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School of Physical, Environmental and Mathematical Sciences |
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Physical Oceanographer
Research Interests:
Internal Tides and Internal Waves, Vertical Mixing, Mechanisms in the Ocean, Antarctic Seas, Long-term Variability of the Deep Waters.
Profile
(as published in Oceanography)Modelers and observationalists often operate in different circles. I try to operate at the intersection. As a modeler, I simulate realistic scenarios, incorporating real data and verifying the results against observations. In turn, my simulations suggest where certain processes may be observed. I also collect data in field experiments, which is used for model verification. Field work reminds me how complex the real ocean is and what the models are still missing.
Although much of my career has been involved with waves of some sort, vertical mixing mechanisms in the polar regions became my broad interest in the early 1990’s and more recently my primary focus became tides. Tides are believed to be a major vertical mixing mechanism throughout the world ocean. Much of the mixing is believed to occur through interactions of the barotropic tide with the continental slope or rough topography generating internal tides. To determine the role of tides in vertical mixing, I model the tidal fields in various regions in 3-D. Presently, I am simulating internal tides not only in the Antarctic Seas (Ross and Weddell), but also in the Indonesian Seas.
My career path has not been the standard, direct, one discipline approach, but rather has combined oceanography and ocean engineering, academia and industry, and field work, data analysis, and modeling. My first modeling projects were done as an ocean engineering student, simulating oil dispersion due to wave motion and the dispersion of pollutants. At the time, I and four other women were the first to be admitted to the Ocean Engineering Department at the University of Rhode Island.
So how did a modeler start doing field work, especially in those days when many people felt that women should not go to sea? When I finished my Masters, things looked grim for an inexperienced, ocean engineer, due to a glut of unemployed, experienced ocean engineers when oil prices dropped. After I was hired by SAIC, I was soon actively involved in their environmental monitoring field program. This was fortunate, because suddenly I became a modeler with field experience. This would later open doors for me, for instance at Ocean Research and Engineering, where I ran a field program to measure surface waves using stereo photography.
I earned my PhD at Oregon State University modeling tides, while working with an observationalist and going to sea. In 1999, I joined Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory (LDEO) of Columbia University. LDEO has strong observational and climate programs, which allows me to concentrate on the modeling aspect of my work, as well as participating in field work and discussing the relevance of the results to the climate community.
Professional Development:
| Florida Institute of Technology (Melbourne, Florida) | B.S. | Chemical Oceanography | 1977 |
| University of Rhode Island (Kingston, Rhode Island) | M.S. | Ocean Engineering | 1982 |
| Oregon State University (Corvallis, Oregon) | PhD | Physical Oceanography | 1999 |
| Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory (Palisades, NY) | post-doc | Physical Oceanography | 1999-2000, 2001 |
| Alfred-Wegener Institute (Bremerhaven, Germany) | post-doc | International Research Fellow | 2001 |
Appointments and Employment:
Senior Lecturer (July 2008-) - University of New South Wales at the Australian Defence Force Academy, Canberra, ACT, Australia.
Lecturer (March 2006 to June 2008) - University of New South Wales at the Australian Defence Force Academy,
Canberra, ACT,
Australia.
Teaching a variety of oceanographic topics, including internal waves, regional oceanography, and ocean dynamics. Modeling the internal tides in the Ross and Weddell Seas and other location. Investigating the impacts of internal tides on dynamics and mixing.
Adjunct Scientist UNSW Climate Change Research Center (2007 to present).
Doherty Associate Research Scientist (October 2002 to March 2006); Adjunct Associate Research Scientist (March 2006 to present) - Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University, Palisades, New York.
Modeling the internal tides in the Ross and Weddell Seas and other location. Investigating the impacts of internal tides on dynamics and mixing. Participated in the CORC project both in data analysis and field operations. Participated in the Anslope III cruise.
Adjunct Instructor (Sept 2002-present) - Fairleigh Dickinson University, Teaneck, New Jersey
Teaching a basic introductory undergraduate course on Oceanography with both a lecture and a lab.
Postdoctoral Researcher (Jan 2001 to Nov 2001) - Alfred-Wegener Institut fuer Polar-und Meeresforschung, Bremerhaven, Germany.
