According to new research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, conducted during three research cruises from 2017 to 2019 in the Mediterranean Sea, scientists discovered that tiny ocean organisms are transported to deeper waters by currents called intrusions, significantly impacting the ocean's ecosystem. “We found that because these organisms are so small, they can be swept up by ocean currents that then bring them deeper than where they grow,” said Assistant Professor Mara Freilich. “It’s often a one-way trip for these organisms, but by taking this trip, they play a critical role in connecting different parts of the ocean.”
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Department of Earth, Environmental & Planetary Sciences
Mara Freilich
Assistant Professor
Lincoln Field 201
170 Hope St 208
170 Hope St 208
Research Interests
Environmental Science, Oceans Ice and Atmospheres
Pronouns
she/her
Biography
I study the ways that physical oceanographic processes, including fronts and eddies, affect ocean microbial ecology, carbon cycling, and nutrient distributions. My work understanding the link between biological and physical processes involves advancing knowledge of ocean physical dynamics and developing methodologies for modeling ecological processes in the context of environmental variability. In addition, I am interested in engagement with community groups to mobilize climate science for environmental justice. I use a range of methods from numerical ocean models and theory to observational work at sea (including remote sensing and microbial genomics).
Recent News
News from DEEPS
Student Research Stories: Ayushman Choudhury
Ayushman Choudhury ’25 is a rising senior studying Applied Mathematics-Computer Science and Music and a research assistant in the Mara Freilich Lab, where he investigates ocean flux dynamics in the Southern Ocean. In our third Student Research Story, Ayushman emphasizes his passion for using computer science and mathematical modeling to improve our understanding of climate change and help fight the climate crisis.
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New research shows how tiny plant-like organisms hitch a ride on ocean currents to reach darker and deeper depths, where they impact carbon cycling and microbial dynamics in the subtropical oceans.
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News from Brown
Faculty at Brown earn prominent awards, distinctions in 2023
Over the last year, prestigious national and international organizations recognized Brown faculty for their research, scholarship and leadership.
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Assistant Professor Mara Freilich and graduate student Élise Beaudin embarked on the Submesoscale-Mesoscale Ocean Dynamics Experiment (S-MODE) mission this past April to study the role of surface layer submesoscale eddies on climate and biological elements in the upper ocean.
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