Henry Potter
· Associate Professor, Ocean Observing Team Lead, Geochemical and Environmental Research Group (GERG)VerifiedTexas A&M University · Oceanography
Active 1934–2026
About
Henry Potter is an Associate Professor at Texas A&M University in the College of Arts and Sciences, specializing in oceanography. His research aims to improve understanding of air-sea interaction, focusing on energy exchange in the form of heat, mass, and momentum across the air-sea interface, which has significant implications for weather and climate. He approaches his research as an observational oceanographer, utilizing novel field data, satellite data, laboratory experiments, historical measurements, and models to investigate how air-sea exchange varies over space and time. His work covers topics such as hurricanes, boundary layer turbulence, coastal oceanography, ocean wave breaking, surface gravity waves, upper ocean mixing, infrared remote sensing, offshore wind energy, and ocean observing instruments and technology.
Research topics
- Atmospheric sciences
- Geology
- Environmental science
- Physics
- Climatology
- Oceanography
- Meteorology
- Mechanics
- Optics
- Geography
Selected publications
2026-03-02
peer-reviewOpen access1st authorCorresponding<strong class="journal-contentHeaderColor">Abstract.</strong> As interest and investment in offshore wind farms increase, it becomes essential to better understand how interactions at the air-sea interface impact wind and turbulence in the marine boundary layer. Central to this effort is understanding the role of waves, especially on the relatively shallow continental shelves where most wind farms are located and waves are shaped by bathymetry. To address this, we analysed hundreds of hours of high frequency wind speeds measured by an anemometer array on a coastal tower from 14 to 26 m above the mean water surface. Wind speed gradients diverge substantially from established values, and the boundary layer was found non-constant ~60 % of the time. This means that the assumptions required for applying Monin Obukhov Similarity Theory cannot be met, so wind speeds aloft cannot be accurately predicted using this canonical methodology. Wind speed gradients were highest during alongshore winds and lowest during onshore. This occurred because waves refract and shoal parallel to shore which increases surface roughness independent of wind. Onshore winds cross the waves and create strong wind–wave coupling, while alongshore winds move along the waves, weakening the coupling and reducing effective roughness. Changes in the roughness then alters the wind speed which propagated through the boundary layer impacting winds aloft. The results of this study should be used to inform wind farm siting to optimize energy yield.
2026-03-03
peer-reviewOpen access1st authorCorresponding<strong class="journal-contentHeaderColor">Abstract.</strong> As interest and investment in offshore wind farms increase, it becomes essential to better understand how interactions at the air-sea interface impact wind and turbulence in the marine boundary layer. Central to this effort is understanding the role of waves, especially on the relatively shallow continental shelves where most wind farms are located and waves are shaped by bathymetry. To address this, we analysed hundreds of hours of high frequency wind speeds measured by an anemometer array on a coastal tower from 14 to 26 m above the mean water surface. Wind speed gradients diverge substantially from established values, and the boundary layer was found non-constant ~60 % of the time. This means that the assumptions required for applying Monin Obukhov Similarity Theory cannot be met, so wind speeds aloft cannot be accurately predicted using this canonical methodology. Wind speed gradients were highest during alongshore winds and lowest during onshore. This occurred because waves refract and shoal parallel to shore which increases surface roughness independent of wind. Onshore winds cross the waves and create strong wind–wave coupling, while alongshore winds move along the waves, weakening the coupling and reducing effective roughness. Changes in the roughness then alters the wind speed which propagated through the boundary layer impacting winds aloft. The results of this study should be used to inform wind farm siting to optimize energy yield.
