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Micheline Labrie

faculty

Micheline Labrie '21, PhD

Assistant Professor

SMAST / Estuarine & Ocean Sciences

Curriculum Vitae

Contact

508-910-6314

mlabrie@umassd.edu

School for Marine Science & Technology West, New Bedford 114A

Education

2021University of Massachusetts DartmouthPhD
2011University of New HampshireBS

Teaching

Programs

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.

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.

Fundamentals of geological oceanography and ocean basin formation. Topics covered are the history of ocean floor exploration, the major dynamic processes shaping and characterizing the seafloor from beaches to basins and reefs to estuaries, marine geophysics, plate tectonics, sea level fluctuation over geologic time, and the role of paleoceanography in understanding the evolution of Earth's oceans over geologic time..

Thesis research on an experimental or theoretical project in Marine Science or Technology under a faculty advisor.

Research for and preparation of doctoral dissertation proposal. The dissertation proposal must provide a thorough survey of the research activities in the research topic area and it must present original and innovative research ideas and preliminary results as well as a defined research scope and directions. PhD students must have passed this course before registering for doctoral dissertation research credits. Graded P/F.

Research

Research awards

  • $ 249,969 awarded by U.S. Geological Survey for Use and Validation of Micro-Uncrewed Underwater Vehicles (Micro-UUVs) for Sampling Biologically Relevant Variables in Water Observing Systems
  • $ 129,358 awarded by Town of Harwich for Hinckleys Pond Diagnostic Assessment
  • $ 9,880 awarded by Town of Yarmouth for Town of Yarmouth Water Quality Monitoring Program for Lewis Bay, Parker River, and Bass River
  • $ 14,480 awarded by Town of Orleans for Town of Orleans Water Quality Monitoring Program 2026 Samples FY27
  • $ 104,718 awarded by Town of Orleans for Technical Support of the Town of Orleans - Water Quality and Wastewater Planning

Select publications

See curriculum vitae for more publications

  • Labrie, M.S., M.A. Sundermeyer and B.L. Howes (2022).
    Quantifying the Effects of Floating Oyster Aquaculture on Nitrogen Cycling in a Temperate Coastal Embayment
    Estuaries and Coasts, 1-18.
  • Labrie, M.S., M.A. Sundermeyer and B.L. Howes (2022).
    Modelling the spatial distribution of oyster (Crassostrea virginica) biodeposits settling from suspended aquaculture
    Estuaries and Coasts, 45(8), 2690-2709.
  • Ray, N., B. Hancock, M. Brush, A. Colden, J. Cornwell, M.S. Labrie, T. Maguire, T. Maxwell, D. Rogers, R. Stevick, A. Unruh, M. Kellogg, A. Smyth, and R. Fulweiler (2021).
    A review of how we assess denitrification in oyster habitats and proposed guidelines for future studies
    Limno. Oceanogr-Meth, 19:10
  • Fiore C.L., M.S. Labrie, J.K. Jarett, and M.P. Lesser (2015).
    Transcriptional activity of the giant barrel sponge, Xestospongia muta Holobiont: molecular evidence for metabolic interchange
    Front. Microbiol., 6:364

Micheline Labrie is a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Estuarine and Ocean Sciences at SMAST-UMassD. Dr. Labrie’s expertise is in biogeochemistry, specifically, testing innovative technologies aimed at mitigating nutrient and plastic pollution in freshwater and coastal systems. Her research and technical staff oversee both the Biodegradability laboratory and the Coastal Systems Program. The facilities offer state-of-the-art polymer biodegradability testing and chemical analysis of surface and groundwater. Dr. Labrie is a participating member of the ASTM International Plastics subcommittee and is the principal or co-principal investigator on several current and pending research projects funded by the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, Office of Naval Research, Massachusetts municipal governments, and industry.

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