Isaac Reister

Isaac Reister

Ph.D. Student

Physical Oceanography

College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences
2150 Koyukuk Drive
O'Neill Building
Fairbanks, AK 99775
isreister@alaska.edu

 
Education

Whitman College
B.A. Physics
2014

 

Thesis

Improving our understanding of the Northern Gulf of Alaska (NGA) hydrographic spatial structure and temporal variability

 

Advisor

 

Biography

Isaac Reister is a PhD student at the University of Alaska Fairbanks College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, studying under Dr. Seth Danielson. Prior employment includes working at Seabird Scientific, a leading manufacturer in oceanography instruments, as a technical support representative. After over two years of troubleshooting Seabird Scientific equipment remotely, working with oceanographic research communities from across the globe, Isaac decided to join the field permanently by joining the team at NGA LTER. Isaac also has a B.A. in physics from Whitman College (2014).

 

Specialties

  • Seabird scientific instrument troubleshooting
  • Data analysis and visualization

 

Research Overview

Our work seeks to improve our understanding of the Northern Gulf of Alaska (NGA) hydrographic spatial structure and temporal variability, starting with a characterization of the freshwater in the NGA via quantitative analysis. If we can successfully improve characterization of small features of the NGA hydrographic cycle, such as the Copper River Plume, the better we can improve the accuracies of micronutrient (iron) models for the NGA. If we can successfully improve characterization of coastal freshwater influx as a whole, then we can improve our understanding of large features of the NGA hydrographic cycle, such as the Alaska Coastal Current. The NGA experiences intense environmental variability, potentially leading to high resilience in the northern Gulf of Alaska. Knowing how resilient is crucial, as climate change has the potential to dramatically alter high latitude systems, for example via the timing of the spring blooms. Therefore, the better we can characterize the system, the greater relevance our models will have to scientists, resource managers, and policymakers.

 

Current research projects

 

Affiliations

  • NGA LTER Graduate Representative