Jinbo Wang
  • Associate Professor

Biography

Dr. Wang specializes in physical oceanography, geophysical fluid dynamics, and
satellite oceanography. His research focuses on the role of the upper ocean in the
Earth’s climate system, particularly on small-scale processes that are not
accounted for in low-resolution climate models or conventional satellite altimetry.
Prior to joining Texas A&M University (TAMU), he worked on the Surface Water
and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission and led its mission validation field
campaigns. His research approach combines theory, simulations, and
observations. He has co-chaired the U.S. CLIVAR POS panel and several working
groups related to SWOT, upper-ocean submesoscale processes, and the
application of machine learning in oceanography. Dr. Wang will join TAMU in
January 2025 and is currently recruiting graduate students and postdocs.


Courses (TBD)

  • Introduction to satellite oceanography
  • SWOT oceanography (graduate level)
  • GFD (graduate/undergraduate)



Current Research Projects

  1. SWOT mission validation (Sponsored by the SWOT mission at NASA/JPL)
  2. Ocean AI initiative, 2025-2028 (Sponsored by NASA PO program)
  3. Internal Wave Energy Challenge: A Distributed Network of Internal Wave
    Resolving Moored Arrays for Assessing Tide-Resolving Model Fields and
    Improving Forecasts in the Coastal Ocean, National Oceanography Partner
    Program, 2022 – 2025 (National Oceanographic Partner Program, NOPP)
  4. Co-I, Science PI: SLICE: Semi-Supervised Learning for Changing Earth, NASA
    AIST ROSES, 07/2022-07/2025

Educational Background

  • MIT/WHOI Joint Program, Massachusetts, Ph.D. in Physical Oceanography June, 2011
  • MIT/WHOI Joint Program, Massachusetts, M.S. in Physical Oceanography March, 2008
  • Peking University, China, M.S. in Atmospheric Sciences June, 2005
  • Lanzhou University, China, B.S. in Meteorology June, 2002

Awards & Honors

  • NASA Early Career Medal (2021)
  • JPL Voyager Award, 2018, 2020, 2022, 2023
  • JPL Team award (SWOT oceanography campaign), 2021
  • Outstanding Student Paper Award, AGU Fall Meeting, San Francisco, CA, 2010
  • Wusi scholarship, Peking University, 2003-2004
  • Award for Excellent Social Contribution, Peking University, 2003-2004
  • Guanghua Fellowship, Peking University, 2002-2003

