Discipline: Physics of Oceans and Atmospheres
Office: Burt 306
Phone: 541-737-4752
Fax: 541-737-2064
Email: rsamelson@coas.oregonstate.edu
Website
Vita or Résumé (PDF)
BS, Stanford University (Physics), 1981
MS, Oregon State University Mathematics), 1987
PhD, Oregon State University (Physical Oceanography), 1987
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution: GFD Summer Fellow, 1983; Postdoctoral Investigator, 1987-89; Assistant Scientist, 1989-93; Associate Scientist, 1993-97; Associate Scientist w/ tenure, 1997
Oregon State University: Associate Professor, 1997-2001; Professor, 2001-
PACUR (UCAR President's Advisory Committee on University Relations)
Samelson, R. M., 2011. The Theory of Large-Scale Ocean Circulation. Cambridge University Press, New York, 193 pp. Description and Errata
Samelson, R. M., and S. Wiggins, 2006. Lagrangian Transport in Geophysical Jets and Waves. Springer-Verlag, New York, 147 pp. Description and Errata
Refereed Publications
Samelson, R. M, 2013. Lagrangian motion, coherent structures, and lines of persistent material strain. Ann. Rev. Mar. Sci., 5, 137-163, doi: 10.1146/annurev-marine-120710-100819.
Shaman, J., R. M. Samelson, and E. Tziperman, 2012. Complex wavenumber Rossby wave ray tracing. J. Atmos. Sci, 69, 2112-2133.
Skyllingstad, E. D., and R. M. Samelson, 2012. Baroclinic frontal instabilities and turbulent mixing in the surface boundary layer, Part 1: Unforced simulations. Journal of Physical Oceanography, 42, 1701-1716.
Chelton, D. B., P. Gaube, M. G. Schlax, J. J. Early and R. M. Samelson, 2011. The Influence of Nonlinear Mesoscale Eddies on Oceanic Chlorophyll. Science, 334, 328-332, doi: 10.1126/science.1208897.
Chelton, D. B., M. G. Schlax, and R. M. Samelson, 2011. Global observations of nonlinear mesoscale eddies. Progress in Oceanography, 91, 167-216, doi:10.1016/j.pocean.2011.01.002.
Durland, T. S., D. B. Chelton, R. A. de Szoeke, and R. M. Samelson, 2011. Modification of long equatorial Rossby wave phase speeds by zonal currents. J. Phys. Oceanogr., 41, 1077-1101.
Early, J. J., R. M. Samelson, and D. B. Chelton, 2011. The evolution and propagation of quasi-geostrophic ocean eddies. J. Phys. Oceanogr., 41, 1535-1555.
Kim, S., R. Samelson, and C. Snyder, 2011. Toward an uncertainty budget for a coastal ocean model. Monthly Weather Review, 139, 866-884.
Perlin, N., E. D. Skyllingstad, and R. M. Samelson, 2011. Coastal atmospheric circulation around an idealized cape during wind-driven upwelling studied from a coupled ocean-atmosphere model. Monthly Weather Review, 139, 809-829.
Rivas, D., and R. M. Samelson, 2011. A numerical modeling study of the upwelling source waters along the Oregon coast during 2005. J. Phys. Oceanogr., 41, 88-112, doi: 10.1175/2010JPO4327.1.
Samelson, R. M., 2011. Time-dependent adjustment in a simple model of the mid-depth meridional overturning cell. Journal of Physical Oceanography, 41, 1009-1025.
Early, J. J., J. Pohjanpelto, and R. M. Samelson, 2010. Group foliation for equations in geophysical fluid dynamics. Discrete and Continuous Dynamical Systems, Series A, 27(4), 1571–1586, doi:10.3934/dcds.2010.27.1571.
Kelly, K. A., R. J. Small, R. M. Samelson, B. Qiu, T. M. Joyce, Y.-O. Kwon, and M. F. Cronin, 2010. Western boundary currents and frontal air-sea interaction: Gulf Stream and Kuroshio Extension. J. Climate, 23, 5644–5667, DOI: 10.1175/2010JCLI3346.1.
