Month: February 2025

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This presentation on satellite oceanography will have three parts. I will give a short overview about the the different types of oceanographic data products and show where and how to most efficiently access these data. These two parts of the talk don’t involve any research, but do provide practical (and hopefully useful) information for anyone interested in using satellite data. The third part of the talk will focus on the large chlorophyll blooms that often develop in late summer in the oligotrophic Pacific near 30°N, that have been revealed by satellite data. These blooms can cover thousands of km^2 and persist for months. The most intense and most frequent blooms occur between 130–150°W and 28–32°N, but blooms also develop further south, in the region just north of Hawaii. The blooms are often made up of diatom-diazotroph assemblages (DDAs) of the diatoms Hemiaulus and Rhizosolenia containing the nitrogen fixing endosymbiont Richelia intracellularis. The physical dynamics that stimulate the blooms remain unknown. Episodic injections of subsurface nutrients from eddy dynamics are likely the cause but the exact mechanism is unknown.

Dr. Cara Wilson

Principle Investigator of West Coast Node and PolarWatch at NOAA SWFSC

Dr. Cara Wilson has worked as a satellite oceanographer at NOAA’s Southwest Fisheries Science Center in Monterey CA since 2002. She is the PI of the West Coast Node and of PolarWatch, which are both regional nodes of NOAA’s CoastWatch program, which provides access to satellite data for ocean and coastal applications. Her research interests are in using satellite data to examine bio-physical coupling in the surface ocean, with a particular focus on determining the biological and physical causes of the large chlorophyll blooms that often develop in late summer in the oligotrophic Pacific near 30°N. She received a Ph.D. in oceanography from Oregon State University in 1997, where she examined the physical dynamics of hydrothermal plumes. After getting her PhD she worked as the InterRidge Coordinator at the University Pierre et Marie Curie in Paris, France. Her introduction to remote sensing came with a post-doc at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center which involved analyzing TOPEX and SeaWiFS data. She is also the past chair of the IOCCG (International Ocean Colour Coordinating Group).

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Dissolved Aluminium (dAl) has been recognized as a valuable tracer of atmospheric (dust) deposition as well as the riverine input at the surface waters, displaying surface anomalies and relatively low values in deep/bottom waters (Measures and Vink, 2000; Grand et al., 2015). In the Arctic Ocean, the extensive sea ice coverage typically maintains low surface dAl levels by obstructing direct atmospheric deposition. However, the melting of "dirty" ice may introduce entrained sediments into the surface water, potentially influencing dAl concentrations (Measures, 1999). Moreover, dAl concentrations in the Arctic tend to increase with depth, suggesting potential sources from the sediment/water interface in deep/bottom water, as discussed by Measures and Hatta (2021). The variations in dAl values serve as valuable indicators of weathering processes along the sediment/water interface. In this talk, I will present recent findings from Arctic research along the shelf slopes, utilizing a new analytical technique developed during Arctic cruises aboard the R/V Mirai.

Dr. Mariko Hatta

Arctic Oceanographic Researcher at the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC)

I am an Arctic oceanographic researcher at the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC). My research focuses on understanding ocean conditions by using micronutrients and trace elements as tracers and developing novel analytical methodologies for oceanographic studies.

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Currently nearly 90% of the heat generated by human-caused climate change is being absorbed by the ocean. But the long-term ability of the ocean to store heat is uncertain. Here I look at a time period three million years ago that is often used as an analog for future climate change because atmospheric carbon dioxide levels are similar to today. Using past climate reconstructions from marine sediment we find the upper ocean temperature and heat content was high three million years ago relative to today. However, few of the climate models used to simulate climate in the past (and the future) are able to match the past climate reconstructions. The climate models that best match the past climate reconstructions have enhanced polar amplification.

Dr. Heather Ford

Reader in Paleoceanography at Queen Mary University of London

Dr. Heather Ford received her Ph.D. at the University of California, Santa Cruz, where she studied paleoceanography of the tropical Pacific. During her postdoctoral position at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory in New York, she researched deep ocean circulation during the mid-Pleistocene Transition. She then moved to University of Cambridge as a Natural Environment Research Council Independent Research Fellow focusing on deep ocean circulation during the warm Pliocene. At Queen Mary University of London, she continues to explore the surface to deep ocean conditions of the last few million years. She’s excited to join MLML during her sabbatical as a visiting scientist.

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Small bodies in cold water: Harbour porpoises energetics and effects of vessel noise disturbance

Harbour porpoises are one of the smallest marine mammals, facing unique energetic challenges, particularly in cold water habitats. In addition to these challenges, porpoises inhabit coastal waters with some of the highest shipping densities in the world, putting them at risk of cumulative long-term effects at both individual and population levels.

Join this seminar to delve into the world of harbour porpoises. The seminar will explore the biology and ecology of these small cetaceans, highlighting their high metabolic rates and foraging strategies, and how these factors may make porpoises more vulnerable to anthropogenic disturbances. We will then focus on current research on the impact of underwater noise on their behavior and energy balance, revealing how even moderate noise levels can disrupt their energy budget and overall fitness.

Dr. Laia Rojano-Doñate

Assistant Professor at Aarhus University and Visiting Researcher at Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University

Dr. Laia Rojano-Doñate is a behavioural ecophysiologist who applies innovative technologies and analytical methods to tackle the complexities of underwater research. Her research focuses on the physiological adaptations that enable marine mammals to maintain energy balance, as well as their movement and behavioural ecology. She is committed to understanding the physiological and behavioural mechanisms that allow these mammals to thrive in their environment, with the aim of better predicting and mitigating the potential impacts of environmental changes and human disturbances.