Katherine Gallagher

Dr. Katherine Gallagher is from Stony Brook University, USA.

She intends to use physical oceanographic models to identify areas where krill, the keystone species of Antarctica, may be exposed to or consume microplastic marine debris. Penguins, seals, and whales depend on krill as an abundant food resource and the health of these tiny creatures is vital to conserving the continent’s wildlife.  

Katherine will travel to the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) in Cambridge, UK to collaborate on a project called ‘Modeling the spatial overlap of krill and microplastic hotspots on the West Antarctic Peninsula’. Katherine will use this visit to learn microplastics analysis techniques and create realistic parameters for their simulations.