(She/Her)
Ph.D. Graduate Student
Degree Major: Ocean, Earth, and Atmospheric Sciences
Major Professor/Advisor(s): Kim Bernard
Burt 248
steinkki@oregonstate.edu
Website: Kirsten Steinke
Vita

I am a PhD student in Dr. Kim Bernard’s zooplankton ecology lab in the College of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences at Oregon State University. My graduate research focuses on the response of marine zooplankton, primarily Antarctic and Northern California Current (NCC) krill, to perturbations in their environment. I am interested in how natural and anthropogenic forcings affect the survival and reproduction of euphausiid species and how the population dynamics of euphausiids affect the overall functioning of coastal ecosystems.

Krill are a vital component of most coastal marine ecosystems. A wide range of higher trophic level organisms including fish, seabirds, and whales depend on krill as their primary food source. Understanding the resiliency of krill in coastal ecosystems is important if we are to understand the resiliency of the ecosystem as a whole.