Braving extreme conditions to measure impact of SoCal fires on marine ecosystem

While the rain pounded Southern California last week, a team of hearty Earth sciences and environmental studies researchers from USC Dornsife weren’t taking cover, they were taking samples from a previously dry riverbed that had turned into fast-moving waters. They returned from the Ventura River, after three days of sampling through the night, with hundreds of pounds of muddy water.

Weeks earlier, while the Thomas Fire was still raging in the Ventura area, the scientists, graduate students and post-doctoral students took to the ocean in a hastily chartered boat, under a huge plume of smoke, to collect seawater and aerosol samples.

They’re not storm chasers, but they’re prepared to endure long hours in extreme climate conditions to learn how natural disasters, like the Thomas Fire, affect the marine ecosystem. The samples they collected will be analyzed to measure the organic compounds, nutrients and toxic metals they contain.

“We know that man-made pollutants, including lead and other toxic elements, have been released into the ocean as a result of the fires,” said Seth John, USC Dornsife associate professor (research) of Earth sciences. “Over time, we’ll learn how these toxins have impacted the coastal ecosystem, particularly algae, which are the base of the marine food chain.”

The team of researchers includes Joshua West, Wilford and Daris Zinsmeyer Early Career Chair in Marine Studies and associate professor of Earth sciences and environmental studies; Sarah Feakins, associate professor of Earth sciences; and Earth sciences graduate student Rachel Kelly.