David McKee

Roles: Special Guest

David McKee is a physicist specialising in measurement and modelling of light in the ocean. His work extends from single cell analyses to monitoring ocean basins from ocean colour remote sensing. His work in the Arctic involves try to establish the impact of retreating sea-ice and snow on light availability for photosynthesis and impacts on zooplankton behaviour. He is also researching the impact of artificial light at night (e.g. from ships) on animal survey results and the potential impact of zooplankton swarms on ocean colour observations. The Arctic presents one of the most challenging environments on Earth to conduct this type of research, with the long dark polar night being the ultimate challenge. He is currently developing new sensors and techniques to extend the range of observations further into the darkness so we can better understand how life in the polar ocean responds to the tiniest optical signals.