Dr. Helmuth Thomas

Canada Research Chair in Marine Biogeochemistry, Tier 2
Oceanography

In the global carbon equation, there is an apparent imbalance in the accounting: Of the seven gigatons of carbon that we produce each year, about one half is stored in the atmosphere in the form of carbon dioxide. That means that the remainder should be absorbed by the oceans and the land. But instead, nearly two gigatons are missing.

Balancing the global carbon budget and discovering where the rest of the carbon goes is part of what stimulates the work of Canada Research Chair Dr. Helmuth Thomas, who is studying the carbon fluxes in the coastal zone of eastern Canada and northwestern Europe.

In the global carbon cycle, the coastal areas play a crucial, although hitherto poorly understood role, in bridging land, ocean, atmosphere, and mankind. They also help buffer the impacts caused by the land and by mankind. By combining ecosystem modelling with observational field data collected from Canada's East Coast, Dr. Thomas is able to quantify the carbon fluxes in order to understand the mechanisms controlling them. His research will allow him to predict how the coastal carbon cycle responds to changes in the environmental conditions. Ultimately, he hopes to establish the contribution made by these coastal areas to the carbon budget of the North Atlantic Ocean and to the global carbon budget.

In addition, Dr. Thomas is examining the effects (such as stimulating ecosystem activity) produced by the increase of nutrients into the ocean because of runoff from the land and human interference. In previous work, Dr. Thomas showed that the affect of increased nutrients in the Baltic Sea could be partly buffered before affecting the carbon cycle, thereby diminishing their possible deleterious impact.

(Source: Canada Research Chairs)

Where does all the carbon go?

Highlights
Dr. Thomas' expertise lies in chemical oceanography and marine carbon cycle research at all spatial levels. His research aims to improve our understanding of the marine world, especially the coastal carbon cycle (as agreed to in the Kyoto protocol).

Background

1997: PhD degree in applied chemistry “magna cum laude”, University Rostock, Germany

Published
22 in peer-reviewed journals; six submitted/accepted; 15 others. 16 invited presentations (+2 planned).

International committees

• 2006: LOICZ/IMBER  Continental Margins Task Team
• 2005: Member of the Scientific Steering group of International Ocean Carbon Coordination Project (IOCCP).
• 2005: ex-officio member of the LOICZ SSC
• 2004: IMBER/SOLAS joint carbon implementation group

Present and past affiliations

• Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair at Dalhousie Univ., Halifax, Canada (10/2004 onwards).
• Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Texel, The Netherlands (since 1998-2004)
• University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany (1997-1998
• Baltic Sea Research Institute Warnemünde, Rostock, Germany (1994-1997)

Webpage
Faculty page, Department of Oceanography

E-mail: Dr. Helmuth Thomas