The Nitrogen Cycle in the Coral Reef

Oh no, not another 'nitrogen crisis'! Some coral reefs in the wild are severely affected by pollution. For example, due to the discharge of sewage water near the reef. In this case, the result could be a high amount of nitrogen in the water causing algae to grow rapidly, ultimately overgrowing and suffocating the corals. Burgers' Ocean is home to one of the largest coral reef basins in aquaria worldwide. The nitrogen levels in this aquarium are closely monitored. When the fish are fed, they subsequently excrete waste, often in the form of nitrogen compounds. For the Ocean team, it's crucial to understand what happens to this nitrogen, whether it's too much or too little. Several students from Wageningen University have tackled this issue. The result is a computer model that calculates the entire nitrogen cycle. Assembling this model was a puzzle, with each student contributing to solving a piece of it. Sophie Cooijmans was the last student to work on this project.