Publications

Contribution of Large Marine Aerosols in Phytoplankton Dispersal

Published in Environmental Science & Technology, 2025

Key results: 1) Large sea spray aerosols (up to 90 μm) were observed frequently in the coastal atmosphere, including during moderate wind and wave conditions. 2) These large aerosols carry intact phytoplankton cells, including small flagellates, diatoms and colonial organisms, providing the first direct airborne observations of this dispersal pathway.

Recommended citation: Sinnett, G., L. Lenain, E. Braham, N. A. Chaudhry, and J. Dinasquet, 2025: Contribution of Large Marine Aerosols in Phytoplankton Dispersal. Environ. Sci. Technol., 59(14), 7348–7356, https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.4c14473. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.4c14473

Large-Amplitude Internal Wave Transformation into Shallow Water

Published in Journal of Physical Oceanography, 2022

Key results: 1) We continuously track large amplitude internal solitary wave shoaling, breaking and run-up using a dense and rapidly sampling array. 2) Both the internal wave properties and background conditions are related to breaking dynamics and the wave’s persistent effect on the reef.

Recommended citation: Sinnett, G., S. R. Ramp, Y. J. Yang, M. Chang, S. Jan, and K. A. Davis, 2022: Large-Amplitude Internal Wave Transformation into Shallow Water. J. Phys. Oceanogr., 52, 2539–2554, https://doi.org/10.1175/JPO-D-21-0273.1. https://doi.org/10.1175/JPO-D-21-0273.1

Solitary waves impinging on an isolated tropical reef: Arrival patterns and wave transformation under shoaling

Published in Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 2022

Key results: 1) Shoaling nonlinear internal solitary waves were observed over three fortnights using moorings and an optical cable from 2000 m depth to the top of Dongsha Reef in the South China Sea. 2) Packet formation was common from the 500 to 300 m isobaths but almost all waves broke by the time they reached 100 m depth and subsequently presented a turbulent, transformed wave runup environment. 3) Possible outcomes are classified according to the wave type, incident wave amplitude, propagation direction, and ambient stratification.

Recommended citation: Ramp, S. R., Yang, Y.-J., Jan, S., Chang, M.-H., Davis, K. A., Sinnett, G., et al. (2022). Solitary waves impinging on an isolated tropical reef: Arrival patterns and wave transformation under shoaling. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 127, e2021JC017781. https://doi.org/10.1029/2021JC017781. https://doi.org/10.1029/2021JC017781

Distributed Temperature Sensing for Oceanographic Applications

Published in Geophysical Research Letters, 2020

Key results: 1) Results from an experiment to address oceanographic DTS configuration, calibration and data processing challenges are shown. 2) Optimal calibration methods and data processing choices are given for common deployment configurations and challenges.

Recommended citation: Sinnett, G., K. A. Davis, A. J. Lucas, S. N. Giddings, E. Reid, M. E. Harvey, and I. Stokes, 2020: Distributed Temperature Sensing for Oceanographic Applications. J. Atmos. Oceanic Technol., 37, 1987–1997, https://doi.org/10.1175/JTECH-D-20-0066.1. https://doi.org/10.1175/JTECH-D-20-0066.1

The Nearshore Heat Budget: Effects of Stratification and Surfzone Dynamics

Published in Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 2019

Key results: 1) A high resolution nearshore (shoreline to 6-m depth) heat budget, including the surfzone, closes at subtidal and tidal time scales. 2) Baroclinic advective and solar heat fluxes are the strongest terms and their relative contributions depend on mean stratification. 3) Residual in the heat budget is partially due to neglected alongshore advection of temperature anomalies.

Recommended citation: Sinnett, G., & Feddersen, F. (2019). The Nearshore heat budget: Effects of stratification and surfzone dynamics. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 124, 8219-8240. https://doi.org/10.1029/2019JC015494. https://doi.org/10.1029/2019JC015494

The competing effects of breaking waves on surfzone heat fluxes: Albedo versus wave heating

Published in Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 2018

Key results: 1) Surfzone breaking waves heat via dissipation; foam increases albedo, reducing solar radiation. 2) Over a year, the albedo-induced solar heating reduction was most significant. 3) The net effect depends on incident wave height, latitude, seasons, beach slope, and cloudiness.

Recommended citation: Sinnett, G., & Feddersen, F. (2018). The competing effects of breaking waves on surfzone heat fluxes: Albedo versus wave heating. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 123, 7172–7184. https://doi.org/10.1029/2018JC014284 https://doi.org/10.1029/2018JC014284

Observations and parameterizations of surfzone albedo

Published in Methods in Oceanography, 2016

Key results: 1) Surfzone albedo can reach 0.45 and varies rapidly with breaking-wave foam. 2) Image-based parameterization accurately predicts albedo at wave time scales. 3) Wave-model based parameterization predicts time-averaged cross-shore albedo.

Recommended citation: Sinnett, G., and Feddersen, F. (2016), Observations and parameterizations of surfzone albedo, Methods in Oceanography., 17, 319-334, doi:10.1016/j.mio.2016.07.001. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mio.2016.07.001

Observations of Nonlinear Internal Wave Run-Up to the Surfzone

Published in Journal of Physical Oceanography, 2016

Key results: 1) We present detailed observations of nonlinear internal wave runup from a dense thermistor array. 2) Front speed and deceleration are consistent with two-layer upslope gravity current scalings. 3) Internal wave runup can strongly affect nearshore temperature and stratification.

Recommended citation: Sinnett, G., F. Feddersen, A. J. Lucas, G. Pawlak, and E. Terrill, 2018: Observations of Nonlinear Internal Wave Run-Up to the Surfzone. J. Phys. Oceanogr., 48, 531–554, https://doi.org/10.1175/JPO-D-17-0210.1. https://doi.org/10.1175/JPO-D-17-0210.1

The surf zone heat budget: The effect of wave heating

Published in Geophysical Research Letters, 2014

Key results: 1) A surf zone heat budget closes on diurnal and longer time scales. 2) Surf zone heating (by viscous dissipation) due to wave energy flux is important. 3) Internal waves, rip currents, and undertow contribute to heat budget residual.

Recommended citation: Sinnett, G., and Feddersen, F. (2014), The surf zone heat budget: The effect of wave heating, Geophys. Res. Lett., 41, 7217–7226, doi:10.1002/2014GL061398. https://doi.org/10.1002/2014GL061398

Greg Sinnett, PhD

Publications