'brilliant marine research idea' grant for qiming sun

The CarbOcean team attended the VLIZ Marine Science Day 2024 (VMSD 2024) on March 6th at De Grote Post in Ostend. Aligned with the Belgian EU Presidency, the event spotlighted the EU Mission Ocean & Waters, addressing its core topics: ocean pollution, climate/carbon, and biodiversity. 
​The CarbOcean team showcased during the conference's interactive session various organisms contributing to the biological carbon pump in the ocean, as well as cultured coccolithophores and diatoms in the laboratory. The team aslo showcased multiple optical measurement techniques for marine particle research, featuring the trusty turbidimeter, the LISST-Tau high-precision transmissometer, and those super cool satellite images offering visuals of particles in the ocean with a much broader view. These tools are like oceanic detectives, uncovering the secrets of suspended particles and giving us a glimpse into the hidden world beneath the waves!

Photo credit: Els Verhaeghe, VLIZ

PhD student Qiming Sun was honored with the Brilliant Marine Research Idea 2024 award for his idea 'Proof-of-concept for a submersible autonomous turbulence sensor', supported by VLIZ philanthropic initiative The Sea as a Good Cause. He is set to present his work at VMSD 2025. This BMRI grant aims to explore the possibility of measuring microscale turbulence, which is crucial in various physical processes like air-sea gas and heat exchange, and biological processes such as planktonic nutrient uptake, grazing, and mating, using optical methods.
The VMSD event was a hit once more, with a diverse range of topics and engaging talks and posters that left us feeling inspired! We can't wait for the next event and are gearing up to share more of what the CarbOcean team has accomplished!