Abstract:

I have been fortunate enough to work on Phaeocystis in three continents, all of which formed blooms that had substantial biological and biogeochemical impacts. Work on P. antarctica has been ongoing from 1983, and a few of the features of blooms are discussed: how it survives in the Antarctic, its temporal dynamics, its relationship to diatoms and iron, and aspects of its interannual variability. I have also worked on P. globosa off the coast of Viet Nam, and results of those experiments are presented.  Finally, P. pouchetii was encountered off the coast of New England, and the formation, spatial distribution, interannual variability, relationship to environmental factors, and bloom formation mechanisms are presented.  Despite the many advances made on understanding the aspects of Phaeocystis blooms, it remains an enigmatic species that has many features of interest to oceanographers, molecular biologists, and ecologists alike. 

Biography:

Walker Smith obtained his Ph.D. from Duke University last century and worked with Dick Barber. He went directly to the University of Tennessee, where he advanced to full professor.  In 1998 he moved to William & Mary and the Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences where he remained until his retirement this year. He was awarded Sweden’s Prestigious King’s Professorship in 2015 to work at Gothenburg University. He has had continuous funding from the US National Science Foundation since 1982 to work in polar oceanography, and has published more than 250 peer-reviewed articles, including those in Science, Nature, and Geophysical Research Letters. He also has edited three books and served as guest editor for four issues of Deep-Sea Research II. In his spare time he enjoys reading, photography, and sampling beers.

Conference ID (For Tencent): 661 397 801

Tencent (腾讯会议) Link: https://meeting.tencent.com/s/GQVto5H3Qsz3