Claire Mahaffey

Papers

Total Citations

H-Index

About

Claire Mahaffey is a marine biogeochemist whose research centers on understanding oxygen dynamics, nutrient cycling, and carbon fluxes in shelf seas—critical yet understudied coastal regions. Her major contributions include advancing the quantification of respiration rates in these dynamic environments, which is essential for predicting ocean deoxygenation and its impacts on marine ecosystems. Her most-cited work, "The Three Rs: Resolving Respiration Robotically in Shelf Seas" (2022, 9 citations), exemplifies her innovative approach: deploying robotic platforms to overcome the challenges of monitoring oxygen variability in temperate shelf seas like the Celtic Sea. This work directly addresses how physical and biological processes interact to shape oxygen budgets, with implications for fisheries management and climate modeling. Mahaffey’s research has been instrumental in linking small-scale biogeochemical processes to broader ocean health, earning her recognition as a leader in shelf sea biogeochemistry. Her findings not only illuminate the mechanisms driving productivity and deoxygenation but also provide actionable insights for policymakers tackling marine hypoxia. For students and researchers, her work demonstrates how cutting-edge technology can resolve long-standing questions in oceanography.