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Mark Altabet
Professor / Chairperson
SMAST / Estuarine & Ocean Sciences
Contact
508-999-8622
508-910-6371
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School for Marine Science & Technology West, New Bedford 122A
Education
| 1984 | Harvard University | Ph.D |
| 1979 | State University of New York at Stony Brook | BS |
Teaching
Programs
Programs
- Intercampus Marine Science Programs MS, PhD
- Marine Science and Technology MS
- Marine Science and Technology PhD
- University of São Paulo Dual PhD PhD
Teaching
Courses
Chemical oceanography starting with the basic chemical and physical properties of sea water and going through the major processes shaping chemical distributions in the ocean. A brief review of basic thermodynamics and chemical equilibria precedes a discussion of carbonate equilibria and trace metal speciation. Throughout much of the course an interdisciplinary approach is taken and pertinent material on the interaction between ocean chemistry and marine physics, biology, and geology will be presented. Whenever possible, the results of recent studies will be incorporated into class material and the last few class periods are devoted to special topics.
Investigations of a fundamental and/or applied nature representing an original contribution to the scholarly research literature of the field. PhD dissertations are often published in refereed journals or presented at major conferences. A written dissertation must be completed in accordance with the rules of the Graduate School and the School for Marine Science and Technology. Admission to the course is based on successful completion of the PhD comprehensive examination and submission of a formal proposal endorsed by the student's graduate committee and submitted to the SMAST Graduate Program Director.
Research
Research Activities
- Nitrogen isotope and N2/Ar biogeochemistry of the Peru suboxic zone, NSF, $412,000, Feb 01 2009 to Jan 30 2013
- Collaborative Research: The role of regenerated nitrogen for rocky shore productivity, NSF, $183,381, Sept 01 2009 to August 31 2013
- Collaborative Research: High resolution paleoceanography in the heart of the Equatorial Pacific Cold Tongue, NSF, $170,000 over 3years
- Collaborative Research: Microbial associations in zooplankton: significance for the marine nitrogen cycle, NSF, $616,980 over 3 years ($150,000 supports M. Altabet’s component of this project), August 01 2011 to July 31 2014
- Collaborative Research: Autonomous Lagrangian Floats for Oxygen Minimum Zone Biogeochemistry, NSF, $349,607 over 3 years
Research
Research Interests
- Major marine biogeochemical cycles
- Global N cycle and its interactions with climate change
- Atmospheric CO2 concentration
- Coastal eutrophication
Select publications
- Bryant Mason, A., Y. J. Xu, and M.A. Altabet (2013).
Water Resources Research
Limited capacity of river corridor wetlands to remove nitrate - A case study on the Atchafalaya River Basin during the 2011 Mississippi River Flooding, 49 - Montes, E., M. A. Altabet, F. Muller-Karger, M. I. Scranton, R. Thunell, Cl. Benitez-Nelson, L. Lorenzoni, Y. Astor (2013).
Bigeosciences
Biogenic nitrogen gas production at the oxic-anoxic interface in the Cariaco Basin, Venezuela, 10, 267-279. - Altabet, M.A., E. Ryabenko, L. Stramma, D. Wallace, M. Frank, P. Grasse, and G. Lavik (2012).
Biogeosciences
An eddystimulated hotspot for fixed nitrogen-loss from the Peru Oxygen Minimum Zone, 9, 4897-4908.