Physical Oceanography

Mark E. Luther

Associate Professor
Physical Oceanography
Ph.D., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1982
Office Phone: 727.553.1528
Email: mluther@usf.edu
CV: View PDF
The USF Center for Maritime and Port Studies

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Research: Maritime Safety and Security; Real-Time Ocean Observation Systems; Numerical Models of Ocean Circulation; Coastal Water Quality

Specialties: Numerical Modeling of Ocean Dynamics, Coastal and Estuarine Dynamics, Real-Time Oceanographic Observing Systems, Operational Oceanography, Maritime Transportation, Marine Ecosystems, Ocean Environment

Dr. Luther is Director of the Ocean Monitoring and Prediction Lab in the University of South Florida College of Marine Science, where he co-directs the Coastal Ocean Monitoring and Prediction System. Dr. Luther’s research involves the combination of real-time ocean observations with numerical models of ocean currents and processes and their application to various problems ranging from maritime safety and security to water quality in estuaries to variability in large-scale ocean circulation and its relation to climate change. He has provided operation and maintenance support for the NOAA/NOS Tampa Bay Physical Oceanographic Real-Time System (TB-PORTS) since 1995. He is a founding member and past Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Alliance for Coastal Technologies, a NOAA-funded partnership of research institutions, resource managers, and private sector companies dedicated to fostering the development and adoption of effective and reliable sensors and platforms for coastal ocean monitoring. He presently serves on the Tampa Bay Harbor Safety and Security Committee Technical Subcommittee and the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council Agency on Bay Management. He is Chairman of the Board for the Secrets of the Sea Marine Exploration Center and Aquarium and is chairman of the International Seakeepers Society Science Advisory Council.