Sarah Fawcett

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Sarah Fawcett is a South African oceanographer and climatologist. [1] A senior lecturer in the Department of Oceanography at the University of Cape Town, she is particularly interested in the role of oceans in regulating biogeochemical cycles and how their dysregulation contributes to climate change. [2] [3] She was honoured in the World Economic Forum Young Scientists Class of 2020, [4] and a P-Rating from the National Research Foundation, which recognizes that the scientist's work will likely have high impact. [2]

Contents

Early life

Fawcett was born in Benoni, Gauteng, and attended Benoni High School. [3] She went on to study Earth and planetary science at Harvard University (2006) and completed a PhD at Princeton (2012) where she later held a postdoctoral fellowship (2012-2015). [5]

Career

In 2015, Fawcett was appointed a lecturer in oceanography at the University of Cape Town. [2] She has worked to build up a diverse research group, aware of the discrimination still faced by female scientists. [2] [3] From 2016, she has participated in the SEAmester scheme that aims to train up postdoctoral oceanography researchers. [2]

In her doctorate Fawcett investigated the relationship between nitrogen and populations of phytoplankton in upwelling ecosystems of the Sargasso Sea. [6] She has continued to work on these relationships, concentrating on the subpolar North Atlantic and Southern Ocean as areas of particular importance. [3] The sequestration of carbon through the biological pump in these regions may be an important regulatory of the global ocean system, but the dynamics of the nitrogen-phytoplankton system limit its efficiency. [6] Much of Fawcett's works is based on measurements of stable nitrogen isotopes. [5] Fawcett is also addressing the lack of research in the Benguela Upwelling System, which is important for the biodiversity and economy of the region. [3] She is also primary investigator for the Antarctic Circumnavigation Expedition (ACE). [7]

In 2017, she received the South African Network for Coastal and Oceanic Research (SANCOR) Young Researchers Award and the Claude Leon Merit Award for Early-Career Researchers. [2] She was also distinguished as one of the Top 200 Young South Africans by the Mail and Guardian and received a NRF P-rating meaning her early career had suggested she would go on to become "a future international leader in [her] field". [2] [5] In 2018, the University of Cape Town awarded her its College of Fellows Young Researcher Award. [8] In 2020, the World Economic Forum added Fawcett to its group of 25 young researchers at the "forefront of scientific discovery" for that year on account of her research on "ocean chemistry and biology in climate" and the "impacts of human activities on marine environments." [4]

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Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Upwelling</span> Oceanographic phenomenon of wind-driven motion of ocean water

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High-nutrient, low-chlorophyll (HNLC) regions are regions of the ocean where the abundance of phytoplankton is low and fairly constant despite the availability of macronutrients. Phytoplankton rely on a suite of nutrients for cellular function. Macronutrients are generally available in higher quantities in surface ocean waters, and are the typical components of common garden fertilizers. Micronutrients are generally available in lower quantities and include trace metals. Macronutrients are typically available in millimolar concentrations, while micronutrients are generally available in micro- to nanomolar concentrations. In general, nitrogen tends to be a limiting ocean nutrient, but in HNLC regions it is never significantly depleted. Instead, these regions tend to be limited by low concentrations of metabolizable iron. Iron is a critical phytoplankton micronutrient necessary for enzyme catalysis and electron transport.

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Low-nutrient, low-chlorophyll (LNLC)regions are aquatic zones that are low in nutrients and consequently have low rate of primary production, as indicated by low chlorophyll concentrations. These regions can be described as oligotrophic, and about 75% of the world's oceans encompass LNLC regions. A majority of LNLC regions are associated with subtropical gyres but are also present in areas of the Mediterranean Sea, and some inland lakes. Physical processes limit nutrient availability in LNLC regions, which favors nutrient recycling in the photic zone and selects for smaller phytoplankton species. LNLC regions are generally not found near coasts, since coastal areas receive more nutrients from terrestrial sources and upwelling. In marine systems, seasonal and decadal variability of primary productivity in LNLC regions is driven in part by large-scale climatic regimes leading to important effects on the global carbon cycle and the oceanic carbon cycle.

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References

  1. ↑ "Young Scientists". World Economic Forum. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Dr Sarah Fawcett". National Research Foundation. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Dr Sarah Fawcett- The Majestic Mentor". Women In Science Hub. 24 May 2017. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  4. 1 2 "These 25 scientists are tackling the most important global challenges". World Economic Forum. 26 May 2020. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  5. 1 2 3 "Sarah Fawcett". SAYAS. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  6. 1 2 Fawcett, Sarah Elizabeth (2012). Nitrate Assimilation by Eukaryotic Phytoplankton as a Central Characteristic of Ocean Productivity (Ph.D. thesis).
  7. ↑ Halo, Issufo; Dorrington, Rosemary; Bornman, Thomas; De Villiers, Stephanie; Fawcett, Sarah (28 September 2016). "South Africa in the Antarctic Circumnavigation Expedition: A multi-institutional and interdisciplinary scientific project". South African Journal of Science. 112 (9/10). Academy of Science of South Africa: 4. doi: 10.17159/sajs.2016/a0173 . hdl: 11427/34797 . ISSN   1996-7489.
  8. ↑ "Leading South African Researchers Recognised at the 2018 NRF Awards". National Research Foundation. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
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