Marie Zahn
External Associate – Climate Change Institute
Polar Marine Ecologist – NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Bio: Dr. Marie Zahn is a polar marine ecologist at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. She specializes in using passive acoustics and oceanography to study Arctic marine mammals and how they’re responding to ecosystem shifts due to climate change. By recording vocalizations of marine mammals (i.e., passive acoustics), she studies marine mammal distribution and behavior. Marie holds a B.A. in Environmental Biology from Columbia University and a Ph.D. in Aquatic and Fishery Sciences from the University of Washington. Her Ph.D. research focused on beluga and narwhal echolocation in West Greenland, and her current work involves using a pan-Arctic high-resolution ocean models to study sea ice dynamics and physical oceanography in the Arctic. Prior to her formal education, she worked in remote regions of Alaska and Antarctica for several years studying phytoplankton, microbes, and Pacific salmon. It was through these experiences that inspired her to pursue a career in marine biology, focusing on the polar regions most impacted by climate change.
Research Area: Arctic marine ecology and oceanography, marine mammal bioacoustics, ocean modeling
Zahn, Marie CV – 2024
https://www.mariezahn.com/