Researchers showed that hydrogen sulfide, which is associated with numerous health conditions, is emitted from California’s largest lake at levels far higher and more frequently than previously reported.
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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
Research Corporation for Science Advancement
Mara Freilich wins 2025 Scialog award
Assistant Professor Mara Freilich is one of the seventeen researchers on cross-disciplinary teams to win funding in the first year of "Scialog: Neurobiology and Changing Ecosystems", a three-year initiative that aims to spark new science exploring neurobiological response to rapid and extensive human-caused environmental changes. Freilich and her team will be exploring "From Feeding to Flux: Unraveling the Impact of Animal Behavior on Global Ocean Carbon Flow."
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Four recently awarded working groups bring a new, interdisciplinary, and engaged approach to climate solutions.
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Geophysical Research Letters
Distribution and Transport of Antarctic Winter Water Biogeochemical Properties
Maggie Gonzalez, a 2025 Leadership Alliance REU student, has published a paper in Geophysical Research Letters with DEEPS Postdoc Lily Dove and Assistant Professor Mara Freilich. The publication explores the biogeochemical and seasonal properties of Antarctic Winter Water using data collected by profiling floats. Gonzalez developed an algorithm to detect a layer of water in the Southern Ocean from observations, as well as the first description of the seasonal and geographical patterns of the biogeochemistry of this water.
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A recent study, supported by Alianza Coachella Valley, reveals the alarming environmental and public health risks posed by the Salton Sea’s ongoing environmental crisis, and highlights the urgent need for comprehensive solutions to mitigate the risks faced by nearby communities. “The community based approach is essential to the success of the research. Our research aims to inform action and that action will only be impactful and equitable if impacted communities are front and center in all decision-making,” said Mara Freilich, DEEPS Assistant Professor, corresponding author on the study, and PI of the NASA grant, ‘Earth Observations for Resilient Salton Sea Communities.’
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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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