Oceanbug

Research Group

Photograph of the Oceanbug group, smiling at the camera

We are an interdisciplinary group of scientists from a variety of backgrounds in the earth sciences, biochemistry, genetics, chemistry and marine biology who are excited to be tackling the multiple dimensions of the interplay between cell physiology, and enzymatic adaptation of the (generally) single celled (and often biomineralising) life within the photic zone (but not always!) with the oceanic environment and carbon cycle over Earth history.  Our research interests span from developing inventive ways to reconstruct oceans and atmospheres of the past, to figuring out trace metal transport pathways in different groups of algae (with implications for algal mining), to addressing  the impacts of anthropogenic climate and proposed mechanism of carbon removal on marine ecosystems - all with oceanbugs at their heart! Although we have been known to deviate a little from oceanbugs directly with past projects on carbon storage in offshore reservoirs, and a curious fascination with the low temperature mineral ikaite.

Current Funded Projects

Current Funded projects include:

Monitoring Ocean Ecosystems (formerly known as WHOOPS Worldwide Health of the Ocean from Plankton Sensors (Oxford Martin School Funded)):

Objective: To develop a cheap sensor technology that is scalable for global deployment that will continuously count and monitor trait – and potentially physiological – diversity in oceanic nano-phytoplankton (<20m) and particulate inorganic carbon as a function of location and depth, so as to revolutionise our understanding of oceanic carbon fluxes and the detection of regime shifts in the phytoplankton community.

Photosynthetic Underpinning of Coccolithophore Calcification (PUCCA- NERC-funded)

We aim to answer the following questions:

Which environmental parameter(s) drive the highest coccolithophore calcification rates during the Cenozoic, and across the modern ocean?

What is the impact on coccolithophore calcification rates of different cellular strategies for resource allocation between photosynthesis, growth and calcification under environmental limits and stresses?

Which genes are responsible for calcification and photosynthetic traits in Emiliania huxleyi? When did these genes adapt to environmental change?

When, during the Cenozoic, were calcification rates limited as evidenced by physiological markers preserved in the liths? Which environmental parameters changed?

Seeking constraints on Open Ocean Biocalcifiers (SCOOBi - ERC funded)

The objective is to draw on an unprecedented and diverse set of techniques, drawn from earth and life sciences, to finally unlock the rich record of variability of pelagic calcifier productivity from sediments and how this responds to climate change, and feeds back on the carbon cycle. This project will test mechanisms whereby biology drives deep ocean CO32- which was formulated as “biological compensation”.

AGILE Sprint (NERC funded)

We aim to build the context for safe deployment of sub-sea CO2 storage in offshore reservoirs. The framework will optimise the tension between the CO2 storage capacity versus the risk of CO2 leakage and additional carbon loss through disruption of carbon currently stored in the ecosystem and sediments, termed “blue carbon”.

Greenhouse Gas removal with UK agriculture via enhanced rock weathering (UKRI funded)

Security of CO2 sequestration for ERW is determined by the potential for alkalinity removal via carbonate precipitation along the water transport pathway to the coastal margins, and persistence of pedogenic carbonates. Recognizing that we are unable to characterise the long-term fate of these processes in a 4.5 year programme, we will address it by assessing the potential for carbonate mineral formation downstream from the demonstrator sites.

Oceanbug Group Zoom Photo

Publications