Johan van der Molen

I am an applied physicist who has moved into oceanography, and I simulate marine ecosystem processes using numerical models. Such models split the sea into small cubes, which contain values for things like water levels, temperature, salinity and quantity of nutrients and phytoplankton. This allows me for example to how nutrients from rivers are spread and fuel algal growth, which can then feed other animals. I also use particle tracking models to trace the dispersal of for instance fish eggs and larvae. In this digital reality, I can carry out experiments that could never be done at sea. For example, what happens if you put a large wind or solar farm somewhere, or put long ropes in the water to grow seaweed?