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Dr. Lucas Merckelbach

Lucas Merckelbach

Dr. Lucas Merckelbach

Small-scale Physics and Turbulence

Scientist

Phone: +49 (0)4152 87-1515

E-mail contact

My current research focuses on the effects of turbulence on the vertical transport of suspended sediments in coastal waters. For this, ocean gliders, equipped with optical backscatter sensors and microstructure are the key instrumentation.

Other research topics I work on are the modelling of glider flight dynamics, which is of importance for the processing of raw microstructure data, and the effect of turbulence on the acoustic backscatter intensity from suspended sediment, as recorded by acoustic current Doppler profilers.

  • 2010-present Scientist Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon
  • 2005-2009 Postdoc National Oceanography Centre Southampton
  • 2002-2005 Postdoc Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ)
  • 2000-2002 Consultant Delft Hydraulics
  • 2000 PhD Delft University of Technology
  • Becherer, J., Burchard, H., Carpenter, J.R., Graewe, U., & Merckelbach, L. M. (2022): The role of turbulence in fueling the subsurface chlorophyll maximum in tidally dominated shelf seas. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 127, doi:10.1029/2022JC018561
  • Merckelbach, L.M., & Carpenter, J.R. (2021): Ocean Glider Flight in the Presence of Surface Waves. Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology, 38(7), 1265-1275, doi:10.1175/JTECH-D-20-0206.1
  • Manso-Narvarte, I., Rubio, A., Jordà, G., Carpenter, J., Merckelbach, L., & Caballero, A. (2021): Three-Dimensional Characterization of a Coastal Mode-Water Eddy from Multiplatform Observations and a Data Reconstruction Method. Remote Sens. 2021, 13, 674, doi:10.3390/rs13040674
  • Carpenter, J.R., Rodrigues, A., Schultze, L.K.P., Merckelbach, L.M., Suzuki, N., Baschek, B., & Umlauf, L. (2020): Shear instability and turbulence within a submesoscale front following a storm. Geophysical Research Letters, 47, doi:10.1029/2020GL090365
  • Merckelbach, L.M., & Borges, L.M.S. (2020): Make every species count: fastachar software for rapid determination of molecular diagnostic characters to describe species. Mol Ecol Resour. 2020, 00: 1– 8, doi:10.1111/1755-0998.13222
  • Schultze, L.K.P., Merckelbach, L.M., Horstmann, J., Raasch, S., & Carpenter, J.R. (2020): Increased mixing and turbulence in the wake of offshore wind farm foundations. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 125, e2019JC015858, doi:10.1029/2019JC015858
  • Schultze, L.K.P., Merckelbach, L.M., & Carpenter, J.R. (2020): Storm‐induced turbulence alters shelf sea vertical fluxes. Limnology & Oceanography Letters, doi:10.1002/lol2.10139
  • Merckelbach, L., Berger, A., Krahmann, G., Dengler, M., & Carpenter, J.R. (2019): A Dynamic Flight Model for Slocum Gliders and Implications for Turbulence Microstructure Measurements. J. Atmos. Oceanic Technol., 36, 281–296, doi:10.1175/JTECH-D-18-0168.1
  • Scheifele, B., S. Waterman, L. Merckelbach & J.R. Carpenter (2018): Measuring the dissipation rate of turbulent kinetic energy in strongly stratified, low energy environments: a case study from the Arctic Ocean. Journal of Geophysical Research -- Oceans, 123, doi: 10.1029/2017JC013731.
  • Borges, L.M.S. & L.M. Merckelbach (2018): Lyrodus mersinensis sp. nov. (Bivalvia: Teredinidae) another cryptic species in the Lyrodus pedicellatus (Quatrefages, 1849) complex. Zootaxa, 4442 (3), 441-457, doi: 10.11646/zootaxa.4442.3.6.
  • Umlauf, L., P. Holtermann, C. Gillner, R. Prien, L. Merckelbach & J.R. Carpenter (2018): Diffusive convection under rapidly varying conditions. Journal of Physical Oceanography, 48, 1731-1747, doi: 10.1175/JPO-D-18-0018.1.
