Rick Hennekam

I study past changes in the Earth's climate and environment caused by a lack of oxygen in the oceans. When there is a large algal bloom somewhere in the sea, the algae will subsequently die and decompose in the water. This consumes enormous amounts of oxygen: the water quickly becomes oxygen-depleted. This is particularly a problem in areas where warm and/or fresh water lies above colder and/or saltier water. There, the water does not mix well, causing part of the water to remain oxygen-depleted. It is important to know how, why, and where oxygen-depleted water occurs. This makes it possible to predict future oxygen-depleted events.