Selected Publications

    1. Yu, Y., Sandwell, D. T., Dibarboure, G., Chen, C., & Wang, J. (2024). Accuracy and resolution of SWOT altimetry: Foundation seamounts. Earth and Space Science, 11, e2024EA003581. https://doi.org/10.1029/2024EA003581
    2. Qiu, B., Chen, S., Wang, J., & Fu, L.-L. (2024). Seasonal and fortnight
      variations in internal solitary waves in the Indonesian seas from the SWOT measurements. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 129, e2024JC021086. https://doi.org/10.1029/2024JC021086
    3. Goh, E., Yepremyan, A. R., Wang, J., and Wilson, B.: MAESSTRO: Masked
      Autoencoders for Sea Surface Temperature Reconstruction under Occlusion, EGUsphere [preprint], https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-1385, 2023. (accepted)
    4. Wang J, Torres H, Klein P, Wineteer A, Zhang H, Menemenlis D, Ubelmann C, Rodriguez E (2023). Increasing the Observability of Near Inertial Oscillations by a Future ODYSEA Satellite Mission. Remote Sensing.; 15(18):4526. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs15184526
    5. Wang, J., and Coauthors, 2022: On the Development of SWOT In Situ
      Calibration/Validation for Short-Wavelength Ocean Topography. J Atmos
      Ocean Tech, 39, 595–617, https://doi.org/10.1175/jtech-d-21-0039.1.
    6. Mazloff, M., S. Gille, B. Cornulle, J. Wang, 2020: The Importance of Remote Forcing for Regional Modeling of Internal Waves, Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, doi:10.1029/2019JC015623
    7. F. d'Ovidio, A. Pascual, J. Wang, A. Doglioli, Z. Jing, S. Moreau, G. Gregori, S. Swart, S. Speich, F. Cyr, B. Legresy, Y. Chao, L. L. Fu, R. A. Morrow, 2019: Frontiers in fine scale in-situ studies: opportunities during the SWOT fast sampling phase, Frontiers, DOI: 10.3389/fmars.2019.00168
    8. Rosemary M., L.L. Fu, F. Ardhuin, M. Benkiran, B. Chapron, E. Cosme, F.
      d’Ovidio, J. T. Farrar, S. T. Gille, G. Lapeyre, P.-Y. Le Traon, A. Pascual, A.
      Ponte, B. Qiu, N. Rascle, R. Samelson, C. Ubelmann, J. Wang, E. D. Zaron. 2019: Global observations of fine-scale ocean surface topography with the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) Mission, Frontier, DOI:10.3389/fmars.2019.00232
    9. Zhao, Z., J. Wang, D. Menemenlis, L. Fu, S. Chen, and B. Qiu, 2019: Decomposition of the Multimodal Multidirectional M2 Internal Tide Field. J. Atmos. Oceanic Technol.,36, 1157–1173, https://doi.org/10.1175/JTECHD-19-0022.1
    10. Wang, J. Lee-Lueng Fu, H. S. Torres, S. Chen, B. Qiu, D. Menemenlis, 2019: On the spatial scales to be resolved by the surface water and ocean topography Ka-band Radar interferometer, J. Atmos. Oceanic Technol.,
      doi:10.1175/JTECH-D-18-0119.1
    11. Wang, J., Lee-Lueng Fu, 2019: On the long-wavelength validation of the SWOT KaRIn measurement, J. Atmos. Oceanic Technol, 10.1175/JTECH-D-18-0148.1
    12. Qiu, B., S. Chen, P. Klein, J. Wang, H. Torres, L.-L. Fu, and D. Menemenlis,
      2018: Seasonality in Transition Scale from Balanced to Unbalanced Motions in the World Ocean. J Phys Oceanogr, doi:10.1175/JPO-D-17-0169.1.
    13. Su, Z., J. Wang, P. Klein, A. F. Thompson, and D. Menemenlis, 2018: Ocean submesoscales as a key component of the global heat budget. Nature Communications, 9, 775, doi:10.1038/s41467-018-02983-w.
    14. Wang, J., L.-L. Fu, B. Qiu, D. Menemenlis, J. T. Farrar, Y. Chao, A. Thompson, and M. Flexas, 2018: An observing system simulation experiment for the calibration and validation of the Surface Water and Ocean Topography sea surface height measurement using in-situ platforms. J. Atmos. Oceanic Technol., doi:10.1175/JTECH-D- 17-0076.1.
    15. Wang, J., M. R. Mazloff, and S. T. Gille, 2016: The effect of the Kerguelen
      Plateau on the ocean circulation. doi:10.1175/jpo-d-15-0216.1.
    16. LaCasce J., J. Wang, 2015: Estimating Subsurface Velocities from Surface
      Fields with Idealized Stratification. J Phys Oceanogr, 45, 2424–2435, doi:10.1175/JPO-D-14-0206.1.
    17. Liu, L., Peng, S., Wang, J., & Huang, R. X. (2014). Retrieving density and
      velocity fields of the ocean’s interior from surface data. Journal of
      Geophysical Research: Oceans, 119, 8512–8529, doi:10.1002/2014JC010221.
    18. Wang, J., M. R. Mazloff, S. T. Gille (2014), Pathways of Agulhas Waters
      poleward of 29S, Journal of Geophysical Research - Oceans, doi:10.1002/2014JC010049
    19. Wang, J., G. Flierl, J. LaCasce, J. McClean, A. Mahadevan (2013), Reconstructing the ocean’s interior from surface data, J. Phys. Oceanogr., 43, 16111626, doi:10.1175/JPO-D-12-0204.1
    20. Wang, J., M. Spall, G. Flierl, P. Malanotte-Rizzoli (2013), Nonlinear radiating instabilities of an eastern boundary current, J. Phys. Oceanogr., 43(7), 14391452, doi:10.1175/JPO-D-12-0174.1.
    21. Wang, J., M. Spall, G. Flierl, P. Malanotte-Rizzoli (2012), A new mechanism for the generation of quasi-zonal jets in the ocean, Geophysical Research Letters, 39, L10601, doi:10.1029/2012GL051861

Community services

  • Co-chair, SWOT open algorithm working group (2023 – present)
  • Co-chair, SWOT regional validation working group (2021-present)
  • Co-chair, US CLIVAR POS (The Phenomena, Observations, and Synthesis) Panel, Dec. 2021- Dec. 2024
  • Session organizer, SWOT mission and science on OSM24, EGU24, IGHRSS24
  • Steering committee for the SWOT Adopt-A-Cross-Over, international CLIVAR consortium, 2019-present
  • Session organizer and co-chair, session oceanography at mesoscale and smaller, Ocean Surface Topography Science Team (OSTST) (2019, 2020, 2023)
  • Session organizer and co-chair, SWOT Science Team meeting (2017, 2022, 2023)
  • NASA PO-ROSES review panel.
  • Reviewer for Science, Journal of Physical Oceanography, Journal of Geophysical Research – Oceans, Ocean Dynamics, Marine Ecology Progress Series, Frontiers, Ocean Modeling, Scientific Reports, Acta Physica Sinica, Geoscience and Remote Sensing Letters, Pure and Applied Geophysics, Geoscience and Remote Sensing Letters, GMD, Remote Sensing, Ocean Sciences