Zelin Chen
-
Email
zelin.chen@essex.ac.uk -
Location
Colchester Campus
Profile
- marine benthic biodiversity; community change; food web structure
Biography
My PhD research focuses on anthropogenic stressors in the North Sea and their impacts on the marine food webs. Working with Cefas and FuECoMMS scientists, I investigate the influences of offshore oil and gas exploitation at the marine artificial structures on benthic community dynamics and trophic topology.
Qualifications
-
Analytics and Data Science Analytics & Data Science Summer School, University of Essex (2022)
Research and professional activities
Research interests
Impacts of offshore oil and gas infrastructure on marine benthic biodiversity and food web structure
North Sea has been a major hydrocarbon production province for decades. Offshore oil and gas exploitation introduces toxic contaminants such as hydrocarbons and heavy metals to the surrounding sediment, resulting in deleterious impacts on marine benthic communities. Using long-term industry compiled benthic monitoring surveys with dietary information, we analyzed over 1,400 taxa to investigate the effects of oil and gas platforms on the biodiversity and trophic structure.
