A Day in the Life of a Marine Biologist: Dr. Geetha Plackal on Bringing More Women into the Field
“Nowadays, women participation in STEM is increased than previous years globally. They are working in space exploration researches and underwater studies in Ocean depth. In short, any woman who has passion for the marine world can learn this subject such as other subjects. It just needs some dedication” Today’s woman dreamer, Dr, Geetha Plackal shares her inspiring career journey as a marine biologist. Since childhood, she has been interested in creating a healthy planet. In an interview with intern Naisha Roy, she shares her vision for more young women to enter the field! Enjoy!
1. What about the marine biology field makes you so passionate about it? How did you decide to enter into it?
From my childhood, I have been interested in nature, animals, and birds, and I was curious about wonderful ocean world and stars and planets. I was curious and interested to learn more about life in ocean depth, innovative science methods and discoveries and space technology and explorations. These all were helped me to select my interesting subject Zoology for my graduation and post-graduation, aquatic biology for MPhil course and Zoology (Marine and estuarine benthic ecology and taxonomy) for PhD course.
I had work on soft coral taxonomy and ecology for my project in MPhil course. I had read a lot of articles and scientific information on these topics to preparation of my MPhil dissertation. For these, I used a lot of journals for references and read about marine environmental issues like pollution, global warming, ocean acidification and biodiversity loss, coral bleaching etc. I was very interested to learn about such issues because I understand that the importance of learning of such issues and its mitigation activities for the survival of life on earth. Water is the major factor that supporting existence of life on earth. Anthropogenic activities are the major threat on marine ecosystem and biodiversity loss than natural causes.
My passion for environment continues, and I love to learn more. I read as many research magazines as possible. The more a came to know about environmental problems we humans create, I was saddened, and I determined to join the communities that are dedicated to resolving some of the environmental problems.
We need to understand and take actions against such issue. So that I choose marine biology for my research work to learn more and contribute my knowledge to the society and world. I wish to be part of research and conservation of natural resources and biodiversity on earth for support with other people and organizations. I am always open to such activities.
2. With your experience as the Director at the World Alliance for Planetary Health, it is clear you have a very important connection with oceanic health. Why is this issue important to you and what efforts is your organization making to educate people on it?
Yes, very true. I am working with World Alliance for Planetary Health for more than four years. I am really glad to be part of such an organization that working for a sustainable agriculture, soil remediation and ocean conservation.
We know that the unsustainable farming and agriculture practices make a lot of negative impact on land, soil, aquatic ecosystems, ecology and biodiversity on earth. Land use for farming is one of the major reasons for release of green house gas and global warming.
The unscientific/ unsustainable land use and reclamation of land are major factors for reduction of forest coverage and biodiversity loss. Sustainable farming is important for the protection and conservation of soil biodiversity, better yield, water conservation, economic development and soil nutrient quality.
Extensive agricultural practices and use of artificial fertilizers increasing day by day. The demand for farming is rising with increasing population. But the use of artificial fertilizers leads to lose of soil quality and nutrients. This will lead to big economic lose and reduction of agricultural production. Besides this, the leaching of excess nitrogen from farmlands will reach in to the coastal and marine waters. This leads to increasing nutrients in the aquatic ecosystem and causes eutrophication and poisonous algal blooms. This will affect the water and sediment quality and triggering the formation of marine dead zone or Oxygen minimum zone in seas in worse by anthropogenic impacts rather than natural ways. The dead zones are the areas of low dissolved oxygen content and dangerous or fatal to organisms that wandering in that area. Such OMZ zones will not support the biodiversity in marine environment and affect the ecology of that area and affect the trophic system. Besides these, such phenomenon will affect the blue economy and sea food production and its associated labor etc.
We know that seafood is one of the major food source for humans and it is protein rich food. People in some countries are mainly depending on ocean and seafood for their daily food and livelihood activities and economy. Ocean is important source of food and economy for humans. We need to stop marine pollution for the conservation of biodiversity. For these, we need to stop the use of artificial fertilizers and pesticides in farmlands to reduce the excess nutrient deposition in marine waters to mitigate against marine dead zone formation.
