John Helms, assistant professor of chemistry, wrote a paper that was recently published in the journal “Marine Chemistry.”

John Helms, assistant professor of chemistry at Morningside College, wrote a paper that was recently published in the journal “Marine Chemistry.”

His paper examines dissolved organic matter in the ocean. His findings suggest the existence of previously undetected compounds containing carbon that have resisted microbial and chemical degradation for hundreds or thousands of years. These findings help marine scientists understand the processes governing the oceanic carbon cycle, which has implications for the global climate.

Helms came to Morningside College in the fall of 2014 after completing a postdoctoral fellowship in the Marine and Atmospheric Chemistry Research Laboratory at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. He received his doctorate from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Va.