AOSC Seminar by Dr. George Philander, 2/23/2023

AOSC Seminar

Dr. George Philander

Princeton University

Title:

GLOBAL WARMING from a MUSICAL PERSPECTIVE

Abstract:

The present is a precarious moment in the eventful history of planet Earth, because of human activities. This  is evident in records of recurrent Ice Ages over the past 3 million years, records that provide a context for this picture of Earth’s current diversity of plants on land, and of phytoplankton, oceanic plants that wander. A salient feature of this snapshot of a continually changing panorama, is the equator where phytoplankton, fodder for whales, line-up. More than a century ago Captain Ahab  went there to find Moby Dick,  but other aspects of the diversity of climatic zones in this picture are still puzzles today. Why, in spite of  intense sunlight, are surface waters cold in the eastern equatorial Pacific? Resolution of the debates and disputes this question generates, and improved “tuning” of climate models,  can benefit from viewing paleo-climate records as the score of a musical composition. For an entertaining aural version of the prolonged global cooling from 3 to 1 million years ago, with superimposed obliquity oscillations, turn to You Tube: A surprise performance of Ravel's Bolero. To some, this “combination of a sinuous melody, mesmeric rhythm, and slowly building orchestral crescendo ... is a sexy composition with ‘no music in it’...” They should consider that, in the novel Moby Dick,  the narrator Ishmael is open to new information and insights, whereas Captain Ahab is not. They should also remember that we call ourselves Homo sapiens.

Bio:

Samuel George Philander has studied oceanic circulation, identifying patterns of interaction between ocean and atmosphere that are responsible for the phenomena of El Niño and La Niña and the El Niño–Southern Oscillation. He coined the name "La Niña". His work on Paleoclimatology and his examination of geological data showing past changes to the climate has helped to develop models for the prediction of weather, the impacts of global warming, and global climate change in future. His published works for a broad audience include Our Affair with El Niño: How We Transformed an Enchanting Peruvian Current into a Global Climate Hazard and Is the Temperature Rising?: The Uncertain Science of Global Warming.

George obtained his BS from the University of Cape Town (South Africa) and Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1970. He is the Knox-Taylor Professor Emeritus of Geosciences at Princeton University and a member of the National Academy of Sciences.

Contact: Sumant Nigam

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AOSC Seminar

Pre-seminar refreshment: N/A
Seminar: 3:30-4:30pm, Room: ATL 2400(only when in-person)
Meet-the-Speaker: 4:30-5:00pm, Room: ATL 3400(only when in-person) [For AOSC Students only]

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