Jennifer Thomson

Sound intriguing? This amusing and interesting hashtag was created by master’s student Justine Hudson, to get everybody interested in science! But what she studies is no laughing matter. Climate change is causing detrimental nutritional and hormonal effects on different animals, and snot can be the perfect vehicle in which to gather data. This week we interviewed her on her research activities concerning the stress levels of belugas in the Arctic

Hi Justine! Tell us a bit about yourself

I’m a 2nd year master’s student in the department of biological sciences at the University of Manitoba. I’m also a passionate science communicator and enjoy sharing my love for the Arctic. I also love spending time in my garden, and I have recently taken up beekeeping!

The fieldwork for your masters is conducted up north in the Canadian Arctic – what led you to become interested in the Arctic, marine mammals, and beluga whales specifically?

As an undergraduate student, I was given the opportunity to attend ArcticNet, which is an Arctic-focused conference. When I was there, I learned about all the issues facing the Arctic, particularly the impacts of climate change. I knew that sea-ice was melting and that it wasn’t good news for polar bears, but I was pretty oblivious to other issues facing the region. Going to the conference was really eye-opening and inspired me to pursue a master’s degree looking into the impacts of climate change on Arctic whales. 

Please could you summarise your current research activities?

My master’s research is divided into two projects. The first chapter of my thesis focuses on determining stress levels of the Western Hudson Bay beluga population by collecting snot samples and measuring cortisol, an indicator of stress. For this project, I’ve had the opportunity to spend 2 summers in Churchill, Manitoba, collecting snot from free-swimming beluga whales. To collect snot, I made a collection device from a pole and a petri plate, which I placed over the blowhole of belugas as they surfaced for air. When the belugas exhaled, they released a cloud of snot and that is what I analysed for cortisol.

The second chapter of my thesis focuses on measuring nutritional stress in baleen plates collected from bowhead whales. Baleen plates line the mouths of baleen whales and are used to filter feed. Baleen is a keratinized material, similar to our fingernails, and grows continuously throughout a whale’s lifetime. By drilling holes along a baleen plate, from the base to the tip, and analysing the powdered baleen for hormones - I’m able to identify periods of time when an animal experienced nutritional stress.

Ok, I gotta ask… why ‘snot for science’, and what is a ‘snotbot’? Please explain... 

I love this question! When I first started my master’s, I wanted a hashtag for social media that I could use to compile all of my science related posts. I decided on #SnotForScience because it catches people’s attention and gets them interested and talking about climate change! People really love snot!

I don’t use a snotbot for my research - but this is another way in which fellow ‘snot researchers’ collect their samples! Basically, this is a drone with a petri dish attached, which is used to fly through snot clouds produced by large whales. This allows scientists to collect samples from large whales without having to approach them in a boat.

Tell us about your results so far! Can it currently assess if the Western Hudson Bay beluga population is affected by climate change and anthropogenic activity?

So far, I can’t say much in terms of how climate change and human activity will affect beluga whales. Originally, the goal of the project was to determine how the population would be impacted by shipping activity (which is predicted to increase as the Arctic warms). However, my master’s project has quickly turned into a ‘methods project’ - as snot had never been collected from free-swimming beluga whales before! The project now focuses on the best ways to collect snot from free-swimming beluga whales (see the video below of this process in action!), and also makes recommendations for future studies.

The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada lists this particular population of belugas as ‘Special Concern’. Do you think these belugas will be affected in the future by climate change, and how will your research play a role in helping these individuals?

It is hard to say how the Western Hudson Bay beluga population will be affected by climate change in the future. When looking at beluga populations across Canada, some are doing better than others, but we don’t exactly know why. And although my research wasn’t able to answer that question, I was able to show that snot can be successfully collected from free-swimming beluga whales, something that had never been done before! Knowing that we can collect snot from this population opens doors for future projects, as snot has been used to look at disease, reproduction, and genetics. 

You are also an avid science communicator! Tell us a bit about that

One of my favourite activities that I’ve participated in over the years is Arctic Science Day, which is organized by the Centre for Earth Observation Science at the University of Manitoba. As a volunteer, we get to spend an entire day with middle school and high school students talking about Arctic research. We organize different activities: from ice coring, to sorting through “ringed seal stomachs” to look at dietary shifts.

I also enjoy using my personal social media accounts (@justinehud // @arcticmarine.justine) to highlight activities that I get to do on a day-to-day basis. It’s a fun and easy way to connect with people and I find that I get a lot of thought-provoking questions. It also gives my friends a better sense of what I actually do!

How important is science communication to your work, and have you seen any changes in local attitudes towards climate change since starting your research?

I think that science communication is one of the most important parts of a scientist’s job. What good is doing science if it is not communicated? Whether to the general public or policy makers: if not communicated, it can’t make a difference. When it comes to my work, this is certainly important, as my findings need to be relayed to the local communities that I work in, and also to potential policy makers. 

I have definitely seen a change in attitudes towards climate change in the last few years! For example, 3 years ago, I was at a Christmas party and was talking about my master’s research (and happened to mention climate change). A friend turned to me and said: “so wait…climate change is real?”. We then had a great, honest conversation about climate change, and she started doing her own research into the issues. Just this week, she’s been looking into electoral candidates with the greenest policies for our upcoming election!

The ocean has changed rapidly in the last couple of decades. Could you leave us with any last words of wisdom concerning ocean conservation?

One person can make a huge difference! Whether it be switching to reusable straws or taking the bus or voting, every little bit really helps!

I want to say a huge thank you to Justine Hudson, for agreeing to take part in this interview! You can follow her on Twitter @justinehud, Instagram @arcticmarine.justine, and check out the #SnotForScience hashtag for many snot-filled science posts. 

Want to be interviewed by us? Check out our ‘Get Involved’ section.

Too Hot To Handle, part of our Research Series, highlights recent research efforts into ocean warming and its effect on marine life. 

IF YOU’VE ENJOYED READING THIS ARTICLE, LOOK OUT FOR MORE TOO HOT TO HANDLE ARTICLES FROM JENN AND FOLLOW HER HERE @jennelizabeththomson