Dr. Ricardo Silva works at the National Institute of Fisheries Research in Argentina. He has been studying (since 1999) phytoplankton (especially the small fractions) composition and dynamics at the EPEA time-series station (38°28′ S 57°42′ W), and in different areas of our shelf waters. He uses light (Utermöhl), fluorescence, and electron microscopy, flow cytometry, and molecular techniques to identify and quantify these algae. He has estimated the amount of carbon and its implications in marine food webs from the cell numbers. He is examining the primary physical, chemical, and biological factors that regulate phytoplankton biomass and diversity in the area. As part of the Falkor (too) expedition “A Tale of Two Submarine Canyons,” he is studying phytoplankton communities “in situ” during the cruise by Image particle analysis through enumeration and classification by FlowCAM.
Cruises:
