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Roxanne Mina is a 2022 Ernest F. Hollings Scholar who interned with the National Centers for Environmental Information’s (NESDIS-NCEI) Ocean Climate Lab. Her 2023 summer internship project was to examine variability in hypoxia (low or depleted oxygen) in U.S. coastal waters, which can impact marine ecosystems and ultimately the U.S. Blue Economy.
Roxanne Mina at her desk with NESDIS NCEI Ocean Climate Lab during her 2023 Hollings internship. She examined U.S. coastal hypoxia data to see how hypoxia correlates with climate and nutrient inputs from wastewater and agriculture. (Image credit: Roxanne Mina)
Oxygen is fundamental for many marine organisms to survive, and the increases in the frequency and severity of hypoxia can lead to negative impacts on marine species that are ecologically and economically important.
Roxanne used NOAA’s World Ocean Database to analyze dissolved oxygen data for the East and West Coasts and the Gulf of Mexico, between 1965 and 2018. She found that oxygen in coastal waters, particularly in the West Coast and Gulf of Mexico decreased over time. Future research could look at how hypoxia correlates with climate and nutrient inputs from wastewater and agriculture.
After graduation, Roxanne plans to pursue a master's degree and Ph.D. in Chemical Oceanography.
My internship ... allowed me to go through personal growth as a future scientist. I had a great learning experience from my mentor, and feel better prepared as I work towards graduate school and a career in ocean science.
Roxanne is a 2022 Hollings scholar studying oceanography at the California Maritime Academy.