We need to reduce the use of nitrogen-based products and use sustainable farming techniques for a health of environment and humans.Marine dead zone formation was reported from different part of Ocean globally. New research by the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) identifies more than 530 low-oxygen “dead zones” and an additional 228 sites worldwide exhibiting signs of marine “eutrophication.”
The largest dead zone in the world lies in the Arabian Sea, covering almost the entire 63,700-square mile Gulf of Oman(https://e360.yale.edu/digest/scientists-confirm-florida-sized-dead-zone-in-the-gulf-of-oman). The second largest sits in the Gulf of Mexico in the United States, averaging almost 6,000 square miles in size(https://www.noaa.gov/media-release/large-dead-zone-measured-in-gulf-of-mexico).
The World Alliance for Planetary Health is a non-profit corporation (http://planetaryhealthproject.org/), Head office at Louisiana, USA, and our CEO & Founder James B Fuller are the leader of our team. This is a worldwide group with a number of Directors from different continents and working together on solutions to current environmental issues. This organization is in budding stage and we are trying to implement and expanding our different projects to different countries.
We are about soil remediation through natural microbial means 100% symbiotic methodology which treats soils the with life in a package that requires one or at most 2 applications in a year. It is low cost and affordable for farmers. We are using coal ash and microbial field preparation pellet form.
We know that the byproduct of coal after burning is not good for environment because it affects the soil, air and water quality and it affect the humanity and other biodiversity. The leaching of this wastes in to the aquatic environments leads to higher concentration of Mercury and other heavy metals and pollutants.
Our solution is helpful to reuse the coal waste and clean the environment, recycling the waste in to organic fertilizer without poison, mitigation against global warming and aquatic pollution. So that we can use this product to mitigate the marine dead zone formations. Our product is not leaching and keep the soil nutrients in soil.
Our methodology (Ali Khalvati, 2010) is less expensive and sustainable way of soil remediation method with proven records is suitable for different types of soil. Reverse NPK artificial fertilizer Urea by using symbiotic relationship method. Positive combination of potassium and zinc against salinity.
Our research to support economic development of communities around the world through sustainable farming for a better future. It is the humic acid agent in coal ash base material to create a time-released product in soil to grow microorganisms to symbiotic relationship with plant roots named as VitalGro™ . It allow nature to work on root system of the plant rhizomes, trees, or other biomass to a symbiotic relationship is formed through human interactions. This product is nonpolluting or two fold CO2 uptake through natural sequestration and healthy soil environment microbial fungi blend to meet soil nutrient requirement for the plant. No salts no leaching or alteration of DNA in soils. By increasing the ratio of potassium to sodium (K / Na) in soil solution, plant tolerance to salinity increases. Our purpose is to establish VitalGro™ (the Product) as a benchmark methodology to protect soils and water inter connection processes. To include seas, Gulfs, Oceans.
The major objectives of our soil remediation project
The purpose is to enhance education, health, ecologic, economic and social activity through learning.
To provide a way forward in soil remediation and a sustainable farming and economic and ecologic development
To prevent excess consumption of toxic substance like insecticide, algicide and herbicides
To provide high quality food in regional or global market
To remove the harmful artificial fertilizers, pollutants
To mitigate marine dead zone formation, eutrophication and poisonous algal blooms approximately 464 worldwide
To mitigate the ocean acidification and climate change induced impacts on marine life by interaction of marine dead zones
To conserve marine biodiversity & soil biodiversity.
We are conducting Radio talk shows about current environmental issues and solutions for teaching and social awareness. I participated in radio talk show many times and spoke on marine dead zone, the importance of tree planting and climate change issues and mitigation etc. Recently I presented a paper on Land and Soil Remediation Project 2022 in 53rd International Colloquium on Ocean Dynamics, 3rd GO2NE Oxygen Conference, 16-20th May 2022, Liege University. We are publishing articles in websites. Our CEO published two books related to such issues. Recently James published the book “Deep Calling to the Deep..’’
