faculty Spotlight
Dr. Donald G. Redalje
The single most obvious feature of planet earth is the ocean. What happens in the ocean affects every single person on earth in many significant ways, ranging from the oxygen we breathe, the patterns of our global climate to the food on our plates. We are driven as marine scientists to learn as much as we can and understand how the ocean works. We also need to understand what our actions are doing to the ocean and how these actions might affect the sustainability of earth and all of us. These ideas are what drew me to a career in biological oceanography – that and the fact that I grew up as a southern California surfer and scuba diver.
After earning my Ph.D. in Biological Oceanography, specializing in marine phytoplankton ecology, at the University of Hawaii, I returned to the mainland to pursue a career in academics and research. My research has focused on the role marine phytoplankton play in the ocean foodweb, in climate change and the global carbon cycle, and in our coastal waters where phytoplankton occasionally go wild and form Red Tides and other Harmful Algal Blooms. I also have worked on assessment of environmental quality in our coastal waters with a focus on improving science-based ecosystem management and the development of sound ocean policy.
Lately, my attention has been drawn back to an earlier passion – what can be done
about our insatiable need for petroleum and other non-renewable energy resources. All of the oil we now use began as oil droplets in marine phytoplankton hundreds of millions of years ago. Why wait! We can use marine microalgae as a next generation source of sustainable biofuels. My lab group and I are working with an international group of colleagues to do just that. Soon we will be able to pull into a gas station, fill up with 20 gallons of Skeletonema costatum, and drive off to catch the waves on the north shore!
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