Raquel Francesca Flynn

Post-Doctoral Research Associate

raqflynn@unc.edu
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Curriculum vitae (CV)
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Education

2023 PhD in Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Cape Town, South Africa
2019 MSc. in Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Cape Town, South Africa
2016 BSc. (Hons) in Marine Biology, Oceanography and Religious Studies, University of Cape Town, South Africa

Research Interests

My main research interests are in understanding the role that phytoplankton play in the marine nitrogen cycle and carbon export. During my postdoc I will combine stable isotope analysis with molecular approaches to investigate how phytoplankton are affected by nitrogen availability, and how this influences ocean biogeochemistry and ecosystem dynamics.

Research and Activities

– 15N-tracer incubations to measure the instantaneous rates of nitrogen uptake by phytoplankton
– Fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS) coupled with nitrogen isotope measurements to investigate the dominant nitrogen source to specific phytoplankton groups

Selected Publications

Flynn RF, Haraguchi L, McQuaid J, Burger J, Mutseka Lunga P, Stirnimann L, Samanta S, Roychoudry A and Fawcett SE. In review. Nanoplankton: the dominant vector of carbon export across the springtime Southern Ocean.
Flynn RF, Bornmann TG, Burger JM, Smith S, Spence KAM and Fawcett SE. 2021. Summertime productivity and carbon export potential in the Weddell Sea, with a focus on the waters adjacent to Larsen C Ice Shelf. Biogeosciences.
Flynn RF, Granger J, Veitch J, Siedlecki S, Burger JM, Pillay K and Fawcett SE. 2021. On-shelf nutrient trapping enhances the fertility of the southern Benguela upwelling system. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans.
Flynn RF, Burger JM, Pillay K and Fawcett SE. 2018. Wintertime rates of net primary production and nitrate and ammonium uptake in the southern Benguela upwelling system. African Journal of Marine Science. 40: 253-266.