Portrait of Susan Hautala

Oceanography

Susan Hautala

Associate Professor

Susan Hautala is an oceanographer who studies ocean circulation, with a partial specialization in the abyssal zone.  She is particularly interested in the impact of processes that affect the density of the ocean’s waters.  These processes are connected to global climate through the ocean’s heat/freshwater input and transport systems.  Particular areas of focus have included the impact of hydrothermal vents on the deep ocean, pathways from the Pacific to Indian Oceans through Indonesia, and processes throughout the water column in waters offshore of the Pacific Northwest.  Her work is primarily observational in nature, and she enjoys close collaborations with numerical modelers and scientists from other disciplines.  She also serves as Oceanography’s Associate Director for Undergraduate Education.