The diverse nature of the British Columbia coast, with its many inlets, offers an excellent place for this research. I firmly believe that an oceanographer must carry out work at sea. For this reason my students spend some time at sea even if they are involved in a laboratory project. The occurrence of a reproducing population of zooplankton is a result of dispersal combined with satisfactory water properties, food conditions, predator numbers, and successful reproduction.
Dispersal occurs because plankton are transported by movement of the water in which they live.
Seasonal changes in the abundance of organisms, in the nature of the water movement and in the depth at which organisms are found make an examination of plankton transport and dispersal challenging. An adequate understanding of the physics of the problem is essential in order to explain the biology. This requires that students work closely with physical oceanographers. Applications of this type of study derive from an understanding of what happens to plankton as a result of physical processes occurring in the water column. These applications include the availability of plankton as food for fish and shellfish as well as the transport of plankton and water in areas receiving industrial effluent.