Christine Knauss

Faculty

Christine Knauss

Assistant Research Scientist
Faculty
Christine Knauss
Assistant Research Scientist
Horn Point Laboratory

Bio

Going to Bethany Beach every summer since I was born has instilled in me a love and curiosity for the ocean. However, an undergraduate course helped me develop a passion for protecting the ocean for future generations. I want to understand more about how humans are polluting our oceans and what we can do to fix this. Plastic pollution is ubiquitous across the globe and impacts a wide variety of animals including fish, sea birds, aquatic mammals, turtles, and filter feeding organisms like oysters. Oysters are very important environmentally, economically, and culturally to the Chesapeake Bay.

My research focuses on how oyster in the Chesapeake Bay are affected by ingesting plastic pollution.

Education

  • B.S. University of Maryland College Park, 2014, Chemistry and Biology
  • Ph.D. University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, 2020, Environmental Chemistry, Marine Estuarine Environmental Science

Lab News

Next Generation: Christine Knauss

I am examining how plastic pollution is affecting oysters in the Chesapeake Bay. Specifically, I look at a category of small plastics called microplastics, which is anything less than 5 millimeters. My research focuses on how larval oysters are affected when they ingest these microplastics.