Anna Belcher
Ecological Biogeochemist
Ecosystems team
University of British Antarctic Survey
United Kingdom
Biography
Previous Appointments: 2017-Present: Postdoctoral researcher, British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge 2011-2013: Oceanographic Surveyor, Titan Environmental Surveys, Wales Education: 2013 – 2017: PhD: Controls on the attenuation of sinking particulate organic carbon in the mesopelagic. National Oceanography Centre and University of Southampton 2008-2009: Study Abroad Year, University of Washington, Seattle 2006-2010: MSci Oceanography, University of Southampton 2004-2006: International Baccalaureate, United World College of the Atlantic Recent Conferences: Belcher et al. (2017) Deep transfer of faecal pellets: role of deep zooplankton communities, AMBIO VIII, Oban, UK (talk) Belcher et al. (2016) The mesopelagic carbon budget: What are we missing?, EuroMarine Foresight Symposium: The Biological Carbon Pump in a Changing World, Bremen (invited poster, and session chair) Belcher et al. (2016) Controls on the attenuation of sinking particulate organic carbon in the mesopelagic, POETS Seminar Series, National Oceanography Centre, Southampton, UK (seminar) Belcher et al. (2016) The mesopelagic carbon budget: processes controlling particulate carbon flux attenuation, Dissertations Symposium in Chemical Oceanography XXV (DISCO), Hawaii (talk) Belcher et al. (2016) Particle associated microbial respiration: The missing carbon sink?, UK Challenger Conference, Liverpool, UK (poster) Belcher et al. (2016) Antarctic krill faecal pellets as an agent of POC flux transfer in the Southern Ocean, UK Antarctic Conference, Norwich, UK (talk) Belcher et al. (2016) Depth-resolved particle associated microbial respiration in the NE Atlantic, Gordon Research Conference in Biogeochemistry, Hong Kong (poster) Belcher et al. (2016) The role of particle associated microbes in remineralisation of faecal pellets in the upper mesopelagic, Scotia Sea, Antarctica, POETS Seminar Series, National Oceanography Centre, Southampton, UK (seminar) Belcher et al. (2016) Particle Associated Microbial Respiration – Role in POC flux attenuation, NE Atlantic, Ocean Sciences, New Orleans (talk) Belcher et al. (2016) Microbial versus zooplankton driven POC attenuation in the upper mesopelagic of the Scotia Sea, Antarctica, Ecosystems Seminar Series, British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge, UK (seminar) Belcher et al. (2016) Microbial versus zooplankton remineralisation – Scotia Sea, Antarctica, AMBIO VII, Oxford, UK (talk)
Research Interest
Her research interests are marine biogeochemistry and ecosystems; I enjoy taking an interdisciplinary approach to understand the complexities of ocean environments. I am particularly interested in the oceanography of Polar Regions due to the vital role they play in the changing global climate. Currently she is working with the NERC DIAPOD project looking at the importance of Arctic phytoplankton for the nutrition of Arctic copepods. This will involve combining satellite data with in situ measurements to try and understand how the phytoplankton community composition affects the success of Arctic copepods and their ability to overwinter at depth.
Publications
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Belcher, Anna, Manno, Clara, Ward, Pete, Henson, Stephanie, Sanders, Richard, Tarling, Geraint. (2017) Copepod faecal pellet transfer through the meso- and bathypelagic layers in the Southern Ocean in spring. Biogeosciences, 14. 1511-1525. 10.5194/bg-14-1511-2017
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Belcher, Anna, Tarling, G.A., Manno, C., Atkinson, A., Ward, P., Skaret, G., Fielding, S., Henson, S.A., Sanders, R.. (2017) The potential role of Antarctic krill faecal pellets in efficient carbon export at the marginal ice zone of the South Orkney Islands in spring. Polar Biology. doi:10.1007/s00300-017-2118-z (In Press)