Quantitative marine ecologist and SWOT Data Officer.
Lloyd Izard completed its bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Biological Oceanography and Marine Ecology at Aix-Marseille University (Marseille). Subsequently, he earned Ph.D. at Sorbonne University (Paris) in December 2023, in which he focused on the spatial structuring and variability of mesopelagic ecosystems in the Southern Indian Ocean. Throughout his academic journey and early career, he conducted research at the Institut Méditerranéen d’Océanologie (MIO, Marseille) and the Laboratoire d’Océanographie et du Climat : Expérimentations et Approche Numérique (LOCEAN, Paris).
SWOT AdAC: What is your field of research and how did you choose it?
Lloyd Izard: During my Ph.D., my research focused on studying the distribution of marine organisms from the ocean surface down to a depth of 1000 m, covering the twilight zone—an enigmatic and ‘unknown’ layer of the ocean that potentially harbors the largest biomass of organisms in the global ocean. To detect these organisms, I analyzed active acoustic data collected from hull-mounted echo-sounders in the Southern Indian Ocean. One could describe my research field as Quantitative Marine Ecology! I “chose it” during my studies when I realized that descriptive statistics could effectively explain complex spatiotemporal patterns observed in the ocean!
SWOT AdAC: How is your research related to SWOT and what excites you about SWOT?
LI: Research has revealed that fine-scale structures influence the distribution of mid-trophic level organisms, as seen in observations of increased fish concentration at fine scales in the open ocean. With active acoustics providing high horizontal and vertical sampling resolution of these systems, the integration with SWOT will allow us to explore this phenomenon in greater detail than ever before. I am truly excited about the future advancements in our understanding of the coupling between biology and physics, and how it reverberates along the trophic chain.
SWOT AdAC: Have you participated in a SWOT AdAC campaign?
LI: During the SWOT fast sampling phase, I was finalizing my Ph.D. and could not participate in a campaign. However, during my Master’s internship, I studied phytoplankton dynamics in contrasting water masses using data from the PROTEVS-SWOT cruise, which preceded the BioSWOT-Med cruise.
SWOT AdAC: You are the new SWOT AdAC data officer. What will be your responsibilities and how are you going to help SWOT AdAC Consortium members develop their research on fine scales?
LI: My responsibilities will include compiling information on the in situ data collected during the SWOT AdAC cruises, assisting with technical work for validating SWOT with in situ observations and proposing synergies in research topics. I have already participated in meetings related to the BioSWOT-Med and FaSt-SWOT cruises and will soon be reaching out to the rest of the cruises to gain an overview of collected, analyzed, and available data for the community.
