Rob Middag

I am studying the role of metals in marine life. Iron, for example, is necessary for the growth of algae, which form the basis of the marine food web. The amount of iron in the oceans is very low: one paperclip per fifteen swimming pools of seawater. One of the challenges is therefore to accurately measure such minuscule amounts of metals. Yet this is important, because if more sustainable fish farms are ever established at sea, we need to know what effect metals have on marine life. More iron in seawater means more algae growth. And with more of the metals nickel and zinc, other types of algae would appear.