astronomy

Patricia Matrai

Patricia Matrai is a astronomy topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Patricia Matrai rather than just read about it. In short: Patricia Ana Matrai is a marine scientist known for her work on the cycling of sulfur. She is a senior research scientist at Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences.

Key takeaways

Patricia Matrai belongs to astronomy; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Patricia Matrai to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Patricia Matrai from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Patricia Ana Matrai is a marine scientist known for her work on the cycling of sulfur. She is a senior research scientist at Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences.

Education and career Matrai is originally from Chile. Matria has a B.A. from the Universidad de Concepción (1981), an M.S. (1984) and a Ph.D. (1988) from Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the University of California San Diego. Following her Ph.D. she moved to the University of Miami. She became a senior research scientist at Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences in 1995.

Research Matrai is known for her work on marine aerosols, especially those that contain sulfur. She has examined the production of sulfur compounds by coccolithophores, a type of phytoplankton. She has also examined the amount of organic sulfur inside phytoplankton cells and during phytoplankton blooms. Matrai has worked on the impact of declines in sea ice and how primary production is measured in the Arctic. In 2001 she went to the North Pole on an icebreaker where she studied aerosols produced by phytoplankton. She also does work on outreach and mentoring children to introduce them to science

Selected publications Kettle, A. J.; Andreae, M. O.; Amouroux, D.; Andreae, T. W.; Bates, T. S.; Berresheim, H.; Bingemer, H.; Boniforti, R.; Curran, M. A. J.; DiTullio, G. R.; Helas, G.; Jones, G. B.; Keller, M. D.; Kiene, R. P.; Leck, C. (1999). "A global database of sea surface dimethylsulfide (DMS) measurements and a procedure to predict sea surface DMS as a function of latitude, longitude, and month". Global Biogeochemical Cycles. 13 (2): 399–444. Bibcode:1999GBioC..13..399K. doi:10.1029/1999GB900004. hdl:10261/275431. S2CID 131236036. Matrai, Patricia A.; Keller, Maureen D. (1993-08-01). "Dimethylsulfide in a large-scale coccolithophore bloom in the Gulf of Maine". Continental Shelf Research. 13 (8): 831–843. Bibcode:1993CSR....13..831M. doi:10.1016/0278-4343(93)90012-M. ISSN 0278-4343. Matrai, P. A.; Keller, M. D. (1994). "Total organic sulfur and dimethylsulfoniopropionate in marine phytoplankton: intracellular variations". Marine Biology. 119 (1): 61–68. Bibcode:1994MarBi.119...61M. doi:10.1007/BF00350107. ISSN 0025-3162. S2CID 85286768. Codispoti, L. A.; Kelly, V.; Thessen, A.; Matrai, P.; Suttles, S.; Hill, V.; Steele, M.; Light, B. (2013-03-01). "Synthesis of primary production in the Arctic Ocean: III. Nitrate and phosphate based estimates of net community production". Progress in Oceanography. 110: 126–150. Bibcode:2013PrOce.110..126C. doi:10.1016/j.pocean.2012.11.006. ISSN 0079-6611. Matrai, Patricia A.; Vernet, María (1997-10-15). "Dynamics of the vernal bloom in the marginal ice zone of the Barents Sea: Dimethyl sulfide and dimethylsulfoniopropionate budgets". Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans. 102 (C10): 22965–22979. Bibcode:1997JGR...10222965M. doi:10.1029/96JC03870.

Awards and honors In 2017, Matrai was named a fellow of the Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography.

References

External links Patricia Matrai publications indexed by Google Scholar

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Patricia Matrai

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Patricia Matrai claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Patricia Matrai before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Patricia Matrai ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Patricia Matrai

In research: Patricia Matrai appears in astronomy research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Patricia Matrai in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Patricia Matrai is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Geochemists, Living people, University of California, San Diego alumni, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Patricia Matrai outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Patricia Matrai in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Patricia Matrai means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Patricia Matrai out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Patricia Matrai in simple terms?

Patricia Ana Matrai is a marine scientist known for her work on the cycling of sulfur. She is a senior research scientist at Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences.

Why does Patricia Matrai matter?

Because it connects several astronomy ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Patricia Matrai?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Patricia Matrai.