Ecosystems and Oceanography Division Contact Information

Administration

• Jeffrey Polovina - Division Chief
  Contact: (808) 983-5390 jeffrey.polovina@noaa.gov
  Research interests include investigations of: i) migrations and habitats of large pelagic animals including turtles, tunas, whale sharks, and whales with satellite telemetry and remotely-sensed oceanographic data, ii) the impacts of climate variation and climate change on marine fisheries and ecosystems, and iii) advancing our understanding of ecosystem dynamics with satellite remote sensing data, fisheries observer and logbook data, and ecosystem and climate models.
• Kyle Higa - Program Support Assistant (C)
  Contact: (808) 983-5327 kyle.higa@noaa.gov

Research Staff

• Melanie Abecassis - Visiting Scholar (J)
  Contact: (808) 983-2969 melanie.abecassis@noaa.gov
  Melanie was hired as a research assistant at the PIFSC in Feb. 2007. She received a BSc in Physics from the University of Paris XI in 2004, and a MSc in Oceanography and Engineering from the University of Paris VI and the Engineering School ENSTA in 2006. She also did a 6-month internship at the PIFSC in 2006 as a part of her MSc. Melanie specializes in tag and oceanographic data analysis.
• Raymond Boland - Marine Biologist / NOAA Unit Dive Supervisor
  Contact: (808) 983-5716 raymond.boland@noaa.gov
  Research interests include reef fish communities, mesophotic communities and marine debris. Specific projects include studying the reef fish communities of mesophotic reefs, black corals and artificial reefs; marine debris survey and removal; and impacts of catch and release fisheries. Responsibilities of Unit Dive Supervisor include training and certification of divers; and overseeing all dive operations.
• Reka Domokos - Research Oceanographer
  Contact: (808)983-5368 reka.domokos@noaa.gov
  Research interests include the effects of physical processes on pelagic organisms and the use of active acoustics as a tool to estimate fish and micronekton distribution and abundance in a pelagic environment. Specific projects include the study of tuna and their forage distribution and abundance in the American Samoa and Hawai'i fishing grounds, the effects of physical features such as mesoscale eddies, fluctuating currents, and seamounts on these organisms, and an investigation of juvenile opakapaka (pink snapper) abundance and distribution in nearshore nursery grounds off East Oahu, Hawai'i.
• Megan Duncan - Research Associate (J)
  Contact: (808) 983-5305 megan.duncan@noaa.gov
  Megan began working in late 2010 as data support in congruence with finishing her undergraduate degree. In 2011, she completed her studies with a BS in Marine Biology from the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa. Currently she is a Research Associate focusing on analyzing oceanographic data from the North Pacific and Kona region of the island of Hawai'i.
• Aimee Hoover - Marine Research Specialist (J)
  Contact: (808) 983-5362 aimee.hoover@noaa.gov
• Evan Howell - Fisheries and the Environment (FATE) Research Oceanographer
  Contact: (808) 983-5306 evan.howell@noaa.gov
  Current research interests include modeling potential ecosystem impacts in the North Pacific based on possible climate changes, understanding how oceanography factors into the movement and behavior of highly migratory and protected species. Evan is a PIFSC point of contact for the NOAA Integrated Ecosystem Assessment (IEA) program, and is leading the pilot IEA program for the Kona region of the island of Hawai'i.
• Donald Kobayashi - Research Fishery Biologist
  Contact: (808) 983-5394 donald.kobayashi@noaa.gov
  Research interests include pelagic larval ecology, metapopulation connectivity, mathematical modeling, fishery oceanography, stock assessment, and protected species mitigation in commercial fisheries. Specific projects include loggerhead sea turtle movement modeling using satellite tag data and remotely sensed environmental data, larval transport in the Hawaiian archipelago, and sea turtle/cetacean mitigation in the Hawaii-based longline fishery.
• Audrey Rollo - Video Technician
  Contact: (808) 983-5723 audrey.rollo@noaa.gov
• Phoebe Woodworth-Jefcoats - Research Oceanographer
  Contact: (808) 983-2962 phoebe.woodworth-jefcoats@noaa.gov
  Phoebe's research interests include physical-biological interactions, investigating large ecosystems with remotely sensed data, and climate variability. She is particularly interested in the potential impacts of climate variability and change on pelagic ecosystems.

Coast Watch Program

• Lucas Moxey - CoastWatch Coordinator (J)
  Contact: (808) 983-5385 lucas.moxey@noaa.gov
  Lucas interests include satellite remote sensing and community outreach. He received a B.A. Business Administration and a B.S. in Geological Sciences from the University of Florida in 2001, and a M.S. in Geology & Geophysics (2005) and a M.Ed. in Curriculum Studies (2011) from the University of Hawaii Manoa. He specializes in the processing and analysis of oceanographic remote sensing data.

Notes:
(C) - denotes contractor
(J) - denotes Joint Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research (JIMAR) Employee