Biophysical Controls on Marine Productivity and Carbon Export

Ocean physics fundamentally controls where and when marine ecosystems transfer carbon to depth. This research uses autonomous platforms to observe how mixed layer dynamics, stratification, deep convection and mesoscale eddies regulate phytoplankton growth and the formation of sinking particles. By capturing processes across timescales from hours to seasons, this work reveals the mechanisms linking physical forcing to carbon export efficiency in different ocean regimes.