O'Neill, L., S. K. Esbensen, N. Thum, R. M. Samelson, and D. B. Chelton, 2010. Dynamical analysis of the boundary layer and surface wind responses to small-scale SST perturbations. Journal of Climate, 23, 559-581, DOI: 10.1175/2009JCLI2662.1
Samelson, R. M., 2010. An effective-beta vector for linear planetary waves on a weak mean flow. Ocean Modelling, 32, 170-174, doi:10.1016/j.ocemod.2010.01.006. Errata
Shaman, J., R. M. Samelson, and E. Skyllingstad, 2010. Air-sea fluxes over the Gulf Stream region: atmospheric controls and trends. Journal of Climate, 23, 2651-2670, DOI: 10.1175/2010JCLI3269.1.
Kim, S., R. M. Samelson, and C. Snyder, 2009. Ensemble-based estimates of the predictability of wind-driven coastal ocean flow over topography. Monthly Weather Review, 137, 2515-2537, DOI: 10.1175/2009MWR2631.1.
Marshall, J., A. Andersson, N. Bates, W. Brown, W. Dewar, S. Doney, J. Edson, R. Ferrari, G. Forget, D. Fratantoni, M. Gregg, T. Joyce, K. Kelly, S. Lozier, R. Lumpkin, G. Maze, J. Palter, A. Plueddemann, R. Samelson, K. Silverthorne, E. Skyllingstad, F. Straneo, L. Talley, L. Thomas, J. Toole, and R. Weller, 2009. Observing the cycle of convection and restratification over the Gulf Stream and the subtropical gyre of the North Atlantic Ocean: preliminary results from the CLIMODE field campaign. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 90, 1337-1350.
Samelson, R. M., 2009. A simple dynamical model of the warm-water branch of the mid-depth meridional overturning cell. Journal of Physical Oceanography, 39, 1216-1230.
Springer, S. R., R.M. Samelson, J. S. Allen, G. D. Egbert, A. L. Kurapov, R. N. Miller and J. C. Kindle, 2009. A Nested Grid Model of the Oregon Coastal Transition Zone: Simulations and Comparisons with Observations During the 2001 Upwelling Season. J. Geophys. Res., 114, C02010, doi:10.1029/2008JC004863. ScholarsArchive@OSU
Wilkinson, J.P, P. Gudmandsen, S. Hanson, R. Saldo, and R.M. Samelson, 2009. Hans Island: meteorological data from an international borderline. EOS Trans. Amer. Geophys. Union, 90, 190-191.
Durski, S. D., R. M. Samelson, J. S. Allen, and G. D. Egbert, 2008. Normal-mode instabilities of a time-dependent coastal upwelling jet. Journal of Physical Oceanography, 38, 2056–2071.
Samelson, R. M., J. S. Allen, and P. MacCready, 2008. Progress in coastal ocean modeling during CoOP. Oceanography, 21, 136-147. Note: Due to a production error, the printed version of this article contains several errors that should have been corrected in proof; please download the Oceanography on-line version or the version linked here.
Samelson, R. M., and P. L. Barbour, 2008. Low-level jets, orographic channeling, and extreme events in Nares Strait: a model-based mesoscale climatology. Monthly Weather Review, 136, 4746-4759, doi: 10.1175/2007MWR2326.1.
Wolfe, C. L., and R. M. Samelson, 2008. Singular vectors and time-dependent normal modes of a baroclinic wave-mean oscillation. Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, 65, 875-894.
Chelton, D. B., M. G. Schlax and R.M. Samelson, 2007. Summertime coupling between sea surface temperature and wind stress in the California Current System. Journal of Physical Oceanography, 37, 495-517.
Chelton, D. B., M. G. Schlax, R.M. Samelson, and R. A. de Szoeke, 2007. Global observations of large oceanic eddies. Geophysical Research Letters, 34, L15606, doi:10.1029/2007GL030812.
Durski, S., J. S. Allen, G. D. Egbert, and R. M. Samelson, 2007. Scale evolution of finite amplitude instabilities on a coastal upwelling front. Journal of Physical Oceanography, 37, 837-854.
