Sandy Thomalla

Biography

Thomalla holds a PhD in phytoplankton productivity and carbon export from the University of Cape Town and the National Oceanography Centre in the United Kingdom. A primary focus of her current research is on gathering the necessary bio-optical and physiological data to develop and validate appropriate ocean colour algorithms for the Southern Ocean that will translate ocean colour into carbon biogeochemistry and allow new insight into Southern Ocean ecosystem function.

Research Interest

Thomalla’s area of interest lies in understanding the biological carbon pump through measurements of phytoplankton community structure and primary production, and interpreting these data in terms of their physical and biogeochemical control mechanisms.