Biological Oceanography Group
Francisco P. Chavez, Principal Investigator
We study the biology and chemistry of the ocean in relation to global change. How climate, ocean physics, marine chemistry, and ocean ecosystems co-vary on global to meso scales, and how this affects the temporal and spatial variability in phytoplankton biomass, composition and production.
The primary questions we seek to answer are:
- What are the mean and fluctuating components of phytoplankton primary production, biomass and species composition on time scales ranging from days to years.
- What are the physical, chemical and biological processes responsible for the mean and fluctuating components.
- What controls primary production and phytoplankton growth rates.
- What is the role of meso and macrozooplankton in coastal upwelling systems.
- What is the fate of primary production?
- What are the biological consequences of El Niño.
Focusing on the upper water column, we use instrumentation and systems for long-term ocean observing, such as satellite remote sensing, instrumented moorings and drifters, autonomous vehicles, and ships.
Team
Cranes in MBARI’s marine operations
May 30, 2018 – Cranes are integral to MBARI’s marine operations, including moving massive pieces of equipment on and off ships.
Mooring maintenance from diver’s perspective
Oct 29, 2015 - MBARI divers conduct routine maintenance on the M1 mooring in Monterey Bay. The M1 mooring was installed in 1989 when the Institute was only two years old. Since then, the buoy, equipped with dozens of different scientific instruments, has collected over 25 years of data.
A hot time in Monterey Bay
Oct 20, 2015 - MBARI researchers have been monitoring seawater temperatures at our M1 mooring in the middle of Monterey Bay since 1990. Biological oceanographer Francisco Chavez has been analyzing these data to find out how they reflect conditions in the Pacific Ocean as a whole.
