Marine Sciences

Luc Deike

Princeton University

The role of bubbles entrained by breaking waves in gas exchange between the atmosphere and the ocean

Physical processes at the ocean-atmosphere interface have a large effect on climate and weather by controlling the transfer of momentum and mass. When waves are breaking, the surface experiences dramatic changes, with sea spray ejection in the atmosphere and air entrainment into the ocean water. In this talk I will discuss bubble mediated gas exchange and its importance on gas fluxes, highlighting the importance of asymmetric exchange due to small bubbles trapped in the water for low solubility gases. We combine detailed laboratory experiments and numerical simulations on wave breaking, air entrainment and bubble processes in turbulent flows exploring the very large range of scales, from wave statistics scales of order of km, O(1m-1km), to wave breaking dynamics, O(1-10m), air bubble entrainment, bubble dynamics in turbulence, O(microns to mm). We propose a universal formulation of gas exchange which we implement into a global ocean-biogeochemical model. We discuss the resulting oxygen fluxes and demonstrate that our wind-wave-bubble formulation better reproduces observed in-situ oxygen concentrations in water mass formation regions – where air-sea exchange is high - than a commonly used wind-only formulation. 

Host: Leonel Romero
Time & Date: 11:00 am, Friday, February 14, 2025
Place: Lowell Weicker Building, Seminar Room 103 (or Webex)

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Cancellation & Additional Seminar Details

If you are an individual with a disability and need accommodations, please contact 860-405-9152 or email marinesciencesseminars@uconn.edu.

This is an Honors Event.* See tags below for categories. #UHLevent11060

*This UHL Event # may only be used a maximum of three times for the purposes of meeting the requirements of the Honors Laureate.

Rebecca Selden

Wellesley College

Warming Waters, Shifting Fishes: Vulnerability and Resilience of Food Webs and Fishing Communities

As waters warm, species are shifting out of historically important areas and moving into new ones. Where species shift at different rates, food webs can be altered, with important consequences for marine ecosystems. For coastal communities, changing availability of target species can result in differential vulnerability to climate change. Likewise, social, economic, and technological constraints can limit the type and magnitude of the response by fishing communities. We find that variation in piscivore temperature preferences can alter how warming affects predator-prey overlap. Diversity in thermal traits among predators can buffer the net ecosystem effect of warming. Likewise, fishing communities vary in their “foraging” traits in ways that can alter their vulnerability and resilience to climate-driven changes in target species. Fishing communities demonstrate distinct capacities to shift what they catch or where they fish that vary in part based on gear types. The portfolio of fleets that land in a port can result in categorically different capacities for change for ports separated only by tens of kilometers. Understanding trait differences in both social and ecological systems will be key for predicting impacts of climate change and prioritizing efforts to enhance resilience.

Host: Catherine Matassa
Time & Date: 11:00 am, Friday, February 21, 2025
Place: Lowell Weicker Building, Seminar Room 103 (or Webex)

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Cancellation & Additional Seminar Details

If you are an individual with a disability and need accommodations, please contact 860-405-9152 or email marinesciencesseminars@uconn.edu.

This is an Honors Event.* See tags below for categories. #UHLevent11060

*This UHL Event # may only be used a maximum of three times for the purposes of meeting the requirements of the Honors Laureate.

Tatiana Rynearson

University of Rhode Island

Host: Julie Granger
Time & Date: 11:00 am, Friday, February 28, 2025
Place: Lowell Weicker Building, Seminar Room 103 (or Webex)

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Cancellation & Additional Seminar Details

If you are an individual with a disability and need accommodations, please contact 860-405-9152 or email marinesciencesseminars@uconn.edu.

This is an Honors Event.* See tags below for categories. #UHLevent11060

*This UHL Event # may only be used a maximum of three times for the purposes of meeting the requirements of the Honors Laureate.

Lianne Allen-Jacobson 

Inspire Environmental

Host: Catherine Matassa
Time & Date: 11:00 am, Friday, March 7, 2025
Place: Lowell Weicker Building, Seminar Room 103 (or Webex)

Request Seminar Information

Cancellation & Additional Seminar Details

If you are an individual with a disability and need accommodations, please contact 860-405-9152 or email marinesciencesseminars@uconn.edu.

This is an Honors Event.* See tags below for categories. #UHLevent11060

*This UHL Event # may only be used a maximum of three times for the purposes of meeting the requirements of the Honors Laureate.