2026-02-12
articleOpen access1st authorCorrespondingAbstract. As interest and investment in offshore wind farms increase, it becomes essential to better understand how interactions at the air-sea interface impact wind and turbulence in the marine boundary layer. Central to this effort is understanding the role of waves, especially on the relatively shallow continental shelves where most wind farms are located and waves are shaped by bathymetry. To address this, we analysed hundreds of hours of high frequency wind speeds measured by an anemometer array on a coastal tower from 14 to 26 m above the mean water surface. Wind speed gradients diverge substantially from established values, and the boundary layer was found non-constant ~60 % of the time. This means that the assumptions required for applying Monin Obukhov Similarity Theory cannot be met, so wind speeds aloft cannot be accurately predicted using this canonical methodology. Wind speed gradients were highest during alongshore winds and lowest during onshore. This occurred because waves refract and shoal parallel to shore which increases surface roughness independent of wind. Onshore winds cross the waves and create strong wind–wave coupling, while alongshore winds move along the waves, weakening the coupling and reducing effective roughness. Changes in the roughness then alters the wind speed which propagated through the boundary layer impacting winds aloft. The results of this study should be used to inform wind farm siting to optimize energy yield.
2026-03-07
peer-reviewOpen access1st authorCorresponding<strong class="journal-contentHeaderColor">Abstract.</strong> As interest and investment in offshore wind farms increase, it becomes essential to better understand how interactions at the air-sea interface impact wind and turbulence in the marine boundary layer. Central to this effort is understanding the role of waves, especially on the relatively shallow continental shelves where most wind farms are located and waves are shaped by bathymetry. To address this, we analysed hundreds of hours of high frequency wind speeds measured by an anemometer array on a coastal tower from 14 to 26 m above the mean water surface. Wind speed gradients diverge substantially from established values, and the boundary layer was found non-constant ~60 % of the time. This means that the assumptions required for applying Monin Obukhov Similarity Theory cannot be met, so wind speeds aloft cannot be accurately predicted using this canonical methodology. Wind speed gradients were highest during alongshore winds and lowest during onshore. This occurred because waves refract and shoal parallel to shore which increases surface roughness independent of wind. Onshore winds cross the waves and create strong wind–wave coupling, while alongshore winds move along the waves, weakening the coupling and reducing effective roughness. Changes in the roughness then alters the wind speed which propagated through the boundary layer impacting winds aloft. The results of this study should be used to inform wind farm siting to optimize energy yield.
Texas Digital Library (University of Texas) · 2026-01-20
datasetOpen access1st authorCorrespondingDirect flux measurements collected at The Army Corp Field Research Facility, Duck, NC, during the DUring Nearshore Event eXperiment (DUNEX). Data were collected from a beach tower approximately 50 m from the mean waterline. The data were recorded at 20 Hz with four Gill R3-50 sonic anemometer, at 14.4, 18.4, 22.4, and 26.4 m above mean water level. This data provided here are mean meteorological and derived variables. If you are interested in the high frequency data (u', v', w', t') please contact hpotter@tamu.edu directly.
Scientific Reports · 2025-06-04
articleOpen accessWhitecap foam, created by breaking waves, is a ubiquitous ocean surface feature. Full understanding of its role in the air-sea interaction is crucial for precise momentum flux parameterization which directly influences forecast accuracy, especially in hurricanes where whitecaps are pervasive. Despite its importance, the role of whitecap foam in air-sea interaction remains largely unexplored. This study uses a wind-wave tank and an artificial foam generator to study the impact of whitecap residual foam on air-sea coupling. We find that foam reduces momentum flux, indicative of a smoothed surface roughness, and reduces wave form stress across all wind speeds, with a more pronounced effect in surfactant-rich water. Foam also alters wave characteristics and airflow separation. These findings offer new insights into whitecap residual foam's role in air-sea coupling and have implications for modelling hurricanes and other wind driven processes.
