Spotlight on Assistant Scientist, Nick Foukal

Nick Foukal is interested in the dynamics of the North Atlantic and Arctic, with a particular focus on how these basins store and transport heat. He has studied various aspects of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), as well as the spreading of Pacific-origin water into the Arctic. Nick’s primary research interests lie in observational time scales from days to decades, but he also enjoys applying the findings to centennial and longer time scales. Nick grew up not far from WHOI in Nahant, MA, where his appreciation of the ocean began. It was not until he had nearly completed his Engineering degree at Dartmouth College that he realized there was a quantitative side of oceanography. He went on to complete his Masters at the University of Maine, and his doctorate at Duke University. Nick came to WHOI as a postdoc in 2018 and joined the scientific staff of the Physical Oceanography Department in early 2021.