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- Detailed Information
John F. Marra
Professor and Director of AREAC
Earth and Environmental Sciences
Location: 123 Ingersoll Hall Extension
Phone: 718.951.5000 x2594
Fax: 718.951.4753
Email:
Before coming to Brooklyn College, John F. Marra was a research scientist at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University from 1977 to 2007. In 2001, Marra was appointed associate director for the Division of Biology and Paleoenvironment at Lamont. While at Lamont, he was engaged in a variety of programs and projects in oceanography.
Education:
Ph.D., Dalhousie University - 1977 (Biological Oceanography)
B.S., Oregon State University - 1968 (Zoology)
Areas of Expertise:
Photosynthesis in the ocean. Marine phytoplankton, the microscopic marine plants that live in the uppermost, lighted, layer in the ocean, are subject to wind, waves, solar radiation and various kinds of motion and mixing. Marra is interested in how these various physical processes regulate photosynthesis and the growth of these marine plants, which, like trees, contribute significantly to the atmosphere's oxygen and also take up atmospheric carbon dioxide.
Books and Publications
Book: "The Secret Life of Carbon: 20th Century Scientific Revolutions and Carbon-14," to be published by Columbia University Press. (Books and Publications: Forthcoming Publications) 2018
Antarctic Service Medal of the United States of America, for service in Antarctica. (Awards and Honors) 2013
Oceanographic research cruise, aboard R/V Cape Hatteras, in support of the project "The Control of Photosynthetic Quantum Yield of Phytoplankton by Light Intensity and Diapycnal Nutrient Flux" (NSF OCE 05-50725). July 3-23. 2008
"CUTE LITTLE OCEAN": 70+ YEARS OF PRODUCTIVITY RESEARCH IN THE NORTH ATLANTIC, at the conference of the Associated Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography, Victoria BC, Canada, June 11-15. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2018
Member, Program Committee for the 2016 Ocean Sciences Meeting, New Orleans. (Professional Leadership: Organizational Leadership Position) 2015
Reviewer for "Community College Research Grant Proposals." 2018
Reviewer for NSF Ocean Sciences Proposals 2017
Zoffoli, L., Z.-P. Lee, J. F. Marra, "Regionalization and Dynamic Parameterization of Quantum Yield of Photosynthesis to Improve the Ocean Primary Production Estimates from Remote Sensing," submitted to Frontiers in Marine Science (Books and Publications: Forthcoming Publications) 2018
Ecology of Jamaica Bay: History, Status, and Resilience,pp 91-116. In: Prospects for Resilience: Insights from New York City?s Jamaica Bay Ed. by E. W. Sanderson, W. D. Solecki, J. R. Waldman, A. S. Parris. Island Press. (S. N. Handel, J. Marra, C. M. K. Kaunzinger, V. M. Bricelj, J. Burger, M. Camhi, C. P. Colón, O. P. Jensen, J. LaBelle, H. C. Rosenbaum, M. D. Schlesinger, C. B. Zarnoch) (Books and Publications: Chapter) 2016
Marra, J. F., 2016. Comment on 'Spring blooms andannual cycles of phytoplankton: a unified
perspective,' by Chiswell et al. Journal of Plankton Research, 29 April 2016; doi:10.1093/plankt/fbw026 (Books and Publications: Peer Reviewed Article) 2016
Post-publication review of "Deep-sea diversity patterns are shaped by energy availability," at http://f1000.com/prime/726346755, DOI of 10.3410/f.726346755.793518302. (Books and Publications: Other Article) 2016
Resilience Indicators and Monitoring: An example of climate change resiliency indicators in Jamaica Bay, pp. 141-166. In: Prospects for Resilience: Insights from New York City?s Jamaica Bay Ed. by E. W. Sanderson, W. D. Solecki, J. R. Waldman, A. S. Parris. Island Press.(B. Rosenzweig, A. L. Gordon, J. Marra, R. Chant, C. Zappa) (Books and Publications: Chapter) 2016
Gregoire, M., M. Levy, A. Borges, J. Marra and P. Brasseur. The Variability of Primary Production in the Ocean: From the Synoptic to the Global Scale: The 45th International Liege Colloquium on Ocean Dynamics, Liege, Belgium, May 13-17, 2013. Elsevier Science. DOI: 10.1016/j.jmarsys.2015.01.001. (Books and Publications: Edited Book) 2015
