Paul Leary

Paul studies hypoxia within the kelp forest, interested in both the hydrodynamics of hypoxic transport and mixing as well as its ecological impacts.  He is particularly interested in meter scale spatio-temporal variability in dissolved oxygen induced by hypoxic internal tidal bores propagating across complex topographies, and how fish and invertebrates shift distributions.  Using a combination of spatially explicit ecological survey methods as well has high resolution oceanographic instrumentation, Paul studies the mechanisms with which the kelp forest copes with hypoxic events.  This is critical for understanding the potential impacts of increased hypoxia due to predicted environmental changes.

 

Paul earned his BSc in Marine Biology from University of California, Santa Cruz.  He also worked for 2 years as a research technician at Hopkins Marine Station prior to starting his PhD.