Departmental Seminar

Ocean pollution increasingly involves diverse contaminants—from mercury to plastics, PFAS, and radionuclides—whose complex sources and behaviors challenge effective mitigation. In this talk, I will present ocean system modeling approaches that integrate circulation, biogeochemistry, and ecosystem dynamics to constrain contaminant transport, transformation, and exposure. Using mercury, I will highlight three-dimensional modeling linking redox chemistry, plankton ecology, and food web transfer to quantify bioaccumulation and fisheries risk. I will then extend this perspective to microplastics, focusing on source attribution, riverine inputs, and impacts on carbon cycling and coastal ecosystems. Finally, I will discuss ongoing efforts toward a more generalizable modeling framework for emerging contaminants and its potential to inform mitigation strategies.