Projects per year
Personal profile
Career
2021: Challenger Society for Marine Science Fellow
2018–present: Associate Professor/Senior Lecturer in Physical Oceanography, School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia
2012–2018: Lecturer in Shelf Sea Oceanography, School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia
2009–2011: Postdoctoral Research Associate, Department of Oceanography, University of Hawai‛i at Mānoa
Academic Background
2009: PhD in Physical Oceanography, Proudman Oceanographic Laboratory and University of Liverpool
2005: MOcean (first class) in Oceanography, University of Southampton and National Oceanography Centre
Key Research Interests
My research is on shelf sea and deep ocean fluid dynamics, diagnosed from both observations and numerical model simulations. I have a specific interest in internal waves and internal tides, their interactions with complex topography such as submarine canyons, their effect on turbulent mixing, biogeochemical fluxes, and sediment resuspension, and their impact on pelagic and benthic ecosystems. As a leading member of the UEA Glider Group, I have led numerous Seaglider missions and developed methods to use these autonomous vehicles for the diagnosis of internal wave energetics and turbulent mixing rates. To support these observations and investigate process interactions, I run numerical model simulations using both the Princeton Ocean Model and MITgcm.
Current Research Grants
- A MISSING LINK between continental shelves and the deep sea: addressing the overlooked role of land-detached submarine canyons (MISSING LINK; NERC; PI)
- Enabling Sustainable Wind Energy Expansion in Seasonal Stratified Seas (eSWEETS3; NERC; PI)
- Processes drIving Submarine Canyon fluxES (PISCES; NERC; PI)
- Accelerating Thwaites Ecosystem Impacts for the Southern Ocean (ARTEMIS; NSF-NERC; PI)
- Thwaites-Amundsen Regional Survey and Network Integrating Atmosphere-Ice-Ocean Processes affecting the Sub-Ice-Shelf Environment (TARSAN; NSF-NERC; Co-I)
- The Maritime Continent – Driver of the Global Climate System (TerraMaris; NERC; Co-I)
- Processes Influencing Carbon Cycling: Observations of the Lower limb of the Antarctic Overturning (PICCOLO; NERC; Co-I)
- Climate-relevant Ocean Measurements and Processes on the Antarctic continental Shelf and Slope (COMPASS; ERC; Team member)
Fieldwork Highlights
- CLASS/iATLANTIC (JC237): RSS James Cook, August–September 2022
- TARSAN/ARTEMIS/THOR (NBP22-02): RVIB Nathaniel B. Palmer, January–March 2022, Co-Chief Scientist
- MeRMEED (WS1705): RV G. Walton Smith, October–November 2017
- Bay of Bengal Boundary Layer Experiment (BoBBLE): RV Sindhu Sadhana, June–July 2016
- Experiment on Internal Tide Scattering (ExITS): RV Thomas G. Thompson, November–December 2010; RV Kilo Moana, January 2011; April–May 2011
- The Internal Tide and Mixing in Monterey and Ascension Canyons: RV Wecoma, April 2009
Recent Publications
Joshi, M., R. A. Hall, D. P. Stevens, and E. Hawkins, 2023: The modelled climatic response to the 18.6-year lunar nodal cycle and its role in decadal temperature trends. Earth System Dynamics, 14, 443–455, doi:10.5194/esd-14-443-2023.
Pearman, T. R. R., K. Robert, A. Callaway, R. A. Hall, F. Mienis, and V. A. I. Huvenne, 2023: Spatial and temporal environmental heterogeneity induced by internal tides influences faunal patterns on vertical walls within a submarine canyon. Frontiers in Marine Science, 10, 1091855, doi:10.3389/fmars.2023.1091855.
Sheehan, P. M. F., G. M. Damerell, P. J. Leadbitter, K. J. Heywood, and R. A. Hall, 2023: Turbulent kinetic energy dissipation rate and associated fluxes in the western tropical Atlantic estimated from ocean glider observations. Ocean Science, 19, 77–92, doi:10.5194/os-19-77-2023.
Dotto, T. S., K. J. Heywood, R. A. Hall, T. A. Scambos, Y. Zheng, Y. Nakayama, T. Snow, A. K. Wåhlin, C. Wild, M. Truffer, A. Muto, K. E. Alley, L. Boehme, G. A. Bortolotto, and E. Petite, 2022: Ocean variability beneath Thwaites Eastern Ice Shelf driven by the Pine Island Bay Gyre strength. Nature Communications, 13, 7840, doi:10.1038/s41467-022-35499-5.
