Physical Oceanographer Joins Modeling Team

06/29/09 Portland, Ore.

Kyoung-Ho (Joe) Cho, Ph.D., post-doctoral researcher, has joined the modeling team at the Center for Coastal Margin Observation and Prediction (CMOP). He will conduct integrative numerical modeling and data analysis in support of CMOP’s cross-disciplinary research, education and outreach.

Cho comes to CMOP from the Virginia Institute of Marine Science in Gloucester Point, Virginia. There he developed three-dimensional models for the Chesapeake Bay system using unstructured grid codes. He used at least two coastal/estuarine models for his dissertation work.

“As a physical oceanographer, I am interested in incorporating an ecological model into the hydrodynamic model at various scales from the estuary to the ocean,” Cho said. He believes this can be accomplished by collaborating with ecological scientists to manage, operate and sustain coast resources and ecosystems effectively.

CMOP performed an extensive recruitment process for this position. Grant Law, modeling team coordinator, was part of the recruitment team that interviewed Cho. "Joe impressed us with his ability to identify problem areas of a circulation model relative to observed data, and to correct those problems through creative and judicious alterations of the model's code,” Law said. “We expect Joe to play a significant role in our efforts to improve the representation of physical processes in our simulations and forecasts.”

Cho’s expertise will benefit CMOP’s circulation and ecological simulations. He will develop circulation models and simulations for the Columbia River estuary and plume, process and analyze field observations and model output from the center’s observation and prediction system, and conduct model skill assessment based on observations and understanding of estuarine/plume processes and features.