Lindsay Anne Pagaduan ’26

Major

Chemistry

Project Title

Nitrous Oxide Fluxes From the Ocean and Estuaries

Certificate(s): Environmental Studies, Korean Language

I investigated the production of nitrous oxide, a powerful greenhouse gas, in the Potomac River, which connects to the Chesapeake Bay. Specifically, I considered how a nearby sewage treatment plant could affect nitrous oxide production in the Potomac River. This is essential to understanding how land use contributes to greenhouse gas production and climate change. In water samples from the Potomac River, I measured the concentrations of three different nitrogen nutrients (ammonium, nitrite and nitrate) that play a role in producing nitrous oxide. Each nutrient concentration was measured with a different tool — a fluorometer for ammonium, a spectrophotometer for nitrite, and a NOx box machine for the combined nitrite and nitrate concentrations. I also helped prepare the water samples, nutrient standards and chemical reagents involved in each experiment. As a result of this experience, my technical lab skills have become more precise, and I gained a more complex understanding of greenhouse gas production. Through this internship, I have become more interested in participating in future studies and research on the chemistry behind climate change.



Internship Year

2023

Project Category

Oceans and Atmosphere

Organization(s)

The Ward Lab, Department of Geosciences, Princeton University - Princeton, New Jersey

Mentor(s)

Bess Ward, William J. Sinclair Professor of Geosciences and the High Meadows Environmental Institute; Weiyi Tang, Postdoctoral Research Associate, Geosciences