Among all the anthropogenic contaminants found in the ocean, microplastics (MP) are particularly interesting because of their ubiquity and potential impacts in all oceanic regions and compartments. Over the past few years, most of my research has been dedicated to understanding the drivers of the global 3D distribution of MP in the global ocean and their potential impacts on ocean biogeochemical cycles. This seminar, in the context of my application for the MCF position at LOCEAN, will showcase my research on using numerical modeling to understand MP distribution and fate on a global scale. Then, I will present the main research questions I will explore in the next few years. The main question of my research project will be to characterise the global oceanic cycle of MP. To this end, I will mainly use numerical modelling, which is the only tool that allows the change of scale required to integrate all the current knowledge on MP, to 1) quantify the abiotic exchanges of MP at the oceanic boundaries in order to specify their mass balance and residence time in the ocean, 2) assess the influence of abiotic environmental factors on the distribution of MP, 3) understand the influence of interactions between MP and biotic factors on their fate in the water column. My project, based on strong interaction between disciplines and methodologies, will enable us to understand whether and how the factors influencing the oceanic cycle of MP observed on a small scale are significant on a global scale and will pave the way towards the study of the impact of MP on biogeochemical processes and marine ecosystems.

Date & Time: Thu Apr 04 2024 11:00:00 GMT+0200 (Central European Summer Time)
Room: salle du LOCEAN, couloir 45-55, 4ème étage, pièce 417

Zoom link: https://ird-fr.zoom.us/j/98685498044?pwd=bC9HUDJMemkwVUx2bWthWFIxQkNOdz09