Dr. Odilon Joël HOUNDEGNONTO
Physical Oceanographer and Environment
Odilon J. Houndegnonto is a Physical Oceanographer in the Ocean Circulation and Air-Sea Interaction group at JPL. He is working on SASSIE project, a NASA’s experiment focused on understanding the dynamics and impacts of near-surface salinity anomalies and stratification generated by melting sea ice in the Arctic Ocean (Beaufort and Chukchie seas). His research at JPL focuses on quantifying the 3D structure of near-surface stratification anomalies generated by melting sea ice (summer ice retreat), and understanding its precondition into the upper ocean for autumn ice advance. Before starting at JPL, he worked on validation part of the 4DAtlantic Ocean Heat Content project at Ifremer (CNRS/UBO-LOPS, Brest, France). He did his Ph.D. at Université de Bretagne Occidentale – UBO, Brest, France – on the analysis of thermohaline variations from intra-seasonal to seasonal scales of freshwater plumes in the Gulf of Guinea. He is used to in situ data processing, remote sensing data, and combined with numerical model simulation output data. He is happy by joining and working at JPL since Jan. 2023.
Education
- • 2021. Ph.D., Physical Oceanography and Environment, University of Brest (UBO, France)
- • 2017. M.Sc., Physical Oceanography and Applications - Ocean, Atmospheric and Climate Sciences (with Honors), Univ. Toulouse 3 - UPS, France & International Chair in Mathematical Physics and Applications - ICMPA UNESCO- Chair of Université d’Abomey-Calavi - UAC, Benin
- • 2015. Maîtrise ès-sciences Physiques (equivalent of M.Sc. First year), Faculty of Sciences and Technologies (FAST), University of Abomey Calavi (UAC, Benin).
- • 2014. Licence ès-sciences Physiques (equivalent of B.Sc.), Faculty of Sciences and Technologies (FAST), University of Abomey Calavi (UAC, Benin).
- • 2013. DUES (Diplôme Universitaire d’Etude Scientifique): Physics and Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences and Technologies (FAST), University of Abomey-Calavi (UAC, Benin).
Professional Experience (
> CV)
- • JPL Postdoctoral fellow, SASSIE project, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory/Caltech, Pasadena, CA, USA (Jan. 2023-present)
- • Postdoctoral fellow, 4DAtlantic-OHC project, CNRS/UBO-LOPS - Ifremer Brest, France (2022)
- • Associate researcher at the CIPMA-UNESCO Chair, Benin (April 2022 - present)
- • PhD research task at UBO-IRD/LOPS, Brest, France (October 2018 - December 2021)
- • Data scientist - Thermosalinograph data processing at GEOMAR, Kiel, Germany (July, 2018)
- • Hydrographer on ocean research vessel on Atlantic ocean - Position: CTD, UCTD, ADCP measurements, Microstructure, Argo and Glider float deployment - R/V Meteor, cruise M148, (Belem, Brazil – Walvis Bay, Namibia, May-June, 2018)
- • Scientific research cruise on Lake Nokoué - Position: ADCP, CTD, Turbidity, Ph and, Bathymetry with echo-sounder measurements -, IRD & IRHOB, Benin (Sep., Nov. and Oct. 2017)
Research and Publications
[4] Rousseau, V., Fraudeau, R., Hammond, M., Houndegnonto, O. J., Ablain, M., Blazquez, A., Calafat, F. M., Desbruyères, D., Foti, G., Llovel, W., Marti, F., Meyssignac, B., Restano, M. & Benveniste, J., (2023), Monitoring the regional Ocean Heat Content change over the Atlantic Ocean with the space geodetic approach. Earth Syst. Sci. Data Discuss. [preprint], https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2023-236.
[3] Houndegnonto, O. J. Analyse des variations thermohalines des échelles intra-saisonnière à saisonnière des panaches d’eau douce du Golfe de Guinée. Océanographie. Université de Bretagne Occidentale (UBO), Brest, 2021. Français. ⟨tel-03615021⟩ [Thesis manuscript] - [Presentation].
[2] Houndegnonto, O. J., Kolodziejczyk, N., Maes, C., Bourlès, B., Da-Allada, C. Y., & Reul, N. (2021), Seasonal variability of freshwater plumes in the eastern Gulf of Guinea as inferred from satellite measurements. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 126, e2020JC017041. https://doi.org/10.1029/2020JC017041.
[1] Houndegnonto, O. J. (2017), Characterization of Niger and Congo rivers plumes in the Gulf of Guinea, Supervisors: Nicolas Kolodziejczyk (Université de Bretagne Occidentale – UBO/Brest, France), Casimir Da-Allada (Université Nationale des Sciences Technologies, Ingénierie et Mathématique – UNSTIM/Abomey, Benin) and, Bernard Bourlès (Institut de Recherche pour le Développement – IRD/Brest, France) [M. Sc. thesis rapport in french]
Community Service
- • Volounteer, Judge of The Doris S. Perpall SURF Speaking Award, California Institute of Technology (Caltech, Pasadena, USA) - 21st October 2023
- • Volounteer, Judge of The Vodopia-Hasson Summer Poster Competition, California Institute of Technology (Caltech, Pasadena, USA) - 24th August 2023
- • Spokesperson for non-permanent researchers on the board and scientific college of LOPS - from 2020 to 2021
Honors and Awards
- • Loreatate of Make Our Planet Great Again (MOPGA) program, French President Mr. Emmanuel Macron initiative for the climate (July, 2018).
- • Major of the 2016-2017 Promotion of the Master 2 Physical Oceanography and Application - OPA, UAC/ICMPA, UNESCO-Chair.
