Abby's research is focused on the carbon flux and productivity of eelgrass meadows in San Diego Bay.  Previous studies have shown that eelgrass meadows have high levels of productivity and may be a carbon sink, drawing more carbon dioxide out of the water column than they release.  However this may not be the case for Southern California due to high surface water temperatures and low biomass.  Abby used benthic incubation chambers and took water samples to collect data on changes in dissolved inorganic carbon and dissolved oxygen due to eelgrass community metabolism over a 24-hour period.  Deployments occurred monthly over the course of a year to observe changes due to seasonal variation.
Email: abigail.ryder@energy.ca.gov