We are delighted to announce that the jury of the Académie des Sciences has nominated the 7th winner of the Prize: Sophie Bonnet, Director of Research at the IRD's Mediterranean Institute of Oceanology in Marseille.
Here is a short summary of his work:
"Sophie Bonnet is an oceanography researcher at the IRD. Her research theme is ocean biogeochemistry, and more specifically the role of nitrogen in the biological carbon pump and its consequences for the oceanic carbon sink, the anthropogenic carbon cycle and climate. As pointed out in Sophie Bonnet's scientific project, the ocean currently absorbs around 30% of the carbon emitted annually into the atmosphere by human activities, thereby limiting anthropogenic global warming. Most of the carbon absorbed by the ocean is dissolved by CO2 at the air-sea interface, but a significant proportion is absorbed by phytoplankton micro-algae via photosynthesis (biological pump), and after a series of transformations within the trophic chain is sequestered deep in the ocean. The efficiency of the biological pump depends on the presence of nutrients in the surface ocean, particularly nitrogen. The aim of Sophie Bonnet's work is to shed new light on the processes that enable atmospheric nitrogen to be fixed in the productive layer of the ocean, thereby ensuring the nutrition of certain components of phytoplankton.... Thanks to measurements taken during 4 oceanographic campaigns, she has shown that the hitherto little studied region of the South-West Pacific is a global 'hot-spot' for nitrogen fixation.
The Grand Prix Christian Le Provost will be officially awarded to Frédéric Ménard, Director of the IRD's Oceans Department, in place of Sophie Bonnet (who is embarking on the Tonga campaign in the South Pacific) at the formal ceremony to be held under the dome of the Institut de France on Tuesday 15 October from 3pm to 5.30pm (Académie des Sciences - 23, quai Conti - 75006 Paris).
The "Christian Le Provost, Oceanographer" prize, created in 2009, is designed to promote research into all aspects of ocean dynamics, including applications to climate, marine ecosystems and the exploitation of mineral, living and energy resources in coastal and offshore systems, as well as process, experimental and modelling studies. Its aim is to reward a young researcher whose work has made a significant contribution to the development of knowledge or applications. In 2011, the Grand Prix de l'Académie des Sciences was extended to include marine biology.
All the staff at the MIO warmly congratulate Sophie on winning this prestigious prize in oceanography.