Michael M. Whitney

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

Marine Sciences

---

I am a physical oceanographer who specializes in the dynamics and water quality of estuarine and coastal systems. Much of my research involves hydrodynamic models. My research group also collects observations and analyzes large datasets from many sources. A particular research interest is tracking river waters and their influences through the marine environment. Riverine influences include stratification, buoyancy-driven currents, nutrient and carbon loads, and contaminant inputs. Key research topics include include:

• River plume dynamics
• Freshwater mixing and transport
• Tidal flow interactions with bathymetry
• Estuarine dynamics and water quality
• Long Island Sound hypoxia and biogeochemical budgets
• Continental shelf dynamics
• Global influences of river waters
• Research Projects

Research Projects

Connecticut Sea Grant Program. M. M. Whitney (PI) and C. Matassa (PI).  Quantifying Larval Connectivity Patterns and Variability among Natural Oyster Beds along the Connecticut Coast.$149,868 [02/01/2024-01/31/2026]

National Science Foundation. M. M. Whitney (PI). Icelandic Coastal Current interactions with peninsulas, bays, winds, and ocean currents controlling freshwater export and retention. $671,610 [04/01/2023-03/31/2026]

Environmental Protection Agency, Long Island Sound Study. M. M. Whitney (PI) and P. Linderoth. Tracking Pathogen Pathways and Fecal Bacteria Patterns for Public Beaches Suffering with Poor Water Quality Grades and Closures. $310,628 [03/01/2023-02/28/2025]

National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Long Island Sound Futures Fund. M. M. Whitney (PI). Marine Debris Education and Prevention with High-School Students in a Long Island Sound Environmental Justice Community. $69,022 [06/01/2023-08/31/2025]

Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation. M. M. Whitney (PI). Confronting beach bacteria problems with innovative field analysis, outreach, and stewardship. $18,400 [04/01/2023-10/01/2024]

University of Connecticut – Research Excellence Program. M. M. Whitney (PI), Observing Icelandic River-Water Pathways from River Mouths through the Ocean. $20,774 [07/01/2020-12/31/2022]

University of Connecticut – Scholarship Facilitation Fund. M. M. Whitney (PI), Tracking Iceland’s Rivers through Ocean Fisheries. $2,000 [01/01/2020-12/31/2020]

Environmental Protection Agency, Long Island Sound Study. P. Vlahos, M. M. Whitney (Co-PI) and J. Vaudrey. Alkalinity of Long Island Sound Embayments (ALISE). $131,088 [03/01/2021-02/28/2023]

National Science Foundation. K. Colle (U. Maine, Lead-PI), K. Huguenard (U. Maine Co-PI), D. MacDonald (U. Massachusetts Dartmouth PI), M. M. Whitney (UConn PI). Collaborative Research: Mixing of river water into the coastal ocean and the role and structure of the outer edge of the discharge. $397,741 UConn portion [04/15/2018-03/21/2023]

Environmental Protection Agency, Long Island Sound Study. P. Vlahos, M. M. Whitney (Co-PI) and J. Vaudrey. Long Island Sound Respire Program. $398,387 [03/01/2019-02/28/2022]

Environmental Protection Agency, Long Island Sound Study. M. M. Whitney (PI) and P. Vlahos. Nutrient and Carbon Fluxes through Long Island Sound, Linking River Sources to Impacted Areas. $278,851 [03/01/2017-02/28/2020]

Connecticut Sea Grant Program. P. Vlahos (PI) and M. M. Whitney (Co-PI). Net Carbon and Nitrogen Export of Long Island Sound. $149,130 [05/01/2016-01/31/2018]

Connecticut Sea Grant Program. M. M. Whitney (PI), J. E. Ward, K. DeRosia-Banick. Modeling Vibrio parahaemolyticus outbreaks in commercial shellfish areas in western Long Island Sound:  Local environmental factors and uptake by oysters. $129,985 [12/01/2014-11/30/2017]

