https://ulaval.zoom.us/j/66544948499?pwd=aTRKejBsVnVGdDUvK0doemUzOWZwZz09
Invited speaker: Lisa Matthes, Postdoctoral fellow in Oceanography, Takuvik Joint International Laboratory, Université Laval /CNRS
Title: The role of advanced robotics in studying the Arctic under-ice light field
Zoom link: https://ulaval.zoom.us/j/66544948499?pwd=aTRKejBsVnVGdDUvK0doemUzOWZwZz09
The Arctic Ocean has been the epicentre of climate change with a much faster warming rate compared to the globe. This warming causes the sea ice cover to shrink rapidly with a large impact on all levels of the Arctic marine food web, from polar bears to microscopic algae. Oceanographic studies of the changes in this remote and hard-to-access region are often limited to small areas and/or short time periods, which hampers predictions about the future of the sea ice ecosystem. This talk will provide insights on how recent advancements in underwater robotics help to extend the knowledge about the development of phytoplankton blooms throughout the year. Together, we will look at how optical and biological data are collected by remotely operated and autonomous platforms over larger spatial and temporal scales to better understand the marine ecosystem in Baffin Bay.
Lisa Matthes: After graduating with a master’s degree in Marine Biology from the University of Rostock in Germany and a PhD degree in Arctic Research at the University of Manitoba, Lisa Matthes joined the Takuvik International Research Laboratory as postdoctoral fellow in April 2021. Her research work focuses on light availability in the marine ecosystem and how it controls the magnitude and timing of Arctic primary production. She is specifically interested in how a sea ice cover impacts light propagation in the underlying water column and how it affects phytoplankton throughout the Arctic growth season. To find answers to these questions, she deploys optical sensor packages in combination with advanced underwater robotics and collects water samples for many biological parameters during field expeditions in the Arctic and sub-Arctic Ocean.