Dr Alejandro J. Souza

Current projects
Deputy Leader of POL Programme 2, theme 5 (Coastal and Sediment Processes).

Turbulence and sediment processes in the Dee Estuary.   This is a large internal POL project studying sediment transport in the Dee Estuary at different time and special scales to improve existing parameterisations and improve our sediment transport modelling capabilities to better predict morphodynamic evolution. The project has collaborators from the University of Wales Bangor, Liverpool University, Leeds University, NOC, Air Bus and Partrac.

Sediment Modelling.  This is an internal POL project, to improve our sediment and turbulence modelling capabilities in shelf seas. This includes the acquisition of new turbulence and sediment data to validate our numerical model predictions.

Turbulence and Sediment resuspension in shelf seas.   NERC-New Investigator, to collect turbulence and sediment data for model comparison. Data from Upper Gulf of California, Liverpool Bay, and northwest Anglesey. Collaborations with University of Wales Bangor, University of California Santa Barbara and CICESE, Mexico. Also partially funded by ONR and UC-MEXU

Physical and biogeochemical responses in San Quintin Bay.   Pulses of upwelling water in the adjacent Pacific Oceans (funded by CONACYT, Mexican council for Science and technology). Measuring and modelling exchanges between a mediterranean lagoon and the adjacent Pacific Ocean in the Baja California Peninsula. Collaboration with scientist in Universidad Autonoma de Baja California, Mexico.

Research interests
Estuarine, Shelf Seas and Shelf Slope dynamics. Density driven currents, frontal dynamics suspended particulate mater dynamics; tidal dynamics including: stratification effect on tides and wave current interaction; internal waves and tides; turbulence. Sediment resuspension and transport processes. Effects of turbulence, suspended matter and optics on the marine ecology.

Activities
Adjoint Researcher, Centro de Investigacion Cientifica y Educacion Superior de Ensenada, B.C., Mexico.

Invited Researcher, Universidad Autonoma de Baja California, Mexico.

Honorary Research Fellow, The University of Liverpool.

European Associated Editor, Revista Ciencias Marinas, Mexican Journal of Marine Sciences.

Guest Editor, Ocean Dynamics

Member: Challenger Society, American Geophysical Union, National Geographic Society.

Publications

J.H. Simpson and A.J. Souza; "Semi-diurnal switching of stratification in the Region of Freshwater Influence of the Rhine ". J. Geophys. Res., 100, C4, 7037-7044, 1995.

A.J. Souza and J.H. Simpson; "The modification of tidal ellipses by stratification in the Rhine ROFI". Continental Shelf Research, 16, 8, 997-1007, 1996

A.J. Souza and J. Pineda Tidal mixing modulation of sea surface temperature and diatom abundance in Southern California, Continental shelf research, 21, 6-7, 651-666, 2001.

A.J. Souza, J.H. Simpson, M. Harikrishnan and J. Malarkey; Flow and seasonality in the Hebridean slope current, to Oceanologica Acta, 24, S63-S76, 2001.

J.C.A. Joordens, A.J. Souza and A.W. Visser; "The Influence of tidal straining and wind on suspended matter and phytoplankton dynamics in the Rhine outflow region", Continental Shelf Research, 21, 3, 301-325, 2001

J.H Simpson, R. Vennell, A.J. Souza; The Salt fluxes in a tidally-energetic estuary. Estuarine, Coast Shelf, Sci, 52, 1, 131-142, 2001.

A.J. Souza, T.D. Dickey and G.C. Chang; Modelling water column structure and suspended particulate matter in the Middle Atlantic continental shelf during the passage of Hurricanes Edouard and Hortense. J. Mar. Res. 59, 6, 1021-1045, 2001.

A.J. Souza, L.G. Alvarez and Tommy Dickey, 2004 Tidally induced turbulence and suspended sediment. Geophys. Res. Lett.31, L20309, doi:10.1029/2004GL021186.

A. Souza and C. Friedrich Near-bottom Boundary Layers. In H. Baumert, J.H. Simpson and J. Sunderman, Marine Turbulence: Theories, Observations and Models. Cambridge Press, 283-296, 2005.

L. Carrillo,A.J. Souza, A.E. Hill, J. Brown, L Ferdinand & J Candela . Detiding ADCP data in a higly variable shelf sea, 2005. J. Atmos. Ocean. Tech., 22, 1, 84-97.

M.J. Howarth and A.J. Souza Reynolds stress observations in continental shelf seas 2005.Deep Sea Res II, 52, 1075 1086.

A.J. Souza, J. Holt and R. Proctor. Modelling SPM on the Northwest European shelf seas. In: Coastal and Shelf Sediment Transport, P. Balson and M. Colins Eds., The Geological Society, London.

A.J. Souza and M.J. Howarth, Estimates of Reynolds stress in a highly energetic shelf sea. Ocean Dynamics, In press.

Further selection of author's POL publications.