Airam N. Sarmiento-Lezcano

Research

My research focuses on the ecology of meso- and bathypelagic fishes and other micronekton, and on how ocean conditions shape where they live and how they move. I combine stratified net sampling, ship and moored acoustics, physiology and respiration measurements to link the biology of individual animals with what they do for the whole ocean: feeding predators and transporting carbon to depth through the biological carbon pump.

At sea

Most of my data start on deck. We deploy the Mesopelagos net from the stern to sample the twilight zone, sort the catch on board and identify every group to species under the microscope. One subsample is kept for taxonomy and another goes to metabolic analyses to estimate respiration and active carbon flux.

Where I have worked at sea

• Gulf of CaliforniaMexico
• MAFIAEquatorial, subtropical and tropical Atlantic
• BATHYPELAGICSubtropical and tropical Atlantic
• TRIATLAS
• SUMMER
• DESAFIOFrom the Azores to the Canary Current

Nets tell us who is down there; sound tells us where they are and how they move. I process and interpret data from the ship's EK80 echosounder and from instruments lowered on the CTD (LADCP and an autonomous AZFP echosounder) to follow the deep scattering layers through the day and along entire ocean transects.

Methods & skills

Projects

Leading

Team member

Publications

first-author articles

1. 2026Sarmiento-Lezcano, A.N., Escobar, L., Leonardi, G., Martínez-Leiva, L., Larrumbide-Zúñiga, N., Couret, M., Sánchez-Díez, A., Hernández-León, S. Vertical structure of mesopelagic fish assemblages in the Cape Verde Frontal Zone. Deep-Sea Research Part I 236, 104734.
2. 2026Sarmiento-Lezcano, A.N., Couret, M., Díaz-Pérez, J., Bernal, A., Raya, V., Pla, M., Larrumbide-Zúñiga, N., Castellón, A., Hernández-León, S. Active carbon flux by Pyrosoma atlanticum in the Northwest African upwelling transition zone (North-Central Eastern Atlantic Ocean). Progress in Oceanography 241.
3. 2026Couret, M., Sarmiento-Lezcano, A.N., Tuset, V.M., Landeira, J.M., Olivar, M.P., Hernández-León, S. Spatial patterns of mesozooplankton around the Iberian Peninsula. Progress in Oceanography 247, 103785. doi
4. 2026Olivar, M.P., Sabatés, A., Raya, V., Sarmiento-Lezcano, A.N., Couret, M. Offshore larval fish assemblages in contrasting environmental zones around the Iberian Peninsula. Journal of Marine Systems 255, 104225. doi
5. 2026Sánchez-Díez, A., Sarmiento-Lezcano, A.N., Díaz-Cruz, J., Hernández-León, S., Landeira, J.M. Vertical distribution of chaetognaths and their role as biological indicators of water masses in the Cape Verde frontal zone (NW Africa). Journal of Marine Systems 253, 104160.
6. 2025Couret, M., Sarmiento-Lezcano, A.N., Landeira, J.M., Giering, S.L.C., Major, W., Olivar, M.P., Díaz-Pérez, J., Castellón, A., Hernández-León, S. Zooplankton and micronekton active flux around the Iberian Peninsula. Frontiers in Marine Science 12, 1652483.
7. 2025Núñez-González, R., Sarmiento-Lezcano, A.N., Caballero, M.J., Tilic, E., Castro, J.J. Locality matters: variation in the reproductive cycle and population structure of subtropical sea urchins. PLOS One 20, e0328273. doi
8. 2025Olivar, M.P., López-Pérez, C., Sabatés, A., Sarmiento-Lezcano, A.N. Surface swarms of the lanternfish Myctophum punctatum associated to dolphin presence. Journal of Sea Research 206, 102597. doi
9. 2024Hernández-León, S., Sarmiento-Lezcano, A.N., Couret, M., Armengol, L., Medina-Suárez, I., Fatira, E., Tuset, V., Liman, A., Sánchez-Díez, A., Díaz-Pérez, J., Landeira, J.M. Seasonality of zooplankton active flux in subtropical waters. Limnology and Oceanography 69, 2564–2579. doi
10. 2024Couret, M., Díaz-Pérez, J., Sarmiento-Lezcano, A.N., Landeira, J.M., Hernández-León, S. Respiration rates and its relationship with ETS activity in euphausiids: implications for active flux estimations. Frontiers in Marine Science 11, 1469587.
11. 2024Sarmiento-Lezcano, A.N., Aceves-Medina, G., Villalobos, H., Hernández-Trujillo, S. Composition and distribution of the zooplankton community along the west coast of Baja California peninsula and its relationships with the environment variables. Journal of Marine Systems 242, 103940. doi
