Piero Mazzini

Lab Website

Coastal Oceanography

Education

• Ph.D., Physical Oceanography, Oregon State University, 2014
• M.S., Physical Oceanography, University of Sao Paulo, Brazil , 2009
• B.S., (Honors), Oceanography, University of Vale do Itajai, Brazil, 2006

Research Interests

I am a coastal physical oceanographer dedicated to understanding the dynamics of coastal and estuarine systems. Using a diverse suite of observational techniques, my research examines how winds, river outflows, waves, and tides interact to shape circulation and regulate the exchange of mass, momentum, and biogeochemical properties between estuaries, the coastal ocean, and offshore waters. My work also addresses coastal marine heatwaves, examining their physical drivers, evolution, and responses to climate change and variability. Overall, my research aims to uncover the fundamental mechanisms driving coastal ocean variability and to connect these insights to the health and resilience of coastal ecosystems.

Selected Publications

• Mazzini, P.L.F., Pianca, C., Pareja-Roman, L.F., Cole, K.L., Walter, R.K., Castelao, R.M., Hunter, E.J., & Chant, R.J. 2025. Spatio-temporal variability of the San Francisco Bay plume from space. Frontiers in Marine Science, 12, 1588441. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2025.1588441

• Nardi, R.U., Mazzini, P.L.F., & Walter, R.K. 2025. Climate change and variability drive increasing exposure of marine heatwaves across U.S. estuaries. Scientific Reports, 15, 7831. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-91864-6

• Plume, G., Walter, R.K., Mazzini, P.L.F., & Dalsin, M. 2025. Marine heatwaves detected by a network of buoys along the entire U.S. West Coast shelf. Continental Shelf Research, 294, 105552. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.csr.2025.105552

• Plume, G., Walter, R.K., Cobb, I., Dalsin, M., Mazzini, P.L.F., Shunk, N.P., Robbins, I., & Connolly, T.P. 2025. Vertical structure of subsurface marine heatwaves in a shallow nearshore upwelling system. Scientific Reports, 15, 6353. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-90565-4

• Shunk, N.P., Mazzini, P.L.F., & Walter, R.K. 2024. Impacts of marine heatwaves on subsurface temperatures and dissolved oxygen in the Chesapeake Bay. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 129, e2023JC020338. https://doi.org/10.1029/2023JC020338

• Pareja-Roman, L.F., Chant, R.J., Mazzini, P.L.F., & Cole, K. 2024. Circulation and retention of river plumes around capes. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 129, e2023JC020645. https://doi.org/10.1029/2023JC020645

• Walter, R.K., Dalsin, M., Mazzini, P.L.F., & Pianca, C. 2024. Compound marine cold spells and hypoxic events in a nearshore upwelling system. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 300, 108706. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecss.2024.108706

• Dalsin, M., Walter, R.K., & Mazzini, P.L.F. 2023. Effects of basin-scale climate modes and upwelling on nearshore marine heatwaves and cold spells in the California Current. Scientific Reports, 13, 12389. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-39193-4

• Walter, R.K., Huie, S.A., Abraham, J.C.P., Pasulka, A., Davis, K.A., Connolly, T.P., Mazzini, P.L.F., & Robbins, I. 2022. Seasonal controls on nearshore dissolved oxygen variability and hypoxia in a coastal embayment. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 108123. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecss.2022.108123

• Mazzini, P.L.F., & Pianca, C. 2022. Marine heatwaves in the Chesapeake Bay. Frontiers in Marine Science, 8, 750265. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2021.750265

• Gentemann, C.L., Scott, J.P., Mazzini, P.L.F., Pianca, C., Akella, S., Minnett, P.J., Cornillon, P., Fox-Kempler, B., Cetinić, I., Chin, T.M., Gomez-Valdes, J., Vazquez-Cuervo, J., Tsontos, V., Yu, L., Jenkins, R., De Halleux, S., Peacock, D., & Cohen, N. 2020. Saildrone: Adaptively sampling the marine environment. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 101, E744–E762. https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-19-0015.1

• Mazzini, P.L.F., Chant, R.J., Scully, M.E., Wilkin, J., Hunter, E.J., & Nidzieko, N.J. 2019. The impact of wind forcing on the thermal wind shear of a river plume. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 124. https://doi.org/10.1029/2019JC015259

• Fisher, A., Nidzieko, N., Scully, M., Chant, R., Hunter, E., & Mazzini, P.L.F. 2018. Turbulent mixing in a far-field plume during the transition to upwelling conditions: Microstructure observations from an AUV. Geophysical Research Letters, 45. https://doi.org/10.1029/2018GL078543

• Lemos, A.T., Ghisolfi, R.D.G., & Mazzini, P.L.F. 2018. Annual phytoplankton blooming using satellite-derived chlorophyll-a data around the Vitória-Trindade Chain, southeastern Brazil. Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr.2018.04.005

• Schettini, C.A.F., Domingues, E.C., Truccolo, E.C., Oliveira Filho, J.C., & Mazzini, P.L.F. 2017. Seasonal variability of water masses and currents at the eastern Brazilian continental shelf 7.5–9°S. Regional Studies in Marine Science, 16, 131–144. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rsma.2017.08.012

• Mazzini, P.L.F., & Chant, R.J. 2016. Two-dimensional circulation and mixing in the far field of a surface-advected river plume. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 121, 3757–3776. https://doi.org/10.1002/2015JC011059

• Mazzini, P.L.F., Risien, C.M., Barth, J.A., Pierce, S., Erofeev, A., Dever, E., Kosro, M., Levine, M., Shearman, R.K., & Vardaro, M. 2015. Anomalous near-surface low-salinity pulses off the central Oregon coast. Scientific Reports, 5, 17145. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep17145

• Mazzini, P.L.F., Barth, J.A., Shearman, R.K., & Erofeev, A. 2014. Buoyancy-driven coastal currents off Oregon during fall and winter. Journal of Physical Oceanography, 44, 2854–2876. https://doi.org/10.1175/JPO-D-14-0012.1

• Mazzini, P.L.F., & Barth, J.A. 2013. A comparison of mechanisms generating vertical transport in the Brazilian coastal upwelling regions. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 118, 5977–5993. https://doi.org/10.1002/2013JC008924