PIF2024 - Bio-Physical-Chemical Coupling and Connectivity between the Phytoplankton Blooms in the Bransfield Strait and NW Weddell Sea (PID2023-148583NB-C22)

The predoctoral contract is linked to COUPLING II, a project that aims to explore the Bio-Physical-Chemical Coupling and Connectivity between the Phytoplankton Blooms in the Bransfield Strait and NW Weddell Sea. COUPLING II is a Coordinated Project between the SubProject 1 (SP1) led by the ULPGC that focuses on the dynamics of physical and chemical properties governing the bloom areas of the Bransfield Current System and the Western Boundary Current System of the Weddell Sea, as well as the ocean dynamics connecting both basins, and the SubProject 2 (SP2) led by IEO-CSIC that focuses on the biogeochemical and biological characterization of plankton communities (from viruses to zooplankton) in the two regions and their connectivity. The SP2 will investigate the intricate relationships between physical structures and the taxonomic and functional diversity of various plankton groups. In particular, SP2 will explore the impact of spatial variability on phytoplankton communities and investigate how these changes ripple through the lower (microbial) and higher (zooplankton) trophic levels, combining genetic tools with estimations of primary and secondary productivity. Jointly, the coordinated project will elucidate the bio-physical-chemical processes shaping marine plankton in the studied areas. The contract is linked to SP2 so the candidate should focus in the objectives of this subproject but will interact with the SP1 team.