This spring marks the return to in-person conferences. After more than two years since the start of the pandemic, most of us are ready to travel and meet again. We hope to see you at JASM and PEGS soon.
Our customer care team has already been traveling again since last summer. If you haven’t met them in person yet, please take a look at our blog post to learn more about what makes them passionate about their work.
Enjoy reading!
Your FlowCam Team
FLOWCAM EDUCATION
Joint Aquatic Sciences Meeting (JASM) Returns
Nine science organizations will come together in May to host the largest aquatic science conference. Our FlowCam team will be attending and contributing to the education activities in Grand Rapids Michigan. In addition to in-booth FlowCam Learning Sessions for new and seasoned FlowCam users, we will also present FlowCam research in poster and presentation sessions.
On Monday, May 16th, at 2:45 pm, Savannah Judge will give a presentation titled “Using FlowCam for Marine HAB Monitoring in the Field-Based Undergraduate Ocean Classroom”. This presentation will discuss the integration of FlowCam into undergraduate-level curriculums, using recent FlowCam research grant recipient Maine Maritime Academy as a case study.
On Wednesday, May 18th, from 5:30-7:30 pm, FlowCam water quality monitoring specialist Polly Barrowman will present a poster in Exhibit Hall AB titled “An Integrated and High-Speed Approach to Monitoring Cyanobacteria in Lakes, Reservoirs and Finished Drinking Water”. Learn how FlowCam is used by municipal water utilities to analyze source water.
Lastly, on Friday May 20th, at 3:30 pm, 2021 FlowCam research grant recipient, Zabdiel Roldan Ayala, will discuss his research in a presentation, "Characterization of Phytoplankton Assemblages in Long Island Sound Using the FlowCam 8100".
Clockwise from top left: Stephen Barton, Shawn Barden, Kris Daigle, Katie York, Robert Hicks, and Becca Mimmovich
We in Customer Care are passionate about our work; building a relationship with you and supporting you every step of the way with your FlowCam and VisualSpreadsheet experience. When you buy an instrument, you join our FlowCam family and gain access to a wealth of expertise from our entire team.
FjordFlux Cruise Uses FlowCam to Analyze Glacier Particles and Assess Effects of Climate Change
Romanche Glacier, one of the sampling locations during the FjordFlux cruise
FlowCam user, Jochen Wollschläger, of Germany's University of Oldenburg, recently returned from a research trip aboard the RV METEOR as part of the FjordFlux Cruise in the Beagle Channel, at the southernmost tip of Chile and Argentina. The goal of the expedition was to utilize the fjords of Patagonia to better understand how climate change will affect similar environments in Antarctica.
The research team brought a FlowCam 8400 instrument on the cruise to analyze phytoplankton, look for harmful algal blooms (HABs), and analyze sediment often called "glacier flour". These fine mineral particles are produced as a result of the movement of the glacier over the stone beneath it.
Images of microfibrillated cellulose from two different stages of the manufacturing process as imaged by FlowCam.
The University of Maine Process Development Center (PDC) supplies cellulose nanomaterials to corporations, labs, and educational institutions in 40 countries across the globe. Nanocellulose is derived from cellulose, a structural component found in plant cell walls. This strong, lightweight natural polymer can be isolated from wood pulp, making it an appealing and versatile biomaterial.
The PDC recently submitted micro fibrillated cellulose (MCF) samples to be analyzed with FlowCam. The long, thin fibers OF MCF offer high surface area and can be used to reinforce the strength of many high-performance products. The goal of this analysis was to compare material properties and morphologies across different stages of the production process and to also compare samples from two different feedstocks.
FlowCam was able to provide morphological data that showed clear differences between samples and processing steps. For the example shown above, Sample A had a higher frequency of high aspect ratio particles and lower geodesic lengths than Sample B.
WHAT WE'RE READING
FlowCam Measures the Size of Zooplankton in China'sThree Gorges Reservoir
In their publication, "Zooplankton Size Structure in Relation to Environmental Factors in the Xiangxi Bay of Three Gorges Reservoir, China", researchers Haoran Li et al reference previous studies that have shown global warming and nutrient eutrophication to have an impact on zooplankton size structure.
Warmer waters benefit smaller zooplankton, whereas nutrient enrichment caused by runoff (eutrophication) increases the presence of larger zooplankton. Li et al. hypothesize that nutrient levels affect zooplankton size indirectly by altering the trophic web and affecting the availability of their food source (phytoplankton) and that warmer waters will reduce size diversity.