Phytoplankton Dynamics

Principal Investigator

James M. Sullivan, Ph.D.
Research Professor
772-242-2404
jsullivan@goferdigital.com

Dr. Sullivan’s research interests range from the biological and physical mechanisms controlling the spatial-temporal dynamics of phytoplankton/zooplankton populations in the coastal oceans, Harmful Algal Bloom (red tide) dynamics, bioluminescence in the ocean, and the development and use of optical and autonomous sampling instrumentation and analytical techniques needed to study these complex processes. Equipment he has developed or co-developed includes a moored autonomous vertical profiler, a bathyphotometer, an in situ hyperspectral spectrophotometer and an in situ holographic microscope for 3-D characterization of undisturbed particles in the ocean. Dr. Sullivan earned his master’s and doctorate in biological oceanography with specializations in phytoplankton physiology and ecology, as well as bio-optics and biophysics from University of Rhode Island - Graduate School of Oceanography (URI-GSO). Prior to joining Harbor Branch he was Research Faculty at URI-GSO and a Senior Oceanographer for WET Labs Inc.