About Aron Stubbins
I grew up in Wales and received my PhD in Marine Biogeochemistry from Newcastle University (Newcastle, England). After that I did a postdoc at Old Dominion University (Norfolk, VA) before becoming a professor at Skidaway Institute of Oceanography (UGA, Savannah, GA). Finally I moved to Northeastern in 2018. I study the natural carbon cycle, how humans are altering it, and plastics in the environment. I see plastics as a novel component of the carbon cycle as well as potential pollutants.
Institutes, Labs & Research Centers
Stubbins Lab
Marine and Environmental Sciences
Biochemistry
Chemistry and Chemical Biology
Aron Stubbins’s research focuses on environmental chemistry, geochemistry, the carbon cycle, freshwater, coastal and ocean biogeochemistry, feedbacks between natural biogeochemical cycles and climate change, permafrost, black carbon, and aquatic microplastics
Faculty
Publications:
-
Google ScholarRead
Aron Stubbins in the news
November 20, 2024
Northeastern delegation heads to South Korea for pivotal UN plastic pollution treaty talks
The delegation that will attend the negotiations includes Maria Ivanova, Aaron Stubbins and six graduate students from the university.
Read More
May 16, 2024
What is ‘marine snow’? And how do microplastics slow the rate at which carbon is pulled from the sea surface to the depths?
It turns out plastics in the ocean do more than suffocate turtles, fish and other marine life. A new study co-authored by Northeastern researcher Aron Stubbins shows that microplastics may reduce the ability of the ocean to help offset the climate crisis by slowing down the rate at which carbon is taken from the sea […]
Read More
December 5, 2023
What happens when sunlight breaks down plastics in the ocean? Potentially harmful chemical byproducts are left behind, research finds
Northeastern researchers found in 2021 that an estimated 4 million to 10 million tons of plastic carbon enter the ocean each year.
Read More
April 24, 2023
Building a more Environmentally Conscious Community
Earth Day, celebrated on April 22nd, is dedicated to sharing resources and information to promote environmental awareness.
Read More
April 28, 2022
Celebrating our COS 2023 TIER1 Awardees
11 are faculty members of the College of Science are 2023 TIER1 Awardees. The TIER 1 Seed Grant/Proof of Concept Program awards are supported by the colleges and the Senior Vice Provost for Research.
Read More
April 25, 2022
Microplastics are everywhere, but their dangers largely remain a mystery, experts say
The abundance of microplastics found nearly anywhere around us has been a pressing issue for quite some time, but why? Sam Munoz and Aron Stubbins discuss the mystery of their effects.
Read More
April 20, 2022
Cross-COS Colloquium: Plastics and their fate in the environment
Aron Stubbins, professor of marine and environmental sciences, discusses plastics and their fate in the environment.
Read More
February 17, 2022
Following the trail of blue carbon in a Georgia salt marsh
Examining the rate of dissolved organic carbon outwelling in a salt marsh – the amount and speed carbon is moving out of the system – is important for understanding the extent and impact this outwelling has on broader coastal carbon cycles. A recent paper by Christina Codden and Aron Stubbins of Northeastern’s Stubbins Lab tackles this question, looking at this carbon outwelling patterns at Groves Creek in Georgia.
Read More
November 12, 2021
College of Science Connects: The Plastics Problem
Hear from Professor Aron Stubbins and students to discuss the interactions between humans and the environment. Explore the global cycle of plastics, the processes that breakdown plastics in the environment, and the ecological and human health implications of plastics and their by-products. Discover new innovations that may be instrumental in finding solutions to […]
Read More
September 20, 2021
Is wildfire soot leaving a mark on the world’s oceans?
When clouds of smoke and ash billow out over the ocean, stretching away from the wildfires that are their source, they might not just affect the air quality. Rather, the wildfire soot could leave a chemical mark on the waters below. That’s the idea behind new research by Aron Stubbins, associate professor of marine and […]
Read More
July 8, 2021
Our plastic pollution problem may have more significant consequences than we think
Plastics are everywhere - and that's a problem. New research published in Science finds that plastics may be altering the Earth’s carbon cycle and our ability to monitor it.
Read More
June 25, 2020
Our Drinking Water Was Always Full Of Microbes. Are The Wrong Ones Thriving In The Pandemic?
Zooming in where only a microscope can see, Northeastern researchers are trying to determine how the lifestyle changes caused by COVID-19 might be helping harmful bacteria grow in our drinking water.
Read More
December 2, 2019
The Deep Ocean Is Not on Fire. So What’s All That Soot Doing in There?
Aron Stubbins, an associate professor of marine and environmental sciences at Northeastern, teamed up with a group of researchers who tested the long-established idea that rivers eventually transport black carbon into the ocean.
Read More
August 8, 2019
Nearly Eight Million Tons of Plastic Is Missing from Our Oceans. Where Did It Go?
Professor Aron Stubbins's research into microplastics provides important insight into the whereabouts of almost eight million metric tons of missing plastic.
Read More
March 6, 2018
New interdisciplinary faculty brings expertise and accolades
A new appointee in Northeastern’s Marine and Environmental Sciences (MES) department, Aron Stubbins studies how the carbon cycle plays out in natural aquatic environments – from rivers to lakes to oceans.
Read More