Brittany N. Zepernick, PhD
@zepernickbn.bsky.social
NSF OCE Postdoctoral Research Fellow 🌊
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 🧪
Algal Blooms•Aquatic Continuum•Climate 🔼
Multi ‘omics 🧬
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 🧪
Algal Blooms•Aquatic Continuum•Climate 🔼
Multi ‘omics 🧬
That’s a wrap on the 2025 Lake Victoria Research Expedition! Hopefully not the last!
November 15, 2025 at 12:08 PM
That’s a wrap on the 2025 Lake Victoria Research Expedition! Hopefully not the last!
After a day in the lab processing the cruise samples, we drove to Ogal Beach to collect samples for a good friend and colleague from the 2022 trip who is now conducting their graduate studies in the U.S. It was amazing to see the fishing communities in action!
November 15, 2025 at 12:08 PM
After a day in the lab processing the cruise samples, we drove to Ogal Beach to collect samples for a good friend and colleague from the 2022 trip who is now conducting their graduate studies in the U.S. It was amazing to see the fishing communities in action!
Overall, I collected samples for metagenomics, metatranscriptomics and metabolomics which will *hopefully* shed light on the mechanisms which constrain bloom events…looking forward to digging into the data!
November 15, 2025 at 12:08 PM
Overall, I collected samples for metagenomics, metatranscriptomics and metabolomics which will *hopefully* shed light on the mechanisms which constrain bloom events…looking forward to digging into the data!
Sites six, seven and eight traveled into the northern central gulf, with the samples collected near Maboko and Ndere Islands. Here we encountered rather clear water…though net tows suggested a variety of filamentous cyanos at site eight!
November 15, 2025 at 12:08 PM
Sites six, seven and eight traveled into the northern central gulf, with the samples collected near Maboko and Ndere Islands. Here we encountered rather clear water…though net tows suggested a variety of filamentous cyanos at site eight!
Throughout these first five sample sites, we were amazed at the sheer abundance of water hyacinths. In 2022, we saw a negligible amount of this problematic aquatic plant - it seems to be returning with a vengeance despite remediation efforts which is concerning…
November 15, 2025 at 12:08 PM
Throughout these first five sample sites, we were amazed at the sheer abundance of water hyacinths. In 2022, we saw a negligible amount of this problematic aquatic plant - it seems to be returning with a vengeance despite remediation efforts which is concerning…
The fourth and fifth sites were less turbid and situated offshore - with the brown waters replaced by clear blueish green water. Our arms were a bit tired of pushing Sterivex given the volumes we could pass through.
November 15, 2025 at 12:08 PM
The fourth and fifth sites were less turbid and situated offshore - with the brown waters replaced by clear blueish green water. Our arms were a bit tired of pushing Sterivex given the volumes we could pass through.
This was routine throughout the first two sites sampled - with the third sample site (situated at the mouth of the Nyando River) full of silt and sediment washed down from the tea plantations
November 15, 2025 at 12:08 PM
This was routine throughout the first two sites sampled - with the third sample site (situated at the mouth of the Nyando River) full of silt and sediment washed down from the tea plantations
We performed a two-day cruise transect in the eastern basin of the Nyanza Gulf, given prior reports had suggested elevated levels of cyanotoxins. Rather than filters colored green from cyanos, we found our filters full of what we suspect to be dinoflagellates.
November 15, 2025 at 12:08 PM
We performed a two-day cruise transect in the eastern basin of the Nyanza Gulf, given prior reports had suggested elevated levels of cyanotoxins. Rather than filters colored green from cyanos, we found our filters full of what we suspect to be dinoflagellates.
