This project aims to explore the diversity and variation of phytoplankton through images collected during research cruises off the east coast of the United States, totaling over 10 million images. 50 images from Rhode Island samples were randomly selected from each sample location and stitched together using a machine-learning generative adversarial networks (GAN) process. The colors vary based on the size of the cells in each frame, mirroring the effect that morphological differences in phytoplankton have on the optical signatures. Looking at the three videos side-to-side, we can begin to see the variation that exists even in just a small slice of the ocean.

“As a researcher with the Mouw Lab, I work to connect the ocean’s optical signature with the populations of phytoplankton. Though small, phytoplankton lives at such great scales in the ocean that they affect the way that we see the water. We can even register this optical effect from space using specialized satellites.”

Julia Lober

The decoding process for optical signatures is especially complicated in the coastal ocean of the Northeastern US. Fortunately, there is a collection of optical and phytoplankton data collected on a number of cruises traversing these waters. This data gives us a special look into a microscopic community that we normally see only from far away.

Julia & Irene trained machine learning GAN (generative adversarial network) models on phytoplankton populations sampled at three different points along the coastal ocean of the Northeastern US. The GAN models find similarities between phytoplankton cells, generating composite images that highlight their unifying characteristics. 

“The biggest challenge for me during this process was balancing artistic representation and scientific truth. For this project, the topic of color really challenged these tensions. The optical signatures that I work with cannot be boiled down to a single color, and I was faced with constant decisions about what assumptions or generalizations to make, without implying untrue information that could be construed as scientific truth.”

Julia Lober

“What is my personal relationship to this topic? How do I feel about the things that I am trying to communicate? Who am I trying to tell it to? Most importantly, why am I trying to tell this story? When I develop scientific materials, I am more focused on how to effectively communicate my information and less so on why. Some of these questions are still unanswered for me. Though I could point to an audience for my project, people who may know nothing about phytoplankton, it was hard to delve into my feelings about this topic. What is certain, is that I will continue to approach my projects, both scientific and artistic, from a mindset that includes these why questions as much as the how."

Julia Lober