How does physical-biogeochemical coupling influence nitrogen cycling in the Arctic?
Prof. Dr. Anya M. Waite gives Marie-Tharp lecture at GEOMAR
25 May 2018 / Kiel. Ecosystem biomass in the Arctic Ocean is limited by bioavailable nitrogen (N) concentrations. However, there remain major unknowns in the Arctic N cycle, particularly in the context of biogeochemical-physical coupling under global change.
Prof. Dr. Anya M. Waite, Head of the Polar Biological Oceanography Section of the Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI), investigates the current understanding of new N fluxes into and within the Arctic. She and her group assess the potential for new physical and biogeochemical data to constrain estimates of current and future fluxes. This week, she presented as part of the Marie Tharp Lecture Series at GEOMAR key nitrogen injection processes including N-fixation, double diffusion, turbulent mixing, remineralization of allochthonous dissolved organic matter and sub-mesoscale/mesoscale processes. To the audience in the GEOMAR lecture hall she introduced the work of her group, which identifies the scales where physical –biogeochemical coupling is particularly important for N injection, and export, of new nitrogen into and out of the euphotic zone.
After studying biology at Dalhousie University, Prof. Dr. Anya Waite earned her doctorate at the University of British Columbia in Biological Oceanography in 1992. After receiving her doctorate, she moved to the USA and New Zealand for postdoctoral work before obtaining her first professorship in New Zealand in 2011. Since 2014, Anya Waite has been a professor in Germany and is currently associated with AWI, the University of Bremen, and the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology. She will begin the next chapter of her career as the director of the Ocean Frontier Institute at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada. Prof. Waite supports the scientific community with her work on numerous international boards and has received many awards for her outstanding research and teaching.
The "Marie Tharp Lecture Series" is hosted by the Women's Executive Board (WEB) of GEOMAR. The WEB invites internationally renowned female scientists who present their scientific work in Kiel, but at the same time serve as role models for young female scientists. As for previous lectures, in addition to the public lecture, a get-together took place only for female scientists. There, young female researchers can exchange ideas with more experienced female colleagues and discuss possible career paths.
