Biogeography of phytoplankton

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Phytoplankton are a diverse assemblage of photosynthetic microorganisms, which form the base of the marine foodweb and drive approximately half of the global annual net primary production. The biogeography of these ubiquitous organisms influences the marine ecosystem and Earth's climate system. We currently study  biogeography of phytoplankton in the highly oligotrophic waters of the Eastern Mediterranean Sea (EMS), focusing on the processes underlying small scale (<100km) variations in phytoplankton community structure.  

Surface chlorophyll concentrations in the southeastern Mediterranean, obtained from Copernicus  multi-satellite ocean color product  (https://marine.copernicus.eu/) on 8 March 2020. We investigate the processes underlying the spatial patterning of the chlorophyll field, and their impact on the regional biogeography of phytoplankton.