Erika McPhee-Shaw

Specific Research Interests:

One of my primary interests is the effect of internal waves and internal-wave-driven turbulence in promoting both vertical and horizontal transport of sediment and nutrients near boundaries. Internal tides are of particular importance at continental margins over much of the planet, and my Ph.D. research involved laboratory experiments and field observations investigating the dissipation of internal tidal energy and its role in the seaward transport of suspended sediment away from the slope and shelf. I have also been involved in observational work focused on understanding the dynamics of nutrient delivery to coastal ecosystems on the inner shelf. Cross-shelf transport dominates this process, and includes subtidal effects such as upwelling, as well as higher-frequency events such as internal bores. A combination of shipboard, moored, and satellite measurements of hydrographic, optical, and meteorological properties are used to investigate coastal systems and to assess how physical processes drive growth and mortality in ecosystems such as giant kelp reefs For links to manuscripts and presentations, please visit the Physical Oceanography Lab website, http://physoce.mlml.calstate.edu.