Ocean Science and Engineering Thesis Proposal 

ANH H. PHAM

School of Biological Sciences

Advisor:

 Dr. Joseph P. Montoya

Georgia Institute of Technology

Open to the Community

PLANKTONIC HABITATS IN THE DYNAMIC OCEAN

December 6th 2022

09:00 am

ES&T L1114

Zoom link

https://gatech.zoom.us/j/92929435437?pwd=RWo3c2pPZHRwTWxIMTNKclpuamo5QT09

Committee Members:

Dr. Joel Kostka

Georgia Institute of Technology

Dr. Kostas Konstantinidis

Georgia Institute of Technology

Dr. Takamitsu Ito

Georgia Institute of Technology

Dr. Joseph Montoya

Georgia Institute of Technology

Abstract:

This research will use a set of five standard oceanographic measurements to characterize different habitat types of highly dynamic marine systems, especially in the Amazon River Plume (ARP) area. As the river mixes with the surrounding oceanic water, it creates a gradient of physical and biogeochemical niches, shaping the planktonic community structures and driving biological processes along the aging plume, whose influence extend hundreds of kilometers further to the Western Tropical North Atlantic. To study the biological impacts of such heterogenous conditions requires a consistent framework to delineate the meaningful marine planktonic environments. The approach can be expanded to include the biogeochemical (BGC) Argo profilers array dataset to investigate multiple marine systems at varied spatial and temporal scales. The research will push the state-of-the-art BGC-Argo array to its full potential and relieve the need for expensive and laborious ship-based oceanographic surveys to study and monitor the changing ocean. Finally, the delineated habitats will be used for studies of planktonic community structures via multiple measurements and statistical approaches, and key biological processes via stable isotope measurements and potentially metagenomics. This will provide comprehensive insights into the co-influence between the planktonic communities and their surrounding physical and biogeochemical conditions, enhancing our understanding of how primary production will respond to climate changes and anthropogenic eutrophication.