Matthieu Le Henaff

Matthieu Le Henaff headshot.

Research Highlights

Research Interests

Quantify the impact of ocean observations on hurricane evolution and prediction in the Tropical Atlantic, the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico.

Estimate the impact of ocean processes in the Gulf of Mexico on marine mammal assessment, ecosystem dynamics, and pollution transport.

Estimate the contribution of near-coast currents to the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation.

Matthieu Le Hénaff, Ph.D.

Associate Scientist (University of Miami/CIMAS), Physical Oceanography Division

4301 Rickenbacker Causeway
Miami, Florida 33149

“I have always been fascinated by scientific discoveries, and oceanography is a relatively young science where there is still so much to do, so many processes to observe and understand. That is why I wanted to become an oceanographer.”

Dr. Matthieu Le Hènaff is an Associate Scientist at the University of Miami’s Cooperative Institute of Marine and Atmospheric Studies (CIMAS) and the Physical Oceanography Division of NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML). His primary research interest is to improve our understanding of how regional ocean dynamical processes affect the other components of the Earth system, and how they can be better characterized and predicted. Dr. Le Hènaff’s research has a wide range of applications, from observing array design to pollution transport, ecosystem protection, boundary currents, marine mammal assessment, and hurricane forecasts. Dr. Matthieu Le Hènaff is a member of OceanPredict Observing System Evaluation – Task Team (OSEVal-TT), of the Compilation of Environmental, Threats, and Animal Data for Cetacean Population Health Analysis (CETACEAN) Steering Committee, and he is the co-chair of the Integrated Modeling Prediction Assimilation Coordination Team (IMPACT) supported by NOAA.

Current Work

Sustained ocean observations with underwater gliders in support of hurricane intensity forecast

Assessing long-term trends and processes driving variability in cetacean density throughout the Gulf of Mexico using passive acoustic monitoring and habitat Modeling

A Lagrangian methodology to quantify and predict the impact of Caribbean eddies on Loop Current system dynamics

Combining coastal altimetry and in situ observations to improve Meridional Overturning Circulation estimates in the South Atlantic

2004, Engineer Degree, ENSTA, Paris, France

2004, Master’s Degree, Marine Science in Meteorology and Environment, Univ. Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris, France

2008, Ph.D. Physical Oceanography, Université Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France

  1. Le Hénaff, M., V.H. Kourafalou, Y. Androulidakis, N. Ntaganou, and H.-S. Kang. Influence of the Caribbean Sea eddy field on Loop Current predictions. Frontiers in Marine Science, 10:1129402, https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2023.1129402 2023
    Ref. 4240
  2. Ntaganou, N., V. Kourafalou, F.J. Beron-Vera, M.J. Olascoaga, M. Le Henaff, and I. Androulidakis. Influence of Caribbean eddies on the Loop Current system evolution. Frontiers in Marine Science, 10:961058, https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2023.961058 2023
    Ref. 4225
  3. Vaz, A.C., M. Karnauskas, M. Smith, L.S. Denson, C.B. Paris, M. Le Hénaff, and K. Siegfried. Red snapper connectivity in the Gulf of Mexico. Marine and Coastal Fisheries, 15(6):e10275, https://doi.org/10.1002/mcf2.10275 2023
    Ref. 4380