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Our goal is to resolve major outstanding knowledge gaps at the heart of the global carbon cycle while focusing on the surface ocean carbon flux.

Chemical Currencies of Surface Ocean Microbes

 

We will focus on identifying the molecules or molecular classes that play critical roles in the flux of carbon and other elements through the surface ocean. To achieve this goal, we will combine strategic chemical identification, focused metabolite annotation, and chemical and biological data integration.

 

Rules of the Chemical-Microbial Network

 

We will explore governing principles of the chemical-microbial network that regulate the massive transfer of carbon between global reservoirs. To accomplish this, we will combine experiments with model organisms and communities with field observations (BATS, MVCO) and network models.

Modeling the chemical-microbe network over physical scales from cells to global, and organizational levels from cellular to aggregated systems. Mechanistic models (blue) and data-driven models (green) cover the spatial and organizational space. Gray arrows show key links between model scales. Figure credit: C-CoMP Team.

Network Sensitivity and Feedbacks on Climate

 

We will explore the robustness, resilience, and evolution of surface ocean microbial communities within the context of a changing ocean. We will integrate emerging insights through numerical modeling to uncover the principles that control the fate of labile DOC on regional to global scales.