Jack Barth

Jack Barth is a Professor of oceanography in Oregon State University’s College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences. His research seeks to understand how coastal ocean circulation and water properties shape and influence coastal marine ecosystems. Recently, Jack led OSU’s Marine Studies Initiative, a program to unite marine-related research, teaching, and outreach and engagement across OSU and the state of Oregon. The Initiative resulted in a new Marine Studies degree at OSU, one that focuses on the social, political, and cultural issues of coasts and the ocean in the context of a meaningful understanding of marine natural science. Jack received a PhD in Oceanography in from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Joint Program in Oceanography. He is a Fellow of The Oceanography Society and of the American Meteorological Society.

Jack Barth has led a number of research, technology development and ocean observing system projects off Oregon and around the world. His present research includes a focus on the characteristics and formation of low-oxygen zones off Oregon. Jack’s research team uses autonomous underwater gliders, robots beneath the sea surface, logging over 160,000 km of measurements – equivalent to about four times around the Earth -- over the last 18 years. From 2004 to 2007, he was a member of the National Science Foundation’s Observatory Steering Committee that launched the Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI) including the Endurance Array installed off Oregon and Washington. From 2006-2024, Jack served on the Oregon Ocean Policy Advisory Council Science & Technical Advisory Committee. From 2013-2016, he served on the U.S. West Coast Ocean Acidification and Hypoxia Science Panel, and, from 2018-2022, he co-chaired Oregon’s Ocean Acidification and Hypoxia Coordinating Council. Jack is an active member of the North Pacific Marine Science Organization (PICES), serving as the USA academic representative to the PICES Governing Council (2020-present) and on the MONITOR Committee, responsible for coordinating ocean observations across the six PICES member nations (2004-present).

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