At UCSB, we're fortunate to have pristine beaches line our campus. We're even more fortunate to have graduate students, such as Jonathan Jones, who are working on preserving our beautiful oceans.
Jonathan is a first-year doctoral student in the Interdepartmental Graduate Program in Marine Science. His research focuses on ocean acidification and how oceans are changing as a result of increased carbon dioxide emissions (check out his blog to learn more).
Jonathan earned his undergraduate degree in biology from the College of the Holy Cross, a small liberal arts college in Worcester, Mass. He spent the last two years conducting long-term biological monitoring in the Pacific Northwest.
Read on to learn more about his research and what he has learned in his first quarter at UCSB.
Tell us a little about your research and how you came to choose the topic.
Jonathan JonesI am currently researching the decrease in ocean pH resulting from increased levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide, the phenomenon known as ocean acidification. Specifically, I am interested in the seasonal variability of coastal pH and how marine phytoplankton are affected by fluctuating pH and temperature conditions. I became interested in this area of research my junior year of undergraduate study during a summer internship at Olympic National Park.
I spent that summer, and the next three, hiking the rugged coastline of the National Park monitoring sea stars, tubeworms, amphipods, razor clams, surf smelt, mussels, barnacles, intertidal temperature and pH. Leaving the blustery snowstorms of New England for the warm marine layer of the Olympic Peninsula was a welcome change. Before joining up with a Ricketts-esc crew of biologists, I was unaware that jobs like mine even existed. Not long after I began work in this position, I started brainstorming about how I could make the beauty and excitement of that first summer last a lifetime. This experience sparked my interest to know more, to look deeper into the field, and to pursue a career in Ocean Sciences.
What has graduate student life been like for you?
Jonathan and a colleague searching historic sea star monitoring plots for Pisaster ochraceus. Every year they count the total number of sea stars and measure the longest ray of each. It was during one of these counts where they identified the “sea star wasting disease” in Olympic National Park.Graduate student life has been awesome so far. The Interdepartmental Graduate Program in Marine Science (IGPMS) graduate student cohort is a great group of young professionals that showcase the talent and creativity of the Marine Science Program. I am proud to be counted amongst their ranks.
I started my first quarter in the IGPMS program directly after completing the scientific diver program, a course offered through the university that I thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend. Between diving, taking classes, writing proposals, and trying to hone some instrumental expertise, I have been both busy and extremely satisfied with my decision to return to school and pursue my research interests.
What has been a source of motivation or drive for you in your graduate studies?
Jonathan braving the high tide at Rialto Beach to try to collect surf smelt. This sardine-like fish is a food source for many Pacific salmon.Given the fact that ocean acidification is a relatively new topic of research in marine ecology, I am constantly motivated to keep myself informed as the field grows. The direct connection to human economy is great motivation for my research and I plan to use my time at UCSB to broaden the scientific and local communities’ knowledge of shifting baselines in marine ecosystems. Although the topic of ocean acidification can seem mechanistically abstract, the resulting implications for marine resources are highly tangible.
Name an accomplishment you are most proud of and describe why.
I am proud of being selected by the UC Santa Barbara Associated Students Coastal Fund to continue my research at Stearns Wharf, where I am currently monitoring local ocean pH. To be chosen by your peers to represent the community through research is a great honor and I look forward to contributing to the collective effort of conserving the UCSB coastline.
What do you do to relax? Any hobbies, collections, pastimes, favorite places to go, favorite things to do? Along these same lines, what makes you happy?
Intertidal temperature fluctuates with both tidal cycle and season. Here, Jonathan is downloading and replacing a temperature sensor, one of several located along the Washington coast.I enjoy SCUBA diving, seeing a good movie with my girlfriend, reading a great work of fiction, and long walks on high energy rocky coastlines. Although white sand beaches with gently lapping tides are beautiful in their own right, I am rather fond of the grey-blue cacophony of the morning high tide crashing against the rocks of the intertidal. I feel most inspired and also most mortal when I stand a few feet above the incredible power of the ebbing tide.
What is one thing people would be surprised to know about you?
I am a bit of a science fiction/fantasy literature fanatic. Three favorites: "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?", "The Kingkiller Chronicles," and "Anansi Boys." That is all I will say on the subject here, but as my lab manager Julia knows, I am always willing to discuss a great piece of fiction and even share suggestions for a good read from time to time.
What do you hope to be doing five or 10 years out of graduate school?
Jonathan getting ready to run pH samples in the Passow Lab.I hope to be living and working near the ocean where my nieces and nephews can come peer over the edge of a tidepool and scour the beach for glass floats. Beyond that, I hope to stay in the field and out from behind a desk as much as possible.
Do you have any advice for current grad students?
With only one quarter under my belt, I am in the market for taking advice, not giving it. I do, however, advise current and future students from all disciplines to get out into the ocean. Take a trip to the islands, sign up for a SCUBA class, visit the REEF touch tanks, or volunteer at the Sea Center downtown. With the ocean in our backyard, there is no better place than UCSB to experience the wonder of the sea!
Anything else you'd like to add?
Check out my website to keep up-to-date with my research: www.seagrad.org.