South Central Regional Council of Governments. J. O’Donnell (PI) and M. M. Whitney (Co-PI). Road Flooding in Coastal Connecticut. $85,000 [09/01/2016-06/30/2017]

Connecticut Sea Grant. M. M. Whitney (PI). Ocean Drifters. $3200 [5/15/2014-9/1/2014]

University of Connecticut Avery Point Campus. M. M. Whitney (PI). Ocean Drifters. $1600 [5/15/2014-9/1/2014]

United Illuminating. E. Aganostou (PI), M. Astitha, and M. M. Whitney (Co-PI). Center of Excellence on Storm Hazards Mitigation & Power System Resilience. $30,000 Whitney part [4/01/2014-3/31/2016]

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). M. M. Whitney (PI) and J. Edson. Sea Breezes and Estuary-Shelf Response in Areas with Spatial Sea Surface Temperature Variability and Complex Coastal Geometry. $432,610 [01/10/2013-1/09/2018]

Connecticut Sea Grant Program. M. M. Whitney (PI) and P. Vlahos. Measuring and Predicting the Fate and Transport of Perfluorinated Contaminants Entering the Long Island Sound from Municipal Wastewater in the Housatonic Watershed. $129,410 [02/01/2012-01/31/2014]

Department of Energy (DOE).  Bryan, F. (NCAR PI), J. Dennis (NCAR PI), P. MacCready (UW CoPI), M. M. Whitney (UConn PI).  Collaborative Project: Improving the representation of coastal and estuarine processes in Earth system models. $367,324 [09/01/2011-08/31/2014]

Dominion Foundation. P. Vlahos, M. M. Whitney (Co-PI), C. Tobias, W. F. Bohlen, and I. Babb. Undergraduate education using real-time marine environmental observational systems. $45,910 [08/27/2011-08/26/2012]

University of Connecticut Foundation Kitchings Fund. P. Vlahos, M. M. Whitney (Co-PI), C. Tobias, W. F. Bohlen, and I. Babb. Match for Undergraduate education using real-time marine environmental observational systems. $5,000 [08/27/2011-08/26/2012]

Connecticut Sea Grant. P. Vlahos, M. M. Whitney (Co-PI), C. Tobias, W. F. Bohlen, and I. Babb. Match for Undergraduate education using real-time marine environmental observational systems. $4,000 [08/27/2011-08/26/2012]

National Science Foundation (NSF):  M. M. Whitney (PI).  CAREER: The Influence of Distributed River Inputs and Coastal Embayments on Dynamics in Large Estuaries. $599,786 [06/15/2010-06/14/2017]

National Science Foundation (NSF):  M. M. Whitney (UConn PI), D. Codiga (URI PI), and D. Ullman (URI PI).  Collaborative Research: Investigating tidal influences on subtidal estuary-coast exchange using observations and numerical simulations. $345,545 [09/01/2008-08/31/2012]

University of Connecticut – Large Grant Program. M. M. Whitney (PI). Simulations and Observations of Water Properties and Circulation within the Thames River Estuary. $13,908 [06/01/2006-05/31/2007]

Connecticut Sea Grant Program. P. Vlahos, M. M. Whitney (Co-PI), C. Koerting, and R. Whitlatch. Seed Funding for the Assessment and Remediation of the Thames River Estuary: Passive Chemical Samplers, Biological Impacts and Modeling. $5000 [03/01/2006-07/1/2006]

Oceanography Students

Brittney Collins – M.S. Student

Luke Glass – Ph.D. Student

Meg Shah – M.S. Student

Oceanography Alumni

Steven Deignan-Schmidt – Ph.D. 2018

Melissa Hacker-Gibson – M.S. 2012

Yan Jia – Ph.D. 2019

Ralph (RJ) Jiorle – M.S. 2009

Christina Menniti – M.S. 2020

Qiang Sun – Ph.D. 2018

List of all graduates in Marine Sciences with thesis/dissertation links

Courses Taught

Current Course Rotation:

