Research fellow: Nick Castro
Hometown: Hartford, CT
School: University of Rhode Island
Major: Marine Biology
Mentors: Danielle Perry, Carol Thorber, Serena Moseman-Valtierra
Project: Impacts of macroalgal accumulation on salt marsh environments

A long line of plastic bins sits outside behind the Ann Gall Durbin Aquarium on the URI Bay Campus, the tall reeds of Spartina alterniflora, a haylike grass that grows in local Rhode Island salt marshes, stretching above the containers.

URI senior Nick Castro helps ferry plants back and forth, from the bins to a large, boxlike piece of equipment that measures the fluctuation of greenhouse gasses (methane, carbon dioxide, and nitrous oxide) processed by S. alterniflora. The project aims to track the impact that two types of algae may have on the grass and its health as it emits and absorbs the gasses — a critical function for salt marsh health.

For his role in the project, Castro works with fellow SURF student Aidan Barry, URI, to monitor the water levels in the bins that imitate the tides in the salt marsh intertidal zone, four hours high and four hours low, keeping valves cleared, measuring grass stem heights, collecting soil cores, and inputting data. Out in the field, Castro helps monitor the grass on five consecutive days at low tide, measuring the algae cover and checking whether the coverage changes as the tides flow in and out.

“I studied abroad in the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences (BIOS) program earning my research certification as well as studying coral reefs and ocean acidification,” Castro says. “That’s why I wanted to work on this project — coral have a huge relationship with algae. I want to learn more about it.”

One of the SURF program’s benefits, he says, is being part of a team and sharing the responsibilities of the research. And, he adds, unlike academic labs during the school year when experiment’s outcomes are established, the SURF project is open ended.

“With this, the answers are unknown,” Castro explains. “You’re pioneering, finding out new material, and always learning.”

Having wanted to be a scientist from a young age, Castro says he hopes to go to graduate school and pursue work in the field of climate change: “I’m open to what I work on specifically, but I would love to do more ocean acidification research and more diving.”

Story and photo by Amy Dunkle