As a marine scientist, I am interested in the role of marine ecosystems within the global carbon cycle. Shallow coastal habitats are a key focus area because they play a disproportionately large role in synthesizing, sequestering and in exporting organic matter down to the greatest oceanic depths. Carbon flow pathways result from a complex interplay between natural cycles of e.g. plant growth and senescence and sporadic events such as storms. In my work, I aim to understand the magnitude and the dynamics of carbon flows within the ocean using a range of modern laboratory and in situ technologies to study habitats on spatial scales ranging from microbes to ecosystems. Some research questions include: What is the balance between photosynthesis and respiration in marine habitats? What role does microbenthic diversity play within the carbon cycle? How is climate change impacting the ocean’s ability to take up and to sequester carbon?
