Maurice Levasseur

Maurice Levasseur obtained his BA in Biology and MSc in Marine Biology from Laval University before earning a PhD in Oceanography from the University of British Columbia in 1990. He started as a research scientist and became Head of the Primary Production Section at the Maurice Lamontagne Institute of Fisheries and Oceans Canada in Mont-Joli, Quebec, working on toxic algae and on the biological production of gases that play an active role in determining climate, such as dimethylsulfide. In 2002, he moved to Laval University where he holds the Canada Research Chair in Plankton-Climate Interactions, and leads the strategic network Québec-Océan. Levasseur led the Canadian Surface Ocean - Lower Atmosphere Study Network (C-SOLAS), which ran from
2001 to 2006, and he was active on a number of SOLAS research initiatives. He currently leads the Canadian Arctic SOLAS program, which is a study of the impact of global warming on sea-ice-air trace gas exchanges and climate in the Canadian Arctic. As well, he is working on a new joint program with China on the impact of Asian dust on the North Pacific Ecosystem.