Center for Chemical Currencies of a Microbial Planet (C-CoMP)

Arianna Krinos prepares filter towers for filtering seawater in a lab on the R/V Atlantic Explorer. Photo by Emily Hu.

A photo of a busy, active, and packed lab on the R/V Atlantic Explorer. Peristaltic pumps cover the lab benches as tubing runs from the pumps into large carboys placed on the floor. Photo by Erin Maybach.

And more photos:

Ben Acosta (left) and Erin Maybach (right) work together to finish filtering seawater using peristaltic pumps. Erin holds a serological pipette in the air to help move the last few milliliters of seawater through the filter while Ben keeps other tubing in place over a carboy of seawater. Photo by Annika Gomez.

Claire Garfield and McKenzie Powers monitor their filtering progress in the lab on the R/V Atlantic Explorer. They are both sitting and holding their carboys and tubing in place as they filter liters of seawater on a rocking ship. Photo by Erin Maybach.

Natalie Graham processes samples for dissolved metabolite analysis in a lab on the R/V Atlantic Explorer. Seawater is first filtered and then the seawater filtrate is pushed through a cartridge using the method solid phase extraction (SPE) with a gentle vacuum. In the picture, Natalie stands in front of the lab bench and holds pieces of clear tubing that divert seawater from 2 bottles. The tubing moves seawater from the bottles into the SPE cartridges that are attached to the glass vacuum manifold. Photo provided by Natalie Graham.

Ben Acosta (left) and Loay Jabre (right) process samples in a lab on the R/V Atlantic Explorer during the C-CoMP March cruise. Photo by Fadime Stemmer.

🌊🦠#FieldworkFriday!
Once seawater lands on deck, it’s go time 🏁! Researchers frequently spend hours in the lab each day and night (!) filtering and processing samples and running incubations. Here are a few snapshots from lab work during the C-CoMP 2025 March Cruise, AE2504!

Mariana is motivated to explore questions at the intersection of physics, biogeochemistry, and biology, to understand how these processes interact + what role they play in the global state of the ocean. They are excited to apply to doctoral programs in oceanography this fall!

Alongside this work, they collaborate with their C-CoMP B2P cohort to study how ocean extremes (#marineheatwaves 🌡️), impact phytoplankton ecosystem dynamics through satellite observations 🦠🛰️.

Headshot of Mariana Torres with the ocean in the background. Photo by Amanda Ellis.

Mariana and Natalie Graham stand next to each other on the R/V Atlantic Explorer during the C-CoMP September Cruise. Photo by Fadime Stemmer.

Mariana processes samples on a bench in the lab on the R/V Atlantic Explorer during the C-CoMP September Cruise. Photo by Fadime Stemmer.

Mariana, Fadime Stemmer, Mario Uchimiya, and Justin Fujii take a picture together in a lab on the R/V Atlantic Explorer during the C-CoMP September Cruise. Photo by Mariana Torres.

📣#MTTM
Mariana Torres (martorres.bsky.social) is a C-CoMP B2P Fellow working with @rogierbraakman.bsky.social @mit.edu. Using computational methods, they are investigating environmental drivers of carbon cycle metabolism dynamics in the North Atlantic Ocean 🌊.

A big thank you to all the folks at @biosstation.bsky.social, @whoi.edu, and the crew and Captain of the R/V Atlantic Explorer for making this research and cruise possible!

The science personnel of C-CoMP Cruise AE2520 (and Clio) stand together on the stern of the R/V Atlantic Explorer. Parts of the Woods Hole dock and village frame the background of the photo. Photo provided by Elizabeth Kujawinski and edited by Laura Gray.

The science personnel of C-CoMP Cruise AE2520 (and Clio) stand together on the stern of the R/V Atlantic Explorer while making various fun poses. Parts of the Woods Hole dock and village frame the background of the photo. Photo provided by Elizabeth Kujawinski and edited by Laura Gray.

🌊🦠#FieldworkFriday!
And that’s a wrap 🎬on C-CoMP Cruise 2 🚢! We (C-CoMP + AE) accomplished an impressive feat - 95 CTD casts, 110,778 L of sw filtered with @clio-thebgcauv.bsky.social, eddy sampling, & 9 exp types across 3 locations - to characterize marine chemical currencies & microbes!

Congrats @maratimes.bsky.social!!!

Jill is interested in marine biology & oceanography 🌊. Her interest in expanding her knowledge of ocean systems and biogeochem before applying to graduate PhD programs led her to join C-CoMP. Jill is excited for her second year in the program and to apply to graduate programs!

Headshot of Jill Paquette standing in a lab. Photo provided by Jill Paquette.

Jill gives a "thumbs up" lab selfie while wearing safety glasses, a lab coat, and purple gloves. Photo provided by Jill Paquette.

📣#MTTM
Jill Paquette is a C-CoMP B2P fellow working in the
Dyhrman Lab @lamont.columbia.edu @columbiauniversity.bsky.social. She uses computational approaches and lab culturing methods to investigate how nutrient stress affects the gene expression of eukaryotic phytoplankton 🌊🦠.

