02-04T03:27:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/seeds.ca\/schoolfoodgardens\/?p=11525"},"modified":"2023-02-03T22:27:51","modified_gmt":"2023-02-04T03:27:51","slug":"marine-biologist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/seeds.ca\/schoolfoodgardens\/marine-biologist\/","title":{"rendered":"Marine Biologist"},"content":{"rendered":"

Written by: Sahaer Noor<\/span><\/p>\n

Edited by: Colleen H.<\/span><\/p>\n

Designed by: Jiya Mehta\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Published by: Maryam Khan<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Assume you’re at your lab bench, peering through magnifying glasses at a small invertebrate in a specimen dish. You are a marine biologist who discovered a mollusc while diving in a shallow bay off Vancouver Island’s coast.<\/span><\/p>\n

This species of mollusk is remarkable because its natural habitat is hundreds of kilometres south of this bay, where ocean temperatures are significantly warmer.<\/span><\/p>\n

You’ve been studying this mollusc species for ten months, taking dozens of dives and putting in countless hours in the lab to support your hypothesis that warmer ocean temperatures caused by climate change are altering the distribution of this mollusc species.<\/span><\/p>\n

You know everything there is to know about the aquatic organisms and fluid environment of this particular bay. You were surprised to find this mollusk species so far north and applied for a grant to investigate how and why it arrived on Vancouver Island.<\/span><\/p>\n

You’ve proposed that climate change has resulted in warmer ocean temperatures in this region, allowing the mollusk to expand its habitat.<\/span><\/p>\n

Much of your research has concentrated on gathering data and mapping trends to determine whether local ocean temperatures have changed significantly in recent years, to the point where the coasts of Vancouver Island have become a usable habitat for species found further south.<\/span><\/p>\n

During your dives, you collect information about the distribution and abundance of mollusks in the bay, as well as specimens to take back to the lab. You study the morphology of your specimens as well as the water temperature, looking for physiological adaptations that would allow them to survive in colder waters.<\/span><\/p>\n

Your research, once published, will add to the body of scientific knowledge that records and predicts the effects of climate change on global ecosystems.<\/span><\/p>\n

While job duties vary greatly between positions, marine biologists are frequently asked to perform the following tasks:<\/span><\/p>\n