Seth John

Seth John is an Associate Professor of Earth Sciences at the University of Southern California. His research focuses on geobiology, geochemistry, oceanography, metal isotope cycling, virology, and modeling, with applications in marine biogeochemistry and environmental science. He has conducted extensive fieldwork and modeling studies in the Pacific Ocean, including contributions to the GEOTRACES program. His work examines trace metal distributions, isotopic fractionation mechanisms, and the impacts of natural and anthropogenic processes on marine ecosystems.

Key research areas include nickel and copper isotope dynamics, iron limitation in phytoplankton, and the role of microbial processes in metal cycling. Recent projects investigate wildfire aerosol impacts on North Pacific biogeochemistry and the utility of neodymium isotopes as ocean circulation proxies. His publications span over a decade, with significant contributions to understanding global metal cycles and oceanic trace element distributions.

Dr. John has collaborated on initiatives such as the Tara Pacific Expedition and the US GEOTRACES GP17-OCE section, advancing open-science resources for coral reef and ocean ecosystem studies. His work bridges laboratory analyses (e.g., automated chromatography systems for metal purification) with large-scale oceanographic modeling (e.g., GNOM v1.0 for neodymium cycling).