Biogeochemical controls on ocean productivity

We are interested in the controls on phytoplankton physiology and community structure in the global ocean, with a particular focus on regulation by (micro)nutrients. We conduct a range of fieldwork (mostly open ocean research cruises), phytoplankton culturing experiments, numerical analysis and simple modelling to investigate this. In the European Research Council (ERC) funded project 鈥極cean Glow鈥� we are trying to develop a method to observe phytoplankton nutrient limitation at global, high frequency scales using satellite remote sensing of chlorophyll fluorescence - red light that is emitted from phytoplankton and radiates out into space.

Research Areas

Sources and cycling of ocean (micro)nutrients
Phytoplankton ecophysiology
Remote sensing of phytoplankton
Controls on ocean nitrogen fixation
Climate change

Project Overview

Pacific Glow
Controls on passive phytoplankton fluorescence in the South Pacific
Funded by the BMBF
Ocean Glow
ERC Starting grant project to investigate the potential for observing phytoplankton nutrient limitation from space using sunlight-stimulated fluorescence signals
Funded by the European Research Council
ReSEAt

Funded by the DFG
EMS-FORE/EMS-PS
Project investigating the 鈥楨astern Mediterranean Sea as a model for Future Ocean Research鈥� (EMS-FORE) with the associated project 鈥楨astern Mediterranean Sea - Process Study鈥�, which was a cruise on the RV Meteor we led in early 2024 to investigate the biogeochemistry of the Eastern Mediterranean, with observations from aerosols, ocean to seafloor
Funded by the DFG (EMS-PS) and Helmholtz (EMS-FORE)
GEOTRACES GP11

Funded by the BMBF
EqPac co-limitation
Project in the Equatorial Pacific (on RV Sonne) investigating phytoplankton nutrient limitation at a range of scales, from nutrient deficiency (via (micro)nutrient concentrations), nutrient stress (via metaproteomics), and nutrient limitation (via bioassay experiments). We then linked phytoplankton nutrient limitation regimes to their fluorescence characteristics, which formed the basis for the ERC 鈥極cean Glow鈥� project
Funded by the BMBF
Highlight publications:
Browning, T.J., Saito, M.A., Garaba, S.P., Wang, X., Achterberg, E.P., Moore, C.M., Engel, A., Mcllvin, M.R., Moran, D., Voss, D. and Zielinski, O., 2023. Persistent equatorial Pacific iron limitation under ENSO forcing. Nature, 621(7978), pp.330-335.
Rainbow
Project in the subtropical North Atlantic investigating nitrogen-phosphorus co-limitation of phytoplankton productivity and phosphorus-iron limitation of nitrogen fixation
Funded by the DFG
Highlight publications:
Yuan, Z., Achterberg, E.P., Engel, A., Dai, M. and Browning, T.J., 2024. Switches between nitrogen limitation and nitrogen鈥損hosphorus co鈥恖imitation in the subtropical North Atlantic Ocean. Limnology and Oceanography, 69(4), pp.1005-1013.
Yuan, Z., Achterberg, E.P., Engel, A., Wen, Z., Zhou, L., Zhu, X., Dai, M. and Browning, T.J., 2023. Phytoplankton community response to episodic wet and dry aerosol deposition in the subtropical North Atlantic. Limnology and Oceanography, 68(9), pp.2126-2140.

Overview

Scientists on RV Meteor cruise M187

Zhongwei Yuan preparing a nutrient addition experiment on RV Sonne Cruise SO289

Ang猫le Nicolas in the trace metal sampling lab on RV Meteor cruise M187

Scientists on Meteor cruise M197

Explaining our research to fellow 黑料视频 scientists

Team on RV Sonne cruise SO289

Mapping upwelled filaments on RV Meteor cruise M187

RD2

Marine Biogeochemistry

Working Group

Head of Working Group
"Biogeochemical controls on ocean productivity"
Dr. Thomas Browning
黑料视频 Helmholtz Centre
for Ocean Research Kiel
Wischhofstra脽e 1-3
24148 Kiel
Building: 12, Room: 321
Tel.: +49 (0) 431 600-1289
E-Mail: tbrowning(at)geomar.de
Jenna Belaguer
Brandy Robinson
Zhongwei Yuan
Ze Chen
Ang猫le Nicolas

Anjala Gammanpila
Wanjiao Song
Zuozhu Wen
Haoran Liu
Xuechao Wang
Maxime Gautier
Juliane Tammen

黑料视频

On-going projects

Finished Projects