Dirk Koopmans

My research focuses on the aquatic eddy covariance technique. The technique uses high frequency measurements of turbulence and of solute concentration (such as dissolved oxygen) to quantify its exchange in water, i.e., its flux. This is a critical measurement at boundaries, such as the ocean surface and its floor.  At the surface, turbulent flux is a measure of atmospheric exchange.  At the floor, turbulent flux reveals the rate of solute uptake or production by benthic ecosystems. Those measurements can reveal the drivers of benthic ecosystem growth, and improve our understanding of how ecosystems will respond to environmental change.  

During postdoctoral research at the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, I was the science lead on the development of technology to detect seafloor sources of CO₂ for Horizon 2020 Project STEMM-CCS. We demonstrated that pH eddy covariance is remarkably sensitive to benthic CO₂ sources (link), outperforming other geochemical techniques. I am currently working with new technologies for turbulence and solute sensing. 

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