Thorsten Dittmar Research

Dept of Oceanography
Rm 311 OSB
Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL 32306-4320
(850) 645-1887
(850) 645-6406 lab, 302 OSB
(850) 644-2581 fax

Thorsten Dittmar

Research

My research on dissolved organic matter (DOM) focuses on three main interests:

1. Are coastal ecosystems the main source of DOM to the ocean? My research concentrates on mangroves, one of the most productive and abundant coastal ecosystem.

2. Are organisms in the ocean itself (i.e. algae and bacteria) the ultimate source of DOM in the deep ocean? My research focuses on the polar oceans (Antarctica and the Arctic Ocean), the only places on earth where surface waters, rich in DOM, flow down to the bottom of the deep sea.

3. The molecular composition of DOM is the key to the most urgent questions. By developing new molecular methods for analyzing DOM, I hope to learn more on its source and fate in the ocean.