Title: Modelling biogeochemical feedbacks of the organic carbon pump

The aim of the dissertation is to examine the impact of ocean acidification and global warming on the marine soft-tissue pump. In particular the cycling of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) will be investigated, as its production and decay is sensitive to changes in pH and/or temperature and it strongly interacts with particle flux dynamics. The processes involved are presently not very well understood, consequently implementations of DOC in global marine carbon cycle models can be considered as tentative. Based on a review of current knowledge about DOC and transparent exopolymer particles (TEP), the decisive processes will be implemented in a global marine biogeochemical model (PISCES) and effects of varying CO2 partial pressures on the tissue pump will be analysed.

Supervisor: Prof. Birgit Schneider

• Long-term Integration of a Hydrogeology Research Programm, Undergraduate Geoscience Education, and Outreach with a Ground-Water Monitoring Laboratory. Abstract in Vol. 38, No.7 2006 GSA National Conference November, 2006 Philadelphia, USA
• Determing Seasonal Variations of benthic Foraminiferal Communities in the Southern Ocean. Abstract EGU conference April 2009 Vienna, Austria.

• Geological Society of America
• American Geosciences Union
• European Geosciences Union
• National Education Association
• International Association of Mathematical Geology