Chris Maingot is an ocean engineer and physical oceanographer. Growing up in South Florida, Chris always felt at home in the water and- after a slight deviation down the path of pre-med- decided to pursue a career in the ocean. Today we chat about what an ocean engineer is, what a physical oceanographer does, and about some crazy ocean phenomenon including waves underneath the waves- nature is wild.
Connect with Chris: Linkedin
Quick Links
Ocean Engineering
Wind shear
Haloclines
Thermoclines
Internal waves
Florida Atlantic University
Nova Southeastern University
Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR)
Gulf Stream
Gyre
Eddy
Automatic Information System (AIS)
Surfactants
Scamp Grouper
Nautilus
FAU Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute Science Lecture Series
Show Notes
0:07 Chris has the title of senior oceanographic engineer. He explains what his job entails from currents and wave monitoring to looking meteorological parameters.
4:50 Chis explains the interesting phenomenon of internal waves which are essentially underwater waves that travel along an underwater interface caused by density differences.
10:44 From pre-med to ocean engineering, Chris made a big career switch during his college years. He explains that his interest in math and ocean career opportunities led him to choose this path for his future.
12:36 Chris talks about his hands on ocean engineering senior design project during his time at FAU. He mentions that some of the ideas they had then are now being developed into commercial products.
15:11 After taking some time off to do industrial diving in the Bahamas, Chris decided to start his masters working with synthetic aperture radar (SAR) at Nova Southeastern University. Chris explains how SAR works.
21:44 Chris explains the movements and currents of the gulf stream which is a western boundary current on the north Atlantic gyre.
29:11 Chris talks about how his goals were not specific to oceanography when starting his masters but after getting involved, he became interested in physical oceanography work and eventually found a career path with the help of his mentor.
33:17 Working remotely and going out in the field are both part of Chris’ work. He talks about the various responsibilities he holds in his position.
37:05 From the fisherman perspective, Chris’ favorite sea creature to eat is the scamp grouper while his non-edible favorite sea creature is a nautilus
38:12 What does the ocean mean to Chis? It’s all about the connections that it brings to us!
39:09 With a blank check, Chris would love to deep dive into the world of submersibles.
41:17 Field work in Chis’ field is the most interesting when things go wrong. He shares his enthusiasm for problem solving and calculating targets that keeps him on his toes.
44:28 Chris’ conservation ask is all about gaining oceanography awareness.
45:20 Connect with Chris on LinkedIn!