Photograph of Dr Filipa Carvalho
Group
Biological Carbon Cycles
Site
Southampton
Email
filcar at noc.ac.uk
Biography

Biography:

Dr. Filipa Carvalho is a biological oceanographer and marine biogeochemist at the National Oceanography Centre investigating how physical ocean processes regulate marine ecosystems and the biological carbon pump, a critical mechanism controlling atmospheric CO₂. Her research examines biophysical interactions that shape phytoplankton dynamics, particle formation and carbon export, with particular focus on polar and subpolar regions where strong physical forcing creates highly variable conditions. She deploys ocean gliders and other autonomous platforms alongside ship-based sampling, moorings and satellite observations to capture processes spanning turbulent mixing to basin-scale circulation. Beyond field research, she provides international and national leadership in ocean observing as co-chair of OceanGliders (GOOS network), member of the UK Future Marine Research Infrastructure Science Advisory Group, and Chief Scientist for Marine Autonomy and Robotics Systems, strengthening links between science and engineering communities.

Education:

PhD, Oceanography, Rutgers University, USA
MSc, Integrated Studies of the Ocean, Department of Oceanography and Fisheries, University of the Azores, Portugal
MSc, Fisheries and Aquaculture, Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisbon, Portugal
Lic, Environmental Marine Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisbon, Portugal

Research Themes:

Biophysical Controls on Marine Productivity and Carbon Export
Ocean physics fundamentally controls where and when marine ecosystems transfer carbon to depth. This research uses autonomous platforms to observe how mixed layer dynamics, stratification, deep convection and mesoscale eddies regulate phytoplankton growth and the formation of sinking particles. By capturing processes across timescales from hours to seasons, this work reveals the mechanisms linking physical forcing to carbon export efficiency in different ocean regimes.
Current projects: ReBELS (lead PI), PARTITRICS (WP1 lead), IDAPro (NOC PI)
Past projects: GOCART, COMICS, CUSTARD, BIARRITZ

Polar and Subpolar Ocean Ecosystems
High-latitude oceans exhibit extreme seasonal cycles in mixing, light and temperature that generate intense but ephemeral productivity with disproportionate influence on global carbon storage. Research in these environments examines how winter convection, spring restratification, glacier–ocean interactions and ongoing climate change shape ecosystem structure and particle export pathways. These regions serve as natural laboratories where physical controls on biological processes become particularly visible and where climate-driven changes may fundamentally alter carbon cycling.
Current projects: ReBELS (lead PI), POLOMINTS (WP2 lead)
Past projects: PAL-LTER, SEAFAReRS, CONVERGE

Autonomous Ocean Observing Systems
Sustained ocean observation requires platforms that operate continuously through seasons and weather conditions inaccessible to research vessels. This research develops glider-based observing strategies that capture episodic events, resolve sub-seasonal variability and extend measurements into under-sampled regions. Work includes integrating biogeochemical sensors for real-time ecosystem monitoring, refining data processing pipelines for quality and interoperability, and demonstrating how marine robotics can address questions requiring persistent ocean presence.
Current projects: GLIDERS I (lead PI), GLIDERS II (lead PI), APART (co-PI)
Past projects: TechOceanS, FIRe-Glider 

More details on the projects tab
at NOC:
  • member of Steering Team for Arctic Mission
  • Autonomy WG lead (contact me if interesting in being a part of!)

National:

International:

Current Projects


ReBELS (Resolving Biological carbon Export in the Labrador Sea, NERC) investigates biological carbon export in the Labrador Sea, where deep winter convection and North Atlantic Deep Water formation create conditions for long-term carbon storage. Autonomous platforms, moorings and ship-based measurements track how convection, restratification and mesoscale eddies influence phytoplankton dynamics and particle export throughout the seasonal cycle, revealing physical controls on one of the ocean's most efficient carbon sequestration regions.

PARTITRICS (PARTIcle Transformation and Respiration Influence on ocean Carbon Storage, NERC) examines the fate of sinking particles as they transit the mesopelagic twilight zone. By quantifying how microbial respiration, particle fragmentation and ecosystem interactions transform organic matter, this work determines what controls remineralization depth—the critical factor governing whether exported carbon remains sequestered for decades or returns to the atmosphere within years.