Year	Fall Semester	Spring Semester
Even (e.g. 2022)	MARN 4060 Physical Oceanography” MARN 5065 Physical Oceanography”	MARN 5200 Oceanographic Data Analysis
Odd (e.g. 2023)	MARN 4060 Physical Oceanography” MARN 5065 Physical Oceanography”	MARN 4066 River Influences on the Marine Environment” MARN 5066 River Influences on the Marine Environment”

“Concurrently taught at undergraduate and graduate levels

 

Past Courses:

MARN 1002/1003 Introduction to Oceanography (with Lab)

MARN 1004 Oceanography Laboratory

MARN 2002 Marine Sciences I

MARN 3000 The Hydrosphere and Global Climate

MARN 5898 Special Topics: Coastal Fluid Mechanics

MARN 5898 Special Topics: Coupled Dynamics of the Ocean and Atmosphere

MARN 5995 Special Topics: Matlab for Marine Sciences

MARN 410 Special Topics: Coastal Ocean Dynamics

MARN 410 Special Topics: Coastal Circulation I

Honors Received

Fulbright-NSF Arctic Research Award

National Science Foundation CAREER Award

National Endowment for the Humanities, selected as a 38th Voyager aboard historic whaling ship Charles W. Morgan Mystic Seaport

Publications

*Student author (major advisee)     ^Student author (associate advisee)

Whitney, M. M., 2024. Wind-Enhanced Separation of Large-Scale River Plumes From Coastal Corners. J. Geophys. Res.: Oceans, 129(7), e2024JC020969.

Barrett, L. J.^, P. Vlahos, M. A. McGuinness, M. M. Whitney, J. P. Vaudrey, 2024. Droughts and deluges: changes in river discharge and the carbonate chemistry of an urbanized temperate estuary. Front. Mar. Sci., 11, 1398087.

Whitney, M. M., P. Spicer^, D. MacDonald, K. D. Huguenard, K. L. Cole, Y. Jia*, N. Delatolas, 2024. Mixing of the Connecticut River plume during ambient flood tides: Spatial heterogeneity and contributions of bottom‐generated and interfacial mixing. J. Geophys. Res.: Oceans, 129(3), e2023JC020423.

Liu, M., R. P. Mason, P. Vlahos, M. M. Whitney, Q. Zhang, J. K. Warren, X. Wang, Z. Baumann, 2023. Riverine discharge fuels the production of methylmercury in a large temperate estuary. Environmental Science & Technology, 57(35) 13056–13066.

Delatolas, N., D. G. MacDonald, L. Goodman, M. M. Whitney, K. Huguenard, K. Cole, 2023. Comparison of structure and turbulent mixing between lateral and leading-edge river plume fronts: Microstructure observations from a T-REMUS AUV. Estuarine, Coastal, and Shelf Science, 283, 108234.

Whitney, M. M., 2023. Separation of the Icelandic Coastal Current from the Reykjanes Peninsula. Estuarine, Coastal, and Shelf Science, 280, 108163.

Whitney, M. M., 2022. Observed and projected global warming pressure on coastal hypoxia. Biogeosciences, 19, 4479-4497.

Spicer, P.^, K. Huguenard, K. L. Cole, D. G. MacDonald, M. M. Whitney, 2022. Evolving Interior Mixing Regimes in a Tidal River Plume. Geophys. Res. Letters, e2022GL099633.

Spicer, P.^, K. Huguenard, K. L. Cole, D. G. MacDonald, M. M. Whitney, 2022. Wind Effects on Near and Midfield Mixing in Tidally Pulsed River Plumes. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 127(5), e2022JC018462.

Whitney, M. M., Y. Jia*, K. L. Cole, D. MacDonald, K. D. Huguenard, 2021. Freshwater composition and connectivity of the Connecticut River plume during ambient flood tides. Frontiers in Marine Science, 8, 747191.

