The “Water Lookers”

Earth Science students at First Flight High School in North Carolina, had been sampling nearby ocean waters as part of their science project. Each week the students would examine their samples very carefully under microscopes. What were they looking for? For some very small plants, one-celled plants that live in oceans, rivers, lakes, and streams called phytoplankton.

The name phytoplankton means "wandering plants." It is normal to see live phytoplankton in almost any body of water. Phytoplankton are extremely helpful to us because they produce half of the oxygen we breathe! Take a breath. Now take another breath. You can say "thank you" to phytoplankton for every other breath you take!

The students at First Flight High School studied pictures of many phytoplankton species so that they could identify the phytoplankton they saw under the microscopes. And one day they saw an abundance of the phytoplankton species, Pseudo-nitzschia. They contacted Dr. Steve Morton, director of the Phytoplankton Monitoring Network. The students had indeed identified a type of phytoplankton that could cause great trouble to marine and human life.

Some phytoplankton can produce toxins-- substances that can be poisonous to shellfish, all marine life, and even humans. When there are too many phytoplanktons producing toxins, this is called a Harmful Algal Bloom. Scientists must find out why the bloom has occurred and see if they can stop the source of the problem. The bloom may be caused by sewage or waste, fertilizer runoff from farms, golf courses, homes, and even from pesticides.

Citizen scientists, like the First Flight High School students, help scientists find problems before they get too large. It would be very difficult for scientists to sample all the water along the coasts of the United States without these volunteers. These students protect the health of the fish and other wildlife in their community, and they protect the health of the people who live there as well.

Perhaps the science students at your school can become volunteer "water lookers" when they study Earth or  marine science. What a great way to make sure the water in your area is safe and to learn more about phytoplankton!

For Students: Photos of marine phytoplankton

For Teachers: How Student Citizen Scientists Monitor Water Quality