AOSC Seminar by Dr. Mattias Green, 1/28/2021
AOSC Seminar
Dr. Mattias Green
Bangor University
Title: A Journey Through Tides
Abstract:
Tides are a key component of the Earth system. They introduce rapid and predictable sea level variations and associated current, which have the capacity to transport large quantities of mass, heat, and material. The dissipation of tidal energy drives vertical mixing in the ocean and sustains shelf sea primary production and act as one of the mechanisms driving return flow that balance deep water formation in the polar ocean as part of the meridional overturning circulation. The tides also act as a break on the Earth’s rotation, leading to an increased day length and associated recession of the Moon away from Earth. The problem is that the current recession rate is too large to fit the age models of the moon: it implies a lunar age of not more than 1.5Ga, whereas the geological record sets the age at 4.5Ga. At least one of these estimates must be wrong, and in this talk I will present results form a series of numerical tidal simulations to lend support to the old-Moon age model. I will also touch upon how the tides in Earths deep past played a key role in a series of events, including icehouse and greenhouse climates, and as a potential driver for the evolution of terrestrial vertebrates.
Bio:
I graduated in Physical Oceanography from Gothenburg University in 1999 and undertook my PhD in physical oceanography at the same university between 2008-2004. I stayed in Gothenburg as a research associate for a further year before moving to Bangor to start as a post-doctoral researcher on the structure of turbulence in shelf seas. In 2008 I was awarded a NERC Advanced Fellowship investigating the effects of sea-level change on the dissipation of tidal energy in the past, present and future and how that may impact on climate. In 2013 Bangor offered me position as Senior Lecturer in Physical Oceanography, in 2016 I was promoted to Reader, and in 2019 I was awarded a Person Chair in physical oceanography. I use numerical models and observations to explore how the tides interact with other components of the Earth system and how these interactions change over long timescales, including linking tides with ocean circulation, climate, and evolutionary events in Earth’s history.
Please note: Meet-the-Speaker will be held before the seminar
Contact: Jacob Wenegrat
AOSC Seminar
Pre-seminar refreshment: N/A
Seminar: 3:30-4:30pm, Zoom
Meet-the-Speaker: 2:30-3:15pm, Zoom [For AOSC Students only]
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