Graduate Student at Oregon State University
I am a researcher and teacher studying how energy propogates in the marine environment. I recieved a BS in Biology and Earth Science from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Here I worked with the McCarthy and Kudela labs studying stable isotopes and phytoplankton. Upon graduation, I continued to study phytoplankton in the Cloern lab at U.S.G.S. and the Chavez lab at M.B.A.R.I. - where I began to study optics. Now at O.S.U., I continue to research phytoplankon-light interactions, as well as instrument development, and kelp forest ecology. If not in the lab you can catch me swimming, diving, or deep in the woods.
Our most recent project explored how light interacts with toxigenic phytoplankton to create a 'fingerprint' visible from remote sesning platforms. We are currently exploring how energy flows from these plankton up to fish in nearshore kelp forest habitats and making new instruments to monitor these systems.
Title: Hyperspectral Remote Sensing for Harmful Algal Bloom Detection: Pseudo-nitzschia in the Northeast Pacific (MS Thesis)
Author: Bailess, Alexander
Institution: Oregon State University, College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences
Published Date: May 7, 2025
Committee: Maria Kavanaugh, Andrew Barnard, Mike Behrenfeld, Felipe Barreto
Authors: Ondrusek, Michael; Wei, Jianwei; Wang, Menghua; Stengel, Eric; Kovach, Charles; Gilerson, Alex; Goes, Joaquim I.; Hu, Chuanmin; Ladner, Sherwin; Tufillaro, Nick; Voss, Kenneth J.; Bailess, Alexander; Barnard, Andrew; Blocker, Riley; Bunson, Samuel; Cannizzaro, Jennifer; English, David; do Rosario Gomes, Helga; Herrera, Eder; Jordan, Jamon; Kavanaugh, Maria; Malinowski, Mateusz; Moretto, Wave; Sullivan, Sarah;
Institutions: Center for Satellite Applications and Research (U.S.); Global Science & Technology, Inc.; City University of New York.; Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory.; University of South Florida.; Naval Research Laboratory (John C. Stennis Space Center); Oregon State University.; University of Miami.;
Published Date: 2025
Series: NOAA technical report NESDIS ; 163
Title: Report for Dedicated JPSS VIIRS Ocean Color Calibration/Validation Cruise : Hawaii in March 2022
Authors: Ondrusek, Michael; Wei, Jianwei; Wang, Menghua; Stengel, Eric; Kovach, Charles; Gilerson, Alex; Herrera, Eder; Malinowski, Mateusz; Goes, Joaquim I.; Wu, Jinghui; Gomes, Helga do Rosario; Hu, Chuanmin; Cannizzaro, Jennifer; English, David; Shi, Jing; Yao, Yao; Ladner, Sherwin; Mannino, Antonio; Chaves, Joaquín E.; Farr, Declan P.; Freeman, Scott A.; Smith, Harrison D.; Tufillaro, Nick; Bailess, Alexander; Belmonte, Adam; Barnard, Andrew; Tan, Jing; Frouin, Robert;
Institutions: United States. National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service.; Center for Satellite Applications and Research (U.S.); Global Science & Technology, Inc.; City University of New York. City College.; Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory.; Naval Research Laboratory (John C. Stennis Space Center); University of South Florida. College of Marine Science.; Goddard Space Flight Center.; Science Systems & Applications, Inc.; United States. Environmental Protection Agency. Alaska Operations Office.; Oregon State University.; Scripps Institution of Oceanography.;
Published Date: 2024
Series: NOAA technical report NESDIS ; 160
Banks, A., Barnard, A., Haëntjens, N., Boss, E., Frouin, R., Tan, J., Spyridakis, N., Bailess, A., Chamberlain, P., Mazloff, M.
HyperNav: A Novel Use of the NAVIS Autonomous Profiling Floats for the System Vicarious Calibration of the NASA PACE Ocean Colour Instrument – Euro-Argo Science Meeting 2025
Frouin, R., Tan, J., Bailess, A., Barnard, A., Boss, E., Haëntjens, N., Banks, A., Chamberlain, P., Mazloff, M.
System Vicarious Calibration of the PACE Ocean Color Instrument – European Geosciences Union 2025
Bailess, A., Baetge, N., Bill, B., Barnard, A., Behrenfeld, M., Graff, J., George, K., Tufillaro, N., Kavanaugh, M.
Unique Hyperspectral Fingerprints of Diatoms – Ocean Optics, October 2024, Spain
Barnard, A., Boss, E., Frouin, R., Haëntjens, N., Tan, J., Craig, S., Sirk, E., Bailess, A., Chamberlain, P.
Initial Matchups from the HyperNAV Vicarious Calibration Network of Autonomously Profiling Radiometric Systems and the Ocean Color Instrument: PACE – Ocean Optics, October 2024, Spain
Bailess, A., Baetge, N., Bill, B., Barnard, A., Behrenfeld, M., Graff, J., George, K., Tufillaro, N., Kavanaugh, M.
Phytoplankton ‘Fingerprints’ – State of the Coast 2024, Seaside, OR. Oregon Sea Grant
Bailess, A., Kavanaugh, M.
Light in the Sea: Investigating Oregon’s Nearshore Plankton through Ocean Color – Hatfield Awards Ceremony 2024
Chavez, F., Messié, M., Pitz, K., Baker, J., Bailess, A.
Combining hyperspectral and eDNA measurements: looking for relations between biodiversity at multiple trophic levels and remote sensing – American Geophysical Union 2023
Bailess, A., Eddy, T., Nejad, E., Fritsch, J., Schraga, T.
A Fresh Take on Phyto: Hydrologic Variabilities’ Effect on Phytoplankton Bloom Dynamics – Ocean Sciences Meeting 2022
Eddy, T., Bailess, A., Nejad, E., Schraga, T.
Where are the Blooms? - Estuaries as hot-spots of microbial carbon and nitrogen cycling – Ocean Sciences Meeting 2022
VIIRS Cal/Val: R/V Nancy Foster 2024
HyperPro, open-source radiometers, and Inline system deployment, 12 days – to calibrate and validate satellite products
Northern California Current Survey: R/V Shimada 2023
Dilution experiments, Inline system operations, 18 days – to monitor nearshore commercial fish species’ recruitment success
Kelp Forest Ecology: R/V Pugettia 2023 – Present
Surveys of nearshore Oregon kelp forest, stereo video, fish/kelp/invert transects, eDNA, day trips, bimonthly
HyperNAV: F/V Graphic Slayer 2023 – Present
HyperNAV deployments, day trips, several per year – to calibrate and validate satellite products
VIIRS Cal/Val: R/V Shimada 2023
HyperNAV and HyperPro deployments, 10 days – to calibrate and validate satellite products
VIIRS Cal/Val: R/V Oscar Elton Sette 2022
HyperNAV and HyperPro deployments, 11 days – to calibrate and validate satellite products
Monterey Bay Time Series: R/V Rachel Carson 2021 – 2022
Apparent optical properties, environmental DNA, monthly cruises – Monterey Bay Long Term Ecological Time Series
San Francisco Bay USGS Time Series: R/V Peterson 2020 – 2022
CTD, nutrient, chlorophyll, SPM, 1–3 monthly cruises – San Francisco Bay Long Term Ecological Time Series
Email: bailessa@oregonstate.edu