The program aims to study in detail the biogeochemical links of SGD to the geochemistry of the substrate, and its bottom-up control on the microbes, coral reefs, and associated ecosystems in Mabini, Batangas. Specifically, Project 2 aims to 1) design a suitable sampling plan to collect water, sediment, microbial mat, and control samples in the shallow (3-15m) hydrothermal regions in Mabini, Batangas, 2) determine the isotopic, ionic, and trace metal composition of SGD water, 3) map the occurrence and type of primary producers, specifically seagrasses, 4) determine lipids and compound-specific C and H isotope composition of lipids in the biomass and sediments, and 5) elucidate microbial communities based on lipid assemblages and links to environmental conditions and adaptations of organisms.

The study aims to compare lipid biomarkers, bulk and compound-specific stable carbon isotope, major and trace metal compositions of sediments, biomass, and carbon stock compositions in areas where H. ovalis grows in a warm, acidic SGD environment with added presence of CO2 vents to that of H. ovalis growing in a non-SGD environment. The study also aims to contribute to the current seagrass biomarker literature and provide a study on the lipids of H. ovalis species. Finally, this study will be able to provide data on H. ovalis carbon stocks in Mabini and contribute to seagrass blue carbon literature.

The general objective is to establish baseline data on the antibiotics present in the marine and surface waters of Mabini, Batangas. Specifically, this study aims to: 1. Identify and quantify antibiotics in the coastal waters of Mabini, Batangas 2. Determine the major sources of antibiotics along the coast of Mabini, Batangas 3. Measure the physico-chemical and seasonal factors that affect the variation in thelevels of antibiotics

The project focuses on characterizing the fate of antimicrobial compounds in wastewater treatment systems in Cagayan de Oro and Davao. Influent, effluent and in-between treatment in wastewater systems and connected river basins and tributaries will be analyzed for antibiotic and pesticide types and concentrations, also to cover associated agricultural, industrial, and landfill areas near these sites. Knowledge on the impact of antibiotics on the environment as possible pollutants will advance, and laws with regard to control and mitigation of these pollutants will be implemented.

The research centers on the use of an Autonomous Surface Vessel (ASV) to collect a wide range of spatially referenced data (meteorological, oceanographic, acoustic, photographic, and multiple water-quality parameters) which can be complemented with water samples and lab-based analyses as well as satellite and other remotely-sensed data. 

The three marine sites that will be monitored are: Bolinao in Pangasinan, Boracay in Aklan, and the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park in Sulu Sea. More about the project...

The project aims to estimate the amount of carbon captured, stored, and exported from the mangrove and seagrass ecosystems to the outer oceans. This is determined by analyzing the amount of carbon deposited and buried from estimates of plant litterfall and decomposition rate, sediment cores, and sediment accumulation rate. One of the main tasks of the OASIS Geochemistry Lab is to perform molecular analyses of organic carbon composition of  representative water, particulate, and sediment samples in order to estimate the export production of organic carbon and its fate.

The OVPAA-Balik PhD project entitled “Organic components of submarine groundwater discharge in Lingayen Gulf” is a novel submarine groundwater discharge research that aims to identify the organic fraction of SGD in Lingayen Gulf up to the molecular level. The study site in Guiguiwanen Channel, Bolinao, Pangasinan.

The tropical Indo-Pacific is the largest and most diverse bioregion in seagrass species.  Most seagrass lipids studied, however, are from the temperate regions. This study aims to fill this knowledge gap by providing a detailed above- and belowground lipid profile of Halodule uninervis, a common and widely distributed seagrass in the Indo-Pacific. We are also interested to know how H.uninervis adapt to various environmental conditions and analyze its lipid composition as it is the main component of the cell membrane, the first line of defense/adaptation to environmental factors.  Samples were collected from contrasting areas of sedimentation, dissolved oxygen content and open water conditions along a discharge pathway from Tambac Bay to Lingayen Gulf in Bolinao, Philippines.