Weathering of Volcanic Ash Intro/Abstract

CO2 in the atmosphere over geologic timescales is greatly affected by the weathering of silicate and phosphate rocks. Weathering of Ca-Mg phases is significant because it results in precipitation of Ca Mg carbonates and removal to marine sediments, thereby affecting long term CO2 uptake. Weathering of iron or phosphate phases is important because these reactions release nutrients that promote plant growth and take up CO2 as organic carbon in the short term. in synthetic sea water and in freshwater solutions, with and without the addition of iron oxidizing bacteria. Bulk ash composition determined by x-ray fluorescence ranged from basaltic andesite, to trachy-andesite, andesite and trachydacite. Over the course of 9 months, the solutions were sampled periodically via syringe, filtered, and analyzed with a Skalar San++ nutrient analyzer to determine concentrations of silica and phosphate. The samples were also analyzed for iron by use of the ferrozine method; however, the concentrations of iron were too low to be detected (LOD=3 ppb). Phosphate concentrations were close to the detection limit and varied over time. The silica concentrations increased gradually over time and dissolution rates were estimated from a linear fit of the data. Samples with or without bacteria exhibited similar rates of Si dissolution. The highest dissolution rate was 47 ppb Si/day from Icelandic abiotic freshwater ash sample, a fine-grained trachy-andesite. The lowest release rate was 2.4 ppb Si/day from the freshwater abiotic Tungurahua ash, a fine-grained andesite. Differences in dissolution rates of the ash samples were related to the differences in surface area and particle size of the ash. Faster dissolution rates are associated with greater surface area and smaller particle size. Results are consistent with the results of a similar experiments from our group in which ash from the same eruptions was dissolved in deionized water at varying acidity.

NMS Forum

This spring I applied to, and presented my research at The Natural and Mathematical Sciences Undergraduate Research Forum. This was the first time I ever made a poster displaying my own original work and my first time ever presenting my work to others. From this I gained experience talking about my work and started to become more confident in doing so. I was asked questions that I had not previously thought about, which at the time was nerve racking, but now helps fuel my curiosity and helps me to see different issues that may be affecting my experiments.

W.O.W. Service Outreach Reflection

Being involved in STEM EE Scholars made stem outreach incredibly accessible for a busy student like myself. This past semester I spent my Thursday afternoons volunteering with Wonders of Our World, a program I otherwise might not have known about, getting kids excited about science. We visited a few different elementary schools and lead activities about physics and birds. It was great seeing kids express such enthusiasm about science. The kids were always curious. They wanted to connect what we were learning to their own lives, and share their stories.

Keeping everyone focused and on track was a challenge, but I learned to stay patient and flexible. A good leader does not simply tell others how to act, what do, say, or think. A good leader is patient, kind, and guides in such a way that others feel they got to the finish line on their own. I learned what questions to ask the kids to keep them engaged and excited. I was also able to practice being assertive when necessary. Overall, participating in the WOW program was fun and beneficial to the both the college and elementary students involved.

Oval Dog Club

One way I have explored my interests outside of academics is by joining OSU Oval Dog Club. This club is full of nice people with great dogs and has become a good source of stress release for me. At any given moment, I can message the GroupMe and find a dog to pet or someone to share cute pictures of their dog with me.

Through the club I have made new friends and learned about being a dog owner. I have also been able to help out some busy dog owners by watching their dogs. On Tuesday evenings, I watch a chocolate lab puppy named Gunner while his owner has a class. Bri Osborn also helps me watch Gunner because she is also a part of Oval Dog Club. This weekly playdate with Gunner gives me a scheduled time of the week to take care of myself by just playing with a puppy, while also helping out a fellow oval dog club member who otherwise would have to leave Gunner cooped up all by himself on Tuesday evenings.

Introduction to Lily Kleban

I am from Dublin Ohio and plan on studying Earth System Science and Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies. I love learning and I am a part of a research group with Dr. Carey and Dr. Welch. I am performing experiments for them involving the dissolution kinetics of volcanic ash in sea water. I am also a part of the chemistry club, Students for a Sustainable Campus, OSU Mountaineers, and the oval dog club. I love dogs, chemistry, trying new foods, exploring, and being a buckeye.

Year in Review

[ “Year in Review”  is where you should reflect on the past year and show how you have evolved as a person and as a student.  You may want to focus on your growth in a particular area (as a leader, scholar, researcher, etc.) or you may want to talk about your overall experience over the past year.  For more information, go to: http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/e-portfolio. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]

Original Inquiry

I have started working on my research project investigating the dissolution kinetics of volcanic ash in sea water. The goal of this experiment is to determine the amount of iron that volcanic ash brings to the ocean. This is important because it has already been determined that iron and other nutrients help algae grow and consume CO2 in the atmosphere. This in turn cools the earth. Volcanic eruptions may be a way that earth regulates its own temperature and global carbon budget.

My experiment involves dissolving different samples of volcanic ash in a synthetic sea water solution to simulate the weathering of volcanic ash in sea water.

I made up my own batch of synthetic sea water with the help of Dr Welch. I have also tested for iron in the samples with the ferrrozine method. This method was unsuccessful so we are currently investigating alternative methods to measure the iron content that the volcanic ash brings to the sea.

Career

[“Career” is where you can collect information about your experiences and skills that will apply to your future career.  Like your resume, this is information that will evolve over time and should be continually updated.   For more information, go to: http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/e-portfolio. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]

How I got Involved in Research with Dr. Carey

On the second day of orientation at The Ohio State University, I met Dr. Anne Carey. She was incredibly bubbly and greeted me with a firm handshake and a smile. Since there were only about 6 incoming freshmen in Earth Sciences, she already knew my name. She was very excited that I was going to be studying earth system science because, as she put it, she’s a “water person” too! She then offered to show me around Mendenhall, the earth science building. I obviously took her up on this offer. Dr. Carey gave me a wonderful tour of the building; stopping to tell stories about research posters or different geological findings on display. She also let me peek into a lab! In the lab, I got to see the “spaghetti monster” also known as the nutrient analyzer and a giant machine that measures the isotopes of water molecules. Dr. Carey mentioned that she was working with a graduate student over the summer on research involving isotope hydrology – the study of water isotopes.

Later in the summer, I emailed Dr. Carey asking if there was any way I could get involved in research with her or her graduate student. She responded by saying there were many ways I could get involved and that we should meet once school began. Because of Dr. Carey’s kindness and one email, I now meet weekly with my research group, consisting of my supervisors Dr. Carey and Dr. Welch, our graduate researcher, Devin, and my fellow undergraduate researcher, Becky.