The still largely unexplored vastness of the ocean, covering about 2/3 of the surface of the earth and with an average depth of almost 4 kilometres, has fascinated humans for as long as we have records. Its currents, chemical composition, and ecosystems are all highly variable at different locations and times. Due to its large capacity for storing and transporting heat, the ocean represents also a crucial component of the physical climate system. The ocean provides invaluable resources to humankind in the form of food, but also in terms of its generally moderating impact on weather and climate. This has led to the fact that a large fraction of the world’s population lives within 100 miles of the ocean. As a consequence, the ocean and particularly the fragile interface between the ocean and the land has become subject to large environmental pressures.
The rapidly growing faculty in ocean sciences at UCLA’s Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences focuses their research on a large palette of questions ranging from the role of the ocean in the physical climate system to its role in the global carbon cycle. A strong emphasis is also given to the study of the coastal environment and its interaction with the open seas and the land. Much of our research is highly interdisciplinary and involves a substantial number of faculty in other departments and institutes.
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Tina Treude
Professor
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Andrew Stewart
Professor
Daniele Bianchi
Associate Professor
Marcelo Chamecki
Professor
Rob Eagle
Assistant Professor
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Kira Fish
PhD Student
Research Interests: Coral reefs, biomineralization, climate change, paleoceanography
Marco Sandoval Belmar
PhD Student
Research Interests: Ocean biogeochemistry, harmful algal blooms, ocean modeling, remote sensing, coastal research and management
Minna Ho
PhD Student
Research Interests: Physical oceanography, ocean modeling, wastewater plumes, ocean acidification and hypoxia, gray zone modeling
Olivia Simon
PhD Student
Research Interests: Using molecular biology to assess California coral reef ecosystems and the biodiversity they support
Robert Dellinger
PhD Student
Research Interests: Interactive effects of anthropogenic change on marine ecosystems under future climate scenarios, such as ocean acidification and warming Email: rjdellinger@ucla.edu
Anqi Song
MS Student
Research Interests: Ocean boundary layer turbulence, wave-canopy interactions in shallow water
