Katja Fennel

Katja Fennel is a Professor in the Department of Oceanography at Dalhousie University, Faculty of Science. Her research focuses on coupled physical-biogeochemical modeling to understand marine ecosystems, carbon and nutrient cycling, and climate change impacts. She specializes in coastal and open ocean dynamics, with expertise in hypoxia, ocean deoxygenation, and carbon sequestration. Fennel holds significant academic roles including Killam Professorship (2019-2024) and former Co-editor-in-Chief of Biogeosciences (2013-2021). She has led projects on ocean prediction, marine carbon dioxide removal (CDR), and coastal acidification.

• Education: PhD in Marine Biology and Diploma in Numerical Mathematics from University Rostock, Germany
• Affiliations: Adjunct roles at University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, University of Maine, and Rutgers University

Research Interests: Development of high-resolution coupled models to study biogeochemical processes in shelf and open ocean systems. Key areas include the impact of climate change on marine ecosystems, hypoxia formation mechanisms, and the role of ocean alkalinity enhancement in carbon removal. Fennel's work integrates observational data with advanced modeling to address ecological and climate challenges.

Publications highlight contributions to understanding coastal-ocean carbon dynamics, biogeochemical forecasting, and Arctic carbon uptake. Recent focus includes expanding Argo float networks and evaluating marine CDR strategies like ocean alkalinity enhancement (OAE).

• Awards: AGU Fellow (2024), CMOS President's Prize (2023)