Moira Decima
استادیار · Biological Impacts of Climate Change
University of California, San Diegoمعرفی
Moira Decima is an Assistant Professor at the University of California, San Diego, and Curator of the Pelagic Invertebrate Collection at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Her research focuses on zooplankton ecology, particularly the impacts of environmental variability on plankton communities and biogeochemical cycles. She employs field studies, laboratory experiments, and numerical modeling to explore trophic dynamics and carbon fluxes in marine ecosystems.
Education:
- B.S./B.A. in Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology/Marine Biology, UC Santa Cruz
- M.S. Marine Biology, Scripps Institution of Oceanography
- Ph.D. Oceanography, Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Research Interests:
- Climate change effects on plankton communities
- Food-web interactions and biogeochemistry
- Role of gelatinous zooplankton in carbon cycling
- Salp bloom dynamics and carbon export
Her work emphasizes the ecological roles of zooplankton in linking microbial processes to higher trophic levels and global carbon sequestration. Recent studies highlight the importance of salp blooms in enhancing passive carbon export and modifying Southern Ocean biogeochemistry.
Professional Roles:
- Curator, Pelagic Invertebrate Collection (Scripps)
- Principal Investigator, multiple NSF-funded projects
Labs/Teams: Active in interdisciplinary collaborations at Scripps, focusing on pelagic ecosystems and climate change impacts.