Modeled the internal tides in the Ross Sea and compared the performance of the ROMS and POM models.
Postdoctoral Research Scientist (March 1999 to Jan 2001 and Dec 2001 to Oct 2002) - Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University, Palisades, New York.
Modeling the internal tides in the Weddell Sea. Participate in the CORC project both in data analysis and field operations. Responsibilities included functioning as team leader on a research cruise collecting CTD data and placing moorings in the Antarctic, and collecting and analyzing historical CTD data to determine temporal and spatial changes in the Warm Deep Water and Weddell Sea Deep and Bottom Waters.
Graduate Student (Sept 1991 to Feb 1999) - College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon.
Investigated various mechanisms, which affect mixing and heat transport in the upper ocean for the
Ocean Engineer (July 1989 to Feb 1991) - Ocean Research and Engineering, Pasadena, California.
Investigated surface waves using stereophotography. The project responsibilities included conducting two field experiments, processing and analyzing data, and presenting results.
Ocean Engineer (Feb 1988 to May 1989) - Tekmarine, Inc., Pasadena, California.
Evaluated the physical oceanographic impact of ocean discharges for various clients. Performed analysis to determine circulation patterns and effluent transport. Participated in various field projects determining sediment budgets and beach erosion. Managed a Micro VAX II system.
Analyst/Programmer (May 1984 to Feb 1988) and (June-July 1989)- Areté Associates, Sherman Oaks, California.
Investigated phenomenological explanations for anomalous wave data observations. Analyzed remotely sensed oceanographic data, including satellite data (SEASAT). Headed a group, which developed diagnostics and software for quality assessment of oceanographic data. Participated in a shipboard data collection experiment.
Programmer/Field Researcher (March 1982 to May 1984) and (Sept 1980 to Feb 1981) - Science Applications International Corp., Newport, Rhode Island.
Developed software for a state-of-the-art navigation and data acquisition system. Participated in environmental monitoring cruises. Evaluated a navigational error analysis model. Developed software for analysis of bathymetric and photometric data.
Research Assistant (Feb 1981 to Jan 1982) Department of Ocean Engineering, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island.
Evaluated the dispersion of acid-iron waste at a deep water dumpsite in the North Atlantic using a numerical model.
Research
Students and Post-docs Opportunities:
If you are a graduate student or post-doc interested in pursuing research in any of these areas, please contact Dr. Robertson. Funding may be possible for qualified students.
Areas of Research include:
Internal Tides in the Indonesian Sea
http://www.pems.adfa.edu.au/~s3162789/Indonesian.htm
Baroclinic Tides in the Ross Sea
http://www.pems.adfa.edu.au/~s3162789/Ross.htm
Barotropic and Baroclinic Tides in the Weddell Sea
http://www.pems.adfa.edu.au/~s3162789/Weddell.htm
Tidal Effects on Sea Ice
http://www.pems.adfa.edu.au/~s3162789/Seaice.htm
Katabatic Winds
http://www.pems.adfa.edu.au/~s3162789/Katabatic.htm
Variability of Deep Waters in the Weddell Sea
http://www.pems.adfa.edu.au/~s3162789/Longterm.htm
Vertical Mixing
http://www.pems.adfa.edu.au/~s3162789/Vertmix.htm
Model Performance
http://www.pems.adfa.edu.au/~s3162789/ModelPerformance.htm
Future Directions:
My internal tide research continues in applying the model to different regions, performing higher resolution simulations on regions of interest particularly Antarctic Seas, interpreting the model results to estimates of circulation and mixing, and in improving the simulations and model performance. I am also collaborating with Bruno Tremblay of McGill University and Tony Worby of University of Tasmania on sea ice applications of ROMS and with Xiaojun Yuan of Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and Bruno Tremblay on investigating the effects of katabatic winds on sea ice, polynyas, and deep water formation.
Selected Publications
Robertson, R., and A. Ffield, Baroclinic tides in the Indonesian Seas: Part 2: Interactions between tidal constituents, energy fluxes, and tidal mixing with a focus on Ombai Strait, submitted to J. Geophys. Res., May 2008.
Robertson, R. and A. Ffield, Baroclinic tides in the Indonesian Seas: Tidal fields and comparisons to observations, J. Geophys. Res., 113, C07031, doi:10.1029/2007JC004677, 2008.
