James O'Donnell

(Ph.D., University of Delaware) Professor of Marine Sciences

My research program has developed mathematical models, built and deployed instrument arrays in the ocean, and applied statistical techniques to understand and predict the character of circulation, mixing, and waves in the coastal ocean. I have also collaborated with biologists and geochemists to develop quantitative models of the interaction of processes in the environment. Since 2002 I have led the Long Island Sound Integrated Coastal Ocean Observing System, (LISICOS) a network of buoy-based instruments and coastal HF RADAR sites that telemeter data to shore to support water quality monitoring, weather forecasting, and search and rescue operations.  I have also served as Executive Director of the Connecticut Institute for Resilience and Climate Adaptation (CIRCA) since 2014. CIRCA a partnership of UConn and the Connecticut Department of Energy and the Environment focused on assisting municipalities and State Agencies reduce their vulnerability to the effects of Climate change.

Research Interests

River Plumes

At the mouths of many rivers, thin layers of brackish fluid are found at the surface. Unfortunately, existing simulations of water quality in estuaries cannot resolve these features; and, since they are very shallow and transient, it is also difficult to make measurements of their structure. I have developed a model of the dynamics of these phenomena and have recently constructed a ship-mounted instrument array to observe their structure. It is currently being employed to study the plume formed by the Connecticut River in Long Island Sound.

Circulation in Long Island Sound

The long-term movement of water in Long Island Sound strongly influences the water quality. I am currently collaborating with several members of the Department of Marine Sciences faculty on observational programs to determine the structure and evolution of the flow field in the Sound.

Fundamental Geophysical and Environmental Fluid Dynamics

Much has been reamed about the dynamics of the ocean and atmosphere by the study of simple models that include only the dominant processes. Recently, I have contributed to the explanation of the subtle effects of nonlinear processes and stratification in the Rossby and spin-up problems in simple geometries. In collaboration with a student, I am currently developing models of tidally induced residual circulation in idealized coastal plain estuaries and intend to extend this work to more realistic geometries.

Mathematical Models of Environmental Processes

I have recently collaborated with Department of Marine Sciences faculty and students on the application of methods of applied mathematics to the development of models of bioturbation in marine sediments, the cycling of mercury in the equatorial Pacific and the diffusion of Radon from fractured rocks. I am currently working on several related models.

Research Projects

  • Testing Dissolved Oxygen Models in Long Island Sound – CT Sea Grant Program/EPA
  • Planning for a More Climate Resilient Connecticut. DHS/FEMA/CT Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security
  • Developing Dynamic Habitat-Based Ecological Decision Support Tools and Data to Characterize Deep-water Habitats. EPA/Long Island Sound Office/CT Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
  • Resilient Connecticut 2.0. State of Connecticut
  • Collaborative Research: An Investigation of Energy Exchange Across the Wave Boundary Layer Through Measurements of Dissipation and Production of TKE – NSF
  • The Continued Development and Operation of the Northeastern Regional Coastal Ocean Observing System. DOC/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
  • MARACOOS: Preparing for a Changing Mid-Atlantic. DOC/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
  • Water quality monitoring enhancements to support the hypoxia management in Long Island Sound. EPA

Oceanography Students

Mehrnoosh Abbasian – Ph.D. Student

Molly James – Ph.D. Student

 

Oceanography Alumni

Amin Ilia – Ph.D. 2021

John Speers – M.S.  2021

Youngmi Shin -Ph.D. 2019

Grant McCardell -Ph.D. 2013

Diane C. Bennett – Ph.D. 2010

Peter Gay – Ph.D. 2005

Adam Houk – M.Sc. 2007

Chunyan Li – Ph.D. 1996

Grant McCardell – Ph.D. 2012

John Modi – M.Sc. 1994

Youngmi Shin – Ph.D. 2019

Research Staff

Kay Howard-Strobel

Carson Hill

Alejandro Cifuentes-Lorenzen

Zheng Ren

Postdoctoral Fellows

Grant McCardell

Recent Publications

  1. Cifuentes-Lorenzen, A. C. Zappa, J. Edson, J. O’Donnell, and D. Ullman (2023). Exploring the role of wave-driven turbulence at the air-sea interface through measurements of TKE dissipation rates across the air-sea interface. J. Geophys. Res.(Oceans) 129, e2023JC020308. https://doi.org/10.1029/2023JC020308
  2. Pais, N.V., J. O’Donnell and N. Ravishanker (2024). Investigating the Joint Probability of High Coastal Sea Level and High Precipitation, J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2024, 12(3), 519; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse12030519
  3. Pais, N.V.; N. Ravishanker, J. O’Donnell, and E. Shaffer. (2023) Ensemble Hindcasting of Coastal Wave Heights. J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2023, 11, 1110. https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse11061110
  4. Ilia, A. A. Cifuentes-Lorenzen, G. McCardell, T. Fake, J. O’Donnell (2023) Wave Growth and Dissipation in a Fetch-Limited Urban Estuary: Long Island Sound. J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2023, 11(8), 1579; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse11081579
  5. Ilia, A., McCardell, G., Howard-Strobel, M., & O’Donnell, J. (2023). Observations of autumnal cooling in a large estuary. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 128, e2022JC018586. https://doi.org/10.1029/2022JC018586
  6. McCardell, G., Horwitz, R., Ilia, A., Howard Strobel, M. K., Fake, T., & O’Donnell, J. (2023). Heat flux estimates from a synthesis of satellite observations and a hydrodynamic model (with application to Long Island Sound). Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 128, e2022JC018463. https://doi.org/10.1029/2022JC018463
  7. Lui, C., Y. Onat, Y. Jia, and J. O’Donnell (2021) Modeling nearshore dynamics of extreme storms in complex environments of Connecticut. Coastal Eng. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coastaleng.2021.103950.
  8. Shin, Y., A. Cifuentes-Lorenzen, M.M. Howard Strobel, and J. O’Donnell (2021) Waves in Western Long Island Sound. J. Geophys. Res. 126, e2020JC016468. https://doi.org/10.1029/2020JC016468
  9. Liu, C., J.Yia, Y. Onat, A. Cifuentes-Lorenzen, A. Ilia, G. McCardell, T. Fake, and J. O’Donnell (2020) Estimating the annual exceedance probability of water levels and wave heights from high resolution coupled wave-circulation models in Long Island Sound. J. Mar. Sci. and Eng. 2020, 8(7), 475; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse8070475
  10. O’Donnell, J. (2019) Sea Level Rise in Connecticut. Final Report to Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. https://s.uconn.edu/CtSeaLevelRiseReport
Prof. James O'Donnell
Contact Information
Emailjames.odonnell@uconn.edu
Phone860-405-9171
860-405-9133
Fax860-405-9153