Perlin, N, E. Skyllingstad, R. Samelson, and P. Barbour, 2007. Numerical simulation of air-sea coupling during coastal upwelling. Journal of Physical Oceanography, 37, 2081-2093.
Samelson, R., R. Temam, C. Wang, and S. Wang, 2007. A fourth order numerical method for the planetary geostrophic equations with inviscid geostrophic balance. Numerische Mathematik, , 107(4), 669-705.
Wolfe, C. L., and R. M. Samelson, 2007. An efficient method for recovering Lyapunov vectors from singular vectors. Tellus, 59A, 355-366.
Liu, J.-G., R. Samelson, and C. Wang, 2006. Global weak solutions of planetary geostrophic equations with inviscid geostrophic balance. Applicable Analysis, 85, 593-605, doi: 10.1080/00036810500328299.
Samelson, R. M., T. Agnew, H. Melling, and A. Münchow, 2006. Evidence for atmospheric control of sea-ice motion through Nares Strait. Geophysical Research Letters, 33, L02506, doi:10.1029/2005GL025016.
Samelson, R. M., E. D. Skyllingstad, D. B. Chelton, S. K. Esbensen, L. W. O'Neill, and N. Thum, 2006. A note on the coupling of wind stress and sea surface temperature. Journal of Climate, 19, 1557-1566.
Skyllingstad, E., D. Vickers, L. Mahrt, and R. Samelson, 2006. Effects of mesoscale sea-surface temperature fronts on the marine boundary layer. Boundary Layer Meteorology, DOI 10.1007/s10546-006-9127-8.
Wolfe, C. L., and R. M. Samelson, 2006. Normal-mode analysis of a baroclinic wave-mean oscillation. Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, 63, 2795-2812.
Bane, J. M., M. D. Levine, R. M. Samelson, S. M. Haines, M. F. Meaux, N. Perlin, P. M. Kosro, and T. Boyd, 2005. Atmospheric forcing of the Oregon coastal ocean during the 2001 upwelling season. Journal of Geophysical Research - Oceans, 110, C10S02, doi:10.1029/2004JC002653.
Choboter, P. F., R. M. Samelson, and J. S. Allen, 2005. A new solution of a nonlinear model of upwelling. Journal of Physical Oceanography, 35, 532-544.
Dewar, W. K., R. M. Samelson, and G. K. Vallis, 2005. The ventilated pool: A model of subtropical mode water. Journal of Physical Oceanography, 35, 137-150.
Gan, J., J. S. Allen, and R. M. Samelson, 2005. On open boundary conditions for a limited-area coastal model off Oregon. Part II: Response to wind forcing from a regional mesoscale atmospheric model. Ocean Modelling, 8, 155-173, 10.1016/j.ocemod.2003.12.007.
Lyman, J., D. Chelton, R. de Szoeke, and R. M. Samelson, 2005. Tropical instability waves as a resonance between equatorial Rossby waves. Journal of Physical Oceanography, 35, 232-254.
Skyllingstad, E., R. Samelson, L. Mahrt, and P. Barbour, 2005. A numerical modeling study of warm offshore flow over cool water. Monthly Weather Review, 133, 345-361.
Kuebel Cervantes, B. T., J. S. Allen, and R. M. Samelson, 2004. Lagrangian characteristics of continental shelf flows forced by periodic wind stress. Nonlinear Processes in Geophysics, 11, 3-16.
Perlin, N., R. M. Samelson, and D. B. Chelton, 2004. Scatterometer and model wind and wind stress in the Oregon - northern California coastal zone. Monthly Weather Review, 132, 2110-2129.
Samelson, R. M., 2004. Simple mechanistic models of mid-depth meridional overturning. Journal of Physical Oceanography, 34, 2096-2103.
Kuebel Cervantes, B. T., J. S. Allen, and R. M. Samelson, 2003. A modeling study of Eulerian and Lagrangian aspects of shelf circulation off Duck, North Carolina. Journal of Physical Oceanography, 33, 2070-2092.
