Sophie C. LETERME

biography

Sophie received a Master in Biological Oceanography in 2003 at l\'Universite Pierre & Marie Curie - Paris VI, France and a PhD in Marine Biology in 2006 from the University of Plymouth, UK. She then did 2 years of post-doctoral work at Flinders University working on the ecology of the Coorong wetlands and focusing on the adaptation of diatoms to salinity fluctuations. She stayed at Flinders afterwards and took a position of Lecturer in Biological Oceanography in 2008. Since 2009, Sophie is also the deputy node leader of SA-IMOS which is the South Australian Node of IMOS (Integrated Marine Observing System).
Her current research focuses on the dynamic of plankton communities in various ecosystems. In particular, her work includes different aspects of the effect of environmental changes on plankton biology and ecology, with a special focus on diatoms. She also works on the environmental impacts of desalination plants and on biofouling issues within desalination systems.

 

Area of Interest

Current research focuses on the dynamic of plankton communities in various ecosystems such as coastal waters, continental shelf, upwelling zones and estuaries.

Her work includes different aspects of the effect of environmental changes on plankton biology and ecology, with a special focus on diatoms and copepods.

She also works on the environmental impacts of desalination plants as well as on biofouling issues within desalination systems, focusing on bacteria, picoplankton and phytoplankton.


