#141 Foaming Tides and Microscopy with Samantha Sea

During one calm day in March 2025, Samantha noticed something unusual: thick, persistent sea foam spread across the water near West Island. It was far more extensive than anything seen before, and instinctively it seemed wrong. With guidance from Faith and Peri Coleman, Samantha learned how to use the equipment, how to prepare samples, and how to identify phytoplankton. What stood out most was the absence of historical baseline data. There was no clear record of what “normal” looked like for these coastal waters. The only option was to document what was present now and to keep watching.From that need, Samantha created an open Facebook group, Phytoplankton of South Australia, making all findings public and transparent.More informationhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/1315762396637652https://inaturalist.ala.org.au/observations?project_id=249644Photo CreditLynlee JohnsonIf you enjoy this podcast, please like and subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts.Leave us a comment and share this show with your friends.It really helps us to reach more citizen scientists, like you.Contact the ShowWe are always looking for more guests to tell us about interesting citizen science projects, research and events.You can email us at: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.