Research fellow: Katie Lynch
Hometown: Londonderry, NH
School: University of Rhode Island
Major: Marine Biology
Mentors: Katelyn Szura, Serena Moseman-Valtierra
Project: Testing resilience of coastal wetlands — “Experiments” to reverse nitrogen loading and sea level rise

After her experience last year with Rhode Island NSF EPSCoR Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program, rising senior Katie Lynch says she noticed a huge difference in herself.

“Honestly,” she says, “SURF really boosted my confidence in my academics. I did way better these past two semesters than I ever have. When you’re thrown into a lab environment, you don’t want to do something wrong, so I learned to ask a lot of questions.”

Last summer, Lynch assisted on a project investigating greenhouse gas fluxes, or changes, in wastewater treatment plant methods. This summer, she is continuing to study greenhouse gas fluxes as part of a project looking at how nitrogen loading and/or sea level rise affect coastal salt marshes.

Salt marshes serve as a buffer between land and sea, and act as a refuge for many important fishery species. Excess nutrients that cycle through get absorbed and can upset the balance of vegetation, causing plants to either flourish or die off and degrade the marsh.

For her work, Lynch says, she decided to test fluxes of nitrous oxide, a major greenhouse gas that is a byproduct of the nitrogen cycle, in three marsh plants — Phragmites (tall reeds), Iva (a shrub), and Schoenoplectus (tall grass) and also three areas of marsh dieback. These fluxes will then be compared to ammonium concentrations, another byproduct of the nitrogen cycle, to determine if ammonium can be an indicator of nitrous oxide fluxes. These different zones are located at a site known for its high nitrogen inputs.

Using equipment that can analyze the gas levels, Lynch installs collars on the ground and places plastic cylinders over the different zones. Foam or mud is used to create an airtight seal and tubing connects to the analyzer. Lynch takes readings of gas levels during low tide and runs the data through a stats program to contrast and compare any differences.

She explains it is critical to understand the impact on plants in the salt marshes, which serve as a buffer between land and sea, and act as a refuge for many important fishery species. Excess nutrients that cycle through get absorbed and can upset the balance of vegetation, causing plants to either flourish or die off and degrade the marsh.

Lynch, who first fell in love with the ocean as a second grader, says last year’s SURF opportunity was her first introduction to an open-ended project: “I had taken lab courses, but the hands-on research was completely new. I was kind of nervous, but I’ve had really good mentors who are patient and teach me, and make sure I’m okay before setting out on my own.”

Both SURF experiences, she notes, have given her direction on where she wants to head next: “It’s helped me figure out that I like research. I definitely want to go onto higher education and get my master’s or Ph.D. I also want to explore the aquarium world.”

Story and photo by Amy Dunkle