Dr Sophy Oliver
Biography
I am a marine biogeochemical modeller, and my research interests include:
- Global ocean biogeochemical modelling
- Biogeochemical parameter optimization
- The ocean biological carbon pump
- Deep sea benthic ecology and response to anthropogenic disturbance (e.g. deep-sea mining)
- The variability and projections of the North Atlantic subpolar gyre and North Atlantic Bloom
- Efficient coupling of biogeochemical tracers to physical circulation via the Transport Matrix Method (Khatiwala et al., 2005)
Projects
https://noc.ac.uk/projects/custard
https://noc.ac.uk/projects/comics
https://noc.ac.uk/projects/gocart
https://noc.ac.uk/projects/class
https://noc.ac.uk/projects/smartex
Roles Provided
2022- present | National Oceanography Centre | Modeller – Marine Biogeochemistry
2017-22 | University of Oxford | Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP) in Environmental Research
2015-17 | Fugro GB Marine Limited | Project Oceanographer
PhD publication
Oliver, S., Cartis, C., Kriest, I., Tett, S.F.B. and Khatiwala, S., 2022. A derivative-free optimisation method for global ocean biogeochemical models. Geoscientific Model Development, 15(9), pp.3537-3554. https://gmd.copernicus.org/articles/15/3537/2022/
Publications
Jacobs, Zoe 
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7348-0699; Smith, Kathryn E.; Kajtar, Jules B.; Smale, Dan A.; Moore, Pippa J.; Stephenson, Fabrice; Burrows, Michael T.; Rowland, Caroline; Renshaw, Richard; Oliver, Sophy; Jakins-Pollard, Martyn; Palmer, Freya Ivy; Kloker, Alice; Baker-Austin, Craig; Townhill, Bryony; Rees, Sian; Coulthard, Sarah; Popova, Ekaterina ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2012-708X.
2026
40 priority questions to advance understanding of the risks and opportunities of UK marine heatwaves.
npj Ocean Sustainability, 5 (1).
10.1038/s44183-025-00171-0
2026
Article
Oliver, Sophy ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7217-1755; Yool, Andrew ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9879-2776; Henson, Stephanie A. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3875-6802; Martin, Adrian P. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1202-8612.
2025
Where and when the mesopelagic carbon budget balances, if at all.
Geophysical Research Letters, 52 (7).
10.1029/2024GL111667
2025
Article
Kelly, Stephen ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8966-5986; Popova, Ekaterina ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2012-708X; Yool, Andrew ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9879-2776; Jebri, Fatma ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7048-0068; Oliver, Sophy ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7217-1755; Srokosz, Meric ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7347-7411.
2025
Abrupt changes in the timing and magnitude of the North Atlantic bloom over the 21st century.
Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 130 (3).
10.1029/2024JC022284
2025
Article
Birchill, Antony J.; Baker, Chelsey A. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0840-2333; Wyatt, Neil J.; Pabortsava, Katsiaryna ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9808-012X; Venables, Hugh J. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6445-8462; Moore, C. Mark; Turnbull, Isobel; Milne, Angela; Ussher, Simon J.; Oliver, Sophy; Martin, Adrian P. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1202-8612.
2024
Pathways and timescales of Southern Ocean hydrothermal iron and manganese transport.
Communications Earth & Environment, 5, 413.
10, pp.
10.1038/s43247-024-01564-8
2024
Article