Theodore J. Smayda

Theodore J. Smayda (1931[1] – April 5, 2017) was an American oceanographer.

He was born in Peckville, Pennsylvania. He was employed at the University of Rhode Island in 1959. He later won a Fulbright Scholarship to travel to Norway and study at the University of Oslo, where he took the dr.philos. degree.[2][3] His defense of his doctoral thesis took place in the Norwegian language. The thesis regarded phytoplankton in the Panama Gulf; the opponents were Trygve Braarud and Odd Henrik Sælen.[4] Following his stay in Norway, Smayda returned to the University of Rhode Island where he served as a professor of oceanography throughout his career.[2]

He was a fellow of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters from 1992.[1] Limnology & Oceanography found his article "Harmful algal blooms: Their ecophysiology and general relevance to phytoplankton blooms in the sea" to be one of the top 60 most cited between 1956 and 2016.[5]

He was married and resided in Jamestown, Rhode Island. He died in April 2017 at the age of 85.[3]

  1. ^ a b "Utenlandske medlemmer". Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on 15 July 2007. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
  2. ^ a b Farrington, Dotti (August 16, 2007). "Acclaimed Jamestown scientist shares his exceptional knowledge of the planet's oceans". Jamestown Press. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Theodore J. Smayda". Jamestown Press (obituary). April 13, 2017. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
  4. ^ "USA-professor blir norsk doktor philos". Aftenposten (in Norwegian). 10 June 1967. p. 3.
  5. ^ Rau, Elizabeth (16 December 2016). "GSO oceanographers, graduate students recognized by international oceanography magazine". University of Rhode Island. Retrieved 9 September 2024.