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Join us on 15 July to learn how climate change is affecting the oceans’ biogeochemical cycles

Event details and registration
15 July 2026, 15.00 – 16.00 BST

The oceans are Earth’s largest natural buffer, acting as a vast carbon sink that absorbs around a quarter of the carbon dioxide generated by human activity. These vast expanses of water also serve as a thermal regulator, soaking up excess heat trapped by greenhouse gases and distributing it across the globe, helping to stabilise our climate.

However, over two centuries of increasing human impact, the buffering capacity of this vital resource is being stretched. Rising carbon dioxide levels are driving changes in ocean chemistry and temperature, with far-reaching consequences – not only for marine ecosystems, but also for the health of the planet as a whole.

At a time when climate change is accelerating, monitoring the oceans’ biogeochemical cycles has never been more critical. In this webinar, we will hear from two researchers who are tracking ocean health through its chemistry, offering vital insights into what changing seas mean for our future.

We will cover topics including:

How ocean warming events reduce biological productivity and alter the oceans’ ability to absorb and sequester carbon
Long-term monitoring tools including the Biogeochemical-Argo float network and the Pacific Continuous Plankton Recorder Survey
The relationship between plankton communities and shifting marine biogeochemistry in the face of climate change

Mariana Bif

Portrait of Mariana Bif, assistant professor at the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science

Mariana Bif is an assistant professor at the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science, US. Her research uses autonomous robotic platforms such as Biogeochemical-Argo floats alongside multiplatform observations to investigate how extreme climate events affect marine ecosystems. She studies how marine heatwaves and low-oxygen conditions alter food webs, the biological carbon pump, nitrogen cycling and ocean chemistry throughout the global ocean. Her work aims to better understand how changing ocean conditions reshape marine biogeochemical cycles.

Clare Ostle

Portrait of Clare Ostle, marine biogeochemist at the Marine Biological Association

Clare Ostle is a marine biogeochemist asking what plankton can tell us about the changing ocean. Her work bridges plankton ecology, biogeochemistry and observation technology, focusing on how plankton communities shape carbon cycling and the ocean’s role in climate regulation. She combines long-term observations with sensor development to detect biological change, with a particular interest in expanding the Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR) as a monitoring platform. She has contributed to international syntheses on ocean warming, acidification and marine policy. In 2024 she was appointed chair of the Global Alliance of CPR Surveys (GACS).