Phyllis Jean Stabeno is a physical
oceanographer known for her research on the movement of water in polar regions. She has led award-winning research projects in the Arctic and was noted for a distinguished scientific career by the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Education and career
Stabeno received her Ph.D. in 1982 from
Oregon State University. As of 2021, she works at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) within the Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory.
Research
Stabeno is known for her research on the water masses of the Arctic, long-term changes in the movement of water in the region, and the implications of these changes in the face of global climate change. Her early research examined currents off California and Oregon. She used current data from moorings and buoys that were tracked by satellites to characterize the movement of water in the vicinity of
Kodiak Island, Alaska. She subsequently expanded to using satellite-tracked buoys to examine water movement in the
Bering Sea
The Bering Sea (, ; rus, Бе́рингово мо́ре, r=Béringovo móre) is a marginal sea of the Northern Pacific Ocean. It forms, along with the Bering Strait, the divide between the two largest landmasses on Earth: Eurasia and The Ameri ...
, and conducted studies on the changes in the water movement in the region, especially in response to climate change. She has used moorings deployed on the
continental shelf
A continental shelf is a portion of a continent that is submerged under an area of relatively shallow water, known as a shelf sea. Much of these shelves were exposed by drops in sea level during glacial periods. The shelf surrounding an island ...
to track the Alaska Coastal Current and followed the movement of eggs and larvae from
walleye pollock. Her work includes investigations into the
Gulf of Alaska, the region near select
Aleutian Islands, and the North Pacific Ocean. In the Bering Sea, her research has revealed warming of waters on the Bering Sea shelf, the physical oceanography of the Bering Sea, and an integration of data from the Bering Sea that spans multiple decades.
Selected publications
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Awards and honors
Stabeno was the lead investigator for the Bering Ecosystem Study (BEST) and Bering Sea Integrated Ecosystem Research Plan (BSIERP) programs which won the
Department of Commerce Gold Medal
The Department of Commerce Gold Medal is the highest honor award of the United States Department of Commerce. Since 1949, the Department of Commerce Gold Medal is presented by the Secretary of Commerce for distinguished performance. The award may b ...
in 2015. In 2019 she received a Distinguished Career Award in Scientific Achievement from NOAA.
References
External links
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* May 16, 2019
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stabeno, Phyllis
Oregon State University alumni
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration personnel
Women oceanographers
American physicists
Women physicists
Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people