Maureen Conte | |
|---|---|
| Alma mater | Columbia University |
| Scientific career | |
| Thesis | The biogeochemistry of particulate lipids in warm-core Gulf Stream ring systems (1990) |
Maureen Hatcher Conte is biogeochemist known for her work using particles to define the long-term cycling of chemical compounds in seawater.
Conte has a B.A. from Johns Hopkins University (1975), and an M.A. (1982), M.Phil. (1987), and Ph.D. (1989) from Columbia University. [1] Her Ph.D. examined lipids found in particles in the Gulf Stream. [2] Following her Ph.D. she conducted postdoctoral work at the University of Bristol before joining Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in 1994. As of 2022 Conte is a senior scientist at the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences and a fellow at the Marine Biological Laboratory. [3] Conte is the lead investigator for the Ocean Flux Program, [1] a program that has been examining particles in the Sargasso Sea since 1978. [4] [5]
Conte is known for her work on the organic compounds found in particles. [6] Her early work examined the consumption of organic matter, [7] and the development of methods to analyze lipids from seawater. [8] [9] Subsequently, she examined the different types of lipids found in organisms such as coccolithophores. [10] [11] At the Bermuda Atlantic Time-series Study site, Conte has used long-term measurements of particles to quantify changes in the flux of organic carbon to the seafloor over time, [12] [13] and used the presence of alkenones in particles to track changes in ocean temperatures over time. [14] [15] Through her research she has characterized how hurricanes impact the flow of organic carbon to the seafloor, [16] [17] and examined the impact of cold shock on sea turtles that are trapped in cold waters off Cape Cod. [18] Conte's research involves spending extended periods of time on research ships, [19] and in 2020, her research was delayed because she could not collect her samples due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [20]