Here are the currently funded research projects that the Ocean CANDY group is working on:

Impact of bottom trawling on seabed carbon storage (SeaStore) (Funder: NERC)

A 3-year (2025-2028) project led by the University of Bangor examining how bottom trawling impacts on the release of carbon from the seabed and how this may outgas from the surface ocean in areas of intensive fishing activity. Two research cruises (2026) will make measurements of sediment resuspension, nutrient release, sedimentary (organic and inorganic) carbon release and ecosystem impacts.

Enhanced carbon export driven by internal tides over the mid-Atlantic ridge (CarTRidge) (Funder: NERC)

A 2.5 year (2024-2027) project led by the University of Liverpool addressing a missing element of the ocean’s C-cycle: the impact of tidally induced nutrient fluxes into the deep chlorophyll maximum in the ocean’s nutrient-limited subtropical waters. A research cruise (Feb-April 2025) examined growth, productivity, nutrient cycling and the community response of deep photic communities to nutrient and light availability.

Coccolithophore controls on ocean alkalinity (CHALKY) (Funder: NERC, BIO-Carbon Strategic Programme)

A 3-year (2023-2026) project led by Alex Poulton to investigate the influence of ecology, physiology and trophic interactions on how coccolithophores influence alkalinity and air-sea carbon dioxide fluxes. As well as making novel ship-based process measurements in the Iceland Basin (2024), CHALKY utilised the autonomous platform Autosub (aka Boaty McBoatface) to measure the impact of biology on ocean chemistry.

https://bio-carbon.ac.uk/projects/chalky

Integrating Drivers of Atlantic Productivity (IDAPro) (Funder: NERC, BIO-Carbon)

A 3-year (2023-2026) project led by the University of Southampton, using a combination of ship-based, robotic and satellite platforms to improve our understanding of phytoplankton productivity in the Iceland Basin (2024). IDAPro aims to understanding the interactive drivers of net proimary production and ecosystem controls on the coupling of nutrinet use to ocean carbon uptake through net community production. 

https://bio-carbon.ac.uk/projects/idapro

Ocean – Improved Carbon Understanding (OceanICU) (Funders: EU Horizon 2020 / Innovate UK)

A 5-year (2022-2027) project to address uncertainties in the oceanic carbon cycle and develop new model parameterizations for future Earth System Models. Alex co-leads a work package on the impact of Climate Multi-stressors, including assessment of biodiversity in the global carbonate pump and the relative sensitivity to climate change of different pelagic calcite producers. Our work also contributes to a work package on the Current State of the Carbon Cycle in terms of biological controls.

Understanding Ocean Carbon

Revealing coccolithophore trait diversity and its climatic impacts  (Funder: NERC)

A 3-year (2022-2025) project led by the University of Bristol using machine learning and statistical modelling to develop new models of coccolithophore ecology and oceanic calcite production. Providing achieved SEM biometric data and eco-physiological knowledge to assist in model development and testing.

Here are older projects which have now finished: