Our goal is to have a draft of my Master’s thesis by the end of the 2023 calendar year. This is an ambitious goal. Below is a more formalized one-year schedule that will get us to this December 2023 goal.

For each season listed below, I have provided two main categories of tasks. However, with the exception of Autumn 2022, these two categories are not necessarily consecutive. Rather, I expect to parallelize the work. The reason for this being that LiveOcean takes some time to run. I thus anticipate setting up a model run, and then busying myself with reading/writing/idea-generation tasks for a few days.

Autumn 2022: TRAPS Integration & Modeling Tests

TRAPS Integration

  • Finish integrating TRAPS into LiveOcean
  • Debug and resolve known issues
  • Write READMEs for TRAPS

Modeling Tests

  • Run the model for a year with and without WWTP nitrate (see what happens)
  • Based on results, begin brainstorming interesting science questions I can ask
  • Run idealized NPZD models on the side to better understand biogeochemistry response to different initial conditions

Winter 2023: Model Validation & Hypothesis Generation

Model Validation

  • Run short experiments and compare to field data
  • Refine biogeochemistry rate parameters

Hypothesis Generation

  • Based on Autumn results, test out diferent methods of data analysis
  • Deep dive into literature
    • Provide ideas for data analysis methods
    • Help narrow focus for hypothesis
  • Reach out to PhD students working on Long Island Sound or Chesapeake and learn what they are doing
  • Run model in background to tease out which hypotheses may actually be interesting

Spring 2023: Hypothesis Refinement, Modeling Experiments, Documentation

Hypothesis Refinement & Modeling Experiments

  • Hypothesis refinement and modeling experments go hand in hand as one will help inform the other
    • Run LiveOcean experiment to test preliminary hypothesis
    • Ask: did anything unexpected happen? What can I do to amplify this unexpected result and narrow down reasons for why it happened?
    • Read more literature on similar experiments
    • Repeat process
  • Begin implementing more advanced data analysis methods

Documentation

  • Document preliminary results in a report & presentation
  • Prepare for Gordon Conference in June (Smithfield, RI)

Summer 2023: Experiment Refinement, Data Analysis, Documentation

Experiment Refinement & Data Analysis

  • Based on experimental results, ask if there was a better way I could test the same hypothesis –> Refine experiment
  • Improve data analysis methods

Documentation

  • Building up from prior report, begin drafting thesis
  • Read literature as necessary to fill in gaps

Autumn 2023: Documentation

  • Focus on writing thesis draft
  • CERF Conference? (Portland, OR)