Scientists at the UGA Skidaway Institute of Oceanography participated in Ocean Sampling Day-an ambitious, international project to produce a single-day snapshot of microbial populations around the world. On June 21, researchers collected water samples at 185 global sites, ranging from Antarctica to the Arctic Ocean and from New Zealand to Iceland.
This was the first global simultaneous sampling of microbes in ocean, coastal and Great Lakes waters. The sampling program will support international missions to provide information on the diversity of microbes, their functions and their potential economic benefits.
Skidaway Institute scientists collected water at two locations. One team collected and processed samples from the Skidaway River. A second group teamed up with scientists from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary and collected samples from Gray’s Reef. The 14,000-acre marine sanctuary is located approximately 17 miles off the coast of Georgia’s Sapelo Island.