Professor David Thomas
My main academic interests include: Antarctic, Arctic and Baltic sea ice ecology & biogeochemistry; Role of dissolved organic matter in aquatic systems and land-ocean transitions; Inorganic nutrients & phytoplankton primary production; Industrial-scale microalgal biomass production & utilisation; Seaweed & halophyte ecology & physiology; Conveying science to non-specialist audiences; Connections between science & art.
My work is international in scope (worked & lived - apart from UK - in Germany for 7 years; Finland for 2.5 years; Denmark 10 months; Israel for 6 months).
Since the award of my PhD in 1988 I have:
- Participated in 14 research-cruises of between 2 weeks and 3 months: Southern Ocean (6), Arctic (2), North Sea (5) & North East Atlantic (1).
- I have conducted other fieldwork in the Baltic Sea (Finland & Sweden), Red Sea (Israel & Egypt) & White Sea (Russia), The Philippines, Vietnam & Wales.
- I have also led teams of between 10 and 20 scientists in 4 large-scale facility ice tank experiments in Hamburg (≈30 days each).
Latest News
Challenger Society History of Oceanography SIG Webinars
The Challenger Society Special Interest Group on the History of Oceanography will be having a series of zoom webinars in 2025. The talks will be at 5pm UK time on Wednesday evenings (3rd Wed of the month):
Job vacancy
The Ocean Census is actively seeking a Workshop Coordinator to join our dynamic team to manage the workshop and related processes with an international alliance of partners. The deadline for applications is 15th December 2024. Link to further details: https://oceancensus.org/job-opportunity-workshop-coordinator/
Socio-oceanography Workshop sets sights on key climate and ocean challenges
The National Oceanography Centre (NOC) is calling on scientists and researchers to participate in its fourth annual Socio-Oceanography Workshop, hosted in collaboration with the Marine Social Science Network.
This international event, set to take place at NOC’s Southampton site 26-28 February 2025, will gather experts across natural and social sciences to tackle the pressing issues linking people and the changing ocean.
This year’s workshop will focus on four key themes, including the impact of climate change-driven shifts in marine species distribution and how these changes will affect the way the UK marine environment is perceived, valued, and managed.
Other topics include integrating digital humans into environmental digital twins, addressing biases in research related to marine carbon dioxide removal, and exploring how local communities can engage in participatory environmental monitoring.