Nicole Poulton Australasian Cytometry Society 2016 Annual Conference

Nicole Poulton

Research Interests I am a phytoplankton ecologist, focusing on the role phytoplankton community structure has on the variability of particulate organic carbon (POC). POC is a key player in the global carbon cycle. My colleagues and I, are currently working to develop better algorithms for optical proxies of POC (NASA funded: Multi-sensor, Ecosystem-based Approaches for the Estimation of Particulate Organic Carbon). Other Research interests include: Analysis of phytoplankton community dynamics over time and space (time series analysis – annual and decadal), including predator prey interactions. As a member, of the ICES Working Group on Phytoplankton and Microbial Ecology - the group has published status reports on the ecological status of phytoplankton and microbial plankton in the North Atlantic and adjacent sea, spanning seven geographical regions and 61 monitoring sites, including Booth Bay, Maine. Examining the ecology and physiology of phytoplankton, specifically nutrient dynamics of harmful algal bloom species. Development of aquatic flow and imaging cytometry applications, including the use of new fluorescence probes and expanding the use of cell sorting techniques at the single cell level (genomic or analytical). Methods include detecting biogenic silica in diatoms and counting heterotrophic micrograzers.