The recent American Geophysical Union (AGU) meeting held in New Orleans included a pair of Kienes presenting. AGU is the largest Earth and space science meeting in the world.
DISL Senior Marine Scientist Dr. Ron Kiene has presented his research at many different conferences in his 25 years at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab and the University of South Alabama. However, his presentation at AGU the week of December 11 was a special occasion as his son Dr. Andrew Kiene was also a presenter at the meeting. This is the first time the two Dr. Kiene’s presented at the same conference.
Andrew Kiene received his PhD in atmospheric physics from Clemson University in 2016 and he is currently a post-doctoral associate at the Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. His research is focused on physical dynamics of the upper atmosphere, including transport of particles generated by the solar wind and associated with the spectacular light shows known as the aurora borealis. While an undergraduate at Auburn University, Andrew spent several summers working for DISL researchers including Drs. Just Cebrian and Kyeong Park (now at Texas A&M-Galveston).
Although Andrew’s research field is very different from the marine biogeochemistry topics that his father works on, the diversity of disciplines covered by the large AGU Fall Meeting, with more than 10,000 attendees, has allowed the two to present at the same conference for the first time. It also provides Andrew an opportunity to visit Mobile for the first time since he moved to Alaska, something his parents welcome very much.
Andrew gave an oral presentation in the session on Dynamic Interactions Between the Thermosphere and Ionosphere. His talk is entitled “Measurements of Ion-Neutral Coupling in the Auroral F-Region in Response to Increases in Particle Precipitation”.
Ron presented from his recent cruises in the Pacific in a poster in the General Oceanography section entitled “Methanethiol Concentrations and Sea-Air Fluxes in the Subarctic NE Pacific Ocean”.