UMD AOSC Seminar

Contrasting Physical-Biological Interactions in
the Central Gyres and Ocean Margin


Professor Anand Gnanadesikan

NOAA Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory
Johns Hopkins University (Starting January 2011)


This talk will contrast the behavior of the relatively stagnant eastern margins of the ocean basins with the more rapidly ventilated subtropical gyres. These regions exhibit contrasting physical responses to changes in ocean biological cycling as a result of changing solar heating, with clearer gyres becoming cooler and clearer margins becoming warmer. The former result has interesting implications for the climatology of tropical cyclones. The two regimes also exhibit different biological responses to changes in ocean physics. Increasing vertical mixing increases nutrient concentrations in the margins, but drops them in the gyres. Increasing lateral mixing has the opposite impact. Under global warming, the gyres become older and oxygen concentrations drop, but the margins become younger and oxygen concentrations rise.




November 11, 2010, Thursday

Seminar: 3:30-4:30pm

Computer and Space Sciences (CSS) Building, Auditorium (Room 2400)
Refreshment is served at 3:00pm in the adjoining Atrium


[Contact: Professor James Carton]
[AOSC | Seminar | Directions | Parking]


AOSC 818. Frontiers in Atmosphere, Ocean, Climate, and Synoptic Meteorology Research