Emma Shie Nuss

I am a PhD student with the Environmental Fluid Mechanics group studying surf zone and nearshore dynamics. Specifically, I am interested in better understanding the formation of rip currents and how we can use numerical models to study and predict their occurrence and effects.

Prior to coming to Seattle, I worked at the San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) on the Nutrient Management Strategy (NMS) team as a hydrodynamic modeler and data analyst. The NMS is focused on understanding nutrient impairment issues in the San Francisco Bay, for the purposes of informing management decisions. My projects focused on understanding the effect of stratification on the development of phytoplankton blooms and determining the future shifts in these bio-physical dynamics under climate scenarios.

Before SFEI, I completed my masters degree at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa in Physical Oceanography with Dr. Brian Powell. My thesis work focused on the development of a microbial model for the pathogenic bacteria Vibrio vulnificus that was coupled to a physical ROMS model of the South Oahu region. I analyzed the effect of physical forcings on V. vulnificus, particularly the microbial response to extreme rainfall events.