DAUPHIN ISLAND, ALABAMA — My research program is broadly aimed at processes that influence the production and distribution of coastal marine plankton. The principal area of research that I am involved with is the ecology and biology of gelatinous zooplankton. I have recnetly been researching the impact of the Deep Water Horizon oil spill on plankton in the Gulf of Mexico. Current research activities in this area are all related to the potential response of gelatinous zooplankton predators to short-term (i.e., seasons) and long-term (i.e., years) changes in nutrient inputs from adjacent watersheds.  A third area of research interest is ecosystem-level linkage between estuaries and the coastal ocean. Specifically, I am interested in the role that estuarine zooplankton play in controlling the exchange of nutrients and energy between estuaries and the continental shelf.