Shannon Doherty

• Research website

• Marine biogeochemistry
• Plankton ecology
• Paleoceanography
• Marine organic geochemistry
• Stable isotope and compound-specific stable isotope ecology

My research examines the connections between plankton ecology and ocean biogeochemical cycles, which is essential to understanding how ocean ecosystems will adapt to a changing ocean. I use a combination of chemical methods, including stable isotopes and biomarkers, to examine how zooplankton food webs impact the flux of nutrients between the ocean surface, interior, and benthos. Plankton, particularly foraminifera, can also be used as proxies for ancient marine ecosystems and answer questions about how these ecosystems have shifted in response to climate change in Earth's history. I am interested in investigating the ecology of modern planktic foraminifera as a method of developing proxies for plankton ecosystems.