Geosciences

McKee

I am a physical oceanographer interested in processes at intraseasonal time scales and their roles in shaping primary productivity.  Currently, I am studying variability in the evolution and vertical structure of phytoplankton and biomass at straining regions between mesoscale eddies using biogeochemical Argo floats, remotely sensed data, and Community Earth System Model simulations.  These are regions where balances break down and ageostrophic, submesoscale processes with strong vertical velocities become important.

Barnes

Tyler first discovered his passion for research while studying sediment dynamics within coral reef habitats in the U.S. Virgin Islands as he completed a B.A. in Environmental Studies from the University of San Diego. He went on to study geomorphologic change of sandy beaches within Monterey Bay, CA, earning him a M.S. in Marine Science from Moss Landing Marine Labs. During this time, Tyler also held a part-time position with Central Coast Wetlands Group where he served as a research assistant and worked on various restoration and environmental monitoring projects.

Geomorphology and Sedimentology

Geomorphology is the study of how planetary landscapes change through time in response to physical, chemical, and biological processes. Researchers in the department study landscapes over a wide range of scales, from particle-scale sediment transport to the global evolution of planetary surfaces, utilizing a variety of methods including computational modeling, field studies, and experimental work.

Land-atmosphere Interaction

Within the Department there is a strong focus on the interactions between the Earth’s surface and its atmosphere. These efforts integrate hydrological, ecological, and meteorological principles to understand the exchange of water, heat, and trace gases between the land and the atmosphere. Much of the interest in these mass and energy fluxes centers on the nonlinear feedback effects between the surface and the atmosphere, and the resulting impacts to the biosphere and atmosphere.

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