Hello World! My name is Phadtaya Poemnamthip. I also go by Pad or Phad (both are pronounced as “Paad”). I am now a Ph.D. candidate in Physical Oceanography in the MIT-WHOI Joint Program in Oceanography/Applied Ocean Science & Engineering working with Dr. Weifeng (Gordon) Zhang at WHOI.

About my research

In my research, I use a realistic, high-resolution numerical model based on the Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS) to study the hydrodynamical environment of a Pacific coral atoll. The resolution I am focusing on is down to the reef scale or O(100 m), which is currently not resolved by Global Climate Models (GCMs) or the 5-km-resolution NOAA Coral Reef Watch products.

The main goal of my research is to discover and quantify the impact of the changing atmospheric forcings due to climate variability on the circulation and water properties at the study site, the lagoon of Kanton Island, Republic of Kiribati, so that we can use the physical understanding to find out why the coral responses, e.g., percentage of bleaching, mortality, are inhomogeneous across the study site. The ultimate goal of the project in which my research is embedded is to provide the knowledge and information to local government or stakeholders to apply in coral reef monitoring and restoration projects.

Research interest

Coastal Oceanography, Numerical Modeling, Coral Reef Hydrodynamics, Tropical Climate Variability

More about me and my academic path

(My website is still under construction. Pardon me for that and please come back later!)