Joe Jurisa

I am a physical oceanographer mainly focused on mixing and transport processes in estuarine and coastal systems.  My research focuses on understanding the mixing and transport processes driving the water mass transformation in the estuarine and coastal regions as these processes ultimately control the fate of freshwater and the water mass structure on the continental shelf.  I develop novel analytical tools and utilize numerical models along with observational oceanographic and meteorological data in an attempt to capture and advance the understanding of the underlying physical processes.

Currently I am involved with projects studying mixing and transport processes in the Passaic River, frontal dynamics and turbulence in estuaries, historical trends in wind and storm surge events in the Mid-Atlantic Bight, and the influence of historical modifications to the mouth of the Columbia River on the freshwater dispersal/circulation patterns on the Oregon/Washington continental shelf.