William Atkinson

I am an Oceanographer who developed my curiosity for ocean science as a kid during my trips to the beach and wondering how the waves are formed and being fascinated by the movement of water and the organisms that lived under the waves. Now, my curiosity has grown into a passion for conducting research that I feel will have an impact on the livelihood of communities across the world and future generations. I strive to develop a better understanding of the complex physical processes of the atmosphere and ocean. Also, I hope to educate the general public on challenges facing the atmosphere and ocean and how we can mitigate future climate change impacts. 

In May of 2020, I received my Bachelor's Degree in Atmospheric and Oceanic Science (AOSC) from the University of Maryland, College Park. I completed my undergraduate senior research thesis on precipitation measurements in Puerto Rico during Hurricane Maria. My research consisted of comparing ground-based precipitation data and multiple satellite precipitation observations to understand potential error in precipitation measurements used in the Hurricane Maria Tropical Cyclone Report. After graduation, I continued this research through the Professional Research Experience Program (PREP)  in collaboration with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) where I created a 30-year climatology for Puerto Rico at daily and annual timescales. Also, I analyzed data using Python from other tropical cyclones that impacted Puerto Rico to develop a relationship between the difference in ground-based and satellite-based precipitation data and the severity of the storm.

When I started the MEES graduate program in Fall 2020, I was a MEES Graduate Student Organization Representative for Horn Point Laboratory. Our goal is to create a multi-campus sense of community for all MEES Students. We are available as student liaisons to help students address any questions or concerns including questions about the MEES program and graduate school in general and Title IX and ethics issues. Since Fall 2020, we have improved new student onboarding by facilitating the first MEES-wide orientation and developing a MEES Student Survival Guide. Also, we have improved communication between campuses and increased a sense of community by hosting trivia and research events. From Fall 2021 to Fall 2022, I was the Vice President of the MEES Graduate Student Organization. 

I conducted my Masters Thesis Research with Dr. Victoria Coles on the NASA funded project: " Predicting, Validating, and Understanding Zooplankton Distributions from Space in an Eddy Rich Ocean". Utilizing a coupled physical-biogeochemical model (HYCOM-NEMURO) as our "truth", we developed mechanistic algorithms based on phytoplankton growth and grazing equations which can be used to estimate zooplankton grazing and biomass across small and large spatial scales where insitu observations are scarce. Next, I applied our algorithms to satellite-based observations of the ocean to determine how mesoscale features such as eddies impact zooplankton biomass, grazing, and trophic transfer in the food web. I graduated in May 2024 with an M.S. in Earth and Ocean Systems from the MEES program. 

After graduation, I accepted a position as a Faculty Research Assistant II working with Dr. Raleigh Hood on a NASA funded project titled "Wet Carbon Monitoring and Accounting System for Urban Coastlines". My focus on the project is developing a physical model (FVCOM) and a biogeochemical model (ICM) for the Long Island Sound to analyze the impacts of marshes on carbon export in and out of the system. Remote sensing estimates and field measurements from other members of the research group will be implemented into the coupled physical-biogeochemical model (FVCOM-ICM) to better simulate processes along the marsh-estuarine continuum.