Dr. Kevin Speer has been the director of GFDI since 2011 and has been an active associate for his entire time at FSU. Kevin is a sea-going oceanographer whose research ranges from the global ocean circulation to the dynamics of hydrothermal plumes.
His research is a mix of observation and analysis aimed at improving our understanding of ocean circulation and transport processes. His work focuses on deep currents and polar circulation, and flow forced by diverse buoyancy sources including air-sea fluxes, hydrothermal or geothermal sources. Current research deals with Southern Ocean overturning and its relation to air-sea fluxes and eddy transport mechanisms. Ongoing projects include the direct observation of circulation with subsurface floats, tracer inversion techniques, and near-coastal observation studies. Studies of transport mechanisms for mass, heat, salt, and other properties are the fundamental motivation for these experiments and studies.