3. As a woman in this field, what advice do you have for young girls who are aspiring to enter marine biology?
Women are integral part of our society and world. It has no limitations in role of woman in functions and importance for every sector from daily life to universal discoveries and beyond. I hope men and women can work in marine science and related field. Every school and universities must promote the women for education and work in STEM related professions. I think woman can shine well in this field like men. Nowadays, women participation in STEM is increased than previous years globally. They are working in space exploration researches and underwater studies in Ocean depth. In short, any woman has passion for marine world can learn this subject such as other subjects. It needs some dedication because sometime we need to field for a week or months for research works and need to do lot of laboratory analysis, data interpretation and writing etc. But lot of funding and research opportunities are there in marine sector nationally and internationally in universities, fisheries, government, NGOs, or private sectors. In the context of current environmental issues, learning and research on marine biology is important to share knowledge or teach others or participate in mitigation actions.
From my personal experience, I realised that if we have passion for something, we must pursue that. It needs dedication, determination and hard work in order to achieve our goals. It is my experience in life. If we have to live in a healthy planet, we must do everything that's possible to protect it. If everyone thinks like that, it will make substantial positive changes in our society. It can make a major impact on society for environmental conservation.
4. What has been your proudest accomplishment or achievement towards helping clean the ocean?
I had worked as a marine benthic ecologist and team member in Team Bangalore Robotics, Bangalore, India from year 2017 to 2021. We were Semifinalists in the prestigious Shell Ocean Discovery XPrize ($7million) in 2018. It was a competition for developing an Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUV) for cleaning the ocean from plastics and other harmful chemicals. Unfortunately, we didn’t attend the final test due to the lack of funding or sponsorships. We attended the NOAA Bonus Prize for chemical detection from Ocean using AUV. We were the finalists of the competition in 2019.
5. What is a current conservation effort or environmental protection movement that you encourage readers to support and why?
I am working as a social media Manager for Gift Women Link Foundation, Uganda to support women and child empowerment through environmental, Science and technology related projects. We give training for woman in Uganda for making Eco crafts from plastic and other wastes for cleaning environment and mitigate global warming issues. This small business is very helpful for sustainable economic development for marginal women.
I am recently joined with RIO Ocean Integrity. This organization is working for cleaning ocean plastics. We used a microplastic elimination device invented and developed by Kieran Kelly from Ireland, founder of RIO. Some other programs like blue Ocean program, innovative plastic offset program and carbon offset program are also developed by RIO.
As an earth lover and an ocean advocate, I have membership in more than 25 international and national organizations that sharing knowledge on marine biology and doing marine conservation, sustainable farming and economic development, etc. I am ambassador for a couple of organizations that related to environmental conservation. I am an ambassador of prestigious Island Innovation group that working for global Island communities. I am a climate reality leader and part of climate change awareness program. There will be no green without blue on earth. We need to conserve our aquatic ecosystems for a better future of all.
I am very passionate in environmental awareness teaching and using social media for such activities to motivate others to learn about such issues to mitigation actions to make a better world for all. I am working for a few environmental organizations as a mentor. I am conducting motivational speech and talks on environmental issues and marine pollution issues such as plastic pollution via YouTube, radio. I am attending different conference as a guest speaker or invited speaker.
I am following my passion. I am involved in conservation activities, and I am contributing to make a healthy and peaceful world. I believe that it is our duty to ensure that we leave a healthy planet for us, our future generations and for every other living entity that may live after our time.
As my quest continued, I completed a number of online courses from international institutions related to environmental issues, climate change, water conservation, and marine environmental issues etc. I started to share news about such issues via social sites for the awareness of all. I got opportunities from different organizations and companies to participate in current environmental related projects.
Thank you so much for this prestigious opportunity to share my story related to marine biology and my passion on marine conservation activities and projects to motivate women and others.
Thank you Dr. Plackal and Naisha for this inspiring interview! We are excited to have you in our global women’s network!
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