World's Best Scientists 2026 revealed!
Michael J. Behrenfeld

Michael J. Behrenfeld

D-Index & Metrics

Environmental Sciences

D-Index
79
Citations
39947
World Ranking
989
National Ranking
429

Michael J. Behrenfeld publication distribution in Environmental Sciences in 2026

The chart shows the distribution of publications by all Research.com ranked scientists in the field of Environmental Sciences in 2026. The highlighted bar marks where Michael J. Behrenfeld sits on this spectrum.

41–50 publications: 21 scientists 51–60 publications: 62 scientists 61–70 publications: 133 scientists 71–80 publications: 257 scientists 81–90 publications: 361 scientists 91–100 publications: 440 scientists 101–110 publications: 492 scientists 111–120 publications: 541 scientists 121–130 publications: 617 scientists 131–140 publications: 544 scientists 141–150 publications: 541 scientists 151–160 publications: 539 scientists 161–170 publications: 444 scientists 171–180 publications: 444 scientists 181–190 publications: 400 scientists 191–200 publications: 377 scientists 201–210 publications: 318 scientists 211–220 publications: 283 scientists 221–230 publications: 263 scientists 231–240 publications: 220 scientists 241–250 publications: 217 scientists 251–260 publications: 180 scientists 261–270 publications: 181 scientists 271–280 publications: 155 scientists 281–290 publications: 130 scientists 291–300 publications: 127 scientists 301–310 publications: 130 scientists 311–320 publications: 85 scientists 321–330 publications: 106 scientists 331–340 publications: 80 scientists 341–350 publications: 83 scientists 351–360 publications: 75 scientists 361–370 publications: 69 scientists 371–380 publications: 52 scientists 381–390 publications: 54 scientists 391–400 publications: 56 scientists 401–410 publications: 44 scientists 411–420 publications: 40 scientists 421–430 publications: 36 scientists 431–440 publications: 25 scientists 441–450 publications: 25 scientists 451–460 publications: 32 scientists 461–470 publications: 29 scientists 471–480 publications: 21 scientists 481–490 publications: 26 scientists 491–500 publications: 25 scientists 501–510 publications: 17 scientists 511–520 publications: 18 scientists 521–530 publications: 15 scientists 531–540 publications: 22 scientists 541–550 publications: 12 scientists 551–560 publications: 15 scientists 561–570 publications: 11 scientists 571–580 publications: 19 scientists 581–590 publications: 9 scientists 591–600 publications: 9 scientists 601–610 publications: 7 scientists 611–620 publications: 11 scientists 621–630 publications: 5 scientists 631–640 publications: 5 scientists 641–650 publications: 6 scientists 651–660 publications: 3 scientists 661–670 publications: 3 scientists 671–680 publications: 4 scientists 681–686 publications: 3 scientists 687+ publications: 100 scientists
41 publications 687+

This scientist: 231 publications — 73rd percentile

73% of scientists in this discipline score the same or lower.

The last bar groups every scientist with 687 publications or more.

Michael J. Behrenfeld D-index placement in Environmental Sciences in 2026

The chart shows the D-index (discipline H-index) distribution of Environmental Sciences scientists ranked by Research.com in 2026. The highlighted bar marks where Michael J. Behrenfeld sits on this spectrum.

