Oceanography, carbon cycle, ocean CO2 uptake, ocean acidification, marine biogeochemical cycles, polar science, Surface Ocean CO2 Atlas (SOCAT)

Video: Surface Ocean CO2 Atlas (SOCAT)

After an MSc in Soil Science with a focus on biogeochemical cycles (1991), I moved into oceanography for PhD research on air-sea exchange of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the Atlantic and Southern Oceans. The oceans cover two-thirds of our Blue Planet and major findings are still being made. The multidisciplinary, seagoing fieldwork is a fun aspect of oceanography. Central in my research are processes affecting the air-sea transfer of the greenhouse gas CO2 and the marine carbon cycle in a changing climate, notably the role of marine biota, ocean circulation, stratification, iron supply, sea ice and ocean acidification.

The annual mean growth rate of atmospheric CO2 was 3.77 ppm (µmol / mol) in 2024, a record high increase (Lan et al., 2025). As the ocean takes up a quarter of the CO2 emissions from human activity, quantification of this ocean uptake, now and in the future, is paramount.

Data quality and access to marine biogeochemical data are important, especially for studies of longterm variation and change. I contribute to these aims as chair of the Surface Ocean CO2 Atlas (SOCAT), a high-profile synthesis activity by the international marine carbon research community. SOCAT version 2025 has 50 million surface ocean CO2 values from the global ocean and coastal seas collected between 1957 and 2024. The annual SOCAT updates contribute to the Global Carbon Budget and to UN Sustainable Development Goal 14.3.1 (Ocean Acidification). SOCAT is key for quantification of ocean CO2 uptake and ocean acidification, providing vital information for climate policy, for example for the United Nations Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

In addition, I participate in implementing WMO's Global Greenhouse Gas Watch (G3W) program in various roles.

Currently I am investigating carbon cycling in UK shelf seas and the Southern and Arctic Oceans. I am part of the TRICUSO, MaSCOt, CHALKY, PICCOLO, and GreenFeedBack research projects. Past research projects include CUSTARD, MOSAiC, and COMFORT and CarboChange. I have participated in 21 multidisciplinary, mostly seagoing research projects, am an author of 111 peer-reviewed articles and 5 book chapters and supervise 3 researchers and 3 PhD students. 

• 2024-        :    University of East Anglia, Professor
• 2018-2024:    University of East Anglia, Associate Professor
• 2016-2018:    University of East Anglia, Senior Lecturer
• 2006-2016:    University of East Anglia, Research Officer
• 1998-2005:    University of East Anglia, Senior Research Associate
• 1998         :    PhD awarded by the University of Groningen
• 1996-1998:    Universite Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris, Research Associate
• 1991-1996:    Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, PhD research
• 1985-1991:    Wageningen Agricultural University, The Netherlands, MSc Soil Science 

Special Award

• 2015: Recognition for my contribution to the Surface Ocean CO2 Atlas (SOCAT) by the Surface Ocean Lower Atmosphere Study (SOLAS).

PhD Opportunities

Email me (d.bakker at uea.ac.uk) to discuss PhD projects on the ocean carbon cycle and sources of funding.

Click here for other PhD opportunities in the School of Environmental Sciences.

Air-sea interactions of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2). The marine carbon cycle and its feedbacks with other biogeochemical cycles and climate. Seasonal, year-to-year and decadal variation in the ocean carbon sink and the processes driving this variation. The impacts of seasonal sea-ice in CO2 air-sea transfer.  The key role of iron in the Southern Ocean carbon cycle. The effects of ocean acidifcation on marine biota. Time series. The ocean carbon value chain. Storage and access to marine biogeochemical data. Surface Ocean CO2 Atlas (SOCAT)

Publications: EPrints Digital Repository

• Director for Postgraduate Research, School of Environmental Sciences
• Adviser, School of Environmental Sciences
• Module Organiser, ENV-4010B Earth Systems
• First Aider at Work

Since 2018 I am a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

I teach on:

ENV-4004Y Research and Field Skills (Slapton Field Course)

ENV-4010B Earth Systems (Module Organiser)

ENV-5020K Marine Sciences Field Course