Research > Clusters

Biological-Physical Interactions

Physical and biological processes in the sea interact in manifold ways, few of which are intuitively obvious to humans living in terrestrial environments. Insights derive from coordinated programs of modeling and measurement, through deliberate cycles of hypothesis generation and testing, often involving novel instrumentation, to replace human sensory capacities or extend them to marine settings. Several strong kinds of interactions have long been known. Plankton, for example, is defined by its inability to swim against prevailing horizontal currents, but important interactions can be more subtle. For example, planktonic organisms can greatly alter their horizontal trajectories by altering their vertical positions in the presence of vertical shear, providing a common means of both holoplanktonic and larval retention in coastal and estuarine environments. Among the many important phenomena affected by such interactions are the formation and alongshore propagation of harmful algal blooms. At a finer scale still, fluid motions influence the contact of gametes in external fertilization, chemosensory tactics, and even uptake of solutes by phytoplankton.

Participating Faculty

Michael Peterson Bio sketch→ Interests: Biological-Physical Interactions, Elastic waves and dynamics, experimental and analytical solutions, applications in biomechanics michael.peterson@maine.edu Phone: (207) 581-2129	Emmanuel Boss Bio sketch→ Interests: In alphabetical order: biological-physical interactions, geophysical fluid dynamics, Lagrangian and Eulerian dynamics and kinematics, marine optics emmanuel.boss@maine.edu Phone: (207) 581-4378
Fei Chai Bio sketch→ Interests: Biological-Physical Interactions, Fisheries Sciences, Ocean Modeling and Prediction, Marine Biogeochemistry fchai@maine.edu Phone: (207) 581-4317	Peter Jumars Bio sketch→ Interests: Benthos, Benthic Oceanography, Biological-Physical Interactions, Bioacoustics jumars@maine.edu Phone: (207) 581-4381
Lee Karp-Boss Bio sketch→ Interests: Biological-Physical Interactions, Phycology, Marine Physiological Ecology, Marine Optics lee.karp-boss@maine.edu Phone: (207) 581-4305	James McCleave Bio sketch→ Interests: Biological-Physical Interactions, Fisheries Sciences, eel biology, Marine Biology mccleave@maine.edu Phone: (207) 581-4392
Mary Jane Perry Bio sketch→ Interests: Biological-Physical Interactions, Phycology, Ocean Observing Systems, Marine Physiological Ecology perrymj@maine.edu Phone: (207) 581-3321 x245	Andrew Pershing Interests: Biological-Physical Interactions, Fisheries Sciences, Ocean Modeling and Prediction, Biological Oceanography andrew.pershing@maine.edu Phone: (207) 228-1656
John Riley Bio sketch→ Interests: Biological-Physical Interactions, Marine Aquaculture, Aquaculture Engineering jriley@maine.edu Phone: (207) 581-2715	Collin Roesler Interests: Biological-Physical Interactions, Ocean Observing Systems, Marine Optics, Biological Oceanography collin.roesler@maine.edu Phone: (207) 581-3321 x249
Jeffrey Runge Bio sketch→ Interests: Biological-Physical Interactions, Fisheries Sciences, Marine Invertebrate Zoology, Biological Oceanography Jeffrey.runge@maine.edu Phone: (207) 228-1652	Andrew Thomas Bio sketch→ Interests: Ocean plankton patterns, Biological-physical interactions, Satellite oceanography, Digital image processing thomas@maine.edu Phone: (207) 581-4335
David W. Townsend Bio sketch→ Interests: Biological-Physical Interactions, Phytoplankton, Zooplankton, Nutrient Dynamics davidt@maine.edu Phone: (207) 581-4367	Mark Wells Bio sketch→ Interests: Phytoplankton Physiology, Trace Metals, Iron, Marine Biogeochemistry mlwells@maine.edu Phone: (207) 581-4322
Huijie Xue Bio sketch→ Interests: Biological-Physical Interactions, Huije Xue, Geophysical Fluid Dynamics, Physical Oceanography hxue@maine.edu Phone: (207) 581-4318	Nicholas Record Bio sketch→ Interests: Gulf of Maine, modeling, computational ecosystem dynamics, bio-physical nrecord@gmri.org Phone: 207-228-1670

School of Marine Sciences : The University of Maine

Research > Clusters

Biological-Physical Interactions

Participating Faculty