Diane Bennett Fribance
Associate Professor, Marine Science

Education
Ph.D., University of Connecticut , Oceanography, 2010
M.S., University of Connecticut, Oceanography, 2008
B.A, Williams College, Computer Science, 2003
Research and Teaching Interests
I am a coastal observational physical oceanographer. My research interests range from very local to shelf-wide, including physical transport and environmental health of tidal creeks, mixing and transport in estuaries, the impact of river plumes on nearshore circulation and productivity, and the influence of mixing, stratification and circulation on temperate reef community structure. I teach courses from introductory level marine science to physical oceanography, as well an instrumentation-focused elective (hydrographic techniques) that encompasses software for data processing as well as research methods and effective scientific communication. I am interested in using technology and hands-on field work to better understand the physics of the coastal ocean.
Areas of Expertise
- Tidal and residual circulation
- Instrumentation
- Mixing
- Estuarine processes
- MATLAB
Recent Publications
Campanella, F., P.J. Auster, C. Taylor, R. Muñoz and D. Fribance. Patterns of predator-prey co-occurrence and behavioral interactions over diel periods at sub-tropical reefs: results from 2016 observations. pp. 86-97, in: K. Roberson, P.J. Auster, S. Fangman, and M. Harvey (eds). Review of Scientific Research In and Around the Designated Research Area of Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary (NW Atlantic). Marine Sanctuaries Conservation Series ONMS-00-00. U.S. Department of Commerce (2020). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, Silver Spring, MD.
Pastore, D.M., R.N. Peterson, D.B. Fribance, R. Viso, and E.E. Hackett (2019). “Hydrodynamic Drivers of Dissolved Oxygen Variability within a Highly Developed Tidal Creek in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Water 11, no. 8 (2019): 1723.
Troup, Meghan L., D.B. Fribance, Susan M. Libes, Roi Gurka, and Erin E. Hackett. (2017) "Physical conditions of coastal hypoxia in the open embayment of Long Bay, South Carolina: 2006–2014." Estuaries and Coasts 40, no. 6: 1576-1591.