Overview
Research in my lab focuses on fluid dynamics in the coastal ocean and its effects on transport processes. We use field measurements, computational models, and theoretical analyses to understand fundamental physical processes in these systems. We also work extensively on interdisciplinary problems that have a significant physical component to better understand the effects of water motion on the geochemistry, biology, and ecology of shallow marine systems.
Much of our research is on coral reef hydrodynamics and our lab leads the Physical Oceanographic component of the Moorea Coral Reef LTER project
Current projects include: 1) wave-driven circulation and exchange in coral reef, lagoon, and pass systems; 2) extreme events and their effects on coral reef systems; 3) understanding the effects of rough bottoms such as corals on circulation and scalar mixing; 4) the impact of stratification on vertical mixing in a highly stratified wind-driven estuary; 5) larval transport around a coral reef island; 6) sponge excurrents; and 7) the effects of wave forcing on corallivory.
Much of our research is on coral reef hydrodynamics and our lab leads the Physical Oceanographic component of the Moorea Coral Reef LTER project
Current projects include: 1) wave-driven circulation and exchange in coral reef, lagoon, and pass systems; 2) extreme events and their effects on coral reef systems; 3) understanding the effects of rough bottoms such as corals on circulation and scalar mixing; 4) the impact of stratification on vertical mixing in a highly stratified wind-driven estuary; 5) larval transport around a coral reef island; 6) sponge excurrents; and 7) the effects of wave forcing on corallivory.
Current Appointments & Affiliations
Associate Professor of Oceanography
·
2016 - Present
Marine Science and Conservation,
Nicholas School of the Environment
Associate Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
·
2024 - Present
Civil and Environmental Engineering,
Pratt School of Engineering
Recent Publications
Observations of Combined Wave and Current Interactions With a High Relief Coral Reef Bottom
Journal Article Journal of Geophysical Research Oceans · March 1, 2026 On reefs, interaction between the flow and complex bottom topography results in drag forces on currents, dissipation of wave energy, and generation of turbulence. Here, field observations on a shallow backreef were used to investigate wave and current inte ... Full text CitePost-disturbance recovery dynamics of connected coral subpopulations
Journal Article Theoretical Ecology · December 1, 2025 Coral reefs are patchy and connected ecosystems that experience heterogenous environmental conditions, disturbances, and coral population recovery patterns. Connectivity and population growth rates between reef patches can vary at local to subregional (1–1 ... Full text CiteInterplay Between Wind-Driven Advection and Mixing of Salt and Dissolved Oxygen in a Microtidal Estuary
Journal Article Journal of Geophysical Research Oceans · June 1, 2025 Most work on how estuarine dynamics impact dissolved oxygen (DO) distributions has focused on tides, but in shallow estuaries with large fetch or small tides, wind can be the primary mixing agent and also drives advection. To investigate how these processe ... Full text CiteRecent Grants
Collaborative Research: Effects of wind events on circulation and salinity dynamics in a curved estuary
ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Science Foundation · 2024 - 2027Increasing understanding of how coral restoration affects wave attenuation
ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration · 2022 - 2026Combined Waves and Currents over Multi-Scale Topography: From Boundary Layer Dynamics to Parameterization
ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Science Foundation · 2021 - 2026View All Grants
Education
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill ·
2002
Ph.D.
Stanford University ·
1992
M.S.
North Carolina State University ·
1991
B.S.