Associate Professor
College of Science and Engineering
Jochen Kaempf is a passionate and fearless physical oceanographer with over 20 years of professional experience.
Key Discoveries
Jochen's research revealed that downwelling-favorable winds trigger bursts of sediment erosion and benthic nutrient releases in coastal oceans. This knowledge is pivotal in the understanding of the functioning marine ecosystems in shelf seas!
He has presented the first ever theory that explains the existence of upslope transport and channeling of suspended sediment in submarine channels of continental margins. Incidentally, this theory also explains the accumulation of orcas near the head of the Hood Canyon in the western Great Australian Bight.
His research has led to the discovery of the Great Southern Australian Coastal Upwelling System, which key nutrient source for the Southern Ocean marine food web. Kaempf also uncovered the physical mechanisms driving gigantic phytoplankton blooms in the northwestern Arafura Sea north of Australia.
Jochen was the first marine scientist exploring and describing the water circulation of both the Persian Gulf and South Australian gulfs with state-of-the-art 3D hydrodynamic circulation models.
Publication Achievements
He has published two textbooks on ocean modelling as a contribution to classroom teaching of oceanography, a monograph on upwelling systems of the world (co-authored by Piers Chapman, Texas A&M University), numerous book chapters, and more than 40 peer-reviewed publications.
Diploma (Physical Oceanography), University of Hamburg, Germany, 1994
PhD (Natural Sciences, Physical Oceanography), University of Hamburg, Germany,1996
Associate Professor (Oceanography) at Flinders University since July 2009
In 2011, Jochen Kaempf was a finalist of the prestigious Australian Museum Eureka Award in the Environment category. In the same year, he also was a finalist of the Jill Hudson Award for Environmental Protection by the Conservation Council SA. In 2014, Jochen won the Jill Hudson Award for Environmental Protection for his critical engagement as scientific expert in the discussion of various industrial proposals such as seawater desalination and oil drilling. Inofficially, his activities as environmentalist has earned him the title of "Guardian of the Gulfs".
Jochen Kaempf's CV (in PDF format) can be downloaded from the link below.