Research Square · 2025-04-24 · 1 citations
preprintOpen accessRemote Measurement of Active Whitecaps Using Deep Learning
Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology · 2025-07-01 · 1 citations
articleAbstract Whitecaps generated by wave breaking and air entrainment can be classified as active (stage A ) or residual (stage B ). Measurement of each stage individually is essential for accurate parameterization of air–sea interaction processes, but conventional methods used for separation in visible images are subjective. In this study, this problem is solved using a pipeline for active whitecap fraction measurement. In this pipeline, a new horizon detection method is developed to stabilize and rectify images, and a deep learning model based on U-Net is trained and validated to identify and extract active whitecaps. The model demonstrates robust prediction accuracy even when images are contaminated by sun glint. The model is applied to 48 h of video footage collected during a cruise in Gulf of Mexico. It is determined that, as a function of wind speed, the active whitecap fraction has significant variability and disparity compared to previous research. This finding indicates that secondary factors should be considered for accurate whitecap parameterization. This is explored using a random forest, which indicates that sea surface temperature, swell, and wave age are important to the active whitecap fraction. The precise impact of sea surface temperature is further explored using analyses of variance (ANOVA), which suggest it has a positive correlation with the active whitecap fraction.
An empirical study of the influences of gustiness on vertical mixing at the air-sea boundary
npj Climate and Atmospheric Science · 2024-02-06 · 4 citations
articleOpen accessAbstract The exchange of momentum across the air-sea interface is a key driver of the earth system and its accurate parameterization is essential for precise weather and climate forecasting. However, our understanding of gustiness as an independent factor that can contribute to the momentum flux is limited. Using data collected from the R/P FLIP , as part of the Couple Air-Sea Processes and Electromagnetic ducting Research (CASPER) experiment, we explored the mechanisms by which gustiness contributes to the total interfacial momentum flux. We investigate how gustiness affects both the temporal and spatial (vertical) variance of turbulence in the atmospheric surface layer and show that high gustiness was associated with strong anisotropic turbulence at each measurement height. This was found to increase vertical wind fluctuations and inject additional momentum across the air-sea interface at lower wind speeds. Increased gustiness was also associated with the breakdown of the constant flux layer, which is generally assumed to exist over the ocean. This study has implications for both momentum flux parameterization and the use of similarity theory to model the flux-gradient relationship in the gusty atmospheric surface layer, thereby influencing the forecasting of climate and weather.
Direct Observations of the Momentum Flux in the Surfzone
2023-02-26
preprintOpen access1st authorCorresponding&lt;p&gt;The accuracy of weather and climate models depends on reliable quantification of air-sea momentum transfer. While decades of research has led to significant improvements to momentum flux parameterization, even the most robust models are developed from open-ocean measurements where conditions are spatially uniform and similarity theory generally applies. Nearshore, wave shoaling and breaking, varying wind-swell incidence angles, complex currents patterns, rapid bathymetric changes, and shore-side topographic features all contrast open-ocean homogeneity meaning flux parameterizations are less effective. Therefore, there is a critical need&lt;em&gt; &lt;/em&gt;to identify and systematically quantify the impact of coastal processes and features on the momentum flux. To this end, we deployed a suite of sonic anemometers outside the surfzone and onshore at the Army Corp Field Research Facility (FRF) in Duck, North Carolina, USA. Complimented by FRF&amp;#8217;s extensive metocean observational network, we used our data to study the horizontal and vertical momentum flux variability with to understanding how transient nearshore processes and flux footprints alter the flux. This presentation will focus on the surfzone momentum flux as observed during a strong storm and compare it to the flux collect further offshore.&lt;/p&gt;
Recent grants
Understanding Whitecap Foam Decay using Shipboard Infrared Remote Sensing
NSF · $532k · 2018–2022
Frequent coauthors
- 11 shared
Clarence O. Collins
U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center
- 7 shared
David G. Ortiz‐Suslow
Naval Postgraduate School
- 6 shared
Xiaoqi Wang
Beijing University of Technology
- 6 shared
William M. Drennan
University of Miami
- 6 shared
Hans C. Graber
- 5 shared
Meng Lyu
Texas A&M University
- 5 shared
Qing Wang
Naval Postgraduate School
- 3 shared
Steven F. DiMarco
Texas A&M University
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