Current Research: Barbara Prézelin

Much of my research career has been driven by a facination with the biology of light and timekeeping, as well as the intersections of the two in the biology and ecology of phytoplankton. With regards to the biology of light, sustained effort has been given to understanding the nature, regulation and linkages between the photobiology/photoecology of different phytoplankton groups and their varied abilities for environmental adaptation and optimization of in situ primary production. With regards to biological timekeeping on the scale of a single day, efforts have been given to the study of biological clock regulation of growth and photosynthesis in phytoplankton, environmental cues that modify and regulate the periodic activities of many cell functions in phytoplankton, and the subsequent consequences for ecosystem dynamics and the predictive accuracy of environmental models.

A current goal is to continue the present and very successful collaboration with physical oceanographers to assess the predictive linkages between water column mixing dynamics, coastal circulation, bottom topography, etc. on the patterns of phytoplankton community dynamics and primary production in the Peninsula region of the Southern Ocean. Another goal is to develop and test theoretical models of seasonal variations and the longer term effects of declining atmospheric ozone, and accompanying increasing UVB radiation, on marine primary production. Such theoretical studies will enable a synthesis and comparison of the effects of UV climate change on primary production in coastal waters of the U. S. and the Southern Ocean. There are also ongoing efforts to extend these UV/ozone studies to the Arctic Ocean, which is experiencing rapid climate change. The results of these efforts have been and will continue to be blended with those of other representative assessing scenerios for human health, terresterial ecosystem and the social science of human populations.

Barbara Prézelin | Research | Publications | Curriculum Vitae

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