top publication

1. Leterme S.C., Jendyk J., Hemraj D. & Newton K. Drought conditions and recovery in the Coorong wetland, South Australia in 1997-2013. Estuarine, Coastal & Shelf Science (submitted)
2. Balzano S., Ellis A.V., Le Lan C. & Leterme S.C. Microbial communities in the coastal waters of Kangaroo Island, South Australia. Oceanologia (submitted)
3. Jendyk J., Hemraj D., Ellis A.V. Brown M.H. & Leterme S.C. Environmental variability and phytoplankton dynamics in a South Australian inverse estuary. Continental Shelf Research (submitted)
4. Balzano S., Le Lan C., Ellis A.V., Jamieson T., Compas H., Newton K., Brown M.H. & Leterme S.C. The role of pre-treatment systems in reducing microbial communities and organic matter in a desalination plant. Desalination and water treatment (submitted)
5. Leterme S.C., Jendyk J., Ellis A.V., Brown M.H. & Kildea T. (2014) Annual phytoplankton dynamics in the Gulf Saint Vincent, South Australia in 2011. Oceanologia (accepted) [WoS Rank of Impact Factor (Marine & Freshwater biology, Oceanography) 78/141; IF 1.24]
6. Bruce K.L., Ellis A.V., Leterme S.C., Khodakov D.A., Lenehan C.E. (2013) Detection of harmful algal bloom causing microalgae using covalently immobilised capture oligonucleotide probes on glass and poly (dimethylsiloxane) surfaces. Proceedings of ‘SPIE Micro+ Nano Materials, Devices, and Applications’. International Society for Optics and Photonics 89235B-89235B-10.
7. La Vars S., Johnston M., Gascooke J., Hayles J., Brown M.H., Leterme S.C. & Ellis A.V. (2013) 29Si{1H} CP-MAS NMR comparison and FTIR-ATR spectroscopic analysis of the diatoms Chaetoceros muelleri and Thalassiosira pseudonana grown at different salinities. Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry 405(10): 3359-3365. DOI: 10.1007/s00216-013-6746-z. [WoS Rank of Impact Factor (Analytical Chemistry) 5/73; IF 3.84; cites: WoS 0, Googlescholar 0]
8. Leterme S.C., Prime E.A., Mitchell J., Brown M.H. & Ellis A.V. (2013) The adaptability of diatoms to environmental changes: a case study on two Cocconeis species from hypersaline areas. Diatom Research 28(1): 29-35. DOI:10.1080/0269249X.2012.734530 [WoS Rank of Impact Factor (Marine & Freshwater biology, Oceanography) 108/141; IF 0.66; cites: WoS 0, Googlescholar 0]
9. Jeffries T., Seymour J., Gilbert J., Dinsdale E., Newton K., Leterme S.C., Roudnew B., Smith R., Seuront L. & Mitchell J.G. (2011) Environmental history defines microbial communities in spatially close, but physically disparate environments. PLoS ONE 6(9): e25173. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0025173 [IF 4.35; cites: WoS 1, Googlescholar 2]
10. Pollet T., Schapira M., Buscot M.-J., Leterme S.C., Mitchell J.G. & Seuront L. (2010) Aminopeptidase activity of heterotrophic bacteria along a natural salinity gradient in a hypersaline coastal lagoon. Saline Systems 6: 5. [IF 2.28, cites: WoS 0, Googlescholar 1]
11. Seuront L., Leterme S.C., Seymour J., Mitchell J.G., Ashcroft D., Noble W., Thomson P., Davidson A., van den Enden R., Wright S.W., Schapira M., Chapperon C. & Cribb N. (2010) Role of microbial and phytoplanktonic communities in the control of seawater viscosity off West Antarctica (30-80° E). Deep-Sea Research II 57: 877-886. [WoS Rank of Impact Factor (Marine & Freshwater biology, Oceanography) 27/141; IF 1.41; cites: WoS 3, Googlescholar 2]
12. Leterme S.C., Ellis A.V., Mitchell J., Buscot M.J., Pollet T., Schapira M. & Seuront L. (2010) Morphological flexibility of Cocconeis placentula (Bacillariophyceae) nanostructure to changing salinity levels. Journal of Phycology 46: 715-719. [WoS Rank of Impact Factor (Marine & Freshwater biology, Oceanography) 41/141; IF 2.81; cites: WoS 2, Googlescholar 3]
13. Schapira M., Buscot M.-J., Pollet T., Leterme S.C. & Seuront L. (2010) Distribution of picophytoplankton communities from brackish to hypersaline waters in a South Australian coastal lagoon. Saline Systems 6: 2. [IF 2.28, cites: WoS 0, Googlescholar 5]
14. Seuront L., Leterme S.C., Middleton J., Byrne S., James C., Luick J., Nedoncelle K., Paterson J., Teixeira C. & van Dongen-Vogels V. (2010) Biophysical couplings in South Australian shelf waters under conditions of summer upwelling and winter downwelling: Results from the Southern Australian Integrated Marine Observing System (SAIMOS). In: Hall, J., Harrison D.E. & Stammer, D., (Eds.), Proceedings of the \"OceanObs’09: Sustained Ocean Observations and Information for Society\" Conference, Venice, Italy, 21-25 September 2009, ESA Publication WPP-306.
15. Schapira M., Buscot M.J., Leterme S.C., Pollet T., Chapperon C. & Seuront L. (2009) Distribution of microbial communities along a salinity gradient in a hypersaline coastal lagoon. Aquatic Microbial Ecology 54:171-183. [WoS Rank of Impact Factor (Marine & Freshwater biology, Oceanography) 24/141; IF 2.19; cites: WoS 7, Googlescholar 9]
16. Kesaulya I., Leterme S.C., Mitchell J.G. & Seuront L. (2008) The impact of Phaeocystis globosa derived-foam formation on Chlorophyll concentration and seawater viscosity in the inshore and offshore waters of the Eastern English Channel. Oceanologia 50(2): 167-182. [WoS Rank of Impact Factor (Marine & Freshwater biology, Oceanography) 78/141; IF 1.24; cites: WoS 4, Googlescholar 5]
17. Leterme S.C., Pingree R.D., Skogen M.D, Seuront L., Reid P.C. & Attrill M.J. (2008) Decadal fluctuations in North Atlantic water inflow in the North Sea between 1958-2003: impacts on temperature and phytoplankton populations. Oceanologia 50(1): 59-72. [WoS Rank of Impact Factor (Marine & Freshwater biology, Oceanography) 78/141; IF 1.24; cites: WoS 2, Googlescholar 5]
18. Leterme S.C. & Pingree R.D. (2008) The Gulf Stream, Rings and North Atlantic Eddy structure from remote sensing (Altimeter and SeaWiFS). Journal of Marine Systems 69(3-4): 177-190; 10.1016/j.jmarsys.2005.11.022. [WoS Rank of Impact Factor (Marine & Freshwater biology, Oceanography) 36/141; IF 2.26; cites: WoS 4, Googlescholar 5]
19. Seuront L. & Leterme S.C. (2007) Increase in zooplankton behavioral stress in response to short-term exposure to hydrocarbon contamination. The Open Oceanography Journal 1: 1-7.
20. Leterme S.C. & Pingree R.D. (2007) Structure of phytoplankton (Continuous Plankton Recorder and SeaWiFS) and impact of climate in the Northwest Atlantic Shelves. Ocean Science 3: 105-116. [WoS Rank of Impact Factor (Marine & Freshwater biology, Oceanography) 26/141; IF 2.29; cites: WoS 2, Googlescholar 0]
21. Gieskes W.W.C., Leterme S.C., Peletier H., Edwards M. & Reid P.C. (2007) Annual variation of Phaeocystis colonies Atlantic-wide since 1948, and influence of Atlantic Ocean water in the eutrophic “hotspot” North Sea. Biochemistry 83(1-3): 49-60; 10.1007/s10533-007-9082-6. [IF 2.96, cites: WoS 14, Googlescholar 18]
22. Leterme S.C., Seuront L. & Edwards M. (2006) Differential contribution of diatoms and dinoflagellates to phytoplankton biomass in the NE Atlantic and the North Sea. Marine Ecology Progress Series 312: 57-65. [WoS Rank of Impact Factor (Marine & Freshwater biology, Oceanography) 17/141; IF 2.63; cites: WoS 15, Googlescholar 18]
23. Edwards M., Johns D.G., Leterme S.C., Svendsen E. & Richardson A.J. (2006) Regional climate change and meso-scale Harmful Algal Bloom ‘hotspots’ in the northeast Atlantic. Limnology & Oceanography 51(2): 820-829. [WoS Rank of Impact Factor (Marine & Freshwater biology, Oceanography) 6/141; IF 3.66; cites: WoS 54, Googlescholar 88]
24. Leterme S.C. & Pingree R.D. (2006) Structure of phytoplankton (Continuous Plankton Recorder and SeaWiFS) and impact of climate in the Northwest Atlantic Shelves. Ocean Science Discussion 3: 1871-1900. [IF 0, cites: WoS 0, Googlescholar 2]
25. Leterme S.C., Pingree R.D. & Attrill M.J. (2006) Decadal Fluctuations of Phytoplankton Biomass, Diatoms and Dinoflagellates in the North Sea Between 1958-2003: Relation with Physical and Hydrological Parameters. EOS, Transactions, American Geophysical Union 87 (36)