Persistent Digital Identifiers (UIDs)
ORCID :
0000-0002-7851-9107
Activities
Global change impacts the distribution and activity of marine life at
local to basin-wide scales, with major consequences for oceanic oxygen
dynamics, nutrient cycles and the transfer of carbon dioxid from the
atmosphere to the deep sea. I use augmented image observations that
integrate autonomous camera and environmental sensor systems with
state-of-the-art artificial intelligence solutions and ecophysiological
approaches to yield a novel image of zooplankton and detrital particle
(Z&P) dynamics in a changing ocean. Zooplankton organisms play an
essential role in these processes as they feed on all kinds of
particulate matter, respire oxygen and release faecal matter. Detrital
particles (e.g. faeces and decaying phytoplankton aggregates) passively
sink through the water column and represent a major export vector of
carbon from the sunlit surface ocean to the deep sea. Most of this
so-called „marine snowfall” is consumed by microbes and specialised
zooplankton, resulting in the attenuation of passive flux with depth.
Diel vertical migrations of zooplankton and nekton from the epipelagic
at 0 – 200 m depth to the mesopelagic at 200 – 1000 m depth induce an
active net downward transport of carbon as zooplankton feed at the
surface at nighttime and migrate to depth at daytime, where they
continue to respire, excrete and generate faecal pellets. These
processes take place in a very dynamic and changing physical
environment, requiring the mentioned augmented observation tools to
observe them. Building the capacities of the next generation of students
to apply these tools for improved monitoring, protection and management
of marine resources is another aspect of my work.
Sea regions of study
North Atlantic Ocean
South Atlantic Ocean
