📢NEW Zappa Lab publication! 🌊Lean about how ocean waves are significantly damped by biogenic surfactants in Prof. Nathan Laxague’s new Royal Society Publishing paper—The Suppression of Ocean Waves by Biogenic Slicks. Biogenic surfactants can reduce ocean wave activity by ~50%, reducing

Department of Earth and Environmental Science Columbia University graduate student Lindsay Hogan and Postdoc Carson Witte from the Zappa Lab deployed moorings from RV Araon as a part of a month-long research cruise in Antarctica to study Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW). The Zappa Lab is

📣NEW Zappa Lab publication! 🌊☀️Learn about how phytoplankton influence ocean heating in Dr. Carson Witte’s new JGR Oceans paper on improved radiant heating parameterization! This study shows improved ocean models by incorporating the role of phytoplankton in modulating light

🛩🌊This February, Alice Doyle and Prof. Zappa led the 2025 Annual Scientific Committee for Oceanographic Aircraft Research (SCOAR) Meeting at NASA Ames Research Center in CA, hosted by UNOLS. This meeting discussed recent developments of Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UAS) and their

🌊🌍Three generations of atmospheric science leaders, connected through mentorship and discovery. Honoring Dr. Chris Fairall’s retirement after 50+ years unraveling air-sea interactions—from El Niño to hurricanes. Mentor to Dr. James Edson, who mentored Prof. Zappa. This is a

Zappa Lab Postdoc Carson Witte presented his research “The Response of Ocean Skin Temperature to Rain” at the International SST Fiducial Reference Measurement (FRM) Radiometer Network (ISFRN) 2025 workshop #ISFRN25 this April. Watch the session at [2:30:00]

📣NEW Zappa Lab publication! 🌊☀️Learn about how small-scale surface variability impacts wave slope measurements using polarimetric slope sensing in Prof. Laxague’s new IEEE Xplore paper! This work reveals how nonlinear light-slope interactions and novel division of focal plane

DEES grad student Junzhe (Jerry) Liu presented his research at the 2025 Waves in the Sea Environment (WISE) meeting, hosted by University of Washington. We use remote sensing (IR & polarimetric cameras, LiDAR, ADCP) to retrieve near-surface ocean current profiles, air-sea stress, and roughness

#tbt Oct 2005: Prof. Zappa with the WASFAB research team (Jonathan Bent, Dave Schroeder, Gerrit de Leeuw) at the U.S. Army Corps Field Research Facility in Duck, NC. The team mounted IR and video systems on an 8-m boom extending off a 560-m pier to measure how wave processes

#tbt This month marks 25 years since Prof. Zappa celebrated commencement at the University of Washington (University of Washington) as a newly minted PhD. This milestone highlights his dedication to ocean science and a career of continued contributions to research and mentorship. One of his early

Last week, members of the Zappa Lab gathered to celebrate Columbia University Department of Earth and Environmental Science graduate student Lindsay Hogan’s recent achievements! The Zappa Lab celebrated her Dissertation Proposal milestone and the publication of her first paper in