Kai Håkon Christensen *

PhD in Physical Oceanography
Position: Researcher, R&D, Norwegian Met Office (met.no)
Email: kai.h.christensen@met.no

Research interests

Nairn Falls, British Columbia, Canada.
© Kai Christensen.

Surface waves and wave-induced drift currents, including the drift of oil spills, surface films and sea ice. Turbulence induced by breaking surface waves and Langmuir circulation. Also, internal waves and their role in the turbulent mixing on the continental shelf and in fjords.

I've just finished my postdoc (2006-2008), funded by the Research Council of Norway.

Starting from Feb. 1, 2009, I will be working at the Norwegian Met Office (met.no), R&D.

Publications and CV

Journal papers

Weber, JE, Christensen, KH, and Denamiel, C, "Wave-induced set-up of the mean surface over a sloping beach", Cont. Shelf Res., accepted.
Christensen, KH, and Terrile, E, "Drift and deformation of oil slicks due to surface waves", J. Fluid Mech., 620, 313-332.
Terrile, E, Brocchini, M, Christensen, KH, and Kirby, JT, "Dispersive effects on wave-current interaction and vorticity transport in nearshore flows", Phys. Fluids, 20, 036602 (2008).
Weber, JEH, Broström, G, and Christensen, KH, "Radiation stress and the depth-dependent drift in surface waves with dissipation", Int. J. Offshore and Polar eng., 18(1), 8-13 (2008).
Broström, G, Christensen, KH, and Weber, JEH, "A quasi-Eulerian quasi-Lagrangian view of surface wave induced flow in the ocean", J. Phys. Oceanogr., 38(5), 1122-1130 (2008).
Christensen, KH and Weber, JEH, "Wave-induced drift of large floating sheets", Geophys. Astro. Fluid Dyn., 99(6), 433-443 (2005).
Christensen, KH and Weber, JEH, "Drift of an inextensible sheet caused by surface waves", Environ. Fluid Mech., 5, 495-505 (2005).
Christensen, KH, "Transient and steady drift currents in waves damped by surfactants", Phys. Fluids, 17(4), 9 pages (2005).
Weber, JEH and Christensen, KH, "Mean drift induced by free and forced dilational waves", Phys. Fluids, 15(12), 3703-3709 (2003).

Conference papers

Christensen, KH and Terrile, E, "A coupled model for the wave-induced drift of oil slicks", ISOPE-2008, Vancouver.
Weber, JEH, Broström, G and Christensen, KH, "Radiation stress and the drift in gravity waves with Rayleigh friction", ISOPE-2007, Lisbon (2007).

Reports

Broström, G and Christensen, KH, "Waves and sea ice", report, Norwegian Meteorological Institute (2008).
Aas, E; Christensen, KH; Ferbar, M; Fossum, I; Hanken, H; Høkedal, J; Korsbø, B; Kristiansen, T; Moreno Sanz, P; Staalstrøm, A; Thill, K; Wettre, C and Åman, A, "Secchi disk observations in the Nordic Seas 1991-2004", Institute Report Series, Department of Geosciences, University of Oslo, Report no. 127, ISBN 82-901885-30-3 (2005).

Contributions to international conferences

Christensen, KH and Terrile, E, "Temporal and spatial changes in surfactant concentration caused by capillary-gravity waves", EUROMECH, Ancona (June 2008).
Weber, JEH, Broström, G, and Christensen, KH, "Radiation stress and the drift in gravity waves with Rayleigh friction", presented by JEHW at the EGU 1st General Assembly, Vienna 2007. Abstract published in Geophysical Research Abstracts, 9 (2007).
Christensen, KH and Weber, JEH, "Drift of an inextensible sheet caused by surface waves", presented by JEHW at the EGU 1st General Assembly, Vienna 2005. Abstract published in Geophysical Research Abstracts, 7 (2005).
Christensen, KH, "Drift velocities induced by waves on a film covered ocean", EGU 1st General Assembly, Nice 2004. Abstract published in Geophysical Research Abstracts, 6 (2004).

Other publications

Christensen, KH, "Applied Mathematics", compendium (PhD-course), 37 pp. (2007).
"Oljeflak driver raskere enn vann", interview (in Norwegian) in Apollon, Dec. 2005 (online version).
"Wave-induced drift in the presence of a flexible surface cover", Christensen, KH, PhD-thesis, June 2005.

Last update: 2009-03-26.