30 D-Index: 12 scientists 31 D-Index: 26 scientists 32 D-Index: 51 scientists 33 D-Index: 88 scientists 34 D-Index: 123 scientists 35 D-Index: 163 scientists 36 D-Index: 206 scientists 37 D-Index: 267 scientists 38 D-Index: 265 scientists 39 D-Index: 275 scientists 40 D-Index: 321 scientists 41 D-Index: 343 scientists 42 D-Index: 305 scientists 43 D-Index: 336 scientists 44 D-Index: 330 scientists 45 D-Index: 348 scientists 46 D-Index: 291 scientists 47 D-Index: 275 scientists 48 D-Index: 272 scientists 49 D-Index: 273 scientists 50 D-Index: 263 scientists 51 D-Index: 232 scientists 52 D-Index: 266 scientists 53 D-Index: 217 scientists 54 D-Index: 199 scientists 55 D-Index: 177 scientists 56 D-Index: 202 scientists 57 D-Index: 204 scientists 58 D-Index: 166 scientists 59 D-Index: 177 scientists 60 D-Index: 166 scientists 61 D-Index: 152 scientists 62 D-Index: 143 scientists 63 D-Index: 150 scientists 64 D-Index: 124 scientists 65 D-Index: 119 scientists 66 D-Index: 120 scientists 67 D-Index: 118 scientists 68 D-Index: 82 scientists 69 D-Index: 98 scientists 70 D-Index: 94 scientists 71 D-Index: 105 scientists 72 D-Index: 74 scientists 73 D-Index: 84 scientists 74 D-Index: 70 scientists 75 D-Index: 67 scientists 76 D-Index: 78 scientists 77 D-Index: 60 scientists 78 D-Index: 59 scientists 79 D-Index: 52 scientists 80 D-Index: 47 scientists 81 D-Index: 38 scientists 82 D-Index: 48 scientists 83 D-Index: 42 scientists 84 D-Index: 42 scientists 85 D-Index: 43 scientists 86 D-Index: 29 scientists 87 D-Index: 37 scientists 88 D-Index: 29 scientists 89 D-Index: 30 scientists 90 D-Index: 34 scientists 91 D-Index: 20 scientists 92 D-Index: 22 scientists 93 D-Index: 17 scientists 94 D-Index: 19 scientists 95 D-Index: 24 scientists 96 D-Index: 21 scientists 97 D-Index: 20 scientists 98 D-Index: 24 scientists 99 D-Index: 17 scientists 100 D-Index: 17 scientists 101 D-Index: 21 scientists 102 D-Index: 25 scientists 103 D-Index: 18 scientists 104 D-Index: 26 scientists 105 D-Index: 19 scientists 106 D-Index: 15 scientists 107 D-Index: 10 scientists 108 D-Index: 13 scientists 109 D-Index: 15 scientists 110 D-Index: 12 scientists 111 D-Index: 8 scientists 112 D-Index: 7 scientists 113 D-Index: 9 scientists 114 D-Index: 6 scientists 115 D-Index: 12 scientists 116 D-Index: 7 scientists 117 D-Index: 8 scientists 118 D-Index: 3 scientists 119 D-Index: 5 scientists 120 D-Index: 7 scientists 121 D-Index: 2 scientists 122 D-Index: 4 scientists 123 D-Index: 8 scientists 124 D-Index: 7 scientists 125+ D-Index: 99 scientists
30 D-Index 125+

This scientist: 79 D-Index — 90th percentile

90% of scientists in this discipline score the same or lower.

The last bar groups every scientist with 125 D-Index or more.

Overview

Michael J. Behrenfeld is a researcher affiliated with Oregon State University in the United States. Their work spans multiple fields within Earth and Environmental Sciences, with particular focus on Oceanography, Ecology, Atmospheric Science, Global and Planetary Change, and Environmental Chemistry.

The body of research by Michael J. Behrenfeld frequently covers topics related to marine and coastal ecosystems, microbial community ecology and physiology, marine biology and ecology research, atmospheric chemistry and aerosols, oceanographic and atmospheric processes, atmospheric and environmental gas dynamics, and aspects of atmospheric ozone and climate.

Recent publications include:

  • "Seasonal modulation of phytoplankton biomass in the Southern Ocean," 2020, Nature Communications
  • "Small phytoplankton dominate western North Atlantic biomass," 2020, The ISME Journal
  • "Thoughts on the evolution and ecological niche of diatoms," 2021, Ecological Monographs
  • "Seasonal Differences and Variability of Concentrations, Chemical Composition, and Cloud Condensation Nuclei of Marine Aerosol Over the North Atlantic," 2020, Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres
  • "Ice Nucleation by Marine Aerosols Over the North Atlantic Ocean in Late Spring," 2020, Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres

Michael J. Behrenfeld has coauthored extensively with several frequent collaborators, including Emmanuel Boss, Jason R. Graff, Toby K. Westberry, Kimberly H. Halsey, and Lee Karp-Boss. The partnership with Emmanuel Boss is notably prolific with numerous coauthored works.

The researcher's publications are often found in journals such as Frontiers in Marine Science, Nature Communications, Remote Sensing of Environment, Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, and The ISME Journal. These venues reflect the multidisciplinary nature of their research interests and contributions to marine science and atmospheric studies.

