Anne E. Giblin is a marine biologist who researches the cycling of elements nitrogen, sulfur, iron and phosphorus. She is a Senior Scientist and Acting Director of the Ecosystem Center at the Marine Biological Lab.

Education

Giblin earned her Bachelor of Science in Biology at

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute () (RPI) is a private research university in Troy, New York, with an additional campus in Hartford, Connecticut. A third campus in Groton, Connecticut closed in 2018. RPI was established in 1824 by Stephen Van ...

, in Troy, NY in 1975. She went on to earn her Ph.D. in ecology at the

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original campu ...

Marine Program, in

Woods Hole, MA Woods Hole is a census-designated place in the town of Falmouth in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. It lies at the extreme southwest corner of Cape Cod, near Martha's Vineyard and the Elizabeth Islands. The population was 781 a ...

, in 1982. Giblin did her graduate work in the Massachusetts Great Sippewissett Marsh, studying trace metal solubility in salt marsh sediments which were contaminated with sewage sludge.

Career and research

Gilbin's research primarily focuses on the cycling of elements such as

nitrogen Nitrogen is the chemical element with the symbol N and atomic number 7. Nitrogen is a nonmetal and the lightest member of group 15 of the periodic table, often called the pnictogens. It is a common element in the universe, estimated at se ...

sulfur Sulfur (or sulphur in British English) is a chemical element with the symbol S and atomic number 16. It is abundant, multivalent and nonmetallic. Under normal conditions, sulfur atoms form cyclic octatomic molecules with a chemical formula ...

iron Iron () is a chemical element with symbol Fe (from la, ferrum) and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, right in f ...

, and

phosphorus Phosphorus is a chemical element with the symbol P and atomic number 15. Elemental phosphorus exists in two major forms, white phosphorus and red phosphorus, but because it is highly reactive, phosphorus is never found as a free element on Ear ...

in the environment. The majority of Giblin's research is focused around the circulation of these elements in different

redox Redox (reduction–oxidation, , ) is a type of chemical reaction in which the oxidation states of substrate (chemistry), substrate change. Oxidation is the loss of Electron, electrons or an increase in the oxidation state, while reduction ...

(reduction-oxidation) conditions in soils and sediments. Another dominant theme in her work is to comprehend if sediment processes act as a buffer or act to exacerbate anthropogenic inputs of nutrients to the environment. For example, much of her work focuses on the

nitrogen cycle The nitrogen cycle is the biogeochemical cycle by which nitrogen is converted into multiple chemical forms as it circulates among atmospheric, terrestrial, and marine ecosystems. The conversion of nitrogen can be carried out through both biologi ...

, and the effects ecosystems may have if there are high nutrient inputs from wastewater or fertilizer. Gilbin is the lead PI of the Plum Island Ecosystems Long Term Ecological Research Site (PIE LTER). The Plum Island Ecosystems is composed of estuaries and watersheds located in northeastern

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

. The three rivers that make up the ecosystem are the

Ipswich River Ipswich River is a small river in northeastern Massachusetts, United States. It held significant importance in early colonial migrations inland from the ocean port of Ipswich. The river provided safe harborage at offshore Plum Island Sound to ea ...

Parker River The Parker River is a perennial river of the Corangamite catchment, located in the Otways region of the Australian state of Victoria. Location and features The Parker River rises in the Otway Ranges in southwest Victoria, near Parkers Spur ...

, and the

Rowley River The Rowley River is a small river between Ipswich and Rowley, Massachusetts. The river lies within the estuary of Plum Island Sound, and is formed by the confluence of the Egypt River and Muddy Run in Ipswich, with numerous tributaries in the ...

. The goal of this research site is to develop an understanding of the long-term effect's sea-level rise linked to climate change may have on the watershed. The knowledge gathered through this research site is used in policy and land management with the initiative to protect the natural resources of the coastal zone. Giblin is also works at the Arctic Long-Term Ecological Research (ARC LTER). The project is located on the north slope of Alaska. Similar to PIE LTER, this project was created to study anthropogenic as well as natural environmental change on ecosystems. Giblin conducted a long-term fertilization experiment in a pair of lakes and observed their recovery, to anticipate the effects of what will happen with a longer growing season. Data from this project could inform the management of the landscape. Giblin has also worked have had to do with acid deposition on the

sulfur cycle The sulfur cycle is a biogeochemical cycle in which the sulfur moves between rocks, waterways and living systems. It is important in geology as it affects many minerals and in life because sulfur is an essential element ( CHNOPS), being a const ...

of lakes, the movement of trace metals in

salt marsh A salt marsh or saltmarsh, also known as a coastal salt marsh or a tidal marsh, is a coastal ecosystem in the upper coastal intertidal zone between land and open saltwater or brackish water that is regularly flooded by the tides. It is dominated ...

sediments, nitrogen inputs and hydrologic disturbances to estuaries and Arctic lakes.

Awards and honors

* Phi Lambda Upsilon Chemical Honor Society. * 2001 - Aldo Leopold Leadership Fellowship * 2013 -

Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellowship of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (FAAAS) is an honor accorded by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) to distinguished persons who are members of the Association. Fellows are elected ...

Grants: Giblin's research is supported by numerous grants from the National Science Foundation and the

USGS The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, a ...

Publications

Giblin's publications include the following: # Responses of Arctic Tundra to Experimental and Observed Changes in Climate, 1995, Ecological Society of America. #Resource-based niches provide a basis for plant species diversity and dominance in arctic tundra, 2002, Nature international journal of science. #Methods for Measuring Denitrification: Diverse approaches to a difficult problem, 2006, Ecological society of America #Global Change and the Carbon Balance of Arctic Ecosystems: Carbon/nutrient interactions should act as major constraints on changes in global terrestrial carbon cycling, June 1992, ''BioScience'', Volume 42, Issue 6 #¹⁵N natural abundances and N use by tundra plants, 1996, Oecologia

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Giblin, Anne E. Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute alumni Women marine biologists Boston University alumni Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science