Samelson, R. M., and C. L. Wolfe, 2003. A nonlinear baroclinic wave-mean oscillation with multiple normal-mode instabilities. Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, 60, 1186-1199.
Samelson, R. M., R. Temam, C. Wang, and S. Wang, 2003. Surface pressure Poisson equation formulation of the primitive equations: numerical schemes. SIAM Journal of Numerical Analysis, 41, 1163-1194.
Bielli, S., P. Barbour, R. Samelson, E. Skyllingstad, and J. Wilczak, 2002. Numerical simulations of the diurnal cycle along the Oregon coast during summertime northerly flow. Monthly Weather Review, 130, 992-1008.
de Szoeke, R. A., and R. M. Samelson, 2002. The duality between the Boussinesq and non-Boussinesq hydrostatic equations of motion. Journal of Physical Oceanography, 32, 2194-2203.
Samelson, R. M., P. Barbour, J. Barth, S. Bielli, T. Boyd, D. Chelton, P. Kosro, M. Levine, E. Skyllingstad, and J. Wilczak, 2002. Wind stress forcing of the Oregon coastal ocean during the 1999 upwelling season. Journal of Geophysical Research-Oceans, 107 (C5), 10.1029/2001JC000900.
Samelson, R. M., 2001. Lyapunov, Floquet, and singular vectors for baroclinic waves. Nonlinear Processes in Geophysics, 8, 439-448.
Samelson, R. M., 2001. Periodic orbits and disturbance growth for baroclinic waves. Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, 58, 436-450.
Samelson, R. M., and E. Tziperman, 2001. Instability of the chaotic ENSO: the growth-phase predictability barrier. Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, 58, 3613-3625.
Samelson, R. M., R. Temam, and S. Wang, 2000. Smooth solutions and attractor dimension bounds for planetary geostrophic ocean models. Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society, 126, 1977-1981.
Nuss, W., J. Bane, W. Thompson, T. Holt, C. Dorman, F. M. Ralph, R. Rotunno, J. Klemp, W. Skamarock, R. Samelson, A. Rogerson, C. Reason, and P. Jackson, 2000. Coastally trapped wind reversals: progress toward understanding. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 81(4), 719-743.
Samelson, R. M., R. Temam, and S. Wang, 2000. Remarks on the planetary geostrophic model of gyre scale ocean circulation. Differential and Integral Equations, 13, 1-14.
Samelson, R. M., 1999. Geostrophic circulation in a rectangular basin with a circumpolar connection. Journal of Physical Oceanography, 29, 3175-3184.
Samelson, R. M., 1999. Internal boundary layer scaling in 'two-layer' solutions of the thermocline equations. Journal of Physical Oceanography, 29, 2099-2102.
Burk, S., T. Haack, and R. M. Samelson, 1999. Mesoscale simulation of supercritical, subcritical, and transcritical flow along coastal topography. Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, 56, 2780-2795.
Samelson, R. M., 1999. Note on a baroclinic analog of vorticity defects in shear. Journal of Fluid Mechanics, 382, 367-373.
Samelson, R. M., 1999. The vertical structure of linear coastal-trapped disturbances. Monthly Weather Review, 127, 201-213.
Samelson, R. M., 1998. Large-scale circulation with locally enhanced vertical mixing. Journal of Physical Oceanography, 28, 712-726.
Samelson, R. M., R. Temam, and S. Wang, 1998. Some mathematical properties of the planetary geostrophic equations for large-scale ocean circulation. Applicable Analysis, 70, 147-173.
Brink, K. H., and Samelson, R. M., 1998. Comments on "Direct atmospheric forcing of geostrophic eddies. Part II: Coherence maps." Journal of Physical Oceanography, 28, 1003-1009.
Samelson, R. M., and G. K. Vallis, 1997. A simple friction and diffusion scheme for planetary geostrophic basin models. Journal of Physical Oceanography, 27, 186-194.
Samelson, R. M., and G. K. Vallis, 1997. Large-scale circulation with small diapycnal diffusion: the two-thermocline limit. Journal of Marine Research, 55, 223-275.
