RESEARCH INTERESTS
Coastal and Polar Surface Mixing — Marine Sensor Networks — Geospatial Modeling — Optical Physics
RESEARCH PROJECTS
Seagrass Ecology and Modeling — Biological Oceanography Lab
June 2022 - Present
California State University, Monterey Bay, Seaside CA
Principal Investigator: Sherry Palacios, Ph.D.
Funded by the US Department of Education Hispanic-Serving Institution Grant (#P031C160221)
Project 1: Translation of Grasslight: A Seagrass Population Model
Translating an existing computer program designed to analyze and predict seagrass populations from Fortran to Python
Updating the software to explore further parameters like Carbon Dioxide Levels, Calcium Carbonate Solubility, and Alkalinity to increase accuracy of predictions
Organizing Subroutines to optimize memory and performance
Increasing the accessibility of seagrass ecology, removing previous monetary barriers
Outcome: Open-source and accessible submerged canopy model that can improve current seagrass management protocol
Project 2: Fortran to Python Source-to-Source Compiler
Outcome: Compiler that can translate ecological modeling software from Fortran to Python to increase its accessibility
Project 3: Measuring Irradiance and Productivity of Zostera Marina Canopies
Design a series of surveys complying with the needs of sensitive estuarine habitat
Program mobile-based software to access real-time data from logger in the field
Model relationship between turbidity, light, temperature and depth in seagrass meadows
Outcome: Provide research institutions and coastal management with low-cost instrumentation to survey seagrass meadows, increasing overall access and spatial resolution of surveys
California Subtidal Community Surveys — Marine Biogeography Capstone
Aug 2024 - Dec 2024
California State University, Monterey Bay, Seaside CA
Principal Investigator: James Lindholm, Ph.D.
Project 1: Latitudinal Changes in California’s Subtidal Communities
Execute fish video, invertebrate swath, and Universal Point Count (UPC) transects in several central and Southern California survey sites
Wrangle, analyze and visualize data to determine latitudinal and temporal shifts in species and habitat composition
Collaborate with Intertidal researchers to create a holistic view of warming impacts on the coastline
Outcome: Annual report on latitudinal changes in fish, invertebrate, and habitat composition and abundance, with additional oral dissemination to CSUMB community at Fall Capstone Festival
Arctic Mixing Visualization and Analysis — Ocean Mixing Research Group
June 2023 - Aug 2023
Oregon State University, Corvallis OR
Principal Investigator: Brodie Pearson, Ph.D.
Funded by the National Science Foundation (#2242815)
Project 1: Visualization of Wave-Driven Surface Mixing in the Arctic
Characterize the relationship between waves and sea-ice in the Arctic
Visualize nondimensional parameters like stokes drift and Langmuir Number to quantify Langmuir Circulation both on the edges and within the ice sheet
Define the Wave-Shear Ratio, which better displays variation within wave-driven mixing
Outcome: Series of visualizations and non-dimensional parameters that map wave-driven mixing in the Arctic Circle to improve accuracy of current climate models
COURSE-BASED UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH PROJECTS
Arctic Mixing Geospatial Mapping — ENVS 332: Intro to GIS/GPS
Fall 2023
California State University, Monterey Bay, Seaside CA
Course Instructor: Joshua Beasley
Spatial Analysis of the Effect of Wave, Sheer, and Convection-Driven Surface Mixing on the Arctic Ice-Sheet
Leverage nondimensional parameters to quantify surface mixing in the upper-ocean
Design models in ArcGIS Model Builder to apply same spatial analysis over time scales
Compute and assign custom Geographic and Projected Coordinate Systems to data in the NetCDF file format
Terrestrial Hemiparasite Analysis — BIO 211: Ecology, Evolution and Biodiversity
Fall 2023
California State University, Monterey Bay, Seaside CA
Course Instructor: Erin Stanfield
Exploring the correlation between Castilleja latifolia populations and potential favored hosts
ORAL PRESENTATIONS
Hansen A (2025) Shining a Light: Measuring Light Absorption and Irradiance through Eelgrass, Zostera Marina, meadows. 2025 California Estuarine Research Society (CAERS) Conference, Southern California Coastal Water Research Project, Costa Mesa, CA.