Rollo, C., K. J. Heywood, and R. A. Hall, 2022: Glider observations of thermohaline staircases in the tropical North Atlantic using an automated classifier. Geoscientific Instrumentation, Methods and Data Systems, 11, 359–373, doi:10.5194/gi-11-359-2022.
Heijnen, M. S., F. Mienis, A. R. Gates, B. J. Bett, R. A. Hall, J. Hunt, I. A. Kane, C. Pebody, V. A. I. Huvenne, E. L. Soutter, and M. A. Clare, 2022: Challenging the highstand-dormant paradigm for land-detached submarine canyons. Nature Communications, 13, 3448, doi:10.1038/s41467-022-31114-9.
Research Group or Lab Membership
Current Postdoctoral Research Associates
- Maren Richter - TARSAN
- Connor Robbins - TerraMaris
- Yixi Zheng – ARTEMIS
Current PhD Students
- Morgan Wolfe - Turbidity currents in land-detached submarine canyons
- Brendon Yuri Damini – Antarctic continental shelf physical and biogeochamical processes
- Eilean MacDonald – Internal waves and turbidity currents in submarine canyons
- Jack Mustafa – Maritime Continent precipitation dynamics
Previous Postdoctoral Research Associates
- Marina Azaneu – TerraMaris
- Tiago Dotto – TARSAN
Previous PhD Students
- Philip Leadbitter – Investigating turbulent mixing processes using high-resolution temperature sensors on autonomous ocean gliders
- Callum Rollo – Shelf, shear and staircases: Glider observations in the North Atlantic
- David Price – Multi-scale investigations of cold-water coral habitat using novel technology and advanced image analysis
- Tabitha Pearman – Cold-water coral habitat mapping in submarine canyons
- Ryan Gilchrist – Dynamics and impacts of oil spills from seabed releases in the Faroe-Shetland Channel
- Peter Sheehan – Forcing and variability of northwestern inflows into the northern North Sea
- Tahmeena Aslam – Internal tides in Whittard Canyon
Teaching Interests
- Shelf Sea Dynamics and Coastal Processes (Module Organiser; ENV-5017B)
- Marine Sciences Fieldcourse (ENV-5020K/7030K)
- Atmosphere & Oceans (ENV-4007B)
Administrative Posts
Key Responsibilities
- Ocean Science Editor
- International Network for submarine Canyon Investigation and Scientific Exchange (INCISE) Steering Committee
- NOC Association (NOCA) Upscaling of Autonomy Working Group
- Challenger Society for Marine Science Council (2017–2020)
- Challenger Society Coastal and Shelf Seas (CaSS) Special Interest Group Lead
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
Keywords
- Oceanography
- Physics
- Physical Oceanography
Media Expertise
- Oceanography
Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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NSFGEO-NERC: Collaborative Research: Accelerating Thwaites Ecosystem Impactsfor the Southern Ocean (ARTEMIS)
Hall, R., Heywood, K., Cobas-Garcia, M. & Lee, G.
Natural Environment Research Council
1/11/21 → 31/10/24
Project: Research
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NSFPLR-NERC: Thwaites-Amundsen Regional Survey and Network (TARSAN). Integrating Atmosphere-Ice-Ocean Processes affecting the Sub-Ice-Shelf Environment.
Heywood, K., Pettit, E., Boehme, L., Hall, R., Lenaerts, J., Muto, A., Sanders, B., Scambos, T., Truffer, M., Tyler, S. & Lee, G.
Natural Environment Research Council
1/07/18 → 31/12/25
Project: Research
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TerraMaris: The Maritime Continent - Driver of the Global Climate System
Matthews, A., Birch, C., Hall, R., Heywood, K., Klingaman, N., Marsham, J., Neely, R., Woolnough, S. & Lee, G.
Natural Environment Research Council
1/06/18 → 31/05/24
Project: Research
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COMPASS: Climate-relevant Ocean Measurements and Processes on the Antarctic Continental Shelf and Slope
Heywood, K., Hall, R. & Cobas-Garcia, M.
1/09/17 → 29/02/24
Project: Research
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Processes Influencing Carbon Cycling: Observations of the Lower limb of the Antarctic Overturning (PICCOLO)
Heywood, K., Bakker, D., Hall, R., Robinson, C., Garcia-Martin, E. E. & Lee, G.