Lee, Z.P., J. Marra, M.J. Perry and M. Kahru. "Estimating Oceanic Primary Productivity From Ocean Color Remote Sensing: A Strategic Assessment." Journal of Marine Systems. In press. (Books and Publications: Forthcoming Publications) 2015
Marra, J.F., T.D. Dickey, A.J. Plueddemann, R.A. Weller, C.S. Kinkade and M. Stramska. "Phytoplankton Bloom Phenomena in the North Atlantic Ocean and Arabian Sea." ICES Journal of Marine Science, Jan. 8. doi:10.1093/icesjms/fsu241. (Books and Publications: Peer Reviewed Article) 2015
Post-publication review of "Efficient removal of recalcitrant deep-ocean dissolved organic matter during hydrothermal circulation.", F1000Prime at http://f1000.com/prime/725942681; DOI of 10.3410/f.725942681.793511461. (Books and Publications: Other Article) 2015
Review: "An Introduction to Ocean Remote Sensing (2nd Edition) by Seelye Martin." Limnology and Oceanography Bulletin 24(3), 97. (Books and Publications: Book Review) 2015
"Bridging the Salty Divide: 2" letter to the editor. Limnology and Oceanography Bulletin 23.1. (Books and Publications: Other Article) 2014
"Introduction to Satellite Oceanography." ASLO eLectures, doi:10.4319/lol.2014.jmarra.6. (Books and Publications: Peer Reviewed Article) 2014
"Ocean Productivity: A Personal Perspective Since the First Liege Colloquium." Journal of Marine Systems. doi: 10.1016/j.jmarsys.2014.01.012. (Books and Publications: Peer Reviewed Article) 2014
Cherrier, J., S.K. Valentine, B. Hamill, W.H. Jeffrey and J.F. Marra. "Light-mediated release of dissolved organic carbon by phytoplankton." Journal of Marine Systems doi:10.1016/j.jmarsys.2014.02.008. (Books and Publications: Peer Reviewed Article) 2014
Marra, J., R.D. Vaillancourt, V.P. Lance and B.R. Hargreaves. "Resolving the Ocean's Euphotic Zone." Deep-Sea Research I 83: 45-50. (Books and Publications: Peer Reviewed Article) 2014
Review of Stick Slip, by C. Scholz. Limnology & Oceanography Bulletin 23.4: 91. (Books and Publications: Book Review) 2014
"Comment on 'Measuring primary production rates in the ocean: Enigmatic results between incubation and non-incubation methods at Station ALOHA,' by Quay et al." Global Biogeochemical Cycles 26.2. doi:10.1029/2011GB004087. (Books and Publications: Other Article) 2012
"Primary Productivity, New Productivity, and Their Relation to Carbon Flux During Two Southern Ocean Gas Exchange Tracer Experiments." Journal of Geophysical Research 117. C00f14. doi:10.1029/2011JC007687. (Books and Publications: Peer Reviewed Article) 2012
Marra, J., V. Montecino and E. Capuzzo. "Potential Grazing Effects in Incubations With 14C." Aquatic Biology 14: 283-88. (Books and Publications: Peer Reviewed Article) 2012
Fisheries Management: Pandemic Failure, Workable Solutions, by G. Pontecorvo and W. Schrank. Limnology & Oceanography Bulletin 20: 19. (Books and Publications: Book Review) 2011
Saba, V.S. and 42 others. "The Challenges of Modeling Depth-integrated Marine Primary Productivity Over Multiple Decades: A Case Study at BATS and HOT." Global Biogeochemical Cycles 24. GB3020, doi:10.1029/2009GB003655. (Books and Publications: Peer Reviewed Article) 2010
"Net and Gross: Weighing in With 14C." Aquatic Microbial Ecology 56: 123-31. (Books and Publications: Peer Reviewed Article) 2009
Friedrichs, M.A.M. and 34 others. "Assessing the Uncertainties of Model Estimates of Primary Productivity in the Tropical Pacific Ocean." Journal of Marine Systems 76: 113-33. (Books and Publications: Peer Reviewed Article) 2009
Hales, B., D. Hebert and J. Marra. "Turbulent Supply of Nutrients to Phytoplankton at the New England Shelfbreak Front." Journal of Geophysical Research. In press. (Books and Publications: Forthcoming Publications) 2009
Hales, Burke, R.D. Vaillancourt, L. Prieto, J. Marra, R. Houghton and D. Hebert. "High-resolution Surveys of the Biogeochemistry of the New England Shelfbreak Front During Summer 2002." Journal of Marine Systems 78: 426-41. (Books and Publications: Peer Reviewed Article) 2009