In 2022, the #NSF Advanced Studies Institute on #WaterQuality & #HarmfulAlgalBlooms in Lake Victoria, Kenya conducted a three-week survey of the Nyanza Gulf. This week, a subset of the original team went back to follow up on our initial findings - a thread 🦠🇰🇪
November 15, 2025 at 12:08 PM
In 2022, the #NSF Advanced Studies Institute on #WaterQuality & #HarmfulAlgalBlooms in Lake Victoria, Kenya conducted a three-week survey of the Nyanza Gulf. This week, a subset of the original team went back to follow up on our initial findings - a thread 🦠🇰🇪
Congratulations to Margarita Lankford on a successful thesis - and thank you for inviting me to be on your committee! My first of hopefully many…committees & phytoplankton themed cakes that is 🦠🌊
October 24, 2025 at 10:26 PM
Congratulations to Margarita Lankford on a successful thesis - and thank you for inviting me to be on your committee! My first of hopefully many…committees & phytoplankton themed cakes that is 🦠🌊
Sunday sampling trip to the Albemarle Sound & Chowan River of North Carolina. Cyanobacteria were abound, particularly in the Chowan as we were hoping! More to come once we extract all these sterivex in the -80 C…
October 1, 2025 at 12:59 AM
Sunday sampling trip to the Albemarle Sound & Chowan River of North Carolina. Cyanobacteria were abound, particularly in the Chowan as we were hoping! More to come once we extract all these sterivex in the -80 C…
That’s a wrap on the #OceanObservatoriesInitiative #ImagingFlowCytobot Community Focus Group at UNCW! Looking forward to using this data in the lab and the classroom 🌊
June 25, 2025 at 3:52 PM
That’s a wrap on the #OceanObservatoriesInitiative #ImagingFlowCytobot Community Focus Group at UNCW! Looking forward to using this data in the lab and the classroom 🌊
Had an amazing time at #Eco-DAS2025 here in Oahu, Hawai’i! Much scientific scheming was had & new collaborations were made - stay tuned for the pubs to come from the phytoplankton ‘omics team with @akrinos.bsky.social & others!
April 13, 2025 at 2:03 AM
Had an amazing time at #Eco-DAS2025 here in Oahu, Hawai’i! Much scientific scheming was had & new collaborations were made - stay tuned for the pubs to come from the phytoplankton ‘omics team with @akrinos.bsky.social & others!
April 5, 2025 at 5:38 PM
Had a great time at #ASLO25 with @unc-emes.bsky.social & @marchettilab.bsky.social talking all things marine 🌊
April 5, 2025 at 5:24 PM
Had a great time at #ASLO25 with @unc-emes.bsky.social & @marchettilab.bsky.social talking all things marine 🌊
Gordon Research Conference in Polar Marine Science 2025 was a success! Had a great time discussing all things related to sea ice & proton-pumping rhodopsins, and made new friends along the way. Looking forward to the next one!
March 28, 2025 at 6:10 PM
Gordon Research Conference in Polar Marine Science 2025 was a success! Had a great time discussing all things related to sea ice & proton-pumping rhodopsins, and made new friends along the way. Looking forward to the next one!
Today we chose to #standupforscience2025 in Raleigh, NC! So proud to be a part of this community! 🧪🥼🔬
March 7, 2025 at 11:22 PM
Today we chose to #standupforscience2025 in Raleigh, NC! So proud to be a part of this community! 🧪🥼🔬
Monthly Albemarle sampling in 45 mph wind gusts! 🌊 Lots of sand mixed in with the plankton - going to be a challenge to extract. Peep my technician & the truck “lab”.
February 17, 2025 at 2:12 PM
Monthly Albemarle sampling in 45 mph wind gusts! 🌊 Lots of sand mixed in with the plankton - going to be a challenge to extract. Peep my technician & the truck “lab”.
A brisk, foggy day on the Neuse River, NC with the Paerl lab ModMon team. This month’s run we encountered a bloom - 160 ug/L Chlorophyll a readings & some very yellow-brownish filters! 😊
February 13, 2025 at 1:02 PM
A brisk, foggy day on the Neuse River, NC with the Paerl lab ModMon team. This month’s run we encountered a bloom - 160 ug/L Chlorophyll a readings & some very yellow-brownish filters! 😊