Research Activities
Southern Ocean Ecology
Present
Collaborations
Collaborations
Ecophysiology
of HABs
Nitrogen Dynamics
Elucidating the role of inorganic and organic nitrogen in the growth of marine phytoplankton and bacteria has been a central theme of my research projects, past and present, particularly in relation to the availability of trace metals in HNLC oceanic regions and coastal harmful algal blooms.
Harmful algal blooms (HABs) are found in both pristine and eutrophic regions of the U.S. west coast. The physiology of the red-tide dinoflagellate (Lingulodinium polydrum), the raphidophycean flagellate (Heterosigma akashiwo), and the toxigenic diatom Pseudo-nitzschia species are being investigated using both natural assemblages and cultures.
During the late 90s, estimates of ‘new’ and ‘regenerated’ production in the Ross Sea, Antarctica were quantified over a complete seasonal cycle as part of the U.S. JGOFS Process Study (AESOPS). This research was conducted in collaboration with Dr. Deborah Bronk (VIMS).
Iron Enrichment Studies
Dr. Cochlan and Maureen Auro in the North Pacific Ocean
I have been actively involved in three major mesoscale iron enrichment studies since 1995. These were conducted in the equatorial Pacific (Iron Ex II), Southern Ocean (SOFeX) (both in collaboration with Dr. Raphael Kudela, UCSC), and the North Pacific Ocean (SEEDS-II) with Drs. Mark Wells (Univ. Maine) and Charles Trick (Univ. Western Ontario).
My laboratory works closely with Dr. Vera Trainer on the ECOHAB-PNW project, Drs. Mark Wells and Charlie Trick on two iron-ligand projects in the North Pacific, and a number of scientists at the University of Tokyo, most notably Dr. Takada. Students from each of these universities work collaboratively at sea or at RTC on research projects related to their respective dissertation research.
Click me for HABs
Click image for Popular Press articles featuring our research on:
SOFeX IronEx II SF Bay blooms
