Motherhood, Ocean Science, and an Interconnected World ( ft. Montserrat Aldunate) | Science Stories

During the #OxygenMinimumMicrobes expedition, an international team of scientists is working off the coast of Chile, testing technologies to help the oceanographic community better understand Oxygen Minimum Zones, or OMZs. These are oxygen-deprived areas in the Ocean that harbor thriving microbial communities; these microbes have a pronounced effect on the Earth’s climate. Data collected during this expedition will help create better regional models to predict what will happen to OMZs as the climate changes.
Montserrat Aldunate is a mom and a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Concepción and the Millennium Institute of Oceanography. She wants her daughter to see her doing this work - helping others understand that tiny things like microbes can make a big difference in the world. And, she is grateful for technology that allows her to be in contact with her little one while working on a ship far from home.
Happy Mother’s Day to Montserrat, and to all the mothers laboring at sea and on dry land to make the world a better place!