DEEP-C

ExoCean is an Oceanography Laboratory that brings together a team of early-career scientists with complementary expertise, united by the shared goal of better understanding the ocean’s role in the global carbon cycle. Their work combines innovation, curiosity, and a collaborative spirit to develop new tools and insights into climate systems.

Together, the team is developing a shared research framework around the oceanic carbonate system—one that connects surface ecosystems, sedimentary records, and deep-sea feedbacks.

At the center of the project are three researchers whose approaches bridge biology, geochemistry, and sedimentary processes:

Thomas Chalk, ERC awardee and lead of the ForCry project, developing laser ablation techniques for sample analysis with “ice pucks”, which are a novel way to hold samples in place during analysis without external contamination. His goal is to reconstruct past ocean pH and CO₂ at high spatial and temporal scales.

Julie Meilland, a pioneer in planktonic foraminifera reproduction and in vitro culture. Her work—ranging from cultured experiments to field-based studies—helps clarify the living conditions and carbon export role of these key calcifying organisms, contributing essential knowledge on the biological carbon pump.

Olivier Sulpis, ERC grantee behind the Deep-C project, explores deep-sea carbonate dissolution under high pressure, unveiling how marine sediments act as a long-term CO₂ sink and contribute to Earth’s climate regulation.

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