Field-Based Environmental Fluid Mechanics

Oscar Sepúlveda Steiner

Tahoe Environmental Research Center (TERC), University of California, Davis (UC Davis).

OSS_pic.jpeg
Watershed Sciences Building
One Shields Ave
Davis, California

I am an engineer and scientist passionate about natural flows. My research focuses on field-based experimental studies in environmental fluid mechanics. I aim to understand aquatic physical processes and their ecological responses (and vice versa) by combining innovative field measurement techniques—such as microstructure turbulence and underwater gliders—with modeling.

Current research interests include (i) the effects of basin-scale gyres on lake water heterogeneity, (ii) under-ice boundary layer turbulence, and (iii) the fate of turbidity currents.

I also contribute to polar research by applying my expertise in complex field measurements through collaborations in the Canadian High Arctic and the Amundsen Sea in Antarctica.

news

Jan 23, 2026 Visit Expedition to Antarctica: UC Davis Tracks Melting Glaciers to know more about our latest glider deployment.
Jan 21, 2026 Slocum Glider “Gull” was successfully recovered after its first 2026 mission in Pine Island Bay.
Jan 14, 2026 UC Davis Slocum Glider (unit 156) “Gull” was successfully deployed in Pine Island Bay, Amundsen Sea, Antarctica.

selected publications

  1. GRL
    Larrieu_GRL.jpg
    Turbulence Characteristics of Ice-Free Radiatively Driven Convection in a Deep, Unstratified Lake
    Kenneth Larrieu, Oscar Sepúlveda Steiner, Drew M. Friedrichs, Jasmin B. T. McInerney, and 2 more authors
    Geophysical Research Letters, 2025
  2. JGR:O
    OSS_JGRO.jpg
    Spatial Variability of Turbulent Mixing From an Underwater Glider in a Large, Deep, Stratified Lake
    Oscar Sepúlveda Steiner, Alexander L. Forrest, Jasmin B. T. McInerney, Bieito Fernández Castro, and 3 more authors
    Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 2023
  3. L&O
    OSS_LO.jpg
    Persistence of bioconvection-induced mixed layers in a stratified lake
    Oscar Sepúlveda Steiner, Damien Bouffard, and Alfred Wüest
    Limnology and Oceanography, 2021