  • Schultze, L.K.P., L. Merckelbach & J.R. Carpenter (2017): Turbulence and mixing in a shallow stratified shelf sea from underwater gliders. Journal of Geophysical Research -- Oceans, 122, doi: 10.1002/2017JC012872.
  • Baschek, B., Schroeder, F., Brix, H., Riethmüller, R., Badewien, T. H., Breitbach, G., Brügge, B., Colijn, F., Doerffer, R., Eschenbach, C., Friedrich, J., Fischer, P., Garthe, S., Horstmann, J., Krasemann, H., Metfies, K., Merckelbach, L., Ohle, N., Petersen, W., Pröfrock, D., Röttgers, R., Schlüter, M., Schulz, J., Schulz-Stellenfleth, J., Stanev, E., Staneva, J., Winter, C., Wirtz, K., Wollschläger, J., Zielinski, O., and Ziemer, F. (2017): The Coastal Observing System for Northern and Arctic Seas (COSYNA). Ocean Science, 13, 379-410, doi:10.5194/os-13-379-2017.
  • Merckelbach, L. (2016): Depth-averaged instantaneous currents in a tidally dominated shelf sea from glider observations, Biogeosciences, 13, 6637-6649, doi:10.5194/bg-13-6637-2016.
  • Drücker, S., D. Steglich , L. Merckelbach, A. Werner & S. Bargmann (2016): Finite element damage analysis of an underwater glider-ship collision, Journal of Marine Science and Technology, doi: 10.1007/s00773-015-0349-7.
  • Carpenter, J.R., L. Merckelbach, U. Callies, S. Clark, L. Gaslikova, B. Baschek (2016): Potential impacts of offshore wind farms on North Sea stratification. PLoS ONE 11(8): e0160830. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0160830
  • Nauw, J.J., L.M. Merckelbach, H. Ridderinkhof, H.M. van Aken (2014): Long-term ferry-based observations of the suspended sediment fluxes through the Marsdiep inlet using acoustic Doppler current profilers Journal of Sea Research 87, 17–29.
  • Borges L.M.S., L.M. Merckelbach, Í. Sampaio and S.M. Cragg (2014): Diversity, environmental requirements, and biogeography of bivalve wood-borers (Teredinidae) in European coastal waters, Frontiers in Zoology, 11, 13.
  • Borges L.M.S., Merckelbach L.M., Cragg S.M. (2014): Biogeography of wood-boring crustaceans (Isopoda: Limnoriidae) established in European coastal waters. PLoS ONE 9(10): e109593, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0109593.
  • Merckelbach, L. (2012) On the probability of underwater glider loss due to collision with a ship. Journal of Marine Science and Technology, 18(1), doi: 10.1007/s00773-012-0189-7
  • Merckelbach, L., D. Smeed, G. Griffiths (2010): Vertical water velocities from underwater gliders. Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology 27(3), 547-563, doi: 10.1175/2009JTECHO710.1.
  • de Boer, G.J., L.M. Merckelbach and J.C. Winterwerp (2007): A parameterised consolidation model for cohesive sediments. In: Estuarine and Coastal Fine Sediments Dynamics, ed. J.P.-Y. Maa, L.P. Sanford and D.H. Schoellhamer.
  • Merckelbach, L.M. (2006): A model for high-frequency acoustic Doppler current profiler backscatter from suspended sediment in strong currents. Continental Shelf Research, 26, 1316–1335.
  • Merckelbach, L.M. and H. Ridderinkhof (2006): Estimating suspended sediment concentration using backscatterance from an acoustic Doppler profiling current meter at a site with strong tidal currents. Ocean Dynamics, 56: 153–168, doi: 10.1007/s10236-005-0036-z.
  • Merckelbach, L.M. and C. Kranenburg (2004): Equations for effective stress and permeability of soft mud--sand mixtures. Geotechnique 54, 4, 235--243.
  • Merckelbach, L.M. and C. Kranenburg (2004): Determining effective stress and permeability equations for soft mud from simple laboratory experiments Geotechnique, 54, 9, 581--591.