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Charitha Pattiaratchi

Professor of Coastal Oceanography, The University of Western Australia

Prof. Charitha Pattiaratchi holds Bachelors, Masters and PhD degrees from the University of Wales, UK. He has been at the University of Western Australia for over 30 years and currently holds the position Professor of Coastal Oceanography. Prof. Pattiaratchi has supervised over 60 PhD students and 150 honours students and has published over 400 articles/reports on coastal oceanography, which include over 180 in peer-reviewed international journals. He has received more than $ 40 million in research funding. Prof. Pattiaratchi's research interests are in coastal physical oceanography and coastal sediment transport, with emphasis on field experiments and numerical modelling. He has played an active role in examining climate change effects in coastal regions of Western Australia and particularly in terms ocean currents, wind and wave climate, sea level variability, coastal flooding and beach stability.

Prof. Pattiaratchi, is a coastal physical oceanographer with a multi-disciplinary focus. Under most metrics He is one of the leading professional in his field in Australia. His research encompasses coastal ocean physical processes and their influence on climate, biological and geological processes. When he arrived at the University of Western Australia 31 years ago, the knowledge base of the oceans around in Western Australia (WA) was minimal. He uses innovative methods such as ocean gliders and super-computing resources to further his research. He has discovered and documented the current knowledge of all the physical processes related to the ocean in Western Australia, many of which are unique to the region. This knowledge base is immense and include fundamental research and development of coastal engineering solutions to local environmental problems. They include many that influence our daily lives in the sustainable use the ocean including recreation. His career in WA has been devoted to the promotion of oceanography to professionals and the general public including convincing young scientists to pursue careers in the field. The building of a globally renowned research group over the past 30 years and training over 300 people in the discipline and attracting more than $40 million research funding area notable examples excellence, leadership, innovation.

Experience

  • –present
    Winthrop Professor of Coastal Oceanography, University of Western Australia

Education

  • 1985 
    Swansea University, UK, PhD

Research Areas

  • Physical Oceanography (040503)