Research

Air-sea exchange and heat transport, Air-Sea interaction, Atmospheric observation, Biogeochemical cycling, Biogeochemistry, Carbon cycle, Chemistry, Circulation, Climate change, Climate change and ocean circulation, Coastal and estuarine health, Coastal and estuarine physical oceanography, Coastal circulation and mixing, Coastal water circulation, Current measurements, Estuarine circulation and mixing, Geochemical tracers, In-situ sensing, Instrumentation, Ocean circulation, Ocean turbulence, Paleoceanography, Polar processes

I study processes at the boundary between biogeochemistry and physical oceanography, with a strong focus on the polar oceans. I use geochemical tracers – mostly gases dissolved in seawater to study physical and biogeochemical processes.

I’m interested in advancing ocean instrumentation. I work with prototyping and design of low-cost sensors that connect to the Internet of Things using Open Source hardware. I am also advancing the use of Underwater Mass Spectrometry to measure volatiles in water.

One of our main goals is to figure out how sea ice affects the polar ocean carbon cycle and how changes in sea ice will alter ocean carbon sequestration. We’re hard at work trying to constrain the physical, biological, and chemical processes that determine the storage and flux of biogenic gases (namely CO2, O2 and DMS) between the polar ocean and the atmosphere.

Currently, we are engaged in five studies that relate to the impacts of climate change: (1) diffusive and interfacial gas transport in the sea ice-covered polar oceans (2) changes in the deep water formation rate in the Weddell Sea (3) ocean-ice shelf interaction around Antarctica, (4) changes in sea ice formation and ocean circulation during periods of past glaciation, and (5) The effects of drought and hypersalination on mangrove estuaries in West Africa.

These projects are in varying stages of development and we are currently looking for inquisitive and enthusiastic participants as collaborators, lab members and boosters. If you have an interest in any of these subjects or others that involve gas tracers, please do not hesitate to contact me.