Iluz, D., G. Dishon, E. Capuzzo, E. Meeder, R. Astoreca, V. Montecino P. Znachor, D. Ediger and J. Marra. "Short-term Variability in Primary Productivity During a Wind-driven Diatom Bloom in the Gulf of Eilat (Aqaba)." Aquatic Microbial Ecology 56: 205-15. (Books and Publications: Peer Reviewed Article) 2009
Marra, J. and Thomas S. Moore II. "Monsoons, Islands and Eddies: Their Effects on Phytoplankton in the Indian Ocean." The Biogeochemistry of the Indian Ocean. Washington, D.C.: American Geophysical Union. 57-70. (Books and Publications: Chapter) 2009
Prieto, L., R.D. Vaillancourt, B. Hales and J. Marra. "On the Relationship Between Carbon Fixation Efficiency and Bio-optical Characteristics of Phytoplankton." Journal of Plankton Research 30: 43-56. (Books and Publications: Peer Reviewed Article) 2008
Marra, J., C.C. Trees and J.E. O'Reilly. "Phytoplankton Absorption: A Strong Indicator of Primary Productivity in the Surface Ocean." Deep-Sea Research I 54: 153-63. (Books and Publications: Peer Reviewed Article) 2007
"When Will We Tame the Oceans?" Nature 436: 175-76. (Books and Publications: Other Article) 2005
Marra, J. and R.T. Barber. "Primary Productivity in the Arabian Sea: A Synthesis of JGOFS Data." Progress in Oceanography 65: 159-75. (Books and Publications: Peer Reviewed Article) 2005
Marra, J. and R.T. Barber. "Phytoplankton and Heterotrophic Respiration in the Surface Layer of the Ocean." Geophysical Research Letters 31.9. L0931410.1029/
"Approaches to the Measurement of Plankton Production." Phytoplankton Productivity: Carbon Assimilation in Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems. Eds. P.J. le B. Williams, D.N. Thomas and C.S. Reynolds. Cambridge, U.K.: Blackwell Science. 78-108. (Books and Publications: Chapter) 2002
Awards, Honors and Fellowships
Exceptional Achievement Medal, National Aeronautics and Space Administration. (Awards and Honors) 2001
Office of Earth Science "Terra" Award, National Aeronautics and Space Administration. (Awards and Honors) 2000
Research Activities
Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums
A Database for In Situ Primary Production Based on Carbon-14 Assimilation. Ocean. Ocean Optics XXIII, Victoria, BC, Canada, 23-28 October. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Conference Presentation) 2016
Seminar (invited) given at the Dept. of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, UC Irvine, 20 April: "The Ocean's Unknown Euphotic Zone." (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2016
Vaillancourt, R., J. F. Marra, V. Lance. "Increase in Dominance of Eukaryote Over Prokaryote Phytoplankton Biomass Between the Surface and the Deep Chlorophyll Maximum in the Summertime Western North Atlantic Ocean. "Ocean Sciences Meeting, New Orleans, 23-28 Feb. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Conference Presentation) 2016
"Progresses and Challenges Towards Achieving Consensus in Estimating Basin Scale Primary Production." Ocean Optics XXII Conference. Portland, Maine, Oct. 27-31. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2014
Marra, J., T. Dickey, A.J. Pleuddemann and R.A. Weller. "Phytoplankton Bloom Phenomena From Moored Observations in the Iceland Basin and the Arabian Sea. Ocean Sciences Meeting. Honolulu, Feb. 23-28. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Conference Presentation) 2014
Plenary speaker, Ocean Optics XXIII Conference. Portland, Maine, Oct. 26-30. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2014
Vaillancourt, R.D., J.F. Marra, V.P. Lance and B.R. Hargreaves. "Nitrogen Availability and Light Intensity Simultaneously Control Photosynthetic Quantum Yield in the Stratified Ocean. Ocean Sciences Meeting. Honolulu, Feb. 23-28. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Conference Presentation) 2014
Cherrier, J., S.K. Valentine, B. Hamill, W. Jeffrey and J. Marra. "Light-mediated Release of Dissolved Organic Carbon by Phytoplankton: Implications for Carbon Cycling." 45th Liege Coloquium. Liege, Belgium, May 13-17. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Conference Presentation) 2013
