Astrid Pacini

Astrid is an observational physical oceanographer. Her research focuses on processes at high latitudes, including ice-ocean interactions, boundary current dynamics, and watermass transformation. She is interested in how ice-ocean and air-sea interactions influence stratification, how heat and freshwater are transported in the polar and subpolar seas, and how these property and momentum fluxes influence local stratification and watermass dynamics. 

Currently, Astrid is an NSF Office of Polar Programs postdoctoral scholar working with Dr. Mike Steele on ocean dynamics within the seasonal ice zone. Astrid received her PhD in physical oceanography in the MIT-WHOI Joint Program under the supervision of Dr. Bob Pickart.  During her PhD, she studied the structure, variability, and dynamics of the West Greenland boundary current system. She also worked on understanding the processes that influence watermass transformation in the Pacific Arctic. Astrid is passionate about fieldwork and has participated in observational campaigns in the Irminger and Labrador Seas, the Greenland and Iceland Seas, Baffin Bay, the Gulf Stream, and the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas. 

In The News

  • Welcome, Dr. Astrid Pacini!

    Welcome, Dr. Astrid Pacini! Astrid received her PhD in Physical Oceanography from the MIT-WHOI Joint Program in 2022 and holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Yale. 

    She joins PSC as a postdoctoral research associate and holds a 2022 NSF Office of Polar Programs Fellowship. Astrid will work with Dr. Michael Steele, examining the evolution of upper ocean properties in the Arctic Ocean’s Seasonal Ice Zone. Astrid loves field work and has spent time on various research vessels, but her favorite ship will always be the RV Neil Armstrong, where she spent six months during graduate school. At the PSC, she is excited to continue mentoring high school and undergraduate students, and participating in outreach programs.

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Selected Publications

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