IDAPro (Integrating Drivers of Atlantic Productivity, NERC) synthesizes observations across the Atlantic to understand productivity drivers from tropical to polar latitudes. Combining autonomous platforms, ship sampling and satellite data, the project maps how ocean dynamics regulate nutrient supply and ecosystem structure across contrasting physical regimes, building a basin-scale perspective on the mechanisms linking circulation to carbon cycling.

POLOMINTS (Polar Ocean Mixing by Internal Tsunamis, NERC) investigates glacier calving as a mixing mechanism in Antarctic coastal waters. Glider observations, ship-based measurements and modeling quantify how calving-generated internal waves enhance ocean mixing near glaciers, revealing a previously underappreciated pathway through which ice-ocean interactions influence circulation and ecosystem dynamics in rapidly changing polar environments.

GLIDERS I (GLider-type Infrastructure and Digital Environment for Research Science, NOC internal funding) develops frameworks for processing, integrating and exploiting ocean glider data within modern observing systems. The project creates standardised workflows and robust data pipelines that enable high-resolution autonomous observations to be efficiently quality-controlled and integrated with satellite, float and ship measurements, improving interoperability across observing platforms and supporting the scientific exploitation of marine autonomy across research communities.

GLIDERS II (GLider-type Infrastructure and Digital Environment for Research Science II, FMRI) continues the work from GLIDERS I, developing the roadmap and initial data pipeline for the Autosub Long-Range (ALR) platform. The project advances glider-based observing capabilities while developing case studies demonstrating how autonomous platform data can be applied to investigate scientific questions, strengthening the integration of marine robotics into oceanographic research and operational observing systems.

APART (Autonomous Platforms as A Research Tool, NERC) equips researchers with skills to design, plan and analyze research using marine autonomous systems including ocean gliders, Argo floats and autonomous underwater vehicles. The training programme covers mission design, sensor selection and calibration, data processing and quality control, and integration of autonomous observations with other ocean datasets, preparing the next generation of marine researchers to exploit autonomous platforms that are increasingly central to ocean observation.


Previous Projects at the National Oceanography Centre (NOC, UK)


GOCART (Gauging ocean Organic Carbon fluxes using Autonomous Robotic Technologies) deployed autonomous underwater vehicles to capture high-resolution variability in organic carbon flux and remineralization that ship-based snapshots cannot resolve, revealing how episodic physical and biological events control export efficiency and particle degradation.

COMICS (Controls over Ocean Mesopelagic Interior Carbon Storage) examined mesopelagic carbon flow and ecosystem controls on carbon storage through field campaigns in the Benguela Upwelling and Southern Ocean near South Georgia, contrasting highly productive upwelling conditions with seasonal Southern Ocean dynamics.

CUSTARD (Carbon Uptake and Seasonal Traits in Antarctic Remineralisation Depth) investigated how seasonal shifts in Southern Ocean phytoplankton communities influence the depth at which exported carbon is remineralized, combining observations from ships, sediment traps and models to link ecosystem variability to carbon sequestration timescales.

BIARRITZ (Bridging International Activity and Related Research Into the Twilight Zone) strengthened international collaboration on mesopelagic carbon processes, advancing observational methods for studying particle transformation in the ocean interior and coordinating research efforts across national programs.

TechOceanS (Technologies for Ocean Sensing) developed miniaturized sensors for long-duration deployment on autonomous platforms, expanding the range of biogeochemical and ecological parameters accessible through persistent ocean observing systems.


Earlier Projects at Rutgers University (USA)


PAL-LTER (Palmer Long-Term Ecological Research) examined phytoplankton dynamics along the rapidly warming West Antarctic Peninsula through sustained ecological observations, documenting ecosystem responses to environmental change in one of the Southern Ocean's most climate-sensitive regions.

SEAFAReRS used gliders to map how iron supply and mesoscale circulation regulate phytoplankton bloom development in the Ross Sea, demonstrating autonomous platforms' ability to resolve nutrient-ecosystem interactions at scales inaccessible to ships.

CONVERGE integrated gliders, moorings and predator tracking to understand how ocean circulation structures the marine ecosystem around Palmer Deep, revealing physical controls on prey distribution that shape Adélie penguin foraging behavior.

FIRe-Glider pioneered integration of phytoplankton physiological sensors on gliders, demonstrating how autonomous platforms can map photosynthetic health at high spatial resolution and opening new approaches to understanding ecosystem stress and productivity in situ.