Marra, J., V. Lance, R.D. Vaillancourt and B.R. Hargreaves. "Resolving the Depth of the Ocean's Euphotic Zone." Meeting of the Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography. New Orleans, Feb. 18-22. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Conference Presentation) 2013
Vaillancourt, R.D., B.R. Hargreaves, V.P. Lance and J. Marra. "Quantum Yield for Photosynthesis in the Western North Atlantic Ocean." Meeting of the Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography. New Orleans, Feb. 18-22. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Conference Presentation) 2013
Vaillancourt, R.D., V.P. Lance, B.R. Hargreaves and J. Marra. "The Chemostat Hypothesis: A Balance Between Nitrogen Availability and Light Intensity Controls Photosynthetic Quantum Yield in the Stably-stratified Sea." Aquatic Sciences Meeting. New Orleans, Feb. 17-22. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Conference Presentation) 2013
"Nutrients in the New York Bight." New York Marine Sciences Consortium Annual Meeting. SUNY Stony Brook. Sept. 22. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2012
"Phytoplankton Absorption: A Strong Indicator of Primary Productivity in the Surface Ocean." GEOS Seminar, Dept. EES, CUNY Graduate Seminar. March 18. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2012
Lee, Zhongping and John Marra. "Remotely Sensing Primary Production: Value and Advantage of Ocean Color IOP Products." Ocean Color Research Team Meeting. Seattle, April 23-25. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2012
Vaillancourt, R.D., B.R. Hargreaves, V.P. Lance and J. Marra. "Time Scales in Photoacclimation of Phytoplankton in the Western Antarctic Zone." Ocean Sciences Meeting. Salt Lake City, Feb. 20-24. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Conference Presentation) 2012
"Are Phytoplankton and Bacteria Coupled?" Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Princeton University. Dec. 1. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2011
"Ocean Productivity: Concepts and Measurements." Workshop for the Aerosol-Cloud-Ecosystem (ACE) NASA Satellite Mission. June 6-8. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2011
Marra, J., J. Cherrier and W. Jeffrey. "The Role of Light in Phytoplankton Extracellular Production and Bacterial Consumption of Dissolved Organic Matter: Implications for Coastal Carbon Cycling." American Society of Limnology and Oceanography Annual Meeting. San Juan, Puerto Rico, Feb. 13-18. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Contributed Talk) 2011
"Nitrogen in the New York Bight: Knowing Your Boundaries." New York Bight Nitrogen Workshop, sponsored by NY Sea Grant. July 14-16. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2010
Lance, V.P., P.G. Strutton, R.D. Vaillancourt, B.R. Hargreaves and J. Marra. "Primary Productivity, New Productivity and Phytoplankton Assemblage Characteristics During the Southern Ocean Gas Exchange Lagrangian Tracer Experiments." (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Conference Presentation) 2010
Vaillancourt, R.D., J. Marra and V.P. Lance. "Does Density Stratification Control Photosynthetic Quantum Yield at the Deep Chlorophyll Maximum?" (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Conference Presentation) 2010
Vaillancourt, R.D., V.P. Lance, A. Kumar and J. Marra. "Consequences of Long-term Changes in Density Stratification in the Surface Ocean on Physical, Biogeochemical and Ecosystem Processes." (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Conference Presentation) 2010
"Food From the Ocean: The Changing Seascape." Nature Ecology and Society Symposium. CUNY Graduate Center. March 6. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2009
Liu, Ying, Zhongqi Cheng, Brett Branco and John Marra. "Phosphorus Dynamics in Prospect Park Ponds, New York City." American Society of Limnology and Oceanography. Santa Fe, N.M., June. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Conference Presentation) 2009
