Anna Rufas

Anna Rufas
Postdoctoral Researcher in Ocean Biogeochemical Modelling
Oceanographer
Anna.RufasBlanco@earth.ox.ac.uk

 

Oxford Biological Oceanography Group

SLAM-DUNK – ESA Living Planet Fellowship (2024–2026)

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My research integrates computational modelling, ocean observations, and quantitative theory to understand how biologically produced marine particles govern the transfer of carbon from the surface ocean to the deep sea. This natural ecosystem service, known as the biological carbon pump, removes atmospheric CO2 by transferring organic carbon to the deep ocean, where it can remain stored for centuries, thereby helping regulate Earth's climate. My work seeks to uncover the biological and environmental mechanisms governing the production, transformation, and fate of marine particles, and ultimately how they regulate ocean carbon storage.

I developed SLAMS-2.0, a particle-resolving modelling framework that represents individual marine particles as discrete Lagrangian entities interacting stochastically with one another and their biogeochemical and physical environment as they sink through the water column. By integrating laboratory experiments with in situ and satellite observations, SLAMS-2.0 connects microscopic particle interactions to ecosystem- and global-scale carbon cycling, providing a mechanistic testbed for improving representations of the biological carbon pump in Earth system models.

 

Education

PhD, Earth Sciences
University of Oxford, Department of Earth Sciences (2016–2022)

MSc, Oceanography
University of Southampton, National Oceanography Centre (2014–2015)

BSc (Hons), Biology
University of Barcelona, Faculty of Biology (2010–2014)

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Current research

I am a part-time postdoctoral researcher working with Prof. Ros Rickaby and Prof. Heather Bouman. Our research investigates the biogeochemical fate of biomineralising phytoplankton detected by optical sensors, using SLAMS2.0 to link observations with mechanistic particle modelling. This work is supported by the Oxford Martin School.

Collaborations

I welcome collaborations involving SLAMS-2.0, particularly those combining laboratory experiments, in situ observations, satellite observation, or Earth system modelling to investigate marine particles and the biological carbon pump.

Previous research

SLAMS-2.0 was conceived during my PhD in the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Oxford (2016–2022), supervised by Prof. Samar Khatiwala and Dr Adrian Martin and supported by the NERC large grant COMICS (Controls over Ocean Mesopelagic Interior Carbon Storage). It was subsequently expanded through the ESA Living Planet Fellowship and the SLAM-DUNK project (2024–2026), which integrated Earth observation into the modelling framework. Over the past decade, SLAMS-2.0 has evolved into a particle-resolving framework integrating advances in marine particle ecology, ocean observations, and mechanistic modelling.

I also contributed to an Oxford Martin School project supporting the safe deployment of the UK's first offshore geological CO₂ storage site. Working with Prof. Heather Bouman and an interdisciplinary team of geologists, biologists, and policy researchers, I developed an ecological baseline assessment based on satellite-derived phytoplankton phenology to help detect environmental changes following a potential CO₂ leak.

 

3rd-year "Biological Oceanography" (tutorials)

4th-year field course in Bermuda

4th-year "Topics in Climate"

Oxford Study Abroad Programme (OSAP) tutorials in Oceanography

Publications