Dr Stuart G Wakeham

The Organic Biogeochemistry group at the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography(SkIO) investigates the reactivity of organic matter in aquatic environments by examining the molecular and isotopic composition of lipids in rivers, lakes and oceans, its cycling within aquatic ecosystems, and its storage in sediments. Dynamic cycles link the distributions of the major elements between living and non-living organic matter and various inorganic reservoirs. The term "biogeochemistry" highlights the close coupling between biology, geology and chemistry in the multidisciplinary science that strives to understand the relationship between the biosphere and the geosphere. The behavior of organic matter in aquatic environments plays a major role in determining the balance between carbon storage and recycling, a balance that in turn is intimately tied to global climate and that can be used to infer past cliatic conditions.