Bouffard P, Hansen A, Kindred M, McClintock J, Morales S, Riendeau N, Wayt B, Wrinkle J (2024) Annual Latitudinal Survey of Subtidal Communities Along the California Coast. Marine Science Fall Capstone Festival, California State University, Monterey Bay, Seaside, CA.
Hansen A (2023) Mapping the Influence of Wave-Induced Ocean Surface Mixing in the Arctic through Non-Dimensional Parameters, College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences (CEOAS) Summer REU Symposium 2023, Oregon State University.
Hansen A (2023) Increasing Accessibility of Seagrass Ecology through Source-to-Source Compiling. Undergraduate Research Opportunities Center (UROC) Spring Showcase, California State University, Monterey Bay.
Hansen A (Upcoming) Shining a Light: Measuring Light Absorption and Irradiance through Eelgrass, Zostera Marina, meadows. Undergraduate Research Opportunities Center (UROC) Spring Showcase, California State University, Monterey Bay.
POSTER PRESENTATIONS
Hansen A (2024) Shining a Light: Measuring Light Absorption and Irradiance through Eelgrass, Zostera Marina, meadows. Western Society of Naturalists (WSN) Conference, Hilton DoubleTree, Portland, OR.
Hansen A (2024) Shining a Light: Measuring Light Absorption and Irradiance through Eelgrass, Zostera Marina, meadows. Council for Ocean Affairs, Science, and Technology (COAST) Annual Meeting, California State University (CSU) Chancellor’s Office, Long Beach, CA.
Hansen A (2024) Mapping the Influence of Wave-Induced Ocean Surface Mixing in the Arctic through Non-Dimensional Parameters. 2024 Goldwater Scholars Community (GSC) Conference, Remote Conference.
Hansen A (2024) Applications of Low-cost Sensors in Shallow Underwater Sensor Networks for Monitoring Submerged Canopies. Undergraduate Research Opportunities Center (UROC) Summer Symposium, California State University, Monterey Bay, Seaside, CA.
Hansen A (2024) Shining a Light: Measuring Light Absorption and Irradiance through Eelgrass, Zostera Marina, meadows. Undergraduate Research Opportunities Center (UROC) Spring Showcase, California State University, Monterey Bay, Seaside, CA.
Hansen A (2022) Introducing Open Source Programming to Seagrass Ecology — Do Paywalls Belong in the Fight for our Climate? Undergraduate Research Opportunities Center (UROC) Summer Symposium, California State University, Monterey Bay, Seaside, CA.
TECHNICAL REPORTS
Bouffard P, Burton L, Clarin B, Hansen A, Hart T, Kindred M, Leggett T, Lindholm J, McClintock J, Morales S, Riendeau N, Takahashi T, Wayt B, Wrinkle J (2024) Annual Latitudinal Surveys of Subtidal and Intertidal Communities Along the California Coastal, Internal Report, California State University, Monterey Bay, Seaside, CA.
Hansen A, Lee A, Wagner C, Pearson B (2023) Mapping the Influence of Wave-Induced Ocean Surface Mixing in the Arctic through Non-Dimensional Parameters, Internal Report, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR.
CLASSROOM PUBLICATIONS
Hansen, Anne (2022) "Walking the Fishing Line," Writing Waves: Vol. 4, Article 24. Available at: https://digitalcommons.csumb.edu/writingwaves/vol4/iss2/24
Hansen, Anne (2022) "Running Out of Spoons," Writing Waves: Vol. 4, Article 14. Available at: https://digitalcommons.csumb.edu/writingwaves/vol4/iss2/14
PANEL DISCUSSIONS
Undergraduate Research Experiences, Panelist, UROC Scholars Program, May 7th, 2024, California State University, Monterey Bay, Seaside, CA.