BIO

Hi everyone, My name is Alex Rakita. I am a sophomore biology major at Florida State University. I grew up in Tampa, Florida, and have been interested in science from a young age. When I got to FSU, I knew I wanted to get involved in applied lab research and through UROP I was able to do this. Currently, I am working on research on Sargassum Algae degradation and what biological factors affect the rates at which they degrade. Algae, especially in Florida, is becoming a devastating issue recently, and with our efforts and many more, I hope that our community works towards a better scientific solution.

Experimental Investigation of the Degradation of the Nuisance Algae Sargassum Buried in Beach Sands Ventilated by Tidal Pumping

Abstract

Vast amounts of the macroalgae Sargassum washing onto Florida beaches have become a major problem as they emit toxic waste that negatively affects not only the ecosystem but the local and tourist civilians. The goal of his study was to quantify degradation rates of Sargassum that was embedded in silicate and carbonate beach sands. We tested the hypothesis that the degradation of the buried algae is accelerated through tidal gas exchange. The natural tidal pumping mechanism was recreated in a lab setting with the tidal water table oscillations in the sand pumping air into and out of the sediment. CO2 production and O2 consumption caused by Sargassum degradation in the sands was contrasted with the respective gas dynamics in beach sand with embedded algae but without tidal pumping. The results emphasize that the beach sands are natural biocatalytic filers that promote aerobic microbial decomposition processes. The decomposition rates determined here can be used by coastal managers for the planning of cleanup activities.

Keywords: algae, degradation, tidal pumping, Sargassum, beach breathing