Research
My six research topics, united by a single shared theme: numerical models that connect ocean physics, chemistry and life, and put them to work for understanding and for policy, mostly within European and international programmes, from Horizon Europe to the UN Ocean Decade.
Ocean deoxygenation & hypoxia
For anyone
Marine life depends on oxygen dissolved in seawater, much as we depend on the air we breathe. In many parts of the ocean, oxygen levels are falling; a change driven by warming waters and nutrient pollution. This research asks where that is happening, why, and what it means for the ecosystems that live there.
For peers
Coupled hydrodynamic-biogeochemical models are used to quantify oxygen dynamics from seasonal shelf hypoxia to deoxygenation, with a main focus on the Black Sea. The work connects physical transport, benthic–pelagic coupling and biogeochemical cycling to the oxygen budget, and supports international efforts to monitor and assess ocean oxygen loss.
Coupled physical-biogeochemical modelling
For anyone
You cannot run experiments on a whole sea... but you can build one in a computer. Numerical models bring together the physics of currents and mixing with the chemistry and biology of marine life, so that a sea can be understood as a system and its response to change can be tested.
For peers
MAST develops and applies three-dimensional coupled physical-biogeochemical models of marine systems, including BAMHBI, the biogeochemical model for hypoxic and benthic influenced areas. Development spans process formulation, benthic exchange and ecosystem functions, with applications from regional seas to the coastal ocean.
Data assimilation & forecasting
For anyone
Forecasting the ocean works like forecasting the weather: models are continuously corrected with observations from satellites, ships, and autonomous floats, so that predictions stay anchored to our reality.
For peers
The group works on ensemble-based data assimilation, stochastic modelling and uncertainty characterisation for marine forecasting systems, contributing to the Copernicus Marine Service evolution through projects such as NECCTON and ODESSA.
Climate impacts on marine & coastal ecosystems
For anyone
Climate change does not stop at the coastline. Warming, oxygen loss and changing river flows are reshaping marine and coastal ecosystems, and with them, the services those ecosystems provide to people.
For peers
Downscaled climate and ocean-change scenarios are coupled to regional ecosystem models to assess thresholds and opportunities for coastal systems and their services, the approach of the JPI CE2COAST project, and to examine how multiple stressors interact with ecosystem functions.
The river-estuary-ocean continuum
For anyone
Rivers, estuaries and the sea form one connected system: what happens upstream shapes the coastal ocean downstream. Understanding that continuum matters for water quality and for the health of coastal seas.
For peers
The FNRS FullContinuum project, coordinated at MAST, develops model coupling across the river-estuary-ocean system, with applications including the North Sea-Scheldt continuum and high-resolution work in deltaic systems such as the Danube Delta.
Science for marine policy
For anyone
Science only helps if it reaches the people who decide. Contributing to international expert groups and assessments means that what we know about the changing ocean can inform how it is governed.
For peers
Contributions to international programmes and expert networks on ocean health and deoxygenation, among them the IOC-UNESCO Global Ocean Oxygen Network (GO2NE) and the UN Ocean Decade programme GOOD, and to environmental assessment at European and international level.
Explore My Projects - Click on the filters to narrow down my work
- NECCTONNew Copernicus Capability for Trophic Ocean NetworksA Horizon Europe project building new Copernicus Marine capabilities to model and forecast ocean trophic networks, extending operational biogeochemical modelling toward ecosystems. MAST contributes as a partner.
- BRIDGE-BSAdvancing Black Sea Research and Innovation to Co-Develop Blue Growth within Resilient EcosystemsA Horizon 2020 project advancing Black Sea research and innovation to co-develop blue growth within resilient ecosystems, with partners from across the region. MAST contributed as a partner.
- GO2NEGlobal Ocean Oxygen NetworkThe IOC-UNESCO Global Ocean Oxygen Network, a worldwide expert network on ocean deoxygenation, connecting scientists across disciplines to monitor, understand and communicate oxygen loss in the open and coastal ocean.
- GOODGlobal Ocean Oxygen Decade
- FullContinuumSeamless Coupling of the Ocean and River System
- CE2COASTDownscaling Climate and Ocean Change to Services: Thresholds and Opportunities
- FORCOASTEarth Observation Services for Fishery, Bivalves Mariculture and Oyster Ground Restoration
- ODESSAOptimal Design of Ensemble-based Simulation Systems for Applications to Marine Forecasting
- MITHOMultiple Threats on Ocean Health
- CoastPredictObserving and Predicting the Global Coastal Ocean