Clarissa Karthäuser
I am a marine microbiologist, studying marine snow and other particles and organisms that sink and float through the ocean. Welcome to my webpage, where I share some of my discoveries and projects.
Small-scale incubations on particles and small organisms: I invented and built a rotating incubator to quantify oxygen respiration and nitrogen cycling in diverse small, suspended samples to understand their unique ecology.
Microscopic analyses: I characterize particle ecosystems by adapting methods like DNA sequencing, barcoding and metagenomics, element analysis and imaging techniques to the fragile small particles.
Linking microscopic to regional scales: I use underwater vision profiling to study mechanisms in carbon flux and other particle-associated processes.
my scientific work
I am a postdoctoral researcher at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
Marine Snow
and Carbon Flux
Marine snow carries carbon captured at the sea surface into the ocean’s depths. I study where the carbon goes and why.
The RotoBOD
The RotoBOD is an incubator I built in collaboration with an engineer. We use it to measure oxygen consumption in marine snow and small organisms.
Marine Snow and Nitrogen-Loss
My PhD work was centered around nitrogen. Marine snow plays an important role in keeping our oceans clean by facilitating nitrogen loss.
Contact
Got questions or ready to start a project? Reach out today.