Evan Forde

Who is Evan Forde?

Evan B. Forde is an African-American oceanographer.

Forde was born in Miami, Florida and received his primary education in the local public school system. He received his bachelor's degree in Geology and his Master's degree in marine geology and geophysics, both from Columbia University in New York. Forde became a researcher in the Marine Geology and Geophysics laboratory at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory while an undergraduate at Columbia during the summer of 1973.

Utilizing his background in classical Marine Geology techniques, Forde became a recognized authority on the formation, evolution and sedimentary processes of east coast U.S. submarine canyons. Additional scientific research efforts by Evan have included studies of gravity-induced mass sediment movements on continental slopes, 3-dimensional mapping of hydrothermal plumes, and the study of ocean-atmosphere exchange of anthropogenic carbon dioxide.

In 1979, Forde became the first African-American oceanographer to conduct a research mission aboard a submersible craft when he did dives in Nekton Gamma. He subsequently completed submersible dive expeditions in Alvin in 1980 and the Johnson Sea Link in 1981.