PiNC: Plumes in Nearshore Conditions

Dr. Simpson joined the Giddings lab and this PiNC project as a postdoctoral scholar in February 2022. Alex has been leading the preparation of the PiNC field campaign as well as investigating estuary mouth morphodynamics as they impact estuarine outflow magnitude. Previously, Alex's focus was remote sensing of nearshore features using drones and X-Band radar, with topics ranging from frontal shear instabilities to internal wave transformation. They completed their PhD with Dr. Merrick Haller at Oregon State University in December 2021.

Brian is the Research and Development Engineer on the PiNC project. His areas of interest and expertise include: design, development, and fabrication of specialized oceanographic instrumentation, scientific research diving, LiDAR operations, and drone operations.

Michele is a research and development engineer at SIO. She completed her MS and PhD at Scripps and has been a longstanding member of the SIO coastal community, with expertise in infragravity waves, harbor seiche, and coastal flooding.

Sierra is a PhD student advised by Dr. Mark Merrifield at Scripps Institution of Oceanography with interest in alongshore plume dynamics and the resulting propagation of low-salinity waters in the coastal ocean. A recipient of the NSF GRFP, Sierra plans to investigate the tie between river outflow and marine debris transport, possibly studying the fate of buoyant particles in a buoyant freshwater plume. Sierra received a BS in Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences from Scripps in 2021. After graduating, she worked with the Coastal Processes Group at Scripps as a field researcher assisting with field work operations and studying low salinity events measured at Scripps Pier over the past 105 years.

Helen is a PhD student at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. She joined the Giddings lab in the summer 2021 and she is co-advised with Dr. Mark Merrifield and Dr. Uwe Send. Using a combination of observational data and model outputs, Helen is working on characterizing the circulation off the coast of San Diego in order to study the alongshore transport of nutrients, larvae, and pollutants. She is interested in examining the impact and interactions between the ocean and the urban environment. Helen got her BA in math and physics from Reed College in 2018. Prior to Scripps, she studied the long term impacts of climate change on the abyssal ocean at the University of Washington with Dr. Caitlin Whalen and Dr. Nirnimesh Kumar.

Lauren is currently a PhD student at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and is co-advised by Morgan Levy, Sarah Giddings, and Mark Merrifield. She is also working as a Graduate Teaching Consultant in the Engaged Teaching Hub at UC San Diego. She is currently studying the effects of coastal oceanic and inland hydrologic processes on agricultural freshwater supplies in Central California. Originally from Los Angeles, she received her BS in physics with a minor in physiology from Cal Poly Pomona in 2017. In fall of 2017, she began the physical oceanography program at Scripps and received her MS in oceanography in 2019.