Dr Arlene K. Rowan

Telephone: 01631 559429
E-mail: Arlene.Rowan@sams.ac.uk

Scientific interests

My postdoctoral research, at SAMS, focuses on understanding the processes and microorganisms (particularly methanogenic archaea) involved in methane production in the upper oceans.  This involves using DNA based analysis and biogeochemical gas measurements.  In broader terms my research interests include understanding how microbial communities cycle carbon, nitrogen and sulphur in both natural and engineered environments.

Current projects

Unravelling the Oceanic Methane Paradox    

The world’s upper oceans are typically supersaturated with dissolved methane, thought to result from in situ microbial methane production.  This observed supersaturation has been termed the 'oceanic methane paradox' because the microorganisms (methanogenic archaea) primarily responsible for methane production (methanogensis) can not tolerate oxygen and the upper oceans are highly oxygenated.  Recent evidence has suggested that anaerobic (without oxygen) microsites within marine zooplankton (small animals), their excreted faecal pellets and sedimentary material may provide a suitable habitat for methanogensis and could hence be sites for methane production in the upper ocean.
Methanogenic archaea, have been identified in faecal pellets and sedimentary material (work at SAMS).  This has lead to an insight into the pathways involved in methane production in the upper ocean.  Different groups of methanogens can utilize different substrates (carbon dioxide, acetate and methylated substrates).  The methanogens identified at SAMS are known for their unique ability to utilize methylated substrates.  One group of methylated compounds that may represent substrates for methanogens in the upper oceans is the algal derived compounds consumed by zooplankton, dimethylsulphide (DMS) and the methylamines (MA).  DMS and MA are climatic feedback gases thus this work has important consequences for our understanding of the role the oceans and oceanic gases play in climate change.

Sampling in Loch Creran

ICE CHASER expedition to the Arctic 2008

My primary role on the arctic cruise was to investigate the processes and microorganisms involved in methane production in the pelagic/ice environment of the arctic.  This involved collecting and preserving sedimentary material (surface sediment and sedimentary particles in upper oceans), water samples, ice cores and copepods and their faecal pellets for microbial analysis.  Further to this anaerobic ice core microcosm experiments were set up to investigate methane production under different conditions.  Samples were also collected for analysis of biogenic sulphur compounds (dimethlysulphoniopropionate-DMSP/dimethylsulfoxide-DMSO). 

 Polar bear spotted North of Svalbard                RSS James Clark Ross at the ice station

 
Teaching

I teach on SAMS BSc Marine Science by contributing to lectures, tutorials and practical classes on the Marine Biogeochemical Cycling Module (Level 3).

Publications

Rowan, A.K., Röling, W.F.M., Bennett, B. Cody, J., Fowler, M., Jones, D.M., Larter, S.R. and Head, I.M. Novel Archaea in 110 Million year old sediments from a petroleum reservoir containing heavily biodegraded oil. In preparation for Nature Geoscience.

Oldenburg, T.B.P, Larter S.R., Adams J.J., Rowan A.K., Brown A., Head I.M., Grigoriyan, A.A., Voordouw G., Fustic M. and Hubert C. Methods for recovery of microorganisms and intact microbial polar lipids (IPLs) from oil-water mixtures lab experiments and natural well-head fluids. Accepted in Analytical Chemistry.

Head, I.M., Larter, S.R., Gray, N.D., Brown, A. , Adams, J.J., Aitken, C.M., Jones, D.M., Rowan, A.K., Huang, H., Röling, W.F.M. Hydrocarbon Degradation in Petroleum Reservoirs. . In: Timmis, K.N, ed. Microbiology of Hydrocarbons, Oils, Lipids. Heidelberg, Germany: Springer, 2009, pp. Accepted for publication

D.M. Jones, I. M. Head, N. D. Gray, J.J. Adams, A. K. Rowan, C.M. Aitken, B. Bennett, H. Huang, A. Brown, B.F.J. Bowler, and S.R. Larter.  2008. Crude oil biodegradation via methanogenesis in subsurface petroleum reservoirs. Nature, 451, 176-180.                    

Gray, N.D., Brown, A, Nelson, D.R., Pickup, R.W., Rowan, A.K. and I.M. Head. 2007. The biogeographical distribution of closely related freshwater sediment bacteria is determined by environmental selection. The ISME Journal. 1(7):596-606.                                 

Demspsey, M.J., Porto, I., Mustafa, M., Rowan A.K., Brown, A., and I.M. Head.  2006. The expanded bed biofilter: combined nitrification, solids destruction, and removal of bacteria. Water Science and Technology.  54(8): 37-46.                                               

Rowan, A.K., Snape, J.R., Fearnside, D., Curtis, T.P., Barer, M.R. and I.M. Head. 2005. Development of a rapid assay for quantification of ammonia-oxidising bacteria in wastewater treatment plants. Applied and Environmental Microbiology. 71: 8481-8490.

