What is your background and what are you working on at the moment?
My background is in oceanography, I did both my undergrad and master’s degree in oceanography at the University of São Paulo (USP) in Brazil, which is where I’m from. I’m currently in my second year at Scripps and right now I’m working with Jen MacKinnon and Amy Waterhouse on projects that involve the Gulf of Mexico and the Tropical Pacific. Both of these regions are the stage to several phenomena that affect climate and marine ecosystems. Hurricane intensification, the formation of Oxygen Minimum Zones and the El Niño Southern Oscillation are some examples of that. Right now, I am studying how submesoscale motions and internal waves can modulate vertical exchanges of heat and oxygen in these regions. Ultimately I want to understand their contribution to the dynamics of these different phenomena.
Caique and his USP undergrad friends on their last fieldwork trip in Ubatuba, SP - Brazil.
What keeps you excited and interested in working in the field of oceanography?
For me, I think it’s mostly curiosity. Whenever I see something interesting, say a figure or photo of a phenomenon in the ocean, I just really want to understand what it can tell us and know more about it. It is even more exciting when that can relate to our daily experiences. Some of my most remarkable memories come from the classroom when I learned the craziest things about the ocean. How would we ever know that the ocean could glow blue at night because of phytoplankton? Or how would we ever know that there are rainier and drier years because of this thing called El Niño? There is so much to learn about our oceans and that keeps me excited!
Caique and his parents at his Bachelor’s degree graduation in 2020.
When you were a kid, did you expect to be a scientist or engineer?
I didn’t expect to be a scientist, I actually wanted to build houses like my grandfather did. At some point I also wanted to be an Olympic swimmer. But I guess I went into science because I inherited a huge love for nature from my parents. My mom always encouraged me to study and her wish for me has always been to earn a bachelor’s degree from the University of São Paulo. She has really done everything she can to support me and allow me to have that opportunity and I think that’s part of the reason I’m now working towards a PhD.
Were there any particular things from your childhood that drew you to study the ocean?
I grew up in São Paulo, about 1-3 hours away from the ocean. But my mom and I would go as often as we could and have so much fun every time. Her love for the ocean was definitely contagious!
What skills or abilities do you think are useful when going into oceanography or academia in general?
I think that having an interdisciplinary background can be to your advantage. Oceanography really spans many different fields, and you might have to connect many different dots from different areas of knowledge at times, so it helps to know a little bit about other things outside your niche.
Caique scuba diving in a coral reef in Fernando de Noronha, Brazil.
What does a typical workday look like for you?
Typically I wake up, get to the office, do some emails, work on some data analysis and make some plots. At some point I’ll take a break and look at the ocean, and maybe there’s a meeting or seminar in the afternoon. After work, I might go play some beach soccer or go hang out with some friends. Of course, that looks different if you’re doing fieldwork at sea, but on average that is about it.
What drew you to Scripps?
I think I’ve always known about Scripps as one of the best places in the world to do oceanography, already in my undergrad I read papers coming out of here. It just seemed like a fun place with lots of opportunities to do fieldwork and interesting research. My favorite part is probably that you’re surrounded by so many people doing cool things in the field of oceanography and I learn so much just from being around everyone. The fact that the campus is right on the beach and that the weather is nice in Southern California doesn’t hurt either…
Caique and his mom in Fernando de Noronha, in August 2022, right before he came to Scripps.
Is there a particular scientist/person/something that inspires you?
Firstly I would have to say my mom. She is such a hardworking person, but also super kind and generous and that inspires me a lot. Then I would also have to say my advisors Jen MacKinnon and Amy Waterhouse. They are great advisors and do amazing science, all while managing many different students and projects, and at the same time raising families. They’re just great people overall and that is inspiring to me.
Do you have a fun fact that you'd like to share that not everyone knows about you?
My name “Caique” means “the bird that glides above the sea”. My mom didn’t know that when she gave me my name, but it’s quite a funny coincidence that I then became an oceanographer spending a lot of time on ships gliding around on the ocean. I always think of the frigatebird that soars above the ocean skimming the surface for fish, they can’t dive or swim, but they’re roaming just above the sea surface trying to find their livelihood, it’s not entirely unlike me when I’m on a research cruise!
CTD profiling in the Gulf of Mexico during the SUNRISE 2022 cruise. Photo: Kerstin Bergentz.
Written by Kerstin Bergentz