PhD Advisor: Professor Susana Agustí

Abstract:
The biological carbon pump moves carbon fixed by phytoplankton at the ocean surface into the deep ocean, where it can be stored for centuries. In most oceans, cold deep water slows the microbes that degrade sinking particles. The Red Sea is different. It stays at about 21.5 °C down to the seafloor. Using samples from the 2022 Red Sea Decade Expedition, this dissertation follows organic carbon from exported phytoplankton, through the dark water column, to the seafloor. The results show that in a warm deep ocean, carbon is processed all the way down, so how fast and by which route it is delivered matters, not only how much is exported.

Bio:
Wang Liu is a PhD candidate in Marine Science at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), under the supervision of Professor Susana Agustí. Wang's research focuses on the biological carbon pump in the warm Red Sea, examining how exported phytoplankton, particle-attached bacteria, and deep-sea sediments contribute to organic carbon cycling. This research draws on samples collected during the 2022 Red Sea Decade Expedition aboard R/V OceanXplorer.