Ffield, A. and R. Robertson, Temperature finestructure in the Indonesian Seas, J. Geophys. Res., 113, C09009, doi:10.1029/2006JC003864, 2008.
Robertson, R. and A. Ffield, M2 baroclinic tides in the Indonesian Seas, Oceanography, 18, 62-73, 2005.
Ffield, A. and R. Robertson, Indonesian Seas finestructure variability, Oceanography, 18, 108-111, 2005.
Robertson, R., Profile of Robin Robertson: Women in Oceanography, Oceanography, 18, 200, 2005.
Robertson, R., Barotropic and baroclinic tides in the Weddell Sea, Antarctic Science, 17, 461-474, 2005.
Robertson, R., Barotropic and Baroclinic tides in the Ross Sea, Antarctic Science, 17, 107-120, 2005.
Robertson, R., A. Beckmann, and H. Hellmer, M2 Tidal dynamics in the Ross Sea, Antarctic Science, 15, 41-46, 2003.
Robertson, R., M. Visbeck, A. L. Gordon, and E. Fahrbach, Long term temperature trends in the deep waters of the Weddell Sea, Deep-Sea Research, 49, 4791-4806, 2002.
Robertson, R., Internal tides and baroclinicity in the southern Weddell Sea: Part I: Model description, and comparison of model results to observations, J. Geophys. Res. 106, 27,001-27,016 2001a.
Robertson, R., Internal tides and baroclinicity in the southern Weddell Sea: Part II: Effects of the critical latitude and stratification, J. Geophys. Res., 106, 27,017-27,034, 2001b.
Robertson, R., L. Padman, and M. D. Levine, A correction to the baroclinic pressure gradient term in the Princeton Ocean Model, J. Atmos. Ocean. Tech., 18, 1068-1075, 2001.
Robertson, R., Mixing and heat transport mechanisms for the upper water column in the Weddell Sea, PhD Dissertation, College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences, Oregon State University, 1999.
Robertson, R., L. Padman, and G. D. Egbert, Tides in the Weddell Sea, in Ocean, Ice, and Atmosphere: Interactions at the Antarctic Continental Margin, Antarctic Research Series, 75, 341-369, 1998.
Padman, L., R. Robertson, and K. Nicholls, Modeling tides in the southern Weddell Sea: Updated model with new bathymetry from ROPEX , Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf Programme Report No. 12, Alfred-Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven Germany, 1998.
Robertson, R., L. Padman, and M. D. Levine, Fine structure, microstructure, and vertical mixing processes in the upper ocean in the western Weddell Sea, J. Geophys. Res., 100, 18517-18535, 1995.
Robertson, R. and M. Spaulding, A three-dimensional numerical dispersion model for acid-iron waste disposal, in Wastes in the Ocean: Volume 5: Deep sea waste disposal, Wiley Interscience, D. R. Kester, P. K. Park, P. H. Ketchum, and I. W. Duedall (eds.), 125-145, 1985.
Robertson, R., A Monte Carlo model of particle dispersion due to wave motion, M. S. Thesis, Department of Ocean Engineering, University of Rhode Island, March, 1982.
Conference Presentations:
Robertson, R. Internal tides in the Indonesian Seas: A simulation, International Symposium on Stratified Flows, 11-14 December 2006, Perth, Australia, 2006.
Robertson, R. Are deep waters of the Weddell still warming, 17th Australia-New Zealand Climate Forum, 5-7 September 2006, Canberra, 2006.
Robertson, R., Baroclinic tides in the Weddell Sea, SCAR meeting, 12-14 July, 2006, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, 2006.
Robertson, R., and A. Ffield, Internal Tides in the Indonesia Seas: A Simulation, Ocean Sciences Meeting: February 20-24, 2006 Honolulu, Hawaii, 2006.
Robertson, R., Baroclinic tides in the Ross Sea, 3rd International Conference on the Oceanography of the Ross Sea Antarctica, 10-14 October 2005 in Venice, Italy, 2005.
Robertson, R., Modeling Baroclinic Tides: Resolution, Parameterization, and Performance, Colloquium on Tides in honour and memory of Christian Le Provost, March 10-11, 2005, Toulouse, France, 2005.