Best Publications

  • Primary Production of the Biosphere: Integrating Terrestrial and Oceanic Components

    Christopher B. Field;Michael J. Behrenfeld;James T. Randerson;Paul Falkowski

  • Photosynthetic rates derived from satellite‐based chlorophyll concentration

    Michael J. Behrenfeld;Paul G. Falkowski

  • Climate-driven trends in contemporary ocean productivity

    Michael J. Behrenfeld;Robert T. O'Malley;David A. Siegel;Charles R. McClain

  • Scientists' Warning to Humanity: Microorganisms and Climate Change

    Ricardo Cavicchioli;William J. Ripple;Kenneth N. Timmis;Farooq Azam

  • Carbon-based ocean productivity and phytoplankton physiology from space

    Michael J. Behrenfeld;Michael J. Behrenfeld;Emmanuel Boss;David A. Siegel;Donald M. Shea

  • A consumer's guide to phytoplankton primary productivity models

    M.J. Behrenfeld;P.G. Falkowski

  • A comparison of global estimates of marine primary production from ocean color

    Mary-Elena Carr;Marjorie A. M. Friedrichs;Marjorie A. M. Friedrichs;Marjorie Schmeltz;Maki Noguchi Aita

  • Carbon-based primary productivity modeling with vertically resolved photoacclimation

    T. Westberry;M. J. Behrenfeld;D. A. Siegel;Emmanuel Boss

  • Abandoning Sverdrup's Critical Depth Hypothesis on phytoplankton blooms

    Michael J. Behrenfeld

  • Biospheric Primary Production During an ENSO Transition

    Michael J. Behrenfeld;James T. Randerson;Charles R. McClain;Gene C. Feldman

  • Confirmation of iron limitation of phytoplankton photosynthesis in the equatorial Pacific Ocean

    Michael J. Behrenfeld;Anthony J. Bale;Zbigniew S. Kolber;James Aiken

  • Global assessment of ocean carbon export by combining satellite observations and food‐web models

    David A. Siegel;Ken O. Buesseler;Scott C. Doney;Sevrine F. Sailley

  • Seasonal rhythms of net primary production and particulate organic carbon flux to depth describe the efficiency of biological pump in the global ocean

    Michael J. Lutz;Ken Caldeira;Robert B. Dunbar;Michael J. Behrenfeld

  • Resurrecting the Ecological Underpinnings of Ocean Plankton Blooms

    Michael J. Behrenfeld;Emmanuel S. Boss

  • Satellite-detected fluorescence reveals global physiology of ocean phytoplankton

    M. J. Behrenfeld;T. K. Westberry;Emmanuel Boss;R. T. O'Malley

  • Revaluating ocean warming impacts on global phytoplankton

    Michael J. Behrenfeld;Robert T. O’Malley;Emmanuel S. Boss;Toby K. Westberry

  • The Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, Ocean Ecosystem Mission: Status, Science, Advances

    P. Jeremy Werdell;Michael J. Behrenfeld;Paula S. Bontempi;Emmanuel Boss

  • Regional variations in the influence of mesoscale eddies on near‐surface chlorophyll

    Peter Gaube;Dennis J. McGillicuddy;Dudley B. Chelton;Michael J. Behrenfeld

  • Widespread iron limitation of phytoplankton in the south pacific ocean

    Unknown

  • Comparison of algorithms for estimating ocean primary production from surface chlorophyll, temperature, and irradiance

    Janet Campbell;David Antoine;Robert Armstrong;Kevin Arrigo

  • State of the Climate in 2014

    Arlene P. Aaron-Morrison;Steven A. Ackerman;Nicolaus G. Adams;Robert F. Adler

Frequent Co-Authors

Emmanuel Boss
Emmanuel Boss University of Maine
Toby K. Westberry
Toby K. Westberry Oregon State University
David A. Siegel
David A. Siegel University of California, Santa Barbara
Scott C. Doney
Scott C. Doney University of Virginia
Chris A. Hostetler
Chris A. Hostetler Langley Research Center
Timothy S. Bates
Timothy S. Bates University of Washington
Giorgio Dall'Olmo
Giorgio Dall'Olmo Plymouth Marine Laboratory
Bryan A. Franz
Bryan A. Franz Goddard Space Flight Center
Charles R. McClain
Charles R. McClain Goddard Space Flight Center
Patricia K. Quinn
Patricia K. Quinn Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory

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