COASTAL OCEANOGRAPHY

My research extends principles of fluid mechanics to the analysis of ocean processes that affect marine ecosystems. On the large scale, my interests lie in circulation of the coastal ocean and the effects of fronts, eddies, tides and waves the on the transport and mixing of biologically important parameters. In particular, I am interested in studying physical processes, which influence cross-shelf exchange, dispersion of plankton and microbial pollutants, and population connectivity on the continental shelf and in coastal and estuarine systems. On the smallest scales, my work focuses on the effects of boundary layer flow, stratification, and wave dynamics on turbulent mixing near the bed and mass flux to benthic organisms. Much of my research is done through field experiments and numerical simulations and in collaborative partnerships with biologists, geologists and other scientists to answer fundamental questions as to how the dynamics of fluid flow affects biology and shapes the natural environment.