Environmental Science and Engineering Seminar

Ocean currents shape the distribution and magnitude of microbial populations with cascading influences on the global carbon cycle. Ocean dynamics at the submesoscale (1-10 km) play a particularly important role in shaping the abundance and distribution of primary production and carbon export. This talk will combine observations, theory, and numerical modeling to discuss the role of ocean submesoscale dynamics in shaping the biological and biogeochemical response to climate extremes including flooding and increased stratification. Concurrent observations of microbial community composition, surface velocity, and subsurface tracer concentrations reveal the role of submesoscale dynamics in vertical and lateral biogeochemical fluxes and the important role of both physical and biological factors in shaping biogeochemical fluxes.