Physical Oceanography

Scientists and crew on R/V Sikuliaq work along the edge of a large multi-year ice flow during SKQ202014S in Oct/Nov 2020. (Photo by Ethan Roth, R/V Sikuliaq)
Swirling parcels of water, called ocean eddies, spin off from the warm Gulf Stream, the powerful northward-flowing current that hugs the U.S. East Coast. This visualization was generated by a numerical model that simulates ocean circulation. WHOI researchers study ocean currents, like the Gulf Stream, and their behavior. (Image Credit: © NASA, Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization)
Mooring floats rise to the surface in a tangle among the sea ice in the Beaufort Gyre. (Photo by Isabela Le Bras, © Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)
Isabela Le Bras teaches high school students in Ensenada, Mexico about the Coriolis effect. (Photo by one of her students).
A Spray underwater glider (http://gliders.whoi.edu) on the surface just after deployment from Seychelles Coast Guard Patrol Ship Etoile in the western equatorial Indian Ocean. (Photo by Robert E. Todd, 10 March 2017, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution).
Ryan Laffey prepares glass ball hardhat flotation in the Mooring Lab (Photo by Tom Kleindinst, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution).
Climate group discussion. Postdoc and summer research students discuss how the ocean affects the water cycle during the last millennium. Ocean properties from the Indian Ocean based on historic observational data are compared with results from computer simulations. (Photo by Justin Buchli , Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution).
A Spray underwater glider on the surface just after deployment in the Gulf Stream offshore of Miami, Florida. Photo by Robert E. Todd, 24 July 2019.
Andy Davies, in the computer lab of the R/V Revelle, poses for a science party headshot at start of the Deep Madagascar Basin cruise RR2303 April-May 2023. (Photo by Alexis Mullin)

The ocean plays a critical role in Earth’s climate and is necessary to sustain life on our planet, yet we still have much to learn about how it is changing due to natural and anthropogenic forces. As physical oceanographers, we make new observations of the oceans and use physics, mathematics, computer models and statistics to better understand how the oceans work and make more accurate predictions of how they may change in the future. The Physical Oceanography Department at WHOI is home to nearly 150 scientists, technicians, engineers, students and administrative support staff who are addressing fundamental questions in fluid dynamics and applying knowledge on the ocean’s physical environment to help solve some of the most critical issues facing society today. Among the many diverse and inter-disciplinary topics being studied at WHOI are:

heat and carbon storage and transport in the oceans
sea level rise
oceans and hurricanes
the water cycle
Arctic changes
impact of ocean temperature variations on fisheries
past climates
autonomous vehicles and drifters for regional and global observations
sustained measurement systems for long-term ocean and atmospheric monitoring
new methods for observing oceans from space

WHOI’s Physical Oceanography department was officially established in 1962, with a scientific staff of 20 and Fritz Fuglister as its first Chair. Department members are increasingly collaborating across traditional disciplinary boundaries to peel back the layers of complexity inherent in Earth’s natural systems.

The department actively participates in the MIT/WHOI Joint Program in Ocean Science and Engineering, with staff teaching courses and advising graduate students. Every summer, about six undergraduate students learn about physical oceanography by working on a research project guided by department scientists. The Department also hosts Post Doctoral scientists who gain research experience during their appointments while also providing an influx of new ideas.

The Department has a strong tradition of seagoing science, and maintains leadership in open ocean, coastal, and Arctic observational studies. The seagoing staff has evolved into a number of technical and scientific groups with specialized expertise and equipment. While ocean observation remains a core strength, the Department also has expertise in analytical and numerical studies to develop better understanding of fundamental ocean processes, which in turn stimulates and supports the seagoing science.

Young-Oh Kwon, Chair
Physical Oceanography Department