Danny Richter

Danny Richter is a Ph.D Candidate studying marine biogeochemistry at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego. His research is focused on Fe, Zn, Cd, Cu, Al, and P incorporation into marine diatoms, a class of phytoplankton responsible for producing ~20% of the oxygen in the atmosphere. Since diatoms are so abundant in the ocean, understanding how they use these elements (which are either essential for life, toxic, or both) enhances our understanding of nutrient and carbon cycling in the ocean. Diatoms may be an important player in sequestering carbon on glacial-interglacial time scales. Looking at the trace metals locked inside diatom frustules may provide unique insights into their role in this process. His studies have taken him to all 7 continents, and upon graduation he aspires to a career that will enable him to improve climate policy on the federal level. He enjoys backpacking, swing dancing, and is active with the Citizens Climate Lobby. In 2005, Danny received his B.S. in Environmental Geoscience from the University of Notre Dame, and his M.S. in Earth Science from UC San Diego in 2010.