Marra, J., E. Capuzzo, V. Lance, V. Montecino and R.D. Vaillancourt. "Phytoplankton Respiration: Some New Measurements Based on C-14." (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Conference Presentation) 2009
"Net or Gross: Weighing in With 14C." Group for Aquatic Productivity. Eilat, Israel, March 30-April 10. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2008
Marra, John, Kimberly Hyde and John E. O'Reilly. "A New Algorithim for Calculating Productivity from Ocean-color-derived Chlorophyll-a 2. A Test of Predictability for In Situ Chlorophyll-a and Primary Productivity." (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Conference Presentation) 2008
"When Will We Tame the Ocean?" California and the World Ocean 2006. Long Beach, Calif., Sept. 17-20. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2006
SIBER, A Workshop on Sustained Indian Ocean Biogeochemical and Ecological Research. Goa, India, October. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2006
Professional Leadership
Member, Executive Council, Science and Resilience Institute at Jamaica Bay. (Professional Leadership: Organizational Leadership Position) 2013
Member, Organizing Committee, 45th Liege Colloquium on Ocean Dynamics, Liege. Belgium, May 13-17. (Professional Leadership: Organizational Leadership Position) 2013
Member, Science Organizing Committee for the 45th Annual Liege Colloquium on Ocean Dynamics, Liege, Belgium. (Professional Leadership: Committee Service) 2012
Associate editor, e-Lectures (Fundamental Oceanography) for the American Society of Limnology and Oceanography. (Professional Leadership: Organizational Leadership Position) 2010
Member, Web Lecture Committee, American Society of Limnology and Oceanography. (Professional Leadership: Committee Service) 2009
Brooklyn College representative, New York Marine Sciences Consortium. (Professional Leadership: Committee Service) 2008
Co-chairman, "Marine Aquaculture: What Are the Burning Environmental Issues and Solutions," special session of the Ocean Sciences Meeting. Orlando, Fla., March 2-8, 2008. (Professional Leadership: Organizational Leadership Position) 2008
Co-chairman, Phytoplankton Group, Group for Aquatic Productivity, Eilat, Israel, March 30-April 10. (Professional Leadership: Organizational Leadership Position) 2008
Member, Program Committee, New York Marine Sciences Consortium. (Professional Leadership: Committee Service) 2008
Associate editor, Deep-Sea Research I. (Professional Leadership: Public Service) 2007
Chairman, Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Protection Working Group 36: Ecosystem Aspects of Offshore Mariculture. Sponsored by the Food and Agricultural Organization, United Nations. (Professional Leadership: Organizational Leadership Position) 2007
Community Activities
Special Session Organizer for the conference of the Associated Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography, Victoria, BC, Canada, 11-15 June, for a session entitled "SUSTAINABLE AQUACULTURE: ISSUES, TOOLS, AND TRENDS." 2018
Participant, Indian Ocean Workshop, held at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, 11-13 September. 2017
Participant, International Ocean Color Symposium, Lisbon, Portugal, 15-18 May. 2017
Participation by U.S. scientists in the 45th International Liege Colloquium on Ocean Dynamics (12 Topical Workshops, Symposia, Conferences: 12-TWSC12-0023). NASA. 2013
Other Professional Activities
Section Editor, "Plankton & Nekton" for the Encyclopedia of Ocean Sciences, 3rd Edition, published by Elsevier. 2017
Co-chair, Understanding Biogeochemical and Ecosystem Responses to Natural and Human-induced Interactions, Drivers and Pressures to Coastal Regions Session, Ocean Sciences Meeting, Feb. 23-28. 2014
Attended the Global Biogeochemical Fluxes Workshop for the Ocean Observatory Initiative, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, May 23-25. 2011
