Melanie Fewings

Melanie Fewings is a Professor in the Department of Oceanography at Oregon State University, affiliated with the College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences (CEOAS). Her research focuses on observational coastal physical oceanography and meteorology, with expertise in air-sea interaction dynamics. She leads the Fewings Lab, which integrates satellite, moored instruments, and ship-based observations to study coastal processes.

Education: Ph.D. (Physical Oceanography, MIT/Woods Hole, 2007), M.S. (Applied Physics, Cornell, 1999), B.S. (Physics, Western Washington, 1996). Her work bridges physics and marine science, driven by a fascination with coastal ecosystem impacts.

Research Interests: Marine heat waves (e.g., the 2014-16 'Blob'), coastal upwelling dynamics, wind-driven coastal processes, and their effects on ecosystems like kelp forests and fisheries. She pioneered methods to correlate wind patterns with ocean surface temperature anomalies, particularly in the northeastern Pacific.

Recent work includes the ODYSEA satellite mission concept for simultaneous wind/current measurements, and cross-networked observations of marine heatwaves. She collaborates globally on eastern boundary upwelling systems (e.g., Chile-Peru, Benguela).

Grants and Advising: While specific grants/students aren’t listed, her lab actively engages in interdisciplinary projects funded by agencies like NASA and NOAA. She emphasizes long-term observational datasets (e.g., Newport Hydrographic Line) for climate analysis.

Labs/Teams: Fewings Lab specializes in coastal ocean dynamics, leveraging satellite and in-situ data to model ecosystem-climate interactions. Current projects address poleward transport pathways and heatwave prediction for coastal management.