12. 2023Aceves-Medina, G., Uribe-Prado, A.G., Jiménez-Rosenberg, S.P.A., Durazo, R., Saldierna-Martínez, R.J., Avendaño-Ibarra, R., Sarmiento-Lezcano, A.N. Influence of extreme cold and warm oceanographic events on larval fish assemblages in the southern region of the California Current. Marine Ecology Progress Series. doi
13. 2023Sarmiento-Lezcano, A.N., Olivar, M.P., Caballero, M.J., Couret, M., Hernández-León, S., Castellón, A., Peña, M. Swimbladder properties of Cyclothone spp. in the northeast Atlantic Ocean and the Western Mediterranean Sea. Frontiers in Marine Science 10, 1093982. doi
14. 2023Couret, M., Landeira, J.M., Tuset, V.M., Sarmiento-Lezcano, A.N., Vélez-Belchí, P., Hernández-León, S. Mesozooplankton size structure in the Canary Current System. Marine Environmental Research 188, 105976. doi
15. 2022Sarmiento-Lezcano, A.N., Busquets-Vass, G., Rubio-Rodríguez, U., Olivar, M.P., Peña, M., Medina-Suárez, I., González-Rodríguez, E., Gómez-Gutiérrez, J., Robinson, C.J., Hernández-León, S. Active flux seasonality of the small dominant migratory crustaceans and mesopelagic fishes in the Gulf of California during June and October. Progress in Oceanography 208, 102894. doi
16. 2022Sarmiento-Lezcano, A.N., Couret, M., Lombarte, A., Olivar, M.P., Landeira, J.M., Hernández-León, S., Tuset, V.M. Stranding of mesopelagic fishes in the Canary Islands. Animals 12, 3465. doi
17. 2022Olivar, M.P., Castellón, A., Sabatés, A., Sarmiento-Lezcano, A.N., Emelianov, M., Bernal, A., Yang, Y., Proud, R., Brierley, A.S. Variation in mesopelagic fish community composition and structure between Mediterranean and Atlantic waters around the Iberian Peninsula. Frontiers in Marine Science 9, 1028717. doi
18. 2022Sarmiento-Lezcano, A.N., Olivar, M.P., Peña, M., Landeira, J.M., Armengol, L., Medina-Suárez, I., Castellón, A., Hernández-León, S. Carbon remineralization by small mesopelagic and bathypelagic Stomiiforms in the Northeast Atlantic Ocean. Progress in Oceanography 203, 102787. doi
19. 2022Rubio-Rodríguez, U., Godínez-Pérez, C.A., Sarmiento-Lezcano, A.N. First record and new size record for the oceanic species Psenes sio in the northern Gulf of California, Mexico. Acta Ichthyologica et Piscatoria 52, 273–278. doi
20. 2021Villalobos, H., Zwolinski, J.P., Godínez-Pérez, C.A., et al., Sarmiento-Lezcano, A.N., Demer, D.A. A practical approach to monitoring marine protected areas: an application to El Bajo Espíritu Santo Seamount near La Paz, Mexico. Oceanography 34, 32–43. doi
21. 2021Guerra-Marrero, A., Couce-Montero, L., Jiménez-Alvarado, D., Espino-Ruano, A., Núñez-González, R., Sarmiento-Lezcano, A.N., Castro, J.J. Preliminary assessment of the impact of Covid-19 pandemic in the small-scale and recreational fisheries of the Canary Islands. Marine Policy 133, 104712. doi
22. 2020Sarmiento-Lezcano, A.N., Triay-Portella, R., Guerra-Marrero, A., Jiménez-Alvarado, D., Rubio-Rodríguez, U., Núñez-González, R., Bordes, F., Castro, J.J. Contribution to the reproductive ecology of Notoscopelus resplendens (Myctophidae) in the central-eastern Atlantic. Scientific Reports 10, 15281. doi
23. 2020Jiménez-Alvarado, D., Guerra-Marrero, A., Sarmiento-Lezcano, A.N., Meyers, E., Castro, J.J. First assessment of the spearfishing impact in the Canary Islands. Regional Studies in Marine Science 38, 101385. doi
24. 2019Guerra-Marrero, A., Hernández-García, V., Sarmiento-Lezcano, A.N., Jiménez-Alvarado, D., Santana del Pino, A., Castro, J.J. Migratory patterns, vertical distributions and diets of Abralia veranyi and Abraliopsis morisii (Cephalopoda: Enoploteuthidae) in the eastern North Atlantic. Journal of Molluscan Studies 86, 27–34. doi
25. 2019Jiménez-Alvarado, D., Sarmiento-Lezcano, A.N., Guerra-Marrero, A., Tuya, F., Santana del Pino, A., Sealey, M., Castro, J.J. Historical photographs of captures of recreational fishers indicate overexploitation of nearshore resources at an oceanic island. Journal of Fish Biology. doi
26. 2018Sarmiento-Lezcano, A.N., Triay-Portella, R., Castro, J.J., Rubio-Rodríguez, U., Pajuelo, J.G. Age-based life-history parameters of the mesopelagic fish Notoscopelus resplendens in the Central Eastern Atlantic. Fisheries Research 204, 412–423. doi

