Insights from the

Physical oceanography

PhD student and former

Blue Marble consultant

Theo Spira reveals how his studies are helping map climate change

For Theo Spira, an appreciation for the beauty of the world’s oceans goes hand-in-hand with a passion for comprehending their littleknown dynamics in order to better understand climate change.

The PhD student is currently at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden. He’s researching the ventilation of the upper layer of the ocean due to submesoscale processes and, in particular, how the movement of water impacts on the ocean’s absorption of carbon and heat.

‘Ocean dynamics aren’t well understood nor their importance to climate well known, but they’re an integral part of the climate system regulating the heat, water and gases (like carbon dioxide) in the atmosphere,’ he says.

He hopes his research will lead to a greater understanding of the Southern Ocean and that it might be included in future Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports. Critical questions he is aiming to answer include: will the Southern Ocean continue to be a heat and carbon sink? Can it continue to buffer the impact of human-induced climate change? Is there a saturation limit for the ocean’s absorption of carbon and heat?

Theo’s interest in environmentalism was fostered during his time as an consultant at Blue Marble. While there, he was instrumental in developing an algorithm to decipher the greenhouse gas emissions of the organisation’s clients.

More recently he’s taken part in a research cruise to the Southern Ocean with a team from the University of Gothenburg. This was part of the EU-funded Southern Ocean Carbon and Heat Impact on Climate project. The amazing experience only increased his wonderment at the ocean’s spectacular allure.

‘The icy continent and its surrounding ocean were surreal, serene and stunning – from the abundant and curious wildlife to the beauty of ice shelves and icebergs. It contextualised and gave me a greater appreciation for the research I’m doing, which, when working in Sweden on data from around the South Pole, can sometimes feel a little abstract.’

Read about Theo's research at theospira.com