Current Graduate Research at the University of Miami

Creating a new climatology for OHC calculations and examining the hurricane boundary layer

A new oceanic climatology to calculate ocean heat content (OHC) was developed for application during the hurricane season in the Atlantic Ocean basin. The Systematically Merged Atlantic Regional Temperature and Salinity (SMARTS) Climatology blends temperature and salinity fields from the World Ocean Atlas 2001 (WOA) and Generalized Digital Environmental Model v.3.0 (GDEM) at 1/4° resolution. This higher resolution climatology better resolves features in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM), including the Loop Current and eddy structures, than the previous coarser 1/2° products. SMARTS was calculated from the monthly GDEM and WOA climatologies by applying a 15-day running average to eliminate discontinuities when transitioning between months. Daily mean isotherm depths of the 20° C (D20) and 26° C (D26) (and their mean ratio), reduced gravity (e.g., 2-layer model), mixed layer depth (MLD), and OHC were estimated from the blended climatology.

Using SMARTS with satellite-derived surface height anomaly and SST fields, daily values of D20, D26, MLD, and OHC have been calculated from 1998 to 2009 using a two-layer model approach. Airborne and ship-deployed eXpendable BathyThermographs (XBT), long-term moorings, and Argo profiling floats provide the in-situ data to assess the SMARTS Climatology, calculate isotherm depths and OHC. Based on over 44,000 profiles of temperatures from the Argo floats, XBTs, and long-term moorings from 1998 to 2009, a clear, direct relationship has emerged from the detailed analysis between satellite-derived and in-situ measurements of isotherm depths and OHC. This new climatological approach creates a more accurate estimation of isotherm depths and OHC from satellite radar altimetry measurements, which can then be used in hurricane intensity forecasts from the Statistical Hurricane Intensity Prediction Scheme.

The technique of calculating OHC is being reexamined to most accurately project sea surface height anomalies (SSHA) into changes in depths of features of interest (D20, D26, MLD). Drift velocities of surface features have been tracked to determine realistic velocities which are fed into the objective analysis algorithm. The current OHC algorithm assumes a climatological MLD, however observations show large variability of MLD with time. Correlations have been examined to determine MLD sensitivity to SSHA. Initial results show a correlation between MLD and SSHA in the Gulf of Mexico eddy region. Using a SSHA-dependent MLD for the OHC calculation improves the algorithm by 5%.

Research presentations:
L. K. Shay, P. C. Meyers, and J.K. Brewster. The Systematically Merged Atlantic Regional Temperature and Salinity Oceanic Climatology. Interdepartmental Hurricane Conference. March 2010. Session 6.3.

Patrick C. Meyers, J. K. Brewster and L. K. Shay. The Systematically Merged Atlantic Regional Temperature and Salinity (SMARTS) Climatology. Conference on Hurricanes and Tropical Meteorology. May 2010. P2.1. PDF here

Jeffrey Scott Zuczek, L. K. Shay, P. C. Meyers, E. W. Uhlhorn, R. Lumpkin, B. Jaimes, J. K. Brewster, and G. R. Halliwell. Evolving boundary layer measurements during hurricanes Gustav and Ike. Conference on Hurricanes and Tropical Meteorology. May 2010. P2.52. PDF here

Patrick C. Meyers, L. K. Shay, and J. K. Brewster. The Systematically Merged Atlantic Regional Temperature and Salinity (SMARTS) Climatology for satellite derived ocean thermal structure. 17th Conference on Satellite Meteorology and Oceanography. September 2010. 7.4 PDF here


Class Projects

Research papers from graduate coursework

  • Observations in the Hurricane Planetary Boundary Layer using GPS dropsondes
  • Warming and Thermosteric Expansion of the Ocean (Intro to Phys. Oceanography)
  • Atmospheric Optics (Intro to Meteorology)
  • Ocean Mixed Layer Response to Hurricane Forcing (Geophysical Fluid Dynamics I)
  • Dispersion of Energy from the Mixed Layer due to Near-Inertial Waves (GFDII)
  • Essay on Athletics Forecasting (Advanced Forecasting)

    • Research at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute

    Determining atmospheric forcing on lobster larvae populations

    Lobstering is a multimillion dollar industry, providing jobs for thousands of New Englanders. Post-larval settlement is an indicator of future lobster stocks. A better understanding of what controls larvae settlement will help for better stock assessments and fishery management. This study examined atmospheric forcing on larvae settlement.

    As the atmosphere alters ocean currents on monthly time-scales, the atmosphere simultaneously controls the transport of the lobster larvae residing in the top few meters of the water column. Regional coherence calculations support three distinct independent regions: Downeast Maine, Southern Maine, and Southern New England.


    The best atmospheric predictor of larvae populations found in this study is 700mb heights in the month of September. We have found a very strong correlation (r>0.7 in some locations), but not causation. During years of high settlement, wind anomalies tend to enhance Ekman transport towards settlement sites.


    For a more detailed description of this research, please follow the link to reasearch summary:

  • Atmospheric Forcing of Lobster Larvae Populations
  • Poster presented at the 2008 AMS Student Conference in New Orleans


    • During the summer of 2008, I again worked at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute. The research project aimed to determine whether certain ecosystem management policies for cod were preferentially selecting for specific phenotypes. Red cod tend to be more sedentary, while silver cod are more migratory. The primary focus of the summer was to process hundreds of fish to add to the ever-growing database. Data collected included stomach contents, morphology, otolith age, isotope analyses, and parasitic infestation. That summer we started a lobster predation experiment. Lobsters of different size classes were collected and tethered to a long-line. While tether-design experiments leave much to be desired, the study was a proof-of-concept which will be applied in future experiments to compare current predation at Georges Bank to a previous tethering study.

    Last updated 21 Sept 2010. This personal Web page is not an official University of Miami Web page. See disclaimer.