Ronald Benner

My research focuses on the biogeochemistry of the carbon, nitrogen and phosphorous cycles and the roles of microorganisms as producers and consumers of organic matter in aquatic environments.  Microbes play key roles in the cycling of bioactive elements and in the transfer of these elements into food webs.  Experimental approaches are used to characterize processes and the roles of microorganisms as key players in the transformations of C, N and P.  Geochemical approaches are used to integrate processes over space and time.  Ongoing research projects are investigating the fates of terrigenous and marine dissolved organic matter (DOM) in the Arctic Ocean, the coupling of microbial and photochemical processes in the decomposition of aromatic components of DOM in ocean margins, and the use of biochemical measurements as indicators of bioavailable organic matter and hot spots in diverse aquatic ecosystems.