Emily Hu (left) and Natalie Graham (right) prepare the drifter for deployment within a lab on the R/V Atlantic Explorer. Photo by Arianna Krinos.

Emily Hu (unpictured), Natalie Graham, and Emily Tate deploy a drifter over the side of the R/V Atlantic Explorer during the 2025 March C-CoMP cruise. Photo by Arianna Krinos.

Daniella Asturias unpacks the drifters from their shipping box before the beginning of the March 2025 cruise. Photo by Emily Hu.

A SVP drifter lays in the grass at BIOS during activation and testing before the beginning of the March 2025 cruise. Photo by Emily Hu.

🌊🦠#FieldworkFriday!
During our March cruise, C-CoMP researchers deployed SVP drifters during diel sampling. The drifters enabled tracking/sampling the same parcel of water in a Lagrangian approach, aiding efforts to capture diel microbial signals from the same water over time!

Successful dive and recovery to the eddy center, 18 sample depths down to 800 meters deep and engineering tests completed too.

Hey - check it out! @clio-thebgcauv.bsky.social is exploring an eddy during the second C-CoMP cruise! We are excited to see how the eddy impacts microbial and metabolite dynamics. Stay tuned!

We're out at sea with C-COMP @microbialplanet.bsky.social and the AUV Clio. Clio's social media account has migrated from the other place to the blue place @clio-thebgcauv.bsky.social , follow for mild sarcastic pseudo-first robot humor
updates...

Currently I'm at sea supporting C-COMP's chemical currencies research in the North Atlantic Ocean. (@microbialplanet.bsky.social).

Michael Jakuba and Chip Breier, along with other members of the research team and crew of the Atlantic Explorer, ready Clio for deployment during the 2025 C-CoMP March cruise. Photo by Daniella Asturias.

Clio partially submerged at the ocean’s surface somewhere in the Sargasso Sea. Photo by Claire Garfield.

A view of Clio with its back panel removed. The panel is removed to access the stack of clamshells holding the filters containing microbial biomass that were filtered at depth by Clio. Photo by Daniella Asturias.

On the 2025 C-CoMP March Cruise, some members of the Clio team (from left to right: Daniella Asturias, Matt McIlvin, Fadime Stemmer, Loay Jabre) pose with a stack of Clio's clamshells shortly before removing and sectioning the filters for metaproteomics and metagenomics analyses. Photo by McKenzie Powers.

🌊🦠#FieldworkFriday!
During the C-CoMP March Cruise, Clio, the biogeochemistry AUV, was used to collect particle samples for proteomics and metagenomics from various depths within the water column. Check out some of these photos of Clio in action:

Check-out this new paper on vitamin auxotrophies by @rachelgregor.bsky.social, a former C-CoMP Postdoc, and colleagues. Great job team! 🧪

We did too!

The Artistic Oceanographer booth at the 2025 Woods Hole Science Stroll. A large banner that depicts a graphical representation of the booth activity, complete with phytoplankton hero cartoons, hangs over two picnic tables. Materials for the activity, including paper, crayons, and two computers, are set out on both picnic tables. Photo by Victoria Centurino.

C-CoMP Director Dr. Elizabeth Kujawinski sits at a picnic table at the Artistic Oceanographer booth with two children who are completing the activity. Graduate student Ella Claire Walsh sits at an adjoining table. Photo by Victoria Centurino.

A drawing of a cat-like phytoplankton that was created by one of the visitors who was also wearing a T-shirt with cats on it! Photo by Ella Claire Walsh.

A drawing of a “see-through”, invisible phytoplankton that was created by one of the visitors. Photo by Victoria Centurino.

C-CoMP participated in the 2025 Woods Hole Science Stroll! Our booth, called the “Artistic Oceanographer”, invited visitors to explore & imagine incredible adaptations of marine phytoplankton. Thanks to our volunteers & the Dyhrman Lab @lamont.columbia.edu for creating this activity!

C-CoMP Bridge-to-PhD Fellow Emily Hu stands in front of the Providence River while holding brown collection bottles containing river water. Photo by Arianna Krinos.

A filter that was used to filter water from the Providence River is tinged with yellow, indicating a plethora of biomass in the water. A peristaltic pump is shown on the lab bench behind a gloved hand holding the filter. Photo by Arianna Krinos.

🌊🦠#FieldworkFriday
Our fieldwork doesn't only happen at sea!
C-CoMP researchers working with @maratimes.bsky.social collected Providence River water to test extraction methods for samples collected on C-CoMP cruises. In terms of filtering speed, 5 L of Sargasso sw = 50 mL of Providence River water!

Emily also explores how ocean mixing events impact microbes using samples from our latest research cruise! Her work sits at the intersection of biology & physical oceanography—understanding where microbes thrive, what they do, and how they respond to a rapidly changing ocean🌍.

Photo of Emily Hu on the R/V Atlantic Explorer during the 2025 C-CoMP March Cruise. Emily is standing outside with the bow of the ship and the ocean behind her. Photo provided by Emily Hu.