Robertson, R., Modeling internal tides in the Ross Sea, Ocean Sciences Meeting: January 26-30, 2004 Portland, OR, 2004.
Robertson, R., Recent Temperature Trends in the Deep Waters of the Weddell Sea,7th Conference on Polar Meteorology and Oceanography, Joint Symposium on High-Latitude Climate Variations, 12-16 May, Hyannis, MA, 2003.
Robertson, R., Vertical mixing parameterizations and their effects on the skill of baroclinic tidal modeling, 2003 Terrain-Following Ocean Models Users Workshop, 4-6 August 2003, PMEL/NOAA, Seattle WA, 2003.
Robertson, R., Modeling Internal tides in the Ross Sea, 2003 Terrain-Following Ocean Models Users Workshop, 4-6 August 2003, PMEL/NOAA, Seattle WA, 2003.
Robertson, R., Baroclinic tides at Fieberling Guyot: Evaluating the Ability to Simulate Velocities, American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, December 6-10, 2002, San Francisco, CA, 2002.
Robertson, R., H. Hellmer, and. A. Beckmann, Tidal dynamics and mixing in the Ross Sea, American Geophysical Union Ocean Sciences Meeting, Feb. 11-15, 2002, Honolulu, HI, 2002.
Robertson, R., H. Hellmer, and. A. Beckmann, Tidal dynamics and mixing in the Ross Sea, Conference on Oceanography of the Ross Sea, October 14-20, 2001, Ischia, Italy, 2001.
Robertson, R., A. Beckmann, A Comparison of POM and ROMS for Modeling Internal Tides in Weak Stratification, Terrain-following modeling communities workshop, August 20-22, 2001, Boulder, CO, 2001.
Robertson, R., L. Padman, and M. D. Levine, Internal tides in the southern Weddell Sea: The effects of the critical latitude and shelf/slope fronts, presentation at American Geophysical Union Ocean Sciences meeting, 2000, San Antonio, TX, EOS, 80, No. 49, OS184, 1999.
Robertson, R., M. Visbeck and A. Gordon, The 1999 CORC southern Weddell Sea observational program, presentation at CORC meeting, Sept., 1999, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Palisades, NY, 1999.
Robertson, R., and L. Padman, Sigma coordinate pressure gradient errors and internal tides near the critical latitude, presentation at Sigma Coordinate Users Meeting, Sept., 1999, Bar Harbour, ME, 1999.
Robertson, R., L. Padman, and M. Levine, Effects of the critical latitude and fronts on internal tides in the southern Weddell Sea, presentation at iAnZone workshop, Sept., 1999, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Palisades, NY, 1999.
Robertson, R., L. Padman, and G. D. Egbert, Tidal currents in the Weddell Sea, American Geophysical Union Fall meeting, 1996, San Francisco, CA, EOS, 77, No. 46, F412, 1996.
Robertson, R., G. D. Egbert, and L. Padman, Tidal currents in the Weddell Sea, American Geophysical Union Ocean Sciences meeting, 1996, San Diego, CA, EOS, 77, No. 3, 86, 1996.
Robertson, R., L. Padman, M. D. Levine, R. D. Muench, M. G. McPhee, Internal waves in the eastern Weddell Sea during AnzFlux, IAPSO Proceedings No. 19, XXIst General Assembly, Honolulu, HI, 148, 1995.
Stanton, T. P., M. G. McPhee, L. Padman, and R. Robertson, Turbulent heat fluxes near the base of the mixed layer in the Weddell Sea, IAPSO Proceedings No. 19, XXIst General Assembly, Honolulu, HI, 149, 1995.
Robertson, R. and O. Shemdin, Short wave spectra modulation obtained using stereophotography, American Geophysical Union Ocean Sciences meeting, 1990, New Orleans, LA, EOS, 71, No. 2, 82, 1990.
Robertson, R., A Monte Carlo model of particle dispersion due to wave motion, Oceans ’83 Proceedings, San Francisco, CA, AB1064, 988-992, 1983.
Robertson, R. and M. Spaulding, A three dimensional numerical model of dispersion in the presence of a warm core ring, American Geophysical Union Spring Meeting, Baltimore, MD, EOS, 64, No. 8, 251, 1983.