Rowan, A.K., Snape, J.R., Fearnside, D., Curtis, T.P., Barer, M.R. and I.M. Head.  2005. Changes in AOB community structure in full-scale wastewater treatment reactors following a change in wastewater composition.  In: Proceedings of the Third Chartered Institute for Water and Environmental Management National Conference 2005.  Not peer reviewed.

Rowan, A.K., Snape, J.R., Fearnside, D., Curtis, T.P., Barer, M.R. and I.M. Head. 2003. Composition and diversity of ammonia-oxidising bacterial communities in wastewater treatment reactors of different design treating identical wastewater. FEMS Microbiology Ecology. 43:195-206.

Rowan, A.K., Moser, G., Gray, N., Snape, J.R., Fearnside, D., Curtis, T.P., Barer, M.R. and I.M. Head. 2003. A comparative study of ammonia-oxidising bacteria in lab-scale industrial wastewater treatment reactors. Water Science and Technology. 48(3): 17-24.

Rowan, A.K., Snape, J.R., Fearnside, D., Curtis, T.P., Barer, M.R. and I.M. Head. 2002. A comparison of autotrophic ammonia-oxidising bacteria in full-and laboratory-scale wastewater treatment reactors. Water Science and Technology. 46(1-2): 319-322.

Gray, N.D., Howarth, R., Rowan, A., Pickup, R.W., Jones, J.G. and Head, I.M. 1999. Natural communities of Achromatium oxaliferum comprise genetically, morphologically and ecologically distinct sub-populations. Applied and Environmental Microbiology. 65 (11), 5089-5099

Educational and career history

2007 - Current  Research associate, Scottish Association for Marine Science.  Research area- Unravelling the ocean methane paradox.  Supervisors- Dr Angela D Hatton, Dr David H Green & Dr Mark Hart   Sponsors- NERC
  
2002 - 2006  Research associate, University of Newcastle upon Tyne.  Research area- Microbiological analysis of deep subsurface petroleum reservoirs.  Supervisors- Prof. I. M. Head and Prof. S. R. Larter  Sponsors- BACCHUS consortium (http://petroleumreservoirgroup.ca/Bacchus2/index.html)  
Involvement in a number of other small projects – microbiological analysis of geothermal waters, fuel cells and wastewater treatment plants

1999 - 2004 PhD Bio-treatment of wastes, University of Newcastle upon Tyne. Ecology of ammonia-oxidising bacteria in wastewater treatment reactors.  Supervisors Prof. I M Head, Prof. T P Curtis and Prof. M Barer.  Sponsors - AstraZeneca (J Snape) and Yorkshire water (D Fearnside)
PhD project included a placement at Brixham Environmental Laboratory (AstraZeneca) for 8 months.  This placement allowed me to gain experience working to good laboratory practice (GLP) in an environmental lab.

1997 - 1998 MSc Environmental Biogeochemistry, University of Newcastle upon Tyne.

1993 - 1997 BSc (Hons) Environmental Biogeochemistry 2.1, University of Glasgow

Other

Esteem indicators

• Research outputs include 8 peer reviewed papers and 2 in submission process
• Chairperson at Molecular Microbial Ecology Group (MMEG) 14 (2008)
• Prize for Best Scientific Poster at the 1st International Symposium on Applied Molecular Microbiology in Oil Systems (ISMOS) (2007)
• Presentation at both national and international level (11 oral, 7 poster; 1999-2008)
  Selected to present a poster of my research at Westminster (Annual reception for Britain’s young scientists, engineers and technologists, 2006)  
• Selected from participants of UK water conference to present at international conference
  Awarded the Lebour MSc Prize for the best performance on the MSc Environmental biogeochemistry

Outreach Activities

• Involvement in Sharing science event at Our Dynamic earth (public engagement event showcasing Arctic research), March 2009.  The hands on display also formed part of Polar oceans activities for 2009 (International polar year 07-08) http://www.ipy.org/index.php?/ipy/detail/polar_oceans_week_reaches_around_the_globe/
• Invited speaker at Oban and Lorn environment week 2008 (series of public lectures about exciting environmental research coordinated by the Argyll and Bute Regional Environmental Education Forum (ABREEF)) Title-What do polar bears eat?- pictures and stories from this summer's research expedition to the Arctic
• Same talk as above with more hands on interaction (short dvds on highlights from the arctic cruise including polar bears, dolphin & footage.  Samples of arctic ice, rocks etc. were also used in the talk.  Guides were also able to try on Arctic ice suits) was presented to the local group of girl guides
• Involvement in open days (2007 & 2008) and local science fun days (2007)
• Participation in ocean science on tall ship initiative- collaboration between the Future Ship project, the jubilee sailing trust (charity that enables participants whatever their physical ability to challenge themselves through the adventure of tall ship sailing) and the Challenger society and aimed to conduct marine research on a low carbon footprint tall ship, and integrate and educate the non-scientists onboard and promote marine science to the general public. For more infomation see blog..  

 Ocean Science on a tall ship initiative (Lord Nelson)