Astrid Schnetzer

Research
My research interests focus on the ecology of microbial plankton and zooplankton which comprise numerous taxa and play diverse ecological roles within aquatic ecosystems. They include major primary producers (cyanobacteria, phytoplankton) and consumers (mixotrophic and heterotrophic protists) at the base of the food web. Multicellular zooplankton (copepods, euphausiids) are important consumers of protists (and each other) and in turn preyed upon by shellfish, fish and marine mammals.  The Plankton Ecology Lab addresses how varying natural and anthropogenic processes shape plankton assemblages and how changes in protistan and/or zooplankton community structure impact biogeochemical cycles in coastal and open ocean environments. Current projects focus on NC coastal waters, the Arctic and the Gulf of Mexico.

I also serve as the Director of the NC Center for Coastal Algae, People and Environment, a NSF and NIEHS-funded Ocean Human Health Center that combines 9 Principal Investigators across 5 NC State colleges with multidisciplinary expertise in ocean and climate science, toxicology, epidemiology, modeling, and community engagement to understand, predict, and reduce risks to human health from cyanobacterial Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) in coastal waters.

Teaching
I currently teach undergraduate and graduate classes in Biological Oceanography (MEA449/549), Introduction to Coastal Environments Laboratory (MEA251) and am one of several instructors for the MEAS’ summer course on Field-Investigations of Coastal Processes (MEA459).