Diane Masson

Address
Research Scientist
Ocean Sciences Division
Institute of Ocean Sciences
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
P.O. Box 6000
9860 West Saanich Road
Sidney, B.C.
Canada, V8L 4B2

Phone: 250-363-6521

Fax: 250-363-6746

Email: Diane.Masson@dfo-mpo.gc.ca

Research area(s):

  • Ocean modelling
  • Physical oceanography

Area of Expertise:

Diane is a research scientist with the Ocean Sciences division at the Institute of Ocean Sciences and who has been involved with the Strait of Georgia Ecosystem Research Initiative. As part of this project, Diane was involved in developing an application of the Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS) for the Strait of Georgia. This model is the ocean dynamics component of an end-to-end modeling system. The model is forced by freshwater inflow from major rivers, tidal forcing and seasonal climatology at open boundaries, as well as wind stress and heat flux at the ocean surface. The model is being developed to reproduce realistic circulation features and water properties (temperature and salinity) for the Straits of Georgia and Juan de Fuca over a typical seasonal cycle as well as to capture year to year variability. Because the model output is used to force a lower trophic model, simulating a realistic near surface stratification is a primary concern. As such, one needs to force the model with a realistic wind stress and new wind stress field were prepared using hourly data for 30 local wind observation stations. The measured wind stress vectors were interpolated onto the model grid using a thin plate radial basis function. Using the improved hourly wind stress, a yearly simulation was successfully completed for 2007.

Select Presentation(s) / Publication(s):

Angelica Peña, M & Masson, Diane & Callendar, Wendy. (2016). Annual plankton dynamics in a coupled physical–biological model of the Strait of Georgia, British Columbia. Progress in Oceanography. 146. 58-74. 10.1016/j.pocean.2016.06.002.

Cummins, Patrick & Masson, Diane & A. Saenko, Oleg. (2016). Vertical heat flux in the ocean: Estimates from observations and from a coupled general circulation model. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans. 121. 10.1002/2016JC011647.

Snauffer, Evgeniya & Masson, Diane & E. Allen, Susan. (2014). Modelling the dispersal of herring and hake larvae in the Strait of Georgia for the period 2007–2009. Fisheries Oceanography. 23. 10.1111/fog.12072.

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