Anthropogenic Impacts on Estuarine Systems
At the San Francisco Estuary Institute I am studying the effects of nutrient inputs on San Francisco Bay's water quality. I'm investigating how nutrients from wastewater discharge, stormwater and river discharge impact the abundance of phytoplankton, the formation of harmful algal blooms, and concentrations of dissolved oxygen. An important part of studying the link between nutrient concentrations and estuarine water quality is understanding biogeochemical transformations that occur in the water column and on the seafloor. I hope to better quantify these processes through my work in the Bay.
|
Wetland Ecology and Biogeochemistry
My postdoctoral research was focused on how human activities are impacting coastal wetlands. Specifically I investigated the impact of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on salt marsh biogeochemistry and plant ecology in Louisiana, as well as spatial and temporal variability in biogeochemical processes. Examining long term datasets can help us understand drivers of observed patterns; they also help to establish baseline data that can be used to assess impacts of future disturbances. Other projects I was involved with included studies looking at how plant communities impact soil processes, and how changes in salinity dynamics will affect wetland biogeochemistry.
|
Collapse of Jellyfish Blooms
During my PhD I investigated how the collapse of jellyfish blooms impacts the pelagic and benthic environment. For this work I was lucky enough to conduct experiments in coastal lagoons in Australia, as well as fjords in Norway. Jellyfish represent a significant amount of carbon in the ocean, however very little is known about the fate of the gelatinous biomass when blooms, or large aggregations, of jellyfish collapse. I found that they release large amounts of nutrients and carbon as they decay, and that when decomposition occurs on the seafloor it can create an inhospitable environment for fauna due to the associated oxygen demand. A couple chapters of my thesis also investigated decomposition dynamics under projected future ocean conditions.
|