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Andrew Barton received his Ph.D. in Climate Physics and Chemistry from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2011. He was an NSF International Research Postdoctoral Fellow, hosted jointly at Duke University and the University of Liverpool in the United Kingdom. Barton joined the faculty of Biological Sciences and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in 2016. His research focuses on marine phytoplankton, which are microscopic photosynthetic organisms that form the base of the marine food chain and significantly impact larger marine organisms, including commercially important fish and whales. His work emphasizes the ecological, societal, and global importance of phytoplankton as they contribute to the carbon, oxygen, and nutrient cycles on Earth. Barton's research aims to map the distribution of phytoplankton species in the ocean and illuminate the fundamental biological and ecological processes that underpin these patterns. Moreover, he investigates how changes in Earth's climate and human activities may alter phytoplankton species distribution and community composition. Through innovative computer models, he simulates the marine environment and combines these models with real observational data to glean novel insights into marine plankton life.
Administered by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Curricular groups include Climate-Ocean-Atmosphere (COAP), Geosciences (GEO), and Ocean Biosciences (OBP).