Emily collects seawater from the CTD rosette into a bottle on the deck of the R/V Atlantic Explorer during the 2025 C-CoMP March Cruise. Photo by Arianna Krinos.

Emily uses sterile forceps to load filters onto filter holders in one of the labs on the R/V Atlantic Explorer. Emily is using the filters to capture particles, including microbes, from the seawater. The DNA from the microbial cells will be extracted, sequenced, and analyzed to understand the microbial community composition of the seawater. Photo by Arianna Krinos.

📣#MTTM
🔬Emily Hu (@yunqianhu.bsky.social‬) is a C-CoMP B2P Fellow working with @maratimes.bsky.social & @akrinos.bsky.social at Brown. She uses microbial sequence data and computational tools to uncover how biotic🦠& abiotic drivers shape microbial community assembly in the North Atlantic Ocean 🌊.

Image showing 5 diatom cells (Coscinodiscus sp.), Image by Loay Jabre.

Image showing a diatom (possibly Guinardia sp.) Image by Loay Jabre.

Image showing a dinoflagellate (Ceratium sp.). Image by Loay Jabre.

And more images here:

A video of a copepod (a zoop!):

Dr. Loay Jabre stands on the deck of the R/V Atlantic Explorer holding a plankton net that he used to collect samples for the Planktoscope on the 2025 C-CoMP March Cruise. Photo provided by Loay Jabre.

Dr. Loay Jabre runs the Planktoscope on the R/V Atlantic Explorer during the 2025 C-CoMP March Cruise. Loay collects images and videos of plankton on a laptop computer that is situated to the left of the Planktoscope on a lab bench. A sample is loaded onto the Planktoscope. Photo by McKenzie Powers.

Images of plankton collected using the Planktoscope along the AE2504 cruise track. Sampling locations are represented by circles on the map and color indicates sea surface temperature at the time of collection. Figure by Loay Jabre.

🌊🦠#FieldworkFriday!
On the 2025 C-CoMP March Cruise, Dr. Loay Jabre (loayjabre.bsky.social) brought a Planktoscope(an open-source and high-throughput plankton imaging platform) on board to track community shifts of plankton in real time from BATS to the LTER site!! Check it out:

She is fascinated by the ability of marine organisms to adapt to changing environments and how this knowledge can be translated to mitigate the effects of a changing ocean 🌊🌎🦠.

Headshot of Amanda Ellis standing in the lab, wearing a lab coat. Photo provided by Amanda Ellis.

Amanda works within a culture hood in the lab while wearing a lab coat. Photo provided by Amanda Ellis.

📣#MTTM
Amanda Ellis is a C-CoMP B2P fellow working with Drs. Sarah Hurley & Sonya Dyhrman @lamont.columbia.edu. She studies the ability of marine phytoplankton 🌊 to acclimate + evolve to increasing temperature🌡️+ acidity by tracking changes to oxygen evolution + respiration rate.

Marie Delcy presents her research on "job crafting" to another person as they both stand in front of her poster at the 2025 Society for the Advancement of Biology Education Research (SABER) Meeting. Photo provided by Erin Dolan.

Marie Delcy and Dr. Erin Dolan stand in front of Marie's poster at the 2025 Society for the Advancement of Biology Education Research (SABER) Meeting. Photo provided by Erin Dolan.

#ECRSpotlight
PhD student Marie Delcy recently presented her C-CoMP research on how early career researchers #ECRs "job craft" to make their research training a better fit with their interests & aspirations at the 2025 @sabercommunity.bsky.social meeting. Marie works with @erindolan1.bsky.social.

Claire Garfield and McKenzie Powers filter incubation seawater in the main lab on the R/V Atlantic Explorer during the C-CoMP March 2025 cruise. Lines of tubing pass through the peristaltic pump heads, drape off the lab bench, and terminate in large blue carboys that collect the filtered seawater. Photo by Erin Maybach.

The lab set-up for filtering samples for metatranscriptomics during the incubations on the C-CoMP March 2025 cruise. A series of peristaltic pumps are arranged on the lab bench with tubing passing through. Seawater is pumped up through the tubing from a carboy, passed through a filter holder containing a filter to remove microbial cells, and filtrate is collected in another carboy. Filtering is done in red light to minimize disturbance of photosynthetic cells in samples that were collected at night. Photo by Erin Maybach.

🌊🦠#FieldworkFriday!
It’s a carbon feast 🍽️ and microbes🦠are invited! During the March 2025 C-CoMP cruise, early career researchers incubated surface ocean microbial communities on novel carbon sources produced by phytoplankton to study carbon drawdown rate and post-uptake fate.

An ecological framework for microbial metabolites in the ocean ecosystem The ocean microbe-metabolite network involves thousands of individual metabolites that encompass a breadth of chemical diversity and biological functions. These microbial metabolites mediate biogeoch....

📣 New C-CoMP Pub. Alert!
Interested in marine microbial metabolites 🌊🦠? If so, check out this new pub., led by Bryndan Durham & Winn Johnson, that emerged from C-CoMP's Labile DOM workshop: An ecological framework for microbial metabolites in the ocean ecosystem.
tinyurl.com/54bu2xm7