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Eloise Bennett

My research field is seaweed physiology or more simply, how seaweeds function and respond to their environment. To be specific, I am researching the release of dissolved organic carbon or ‘DOC’ by seaweeds. DOC is a ‘chemical soup’ made up of lots of different ‘stuff’, but it is very important for the coastal ocean carbon cycle. For example DOC provides energy for bacteria which supports other marine animals through food webs. There is a similar amount of carbon stored in the ocean as DOC as there is carbon stored as carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Even though the DOC pool is so vast, it is very poorly understood. Seaweeds release DOC when they photosynthesize and grow, and when the environment around them changes, but there are likely to be many different reasons why they do it, we just don’t know much about this yet. I am trying to understand these reasons and also trying to understand the ecological role that seaweed DOC plays in coastal ocean systems.

Research keyword: Seaweed carbon sleuth

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