Associate Professor Jochen Kaempf

Research Interests

While I am a trained physical oceanographer, my research often focuses on physical-biological interactions in the oceans. This includes the study of phytoplankton and zooplankton dynamics in coastal upwelling regions using satellite and in-situ data, and coupled physical-biological computer models. My research has also uncovered a range of previously unknown physical processes such as erosion bursts of seafloor sediment under downwelling-favourable coastal winds, the current-induced up-slope sediment transport in submarine canyons, and the wave-induced generation of fluid mud. I also explored the dynamics of inverse estuaries (e.g., the Persian Gulf) with hydrodynamic models. My current research explores the formation of coastal countercurrents, processes that trigger positive phases of the Indian Ocean Dipole, and the dynamics inherent with the ocean's deep circulation.

Research Biography

Associate Professor Kaempf received his Ph.D. from the University of Hamburg, Germany, in 1998 during which he studied ice-ocean interactions in polar regions. In 1999, he moved to the School of Chemistry, Physics and Earth Sciences, Flinders University. His research highlights include the discovery of a large seasonal coastal upwelling systems that he named the Great Southern Australian Coastal Upwelling System. He is internationally recognized as an expert in coastal oceanography and upwelling.