From turbulence to climate: pathways and ecology of upper ocean nutrient flux

Summary: Ocean currents shape the distribution and magnitude of microbial populations with cascading influences on the global carbon cycle. In this talk, I will derive a parameterization for the turbulent flux of biological tracers and highlight the role of biological timescales. This parameterization reveals a growth-transport feedback that can generate diversity in phytoplankton community structure at fine scales (1-10 km) and higher net productivity in the presence of community diversity. I will then use ship-board observations to examine the interaction between ocean eddy processes and microbial communities revealing how frontal dynamics shape the upper ocean distribution of carbon and microbial communities.

Posted on Jan 8, 2024 in Seminario CMM-Clima y Biodiversiada, Seminars