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| Research > Theoretical Studies |
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Theoretical Studies |
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CURTIS MOBLEY
Although my background is physics and meteorology, most of my career has been devoted to research in radiative transfer theory applied to problems in optical oceanography. The widely-used HydroLight computer program and the textbook Light and Water: Radiative Transfer in Natural Waters are the best-known products of my efforts. I have a particular fondness for teaching, and I go to sea whenever they let me.
Early in my career, I was a Fulbright Fellow to Germany, and I have held both regular (at the NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Lab) and senior (at the Jet Propulsion Lab) National Research Council Resident Research Associateships. I was an oceanographer with the University of Washington Joint Institute for the Study of the Atmosphere and Ocean during the 1980s. From 1989-1991, I was the Program Manager of the Ocean Optics (now Environmental Optics) program at the Office of Naval Research. I have been an associate professor of physics at Pacific Lutheran University, and I am now an Affiliate Professor in the School of Oceanography at the University of Washington. I have been Vice President for Science and Senior Scientist at Sequoia since 1997.
CURRENT RESEARCH
Most of my research in recent years has been on shallow-water airborne remote sensing and ecosystem modeling.
The remote-sensing work has been development and evaluation of spectrum-matching methods for retrieval of bathymetry, bottom classification, and water inherent optical properties from airborne hyperspectral imagery.
The ecosystem modeling work has been development of an extremely fast version of HydroLight, named EcoLight, for use as the optical component of coupled physical-biological-optical ocean ecosystem models.
Lesser amounts of time have been spent on occasional studies of underwater visibility and design studies for proposed ocean color satellites. When time permits I work on improving HydroLight.
I also teach occasional summer courses in optical oceanography in the US (3 times at the University of Washington and 3 times at the University of Maine) and elsewhere (including Brazil, Singapore, and China).
PERSONAL
Starting in graduate school, my wife, Ann Kruse, and I devoted all weekends and vacations to climbing -- ice in New England in the winter, rock in California, mountaineering in Alaska, and everything in between. But after 20 years of playing on vertical terrain, all of the climbs started to feel the same. This serious mid-life crisis was resolved when we discovered sea kayaking. Our vacations now find us paddling in exotic locations around the world. Recent trips have included Alaska, Greece, and eastern Greenland. Norway is our next destination.
I lead trips for Wilderness Volunteers, a non-profit organization that does trail maintenance, habitat restoration, archaeological surveys, and similar work in National Parks, wilderness areas, wildlife refuges, and other public lands. My wife and I both lead white water raft trips and cultural trips in China for the Sierra Club. You can see photos from recent trips at our Smugmug site.
I think everyone should have an ongoing project for which failure is guaranteed but which will leave you a better person. For that last few years, my project has been learning a bit of Mandarin Chinese.
Oh yea, I’m a pretty good gourmet cook and a mediocre photographer. I like cats, but I’m allergic to them.
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|  | | Sequoia visit to Colombia and Ecuador! |  | | Sequoia's Yogi Agrawal and Ole Mikkelsen visited C'Particulas, Sequoia's Colombian distributor 28-30 November 2011. See the pictures on our facebook page! | |  | |  | |
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