Loraine Ropella will study greenhouse gas emissions from marine aquaculture
Loraine Ropella is a new PhD student at the Department of Marine Sciences with Stefano Bonaglia as supervisor. She will study emissions from marine aquaculture of the three important greenhouse gases carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide. She has previously worked with greenhouse gas dynamics in lakes.
What will you be working on here?
"My project is about greenhouse gas emissions from marine aquaculture. Aquaculture is a fast-growing industry and despite its recognized impact on environmental and biogeochemical cycles, there is a significant gap in observational studies of greenhouse gas emissions. My PhD research aims to quantify emissions across various marine aquaculture sectors, including mussel, salmon and seaweed farming."
"I will focus on measuring sediment fluxes, water column concentrations and fluxes to the atmosphere for the three important greenhouse gases carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), and nitrous oxide (N₂O). Overall, this research will enable a more nuanced approach to Life-Cycle Assessments of greenhouse gas emissions and, hopefully, inform policymakers and stakeholders on the environmental and climate impacts, as well as potential mitigation strategies in the growing marine aquaculture sector."
What did you do before?
"I completed my bachelor’s degree in Life Science (Biochemistry) and master’s degree in Biological Sciences at the University of Konstanz in Germany. During my bachelor's thesis, I worked with diatoms, which sparked my interest in aquatic environments. This led me to take most of my master’s courses at the Limnological Institute in Konstanz. As part of the Environmental Physics group, I began focusing on greenhouse gas dynamics in lakes and carried out my master’s thesis on methane dynamics in peat ponds and Lake Constance."
"The approach of my thesis covered the vertical distribution of methane, from the water-air interface through the water column and into the sediments, including sediment incubations. I am excited to apply a similar approach in my PhD research, this time in a marine system."
What do you do when you are not working?
I love spending time outdoors and hiking, especially in the mountains. Apart from that, I enjoy doing gymnastics and sewing.