Working Waterfront speaks with Allen about her Gulf of Maine temperature research
The Working Waterfront spoke with Katherine Allen, an assistant professor in the School of Earth and Climate Sciences and Climate Change Institute at the University of Maine, about a five-year study she will lead focused on temperature change in the Gulf of Maine. Allen has received a more than $584,000 National Science Foundation CAREER Award to study temperature trends and variability during the past 11,000 years in the Gulf of Maine, with the goal of enhancing long-term environmental prediction and planning, the article states. “We aim to provide longer-term context for the recent warming observed in the Gulf of Maine,” said Allen. “The work will provide a new perspective on how conditions here are linked to processes in the greater North Atlantic on long time scales. Because the Gulf of Maine is so sensitive to changes in circulation, it’s a great place to investigate past changes in the ocean-climate system.” Allen will lead a team of researchers and Native American students from New England on a 10-day expedition to collect plankton and ancient marine sediment cores for analysis from the body of water that has warmed faster than most of the world’s oceans. The project involves a close partnership with UMaine’s Wabanaki Youth in Science (WaYS) program that will help build a team of high school, undergraduate and graduate students, according to the article. The team’s mentors will include UMaine faculty members Bonnie Newsom, assistant professor of anthropology, and Huijie Xue, professor of marine sciences. The students also will collaborate with UMaine’s New Media program to develop communication skills and ultimately share their findings online and in schools, the article states.