Samelson, R. M., 1997. Coastal boundary conditions and the baroclinic structure of wind-driven continental shelf currents. Journal of Physical Oceanography, 27, 2645-2662.
Samelson, R. M., and A. M. Rogerson, 1996. Life-cycle of a linear coastal trapped disturbance. Monthly Weather Review, 124(8), 1853-1863.
Samelson, R. M., and D. C. Chapman, 1995. Evolution of the instability of a mixed-layer front. Journal of Geophysical Research, 100(C4), 6743-6759.
Rogerson, A. M., and R. M. Samelson, 1995. Synoptic forcing of coastal-trapped disturbances in the marine atmospheric boundary layer. Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, 52(11), 2025-2040.
Brown, M. G., and R. M. Samelson, 1994. Particle motion in vorticity-conserving, two-dimensional, incompressible flows. Physics of Fluids, 6(9), 2875-2876.
Samelson, R. M., and S. J. Lentz, 1994. The horizontal momentum balance in the marine atmospheric boundary layer during CODE-2. Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, 51(24), 3745-3757.
Samelson, R. M., 1993. Linear instability of a mixed-layer front. Journal of Geophysical Research, 98(C6), 10,195-10,204.
Niiler, P. P., J. Filloux, W. T. Liu, R. M. Samelson, J. D. Paduan, and C. A. Paulson, 1993. Wind-forced variability of the deep eastern North Pacific: observations of seafloor pressure and abyssal currents. Journal of Geophysical Research, 98(C12), 22,589-22,602.
Oh, S. P., J. Pedlosky, and R. M. Samelson, 1993. Linear and finite-amplitude localized baroclinic instability. Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, 50(16), 2772-2784.
Samelson, R. M., 1992. Surface-intensified Rossby waves over rough topography. Journal of Marine Research, 50(3), 367-384; Corrigendum, Journal of Marine Research, 56(1), 293 (1998).
Samelson, R. M., 1992. Supercritical marine layer flow along a smoothly-varying coastline. Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, 49, 1571-1584.
Samelson, R. M., 1992. Fluid exchange across a meandering jet. Journal of Physical Oceanography, 22(4), 431-440.
Samelson, R. M., and B. Shrayer, 1991. Currents forced by stochastic winds with meridionally-varying amplitude. Journal of Geophysical Research, 96(C10), 18,425-18,429.
Pedlosky, J., and R. M. Samelson, 1991. Radiation-induced baroclinic instability. Geophysical and Astrophysical Fluid Dynamics, 58, 243-262.
Allen, J. S., R. M. Samelson, and P. A. Newberger, 1991. Chaos in a model of forced quasi-geostrophic flow over topography: An application of Melnikov's method. Journal of Fluid Mechanics, 226, 511-547.
Samelson, R. M., and J. Pedlosky, 1990. Local baroclinic instability of flow over variable topography. Journal of Fluid Mechanics, 221, 411-436.
Samelson, R. M., 1990. Evidence for wind-driven current fluctuations in the eastern North Atlantic. Journal of Geophysical Research, 95(C7), 11,359-11,368; correction, Journal of Geophysical Research, 97(C1), 821-822 (1992).
Pedlosky, J., and R. M. Samelson, 1989. Wind forcing and the zonal structure of the equatorial undercurrent. Journal of Physical Oceanography, 19(9), 1244-1254.
Samelson, R. M., 1989. Stochastically forced current fluctuations in vertical shear and over topography. Journal of Geophysical Research, 94(C6), 8207-8215.
Samelson, R. M., and R. A. de Szoeke, 1988. Semigeostrophic wind-driven thermocline upwelling at a coastal boundary. Journal of Physical Oceanography, 18(10), 1372-1383.
Samelson, R. M., and C. A. Paulson, 1988. Towed thermistor chain observations of fronts in the subtropical North Pacific. Journal of Geophysical Research, 93(C3), 2237-2246.
Samelson, R. M., and J. S. Allen, 1987. Quasi-geostrophic topographically generated mean flow over the continental margin. Journal of Physical Oceanography, 17(11), 2043-2064.