Physical Oceanography
Western boundary current interaction with adjacent waters; descriptive physical oceanography; advective nutrient transport; coastal waters
Dr. Larry P. Atkinson is the Samuel and Fay Slover Professor of Oceanography in the Department of Ocean, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at Old Dominion University.
He received his B. S. and M.S. in 1964 and 1967, respectively, from the University of Washington in Seattle. He received his Ph. D. from Dalhousie University in Halifax,
Canada in 1972. Prior to joining the faculty at Old Dominion University he was at the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography in Savannah Georgia. He is a member of the
Oceanography Society, the American Meteorological Society, the Marine Technology Society and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
He is a Fellow of the AAAS. He was editor of Oceanography (1993-1997) and Editor (1988 - 1990) and Senior Editor of Journal of Geophysical Research - Oceans (1990-1992).
He is the author or co-author of over 90 reviewed publications. He as served on the Department of Interior Science Advisory Committee for Outer Continental Shelf oil and
gas production. He was chair of a national committee coordinating replacement of the fleet of oceanographic research ships in the US. From 1991 to 1994 he was with the
inter-agency Ocean.US office creating the integrated ocean observing system for the US. His ocean observing activities continue both locally and nationally. Those
activities include promotion of a national system to measure ocean currents using radar and local and regional ocean observing.
He is currently co-directing the ODU climate change and sea level rise initiative at the university
Research Interests
Dr. Atkinson is recognized for his work on nutrient supplies and hydrographic variability in the southeastern United States continental shelf waters. He has also done field studies off Japan, southern California, and northwest Spain. These studies were all part of large, interdisciplinary research programs that are of particular interest to Dr. Atkinson. Also, these studies have led to new understandings of how nutrients are supplied to continental shelves and how water column stability is controlled by advection of buoyancy. His current research includes studies of the climatology of coastal waters, offshore wind energy, high frequency radar measurements of surface currents and climate change and sea level rise
He currently is funded by the NOAA.