Wilma M. Blom is a marine scientist. Since 2011 she has been Curator, Marine Invertebrates at Auckland War Memorial Museum.[1][2]

Wilma M. Blom
OccupationMarine scientist
Scientific career
Thesis

Education edit

Blom studied at the University of Auckland and later University of Sydney in the 1980s, researching the sedimentology of the Raukūmara Range,[3] and Bass Strait in Australia.[4][5] In 1989, the amoeboid protist Lagena blomae, a species found in the Bass Strait, was named after Blom.[6][7]

Career and research edit

In mid-2011, Blom became the marine invertebrates curator at Auckland War Memorial Museum.[5][8][9] Blom's work focuses on identifying marine fauna, such as molluscs. She also works in science communication, through projects such as Auckland Museum's New Zealand Marine Life app. She also organises a 2-yearly BioBlitz programme which places scientists alongside communities to help them document the biodiversity of their surrounding area, and has been involved in research projects involving The Noises.[1][10] She has contributed to the collections of Auckland Museum and Te Papa.[11]

Blom led a team that dissected a rare Taningia danae octopus, found by a fishing expedition near Whakaari / White Island in 2020.[12]

In 2020, Blom collaborated on a project involving a Pliocene fossil trove, which was uncovered at Māngere when vertical shafts were being excavated for the Central Interceptor at Māngere Wastewater Treatment Plant.[13] 266 fossil species were uncovered at the trove, including at least ten novel species.[14][15]

Personal life edit

Blom first began living in Auckland in 1971.[1] Blom is interested in botanical art,[5] and her illustration of Pteris tremula was selected for the Ngāi Tipu Taketake - Indigenous Flora exhibition held at Auckland Botanic Gardens in 2018.[16] She is a member of the Auckland Shell Club.[17]

Selected research projects edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b c "Wilma Blom". Auckland War Memorial Museum. Retrieved 23 December 2018.
  2. ^ "Wilma Blom | PhD | Auckland Museum, Auckland | Marine". ResearchGate. Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  3. ^ Blom, Willy Marja. (1982), Sedimentology of the Tokomaru Formation, Waiapu Subdivision, Raukumara Peninsula, ResearchSpace@Auckland, hdl:2292/5689, OCLC 1390223236, Wikidata Q112846137
  4. ^ Blom, Wilma M. (1988), Late Quaternary Facies of Bass Basin, Southeastern Australia: Their Environmental Significance and Response to Sea-level Change, OCLC 220782236, Wikidata Q123699240
  5. ^ a b c "Member's Social Evening". Botanical Art Society of New Zealand. 30 May 2023. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
  6. ^ Albani, A. D.; Yassini, I. (1989). "Taxonomy and distribution of Shallow-water Lagenid Foraminiferida from the South-eastern coast of Australia". Marine and Freshwater Research. 40 (4): 369–401. doi:10.1071/mf9890369. ISSN 1448-6059. Retrieved 2023-12-18.
  7. ^ "Biological namesakes". Auckland War Memorial Museum. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
  8. ^ "Poisonous jellyfish invade NZ beach". Otago Daily Times. 12 October 2016. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
  9. ^ Quill, Annemarie (9 May 2023). "'Alien' log covered in strange creatures washes up on beach". Stuff. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
  10. ^ Rayner, Matt (6 March 2022). "Expedition Ōtata: The Noises monitoring trip December 2021". The Noises. Retrieved 11 March 2022.
  11. ^ "Dr Wilma Blom". Collections Online. Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. Retrieved 11 March 2022.
  12. ^ "Rare BOP octopus to be dissected for research". Sun Live. 21 July 2020. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
  13. ^ "Auckland Museum And Watercare To Partner On Exciting New Discovery - Māngere Kaawa Formation Fossils". Scoop. 29 October 2021. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
  14. ^ "Auckland wastewater pipe dig reveals 'fossil treasure trove'". Phys.org. 27 August 2023. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
  15. ^ Hayward, Bruce W.; Stolberger, Thomas F.; Collins, Nathan; Beu, Alan G.; Blom, Wilma (27 August 2023). "A diverse Late Pliocene fossil fauna and its paleoenvironment at Māngere, Auckland, New Zealand". New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics. doi:10.1080/00288306.2023.2243234. ISSN 0028-8306. S2CID 261264121. Wikidata Q123698788.
  16. ^ Tyrrell, Katherine (17 December 2017). "Selected New Zealand artists for 'Ngāi Tipu Taketake - Indigenous Flora' (Botanical Art Worldwide #3)". Botanical Art & Artists. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
  17. ^ "Newsletter - September 2013". Auckland Shell Club. Retrieved 25 November 2022.