Dr Fanny Monteiro

Summary

I look at what drives marine ecosystem, biogeochemical cycles and climate to interact. I  am interested in particular in the role of marine phytoplankton and nutrients on the carbon cycle. My work combines mathematical and numerical modelling in close comparison with observations.

Recent projects have focused on understanding the controlling mechanisms for coccolithophore ecology, marine nitrogen fixation and the spread of anoxic conditions during the Oceanic Anoxic Events of the Cretaceous.

• Diversity of coccolithophores: I test different ecological trade-offs for a diverse population of coccolithophore to analyse the causes and consequences of calcification on the carbon cycle and climate in the global ocean.

• Cretaceous Oceanic Anoxic Events (OAEs): I analyse the interactions between the nutrient cycles (phosphorus, nitrogen and iron), climate and the cycling of carbon, oxygen and sulphur in an Earth System model (GENIE). In doing so, I evaluate the sensitivity of marine biogeochemistry to warming, increased stratification and decreased dissolved oxygen concentration.

• Marine nitrogen cycle: I investigate how the marine nitrogen cycle (including nitrogen fixation, denitrification and nitrification) can regulate marine productivity and thus climate for modern (using MITgcm) and past climates (using GENIE).

• Diversity of nitrogen fixers: Using a self-assembling ecosystem model (Darwin project), I reconstruct diverse population of nitrogen fixers of the modern ocean to assess the impact of diversity on the nitrogen cycle and climate.

Biography

I moved to Bristol in 2009 to work on the Oceanic Anoxic Events of the Cretaceous with Andy Ridgwell. With this work, I investigated the role of the nitrogen cycle, marine ecosystem and palaeogeography on paleo-biogeochemistry. I am now a NERC Research Fellow exploring the relationships between calcifying phytoplankton (coccolithophores) and the carbon cycle for present and past climates.

I did my undergraduate studies in France between Grenoble (studying physics and chemistry), Lyon (planetary and Earth sciences) and Paris (meteorology, oceanography and environment).

I graduated in 2009 from a Ph.D. in Climate Physics and Chemistry at MIT under the supervision of Mick Follows. During my Ph.D. I developed models of the biogeochemistry of the modern ocean to assess the distribution, ecology and regulation of nitrogen fixation, a main source of nitrogen for the marine ecosystem.

Teaching

I teach Oceans as part of the first year Physical Geography course.

Keywords

• Biogeochemistry modelling
• Complex ecosystem modelling
• Marine nitrogen cycle
• Marine ecosystem
• Phytoplankton evolution and diversity
• Nitrogen fixers
• Coccolithophores
• Geochemical tracers
• Oceanic oxygen content
• Palaeoclimate
• Oceanic Anoxic Events
• Cretaceous climate

Memberships

Organisations

School of Geographical Sciences

Research groups

• Bristol Research Initiative for the Dynamic Global Environment (BRIDGE)

Teaching

• Teaching Assistants

Links

•   Personal webpage

Recent publications

• Wadham, JL, Death, R, Monteiro, F, Tranter, M, Ridgwell, AJ, R, R & S, T 2013, ‘The potential role of the Antarctic Ice Sheet in global biogeochemical cycles’. Earth and Environmental Science Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.
• Monteiro, FM, Pancost, RD, Ridgwell, AJ & Donnadieu, Y 2012, ‘Nutrients as the dominant control on the spread of anoxia and euxinia across the Cenomanian-Turonian oceanic anoxic event (OAE2): Model-data comparison’. Paleoceanography, vol 27.
• Monteiro, F & Follows, MJ 2012, ‘On nitrogen fixation and preferential remineralization of phosphorus’. Geophysical Research Letters, vol 39., pp. 1 - 5
• Dutkiewicz, S, Ward, B, Monteiro, F & Follows, M 2012, ‘Interconnection of nitrogen fixers and iron in the Pacific Ocean: Theory and numerical simulations’. Global Biogeochemical Cycles, vol 26., pp. 1 - 16
• Saito, M, EM, B, S, D, VV, B, DM, M, Monteiro, F, MJ, F, FW, V & JB, W 2011, ‘Iron Conservation by Reduction of Metalloenzyme Inventories in the Marine Diazotroph Crocosphaera watsonii’. PNAS, vol 108., pp. 2184 - 2189
• Monteiro, F, Dutkiewicz, S & MJ, F 2011, ‘Biogeographical controls on the marine nitrogen fixers’. Global Biogeochemical Cycles, vol 25., pp. 1 - 8
• Monteiro, F, MJ, F & S, D 2010, ‘Distribution of diverse nitrogen fixers in the global ocean’. Global Biogeochemical Cycles, vol 24., pp. 1 - 16
• Monteiro, F & Follows, M 2009, ‘On the interannual variability of nitrogen fixation in the subtropical gyres’. Journal of Marine Research, vol 67., pp. 71 - 88
• Monteiro, F 2009, ‘Mechanistic models of oceanic nitrogen fixation’.

View complete publications list in the University of Bristol publications system

Courses

Dr Monteiro currently teaches 1 courses: