Marine Biogeochemistry

This research theme focuses on the development and evaluation of precise sampling, processing, and analytical methods for biogeochemical parameters in varied marine contexts, including sea ice, pelagic mesocosms, estuaries, and continental shelves. Refining methodologies is key to obtaining reliable data on organic matter, nutrients, trace elements, gases, and particulate fluxes, which underpin the understanding and modelling of marine biogeochemical cycles. Standardization efforts, intercalibration, and protocol optimization directly address challenges like environmental heterogeneity, preservation biases, and methodological inconsistencies that have historically limited cross-study comparability and ecosystem-level inference.

This theme investigates species-specific and community-level controls on carbon, nutrient, and trace element cycling by marine primary producers, including diverse phytoplankton taxa and macroalgae. Studies examine stoichiometric variability, trace element quotas, elemental composition, and physiological responses to environmental drivers such as iron limitation and pH shifts. The research elucidates how taxonomic diversity, physiological states, and life-cycle stages regulate key biogeochemical fluxes, influencing primary productivity, elemental export, ecosystem functioning, and responses to anthropogenic change.

This theme focuses on the source-sink dynamics, speciation, isotope systematics, and biogeochemical cycling of trace metals such as chromium, molybdenum, uranium, and iron in marine environments. Research examines the interplay of watermass chemistry, sedimentation, biological uptake, atmospheric deposition, and trace metal redox transformations, employing observational, experimental, and modeling approaches. Understanding these processes is vital for interpreting paleoceanographic records and for assessing the influence of trace metals on marine productivity and biogeochemical feedbacks in changing oceans.