一品探花论坛

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Freshwater ecosystems emit nearly 70 million metric tons of carbon into the atmosphere annually. 鈥淥r 70 million individual [plane] tickets from New York to Paris,鈥� says Amanda DelVecchia, an assistant professor in the UNC College of Arts and Sciences鈥� geography and environment department.

DelVecchia manages the鈥�. The lab鈥檚 current study, the MacroGas Project, questions how different stream characteristics affect how much greenhouse gas is produced or released into the atmosphere from watersheds.

Research in the DelVecchia lab uses data from the National Ecological Observatory Network. This National Science Foundation effort connects 28 freshwater sites nationwide, which pool their data to better understand how freshwater ecosystems in the U.S. change.

鈥痵uggests the highest concentrations of carbon dioxide are associated with warm, gentle-sloped streams 鈥� like the ones often found in the Piedmont region of North 一品探花论坛. Each fall, winter and spring, DelVecchia鈥檚 team of students and postdoctoral researchers visit one of these streams 鈥� New Hope Creek in Durham 鈥� to capture a variety of measurements, from water speed to temperature.

The lab focuses on areas with heavy gas release, and their methods involve taking one measurement in an accessible and deep part of the stream. The more they do it, the more data and experience they will get 鈥� and the more she hopes to refine current methods to fill the gap in biogeochemical research.

Amanda DelVecchia (Emmy Trivette/UNC Research)

Pooling knowledge

To take their measurements, DelVecchia鈥檚 team installs nine different sensors at the start and end of each pool in New Hope Creek to uncover how much carbon dioxide and oxygen releases into the atmosphere.

They use a homemade gas chamber that captures gases on top of the water and provides real-time data for emissions.鈥疌onstructed using PVC pipe, a plastic sampling bag and a bit of mechanical engineering, the chamber isolates gases coming off the water and provides an estimate of greenhouse gas flux.

This tool is managed by Nguyen Tien Anh Quach, a first-year doctoral student in DelVecchia鈥檚 lab.

鈥淎t first, everything was so new,鈥� Quach says. 鈥淚 did not know what I was doing, just tagged along to learn about the methods. But I knew they would be useful for my project.鈥�

Quach鈥檚 previous work focuses on how insects interact with freshwater ecosystems. While he didn鈥檛 have a gas background going into the MacroGas Project, he鈥檚 now a leader in the lab thanks to DelVecchia鈥檚 guidance. Soon he will begin fieldwork for his doctoral project to understand if and how freshwater macroinvertebrates contribute to greenhouse gas emissions.

鈥淪he wants all her students to understand how these processes work,鈥� Quach says. 鈥淚f you don鈥檛 get it, or if she鈥檚 going too fast or too slow, she will adapt to your learning ability.鈥�

DelVecchia prioritizes her lab as a learning space. She offers a first-year seminar that includes optional fieldwork for students who want the experience.

鈥淢any students are excited to get out there to collect samples and see the connections of what we鈥檙e doing in class,鈥� DelVecchia says. 鈥淚鈥檝e always loved fieldwork so much, since my first summer in college. I feel very at home with those processes around me.鈥