My Latest Progresses & Projects

Ongoing Projects:

  1. Future changes in the Mid-Atlantic Bight Cold Pool
    I am currently working on investigating future changes in the Mid-Atlantic Bight Cold Pool, based on Chen et al. [2018] and Chen & Curchitser [2020], using dynamically downscaled high-resolution models (ROMS-NWA-COBALT) under the high-emission scenario SSP5-8.5.
  2. Projecting future changes in the Gulf Stream warm-core rings and their impacts on the Northeast U.S. Large Marine Ecosystem in a changing climate using regional MOM6 simulations
    I have just been funded by NOAA Modeling, Analysis, Predictions, and Projections Program (09/01/2024-08/31/2027; $568,996) to work on investigating projections of changes in the Gulf Stream Warm-Core Rings and their impacts on the Northeast U.S. Large Marine Ecosystem using dynamically downscaled high-resolution models (regional MOM6-NWA) under different climate scenarios.
  3. Marine habitat shifts jointly constrained by ocean temperature and dissolved oxygen
    I am also working on investigating marine habitat shifts in large marine ecosystems around the North America, based on my recent work - Chen et al. [2024]. This study will identify mechanistic controls to the predictability from the physical and biogeochemical driver variables across different marine species.
  4. Tracking Source Waters for the Northeast U.S. Shelf (NES) Bottom waters
    I am also working on tracking source waters of the NES bottom waters based on water mass characteristics, using a reanalysis dataset. This study also investigates relationships with Gulf Stream warm core rings.

Latest Progresses & News:

June, 2024
  • My first research proposal (as a Lead-PI) has been selected for funding by NOAA. This project is about Projecting future changes in the Gulf Stream warm-core rings and their impacts on the Northeast U.S. Large Marine Ecosystem in a changing climate using regional MOM6 simulations. It’s a three-year project and it will start from September, 2024.
April, 2024
March, 2024
  • I worked as a member of the Peer-review Panel for NOAA proposals.
February, 2024
January, 2024
December, 2023
  • I gave an online seminar (30-min) at the 2023 U.S. Northeast Climate-Fisheries Seminar Series about our recent work on marine habitat shifts predictions.
November, 2023
  • A research proposal (Lead PI: Z. Chen) has been submitted to the NOAA MAPP program about project future changes in the Gulf Stream warm-core rings and the corresponding impacts on the Northeast U.S. continental shelf.
October, 2023
  • I gave an oral presentation (20-min) about marine habitat shift predictions at the PICES-2023 Annual Meeting, Seattle, WA.
September, 2023
  • I gave an oral presentation (20-min) about marine habitat shift predictions at the Eastern Pacific Ocean Conference, Stanford Sierra Conference Center, Reno, NV
  • Our letter of intent (LOI) for a proposal submitted to the NOAA MAPP program has been approved.
August, 2023
  • We submitted a letter of intent (LOI) for a research proposal (Lead PI: Z. Chen) to the NOAA MAPP program.
July, 2023
  • Constructive comments received from reviewers on our recently submitted paper to Nature Communications.
June, 2023
  • I presented a poster (30-sec poster preview talk) about marine habitat shift predictions at the Gordon Research Conference-Coastal Ocean Dynamics, Bryant University, RI

Previous Projects: