The oceans play a hugely important role in the global carbon cycle and in energy transport mechanisms that influence world climate. Monitoring the oceans is difficult due to the vast areas involved, the harsh environmental conditions and the rapid temporal variability of marine biogeochemical systems. The aim of my work is to use and improve optical measurements and modelling to better understand marine systems.

My work covers size scales from single particles using flow cytometry and microscopy imaging, through bulk optical properties measured using in situ sensors, to basin scale observations using satellite sensors. I combine making measurements at sea and in the lab with radiative transfer modelling to develop new ways to extract useful information about biogeochemical processes happening in the ocean. I am particularly interested in optically complex waters where standard algorithms and approaches struggle, but which are often the places where the need for quality information is greatest.

The vast majority of my work involves collaborations with others and is inherently multi-disciplinary. I have developed a network of partners across the UK and internationally, and across a number of academic disciplines. My aim is to provide information that others can understand and successfully use to achieve better outcomes across a wide range of areas in academia, industry and society.

Current research areas include:

• Developing ocean colour algorithms for optically complex waters.
• Quantifying zooplankton abundance from space.
• Measuring and modelling light fields in the Arctic.
• Measuring the impact of artificial light at night (ALAN) in the marine environment.
• Developing advanced underwater sensing capabilities.