Hitchhiker’s Guide to Marine Invasions: How Ships Unwittingly Aid—And Combat—Invasive Species

Our global economy has an unintended consequence: The same ships that move goods around the world can also inadvertently move invasive species. Many of these hitchhikers get pulled into the ballast water that ships carry in their hulls for stability. In this talk, explore the invisible journeys happening below decks with Dr. Jenny Carney-Zollars, the head of the Smithsonian's ballast water sampling program. Jenny will highlight how ships transport invasive species, how the scientists on her team can detect organisms often invisible to the naked eye, and what strategies are working to help ships reduce the risk of spreading invasive species along their routes.

This event is part of the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC)’s free evening science talks, and it will be recorded! Closed captions will be available during the live stream and on the recording. By signing up on Zoom, you’ll be able to watch live and receive a link to the recording a few days after the live stream. SERC seeks to showcase a wide variety of topics and perspectives for its evening science talks. Views expressed during these talks belong to the individual speakers and not the Smithsonian.

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Photo: Jenny Carney-Zollars (left) samples ballast water with Kim Holzer (Credit: Kim Holzer)