Spicer, P.^, K. L. Cole, K. Huguenard, D. G. MacDonald, M. M. Whitney, 2021. The Effect of Bottom-Generated Tidal Mixing on Tidally Pulsed River Plumes. Journal of Physical Oceanography, 51(7), 2223-2241.

Whitney, M. M. and P. Vlahos, 2021. Reducing Hypoxia in an Urban Estuary Despite Climate Warming. Environmental Science & Technology, 55(2), 941-951.

Deignan-Schmidt, S.R.*, M. M. Whitney, and Y. Jia*, 2021. Influences of Islands and Shoals on Coastal Water Properties, Flushing Time, and Dispersion Within Western Long Island Sound. Estuaries and Coasts, 44, 991-1009.

Whitney, M. M. and Y. Jia* 2020. Solutions for Subtidal Flow in Channels and Estuaries Under Different Integral Constraints. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 125, 10.1029/2020JC016076.

Menniti, C.*, M. M. Whitney, and S. R. Deignan-Schmidt*, 2020. The Importance of Offshore Exchange for Water Temperatures in Norwalk Harbor. Estuaries and Coasts, 43, 787-808.

Byrd, A. L.^, P. Vlahos, M. M. Whitney, C. Menniti*, J. K. Warren, 2020. Tidally resolved observations of organic carbon exchange through Eastern Long Island Sound. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 232, 106463.

Vlahos, P., M. M. Whitney, C. Menniti*, J. R. Mullaney, J. Morrison, Y. Jia*, 2020. Nitrogen budgets of the Long Island Sound estuary. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 232, 106493.

Snyder, J.T.^, M. M. Whitney, H. G. Dam, M. W. Jacobs, and H. Baumann, 2019. Citizen science observations reveal rapid, multi-decadal ecosystem changes in eastern Long Island Sound. Marine Environmental Research, 146, 80-88.

Jia, Y.* and M. M. Whitney, 2019. Summertime Connecticut River Water Pathways and Wind Impacts. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 124(3), 1897-1914.

Sun, Q.*, M. M. Whitney, F. O. Bryan, and Y. H. Tseng, 2019. Assessing the skill of the improved treatment of riverine freshwater in the Community Earth System Model (CESM) relative to a new salinity climatology. Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems, 11, 1189–1206.

Lombardo, K., E. Sinsky^, J. Edson, and M. M. Whitney, 2018. Sensitivity of offshore surface fluxes and sea breezes to the spatial distribution of sea-surface temperature. Boundary-Layer Meteorology, 166, 475-502.

Elmoznino, J.^, P. Vlahos, and M. M. Whitney, 2018. Occurrence and partitioning behavior of perfluoroalkyl acids in wastewater effluent discharging into the Long Island Sound. Environmental Pollution, 243, 453-461.

Deignan-Schmidt, S.R.* and M. M. Whitney, 2018. A Model Study on the Summertime Distribution of River Waters in Long Island Sound. Estuaries and Coasts, 41, 1002-1020.

Sun, Q.*, M. M. Whitney, F. O. Bryan, Y. H. Tseng, 2017. A box model for representing estuarine physical processes in Earth system models. Ocean Modelling, 112, pp.139-153.

Vlahos, P. and M. M. Whitney, 2017. Organic carbon patterns and budgets in the Long Island Sound estuary. Limnology and Oceanography, 62(S1).

Whitney, M. M., D. S. Ullman, and D. L. Codiga. 2016. Subtidal Exchange in Eastern Long Island Sound. J. Phys. Oceanogr., 46, 2351–2371.

Lombardo, K., E. Sinsky^, Y. Jia, M. M. Whitney, and J. Edson, 2016. Sensitivity of simulated sea breezes to initial conditions in complex coastal regions. Monthly Weather Review, 144 (4), 1299-1320.

