DrCordelia Roberts

My research interests lie in the role that microorganisms play in cycling carbon in the ocean. I am interested in looking at dead, dying and faecal material in the ocean (similar to leaf litter on land) which form sinking and suspended particles. These particles are a habitat and food source for microscopic organisms, and the interactions that take between microbes and their home/food play a crucial role in cycling carbon in the ocean. I am particularly interested in taking a fine scale approach to determining the heterogeneity in the particle types found in the ocean, and what drives this variability, in addition to the diversity of microorganisms associated with different particle types.

I use both sea-going fieldwork combined with experiments, biogeochemical measurements and molecular biology to understand the role of a diverse range of microbes including bacteria, archaea and microbial eukaryotes (unicellular organisms and fungi) on carbon storage in the ocean.

I am currently working on the NERC funded BIO-Carbon programme project 'PARTITRICS' to determine how particle type plays a role in respiration of organic material in the North Atlantic surface and mesopelagic waters, and the EU funded SEA-QUESTER project to understand how particle fragmentation influences respiration or organic material in the Arctic.