I'm an oceanographer who focuses on the study of the ocean.One of my research interests is amphipods (片脚类动物) , a kind of tiny sea creature with a soft body and a hard outer shell.Amphipods often live in the canyons ( 峡谷) under the sea.They are a food source for larger organisms, fueling the food chain and ultimately the species that humans catch and eat.There are thousands upon thousands of amphipod species all over the world in fresh and salty water, from the surface to the deep sea.We can think of amphipods as a key species---one that helps indicate how healthy an ecosystem is---because they are so common across the oceans.

This was a factor in my decision to study them.I didn't directly observe how the amphipod species lives its life.Instead, I compared what I knew about it to studies of similar species.This allowed me to make assumptions about its lifestyle.For instance, amphipods have excellent "smell" detecting abilities because large food falls are few and far between.For some female amphipods, finding these food falls is especially important because they must stuff themselves before reproducing.By the end of my studies, I was keenly aware of the difficulties in studying deep-sea organisms.

The challenges are not just limited to accessing their habitats.It's also tough to locate the organisms themselves.Finding amphipods in the deep, open ocean is like finding needles in a haystack.Scientists sometimes use large nets to scoop (舀取) up whatever is in the sea around them, but there 's no guarantee that they'll get what they are looking for.

I presented my research at a big sustainability symposium, which allowed me to hear more about human activities that affect amphipods.Offshore oil exploration is one example.The process of looking for oil in the seafloor may reduce the availability of food for deep-sea organisms, including amphipods.As their populations decrease, the food sources for larger organisms, like the fish we want to eat, start disappearing too.

Amphipods and humans seem to be worlds apart.And yet harm to rarely seen organisms in the deepest darkest depths of the ocean could end up hurting us in the not-too-distant future.