Natural Environment Research Council
31/07/17 → 31/12/27
Project: Research
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Spatial and temporal environmental heterogeneity induced by internal tides influences faunal patterns on vertical walls within a submarine canyon
Pearman, T. R. R., Robert, K., Callaway, A., Hall, R. A., Mienis, F. & Huvenne, V. A. I., 29 Mar 2023, In: Frontiers in Marine Science. 10, 1091855.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile6 Downloads (Pure) -
The modelled climatic response to the 18.6-year lunar nodal cycle and its role in decadal temperature trends
Joshi, M., Hall, R. A., Stevens, D. P. & Hawkins, E., 18 Apr 2023, In: Earth System Dynamics. 14, 2, p. 443–455 13 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile2 Downloads (Pure) -
Turbulent kinetic energy dissipation rate and associated fluxes in the western tropical Atlantic estimated from ocean glider observations
Sheehan, P. M. F., Damerell, G. M., Leadbitter, P. J., Heywood, K. J. & Hall, R. A., 24 Jan 2023, In: Ocean Science. 19, 1, p. 77-92 16 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile6 Downloads (Pure) -
Anthropogenic mixing in seasonally stratified shelf seas by offshore wind farm infrastructure
Dorrell, R. M., Lloyd, C. J., Lincoln, B. J., Rippeth, T. P., Taylor, J. R., Caulfield, C-C. P., Sharples, J., Polton, J. A., Scannell, B. D., Greaves, D. M., Hall, R. A. & Simpson, J. H., 22 Mar 2022, In: Frontiers in Marine Science. 9, 830927.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile14 Citations (Scopus)19 Downloads (Pure) -
Challenging the highstand-dormant paradigm for land-detached submarine canyons
Heijnen, M., Mienis, F., Gates, A., Bett, B., Hall, R., Hunt, J., Kane, I., Pebody, C., Huvenne, V., Soutter, E. & Clare, M., 15 Jun 2022, In: Nature Communications. 13, 3448.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile2 Citations (Scopus)6 Downloads (Pure)
Datasets
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Vigo glider dataset link
Rollo, C. (Creator), Heywood, K. (Creator), Hall, R. (Creator), Kaiser, J. (Creator), Barton, E. D. (Contributor), Brown, C. W. (Contributor) & Lee, G. A. (Creator), British Oceanographic Data Centre - Natural Environment Research Council, UK , 3 Jan 2020
DOI: 10/dhr6, https://www.bodc.ac.uk/data/published_data_library/catalogue/10.5285/9b3b453b-2afb-0abd-e053-6c86abc0a59c/
Dataset
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Glider observations of northwestern inflows of Atlantic water to the North Sea (2013)
Berx, B. (Creator), Damerell, G. (Creator), Gallego, A. (Creator), Hall, R. (Creator), Heywood, K. (Creator), Lee, G. A. (Creator) & Queste, B. (Creator), British Oceanographic Data Centre - Natural Environment Research Council, UK , 8 Mar 2018
DOI: 10/ck8r
Dataset
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MASSMO 4 project ocean glider and autonomous surface vehicle data
Wynn, R. B. (Creator), Wihsgott, J. U. (Creator), Palmer, M. R. (Creator), Lichtman, I. D. (Creator), Miller, P. (Creator), Goult, S. (Creator), Nencioli, F. (Creator), Loveday, B. R. (Creator), Jones, S. (Creator), Risch, D. (Creator), Hall, R. (Creator), Cauchy, P. (Creator), Doran, J. (Creator), Mowat, R. (Creator) & Damerell, G. (Creator), British Oceanographic Data Centre - Natural Environment Research Council, UK , 2019
DOI: 10.5285/9373933d-48c1-5a37-e053-6c86abc0e213
Dataset
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Lunar nodal cycle amplitude modulation map
Hall, R. (Creator) & Joshi, M. (Creator), ESD discussions, 2022
Dataset
File
Prizes
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Challenger Society for Marine Science Fellow
Hall, Rob (Recipient), 2021
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
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Ocean Science (Journal)
Rob Hall (Editor)
2023 → …Activity: Editorial work › Publication editorial role
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Brendon Yuri Damini
Rob Hall (Host)
17 Oct 2022 → 18 Nov 2022Activity: Hosting a visitor › Hosting an academic visitor
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RSS James Cook Research Cruise (JC237)
Rob Hall (Participant)
6 Aug 2022 → 6 Sep 2022Activity: Other activity types › Other