The oceans are enormous and cover much of the Earth’s surface. They play a major role in our economy, are a huge food source, provide habitat for many species and have a major influence on the climate.
Studying these waters to better understand such complex features is a huge challenge for scientists. To help with this task, Heather Bouman, a biogeochemist at the University of Oxford, collects and analyzes information collected by satellites on chlorophyll, the green pigment in phytoplankton, and compares it with observational data and samples from offshore expeditions. Her work allows us to better understand the stability of the marine food web and the rate of carbon sequestration in our oceans, highlighting their fundamental role in the global carbon cycle and helping predict the future in a warming world.
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