Monitoring ocean chlorophyll could reduce impact of warming seas

By David Stoc

NEW SCIENTIST

DECEMBER 8, 2024

The oceans are vast, covering much of Earth’s surface. They play huge roles in our economy, are a massive food source, provide habitat for many species and heavily influence the climate.

Studying these waters to better understand such complex functions is a huge challenge for scientists. To help in this task, Heather Bouman, a biogeochemist at the University of Oxford, is collecting and analysing information gathered by satellites on chlorophyll, the green pigment in phytoplankton, and comparing it with observational data and samples from at-sea expeditions. Her work is enabling 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.