Three-quarters of our planet is covered with water, and phytoplankton form the base of all ecological systems in oceans and other water bodies. Drs. Andrew Juhl and Ajit Subramanian investigate many aspects of these tiny, but essential organisms using techniques ranging from microscope observations to distribution patterns monitored using the SeaWIFS and other satellites.

       Dr. Juhl notes that in order to understand  populations of marine phytoplankton one has to understand both the things that make them grow and the things that make them die.  He is  interested in how the physical environment affects the growth and physiology of marine phytoplankton and also how phytoplankton populations are affected by their predators.  He has primarily worked with toxic algae and have recently started working with algae that live in sea ice. He lecture will focus on how phytoplankton fit into the marine food web.

       Click for Dr. Juhl's slide show from this Workshop. [Note: Some images and links may not function properly.]

       Dr. Subramanian provided an exciting overview in the 2004 - 2005 E2C Workshops series of how marine plankton can be studied using remote sensing technologies. He and colleague Douglas G. Capone provide this overview of "Seeing Microbes from Space" in ASM News, vol. 71, no. 4, pp. 179 - 186, April 2005. For additional understanding of the role that marine phytoplankton play in regulating Earth's climate, he suggests "The Ocean's Invisible Forest" by Paul K. Falkowski, Scientific American August 2002.  [Note: Please respect copyright nature of these articles, which are provided on this web site solely for educational purposes in connection with this Workshop.]

       Here is the link to Dr. Subramanian's Oct 2004 Workshop, which explored some of the ideas he will revisit this time, in light of an additional year of cutting-edge investigations.

     Join us to gain greater understandings of how these microorganisms function and their impact on the more visible world.