Scientists

Coastal physical oceanography including the study of internal tides, high-frequency internal waves, and circulation in the vicinity of fronts; estuarine oceanography including the dynamics that drive the three-dimensional circulation, the mechanisms that transport and disperse materials within estuaries, and the time response of estuaries to changes in forcing; physical/biological interactions which influence larval dispersal.

Geochronology and petrogenesis of ocean floor and oceanic island basalts applied to modeling crustal movements in the ocean basins; geochemistry of oceanic basalts to map upper mantle heterogeneities; hydrothermal alteration of midocean ridge basalts; the origin, composition, timing and environmental effects of large igneous processes. (Professor Emeritus)

Remote sensing (microwave radar & optical) of nearshore breaking waves; wave modeling and shoreline response near complex bathymetric features; physical/numerical modeling of rip currents and rip current instabilities.

Physiological-ecology of marine algae, biogeochemical cycles, remote sensing of the biosphere, novel optical approaches to understanding algal ecology/physiology, biochemistry and biophysics of photosynthesis, physiological responses of plants to environmental stresses, and regional and global ecological modeling, climate change and carbon cycling.

Schlosser is interested in eelgrass distribution and growth. Annual collaborative eelgrass surveys provide useful information to resource managers for developing management plans, reviewing development proposals, levee design, restoration projects, and bridge repair. She also manages an invasive eelgrass monitoring and eradication program in Humboldt Bay and the Eel River Estuary. She is starting research on best practices for community programs using an ecosystem-based management approach.

Dr. Jones is an interdisciplinary expert in the dynamic interactions between climate, water, ecology, and society. He received a Ph.D. in hydrology from the University of Alaska, where he combined traditional knowledge and science to assess exposure of indigenous people to the impacts of climate change. As a postdoctoral researcher with the Environmental Protection Agency, he investigated hydrologic vulnerability to climate change across the continental U.S.

Her research focuses on spatial statistics from climate models as they relate to socio-economic impacts.

My major research interests are in the development and testing of cost-benefit models of behavior, and experimental studies of the decision rules used by animals to ensure adaptive behavior in various contexts. The emphasis is on understanding how behaviors maximize individual fitness; this is achieved by experimental analyses of the benefits and costs of the various behavioral alternatives available to the animal.

My research focuses on developing geocomputational theory and techniques to integrate GIS and remote sensing technologies in spatial decision-making. Specific projects focus on applying spatial modeling, simulation, and optimization techniques to support land-use planning, emergency planning, and resources management.

Sally's research interests include connections between humans and their natural resources, in particular the intertwined roles of science, communications, and social acceptance of resource management. In her work at INR, she is committed to improving the multi-faceted connections between scientific research with all its limitations and opportunities, and the complex worlds of decision makers and stakeholders.

Climate change mitigation, technologies and policies for carbon management, sustainability science, energy technology innovation, CO2 capture and storage, renewable energy, universities as change agents for sustainability, climate change education.

Dr. Plantinga 's research focuses on the economics of land use, climate change, and forests. Particular emphasis is given to the development of methods for econometrically modeling land-use decisions, the application of land-use models to environmental and resource policy problems, and the modeling of land development pressures. Current projects involve the use of a national-level (U.S.) econometric model of land use to evaluate wildlife conservation policies and factors determining historical land-use changes, the effects of forest fragmentation on wildlife species, land-use policies designed to lessen adverse effects of fragmentation, growth management restrictions in Oregon and its effect on property values, and the application of techniques from macroeconomics to model natural resource markets.

My scientific interests began with a focus on arboreal organisms living in the crowns of tall trees, but has recently shifted to the trees themselves, particularly the five species with living individuals over 300 feet tall. How fast do they grow, what limits their maximum size, and how will they respond to a changing climate? My team is also considering how second-growth forests might be managed to accelerate the development of old-growth forest complexity and biodiversity.

The central mission of Dr. Sailor's research group is to develop an improved understanding of the urban climate system, its feedback mechanisms, and the potential for mitigating actions to affect change. Our specific short term goals are to:
(1) quantify the relative role of component parts of the urban infrastructure in affecting the magnitude of the urban heat island
(2) understand how the urban system will respond to the added stresses of long term climate change (including changes in population, demographics, technology, and adaptation)
(3) evaluate the likely impacts of planning and policy options to mitigate the negative aspects of urban environments