Tseng, Y. -heng, F. O. Bryan, and M. M. Whitney, 2016. Impacts of the representation of riverine freshwater input in the community earth system model. Ocean Modelling, 105, S1463500316300786, doi:10.1016/j.ocemod.2016.08.002.

Raub, K.B.^, P. Vlahos, M. M. Whitney., 2015. Comparison of marine sampling methods for organic contaminants: Passive samplers, water extractions, and live oyster deployment. Marine Environmental Research, 109:148-158.

Whitney, M. M., Y. Jia*, P. M. McManus*, C. J. Kunz*. 2014. Sill effects on physical dynamics in eastern Long Island Sound. Ocean Dynam., 43, 443-458.

O’Donnell, J., R. Wilson, K. Lwiza, M. M. Whitney, W. F. Bohlen, D. Codiga, D. Fribance^, T. Fake, M. Bowman, and J. Varekamp, 2014: The Physical Oceanography of Long Island Sound. in Long Island Sound Prospects for an Urban Season , Latimer et al (eds).

Whitney, M. M., D. L. Codiga, D. S. Ullman, P. M. McManus and R. Jiorle*. 2012. Tidal Cycles in Stratification and Shear and Their Relationship to Gradient Richardson Number and Eddy Viscosity Variations in Estuaries. J. Phys. Oceanogr., 42, 1124-1133.

Whitney, M. M., D. Codiga. 2011. Response of a large stratified estuary to winds: Observations, theory, and simulations of Long Island Sound. J. Phys. Oceanogr., 41, 1308-1327.

Xia, M., L. Xie, L. J. Pietrafesa, and M. M. Whitney, 2011: The ideal response of a Gulf of Mexico estuary plume to wind forcing: Its connection with salt flux and a Lagrangian view, J. Geophys. Res., 116, C8.

Whitney, M. M. 2010. A study on the variability of river discharge and salinity in the Middle Atlantic Bight and Long Island Sound. Cont. Shelf Res., 30, 305-318.

Whitney, M. M. and J. S. Allen, 2009: Coastal wind-driven circulation in the vicinity of a bank: Part 1. Modeling flow over idealized banks, J. Phys. Oceanogr., 39, 1273-1297.

Whitney, M. M. and J. S. Allen, 2009: Coastal wind-driven circulation in the vicinity of a bank: Part 2. Modeling flow over the Heceta Bank complex, J. Phys. Oceanogr., 39, 1298-1316.

Rice, A. E., M. M. Whitney, R. W. Garvine, and P. Huq, 2008: Energetics in Delaware Bay: Comparison of two box models with observations, J. Mar. Res., 66, 873-898.

Whitney, M. M. and R. W. Garvine, 2008: Estimating tidal current amplitudes outside estuaries and characterizing the zone of estuarine tidal influence, J. Continent. Res., 28, 280-290.

Garvine, R. W. and M. M. Whitney, 2006: An estuarine box model of freshwater delivery to the coastal ocean for use in climate models, J. Mar. Res., 64, 173-194.

Wetz, M. S., B. Hales, P. A. Wheeler, Z. Chase, and M. M. Whitney, 2006: Riverine input of macronutrients, iron, and organic matter to the coastal ocean off Oregon, USA, during the winter, Limnol. Oceanogr., 51, 2221-2231.

Whitney, M. M. and R. W. Garvine, 2006: Simulating a coastal buoyant outflow: Comparisons to observations, J. Phys. Oceanogr., 36, 3-21.

Whitney, M. M. and R. W. Garvine, 2005: Wind influence on the Delaware buoyant outflow, J. Geophys. Res.,110, doi:10.1029/2003JC002261.

Tilburg, C. E., J. T. Reager, and M. M. Whitney, 2005: The physics of blue crab larval recruitment in Delaware Bay: A model study, J. Mar. Res., 63, 471-495.

Whitney, M. M., 2003: Simulating the Delaware Coastal Current, University of Delaware dissertation.