Team

The students I supervise and the colleagues I work with most closely, from A Coruña and the Canary Islands to Mexico, the UK, Sweden, Norway and New Zealand.

PhD students

Master's and Bachelor's theses (co-supervised)

2026– · MSc

Stavros DrouliskosDiet analysis of bathypelagic fishes in tropical–subtropical waters (Stockholm University) · main supervisor: M. Winder

2025 · BSc

Laura Escobar MartínComposition and vertical distribution of mesopelagic fishes in the Central Eastern Atlantic (ULPGC)

2024 · MSc

Lourdes Udaya García-PoggioReproductive biology of meso- and bathypelagic fishes and their contribution to the biological carbon pump (Univ. A Coruña) · 10, honours

2024 · MSc

Nicolás Larrumbide ZúñigaVertical distribution, active flux and carbon remineralisation by gelatinous zooplankton in the North Atlantic (ULPGC) · 10, honours

2023 · MSc

Martín Alejandro PlaSwimbladder characteristics of Myctophum punctatum for acoustic scattering models (ULPGC)

2023 · BSc

María del Henar Fernández MéndezZooplankton abundance and biomass around the Tajogaite volcano, La Palma (ULPGC)

Close collaborators

• Santiago Hernández-LeónULPGC, SpainZooplankton and micronekton active flux
• M. Pilar OlivarICM-CSIC, Barcelona, SpainMesopelagic fish ecology
• Clive TruemanNOC · Univ. Southampton, UKFish metabolic rates
• Monika WinderStockholm University, SwedenMicronekton DNA metabarcoding
• Eva García-SeoaneMøreforsking, NorwayMesopelagic fish and acoustics
• Pavanee AnnasawmyIRD, FranceMicronekton and the biological carbon pump
• Pablo Escobar FloresEarth Sciences New ZealandFisheries acoustics
• Jaime Gómez-GutiérrezIPN-CICIMAR, MexicoMesopelagic crustaceans and fishes
• Uriel Rubio-RodríguezIPN-CICIMAR, MexicoMesopelagic crustaceans and fishes
• Gerardo Aceves-MedinaIPN-CICIMAR, MexicoIchthyoplankton
• Héctor VillalobosIPN-CICIMAR, MexicoFisheries acoustics

Career

Positions

2024 – 2030

Postdoctoral researcherCSIC – Spanish Institute of Oceanography (IEO), A Coruña Oceanographic Centre, Spain

2023 – 2024

Research project technicianUniversity of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ECOAQUA), Spain

2022

Data analyst (MSc placement)Zoological Society of London, UK

2018 – 2023

Predoctoral researcher (FPI, Spanish Ministry of Science)University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain

Education

2023 · PhD

Oceanography and Global Change, summa cum laudeUniversity of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria · Supervisors: Dr. M.Á. Peña Sáenz, Dr. M.P. Olivar Buera

2018 · MSc

Marine Resource ManagementNational Polytechnic Institute (IPN-CICIMAR), Mexico

2017 · MSc

Sustainable Management of Fisheries ResourcesUniversity of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain

2016 · BSc

Marine SciencesUniversity of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain

Research stays

2026 – 2027

Stockholm University, SwedenPostdoctoral stay, 12 months

2024 – 2025

National Oceanography Centre, University of Southampton, UKPostdoctoral stay, 12 months

2019

IEO – Balearic Oceanographic Centre, Palma de Mallorca, SpainAcoustic estimation of non-migrant deep fishes, 6 months

2019

Institute of Marine Sciences (ICM-CSIC), Barcelona, SpainMesopelagic fishes, 1 month

2018

CICESE, Unidad La Paz, MexicoRespiration of meso- and bathypelagic fishes (ETS), 3 months

Contact

Centro Oceanográfico de A Coruña, Instituto Español de Oceanografía (IEO-CSIC), A Coruña, Spain.