I
am a Senior Research Scientist and Head of the Ocean Dynamics & Processes
Section at the Institute of
Ocean Sciences in Sidney, British Columbia.
I have a degree in Physics and Oceanography from the University of British Columbia and have been working as a physical oceanographer for Fisheries and Oceans Canada for about 30 years. I have served on numerous National and International committees, am a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada (Academy of Sciences) and hold adjunct Professor status at the University of Victoria and University of British Columbia.
I began my career as a theoretician but now combine theory and numerical modeling with strong field observation programs. My research has ranged from biophysical processes at hydrothermal vents in the deep ocean, to circulation dynamics of the Great Barrier Reef, to estuarine processes in British Columbia inlets, to paleoclimate studies from sediment cores, to possible oceanic dynamics on the moons of Jupiter and Saturn.
I have published 2 books and over 130 primary journal publications, and have participated in countless oceanographic ship surveys.
Main Areas of Specialization
I. Mid-Ocean Ridges and Deep Ocean Dynamics
II. Coastal Ocean Dynamics and Biological Productivity
III. Ocean Climate
IV. Marine Geology and Geophysics
V. Extra-terrestrial Oceanography
VI. Text Books
VII. Instrument Design (including patents on a windsurfing quick-release
mechanism)
Books
Emery, W.J. and R.E. Thomson. 2001. Data
Analysis Methods in Physical Oceanography. Revised Edition, Elsevier
Science, Amsterdam, Netherlands, 638 p.
Thomson, R.E. 1981 (Reprinted 1983, 1984, 1991) Oceanography of the British
Columbia Coast. Can. Special Pub. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 56. Ottawa, 291p.