EAS 4300/6124: Introduction to Oceanography, FALL 2006 INSTRUCTOR: Emanuele Di Lorenzo phone office ES&T Ellery Ingall phone office ES&T TA: Vincent Combes Course Website

Why do we care about Oceanography? How is oceanography important in understanding future climate? What aspects of ocean sciences are relevant to the economy? How can humans impact the ocean and climate? Questions for you

How is oceanography important in understanding future climate? Oceanography and Climate Climate changes occur on different space and time scales. TIME SPACE Seasonal  Interannual  Decdal  Millennial Regional  Basin Wide  Global

Thermoregulating effects (e.g. moist air of the Gulf Stream and Kuroshio Extensions) Oceanography and Climate - seasonal timescales

Posted 8/8/2005 3:26 PM Researchers study changes in hurricane intensity MIAMI (AP) — Researchers are using a $3 million National Science Foundation grant to study why a hurricane's intensity can undergo sudden, dramatic changes. Oceanography and Climate - seasonal timescales Sea surface temperature in the tropical oceans fuel hurricanes If ocean circulation changes (e.g. stronger meridional temperature gradient or higher heat content of upper ocean)

Oceanography and Climate - interannual timescales El Niño is the strongest signal of climate variability on interannual timescales. It is a coupled mechanism between the tropical ocean and atmosphere.

Thomson, R. E., and J. F. R. Gower, 1998: A basin-scale oceanic instability event in the Gulf of Alaska. J Geophys Res-Oceans, 103, Oceanography and Climate - interannual timescales Ocean Vortices are one of the strongest mixing agent in the ocean, they are important for ocean circulation and biology. Their role in climate is still unknown! NORTH AMERICA Gulf of Alaska

Changes of ocean circulation affects fish distributions and abundance. Oceanography and Climate - decadal timescales Sardines/Anchovies synchronized alternations between sardines/anchovies over the entire Pacific Ocean?

Changes in the ocean/atmosphere affect the ice caps, and therefore Sea Level. Oceanography and Climate - longer timescales

Marine Ecosystem regulate the cycling of chemical species relevant to climate (e.g. Carbon, DMS) Chlorophyll Spring 2005 (MODIS Satellite) Oceanography and Climate - longer timescales

Oceanography and Climate - millenial timescales Vertical circulation of the ocean MOVIE: The Day After Tomorrow

e.g. The ocean has a very long memory. We will learn about this, and about the mechanisms of interaction between ocean-atmosphere-land- ecosystems. Oceanography and Climate Climate changes occur on different space and time scales. What makes it interesting is that processes happening on different temporal and spatial scales are not separable and interact with each other  A NONLINEAR SYSTEM  COMPLEXITY WHY?

Resources in the Ocean and Economy What aspects of ocean sciences are relevant to the economy? Geological Resources extraction of petroleum, gas, metals, etc. Ecological Resources mainly food from fisheries and maricultures Energy Resources extraction of power from waves, tides, currents and heat content Chemical Resources e.g. development of new drugs, salts, etc. Recreational Resources of coastal areas, e.g. beaches and more The study Oceanography helped discover these resources and is helping managing them (e.g. coastal processes and beaches, and many more…)

Ocean Resources, Economy and Oceanography An example: The City of Venice, ITALY 1. Dump: rain and tides distribute it in the lagoon) 2. Factory: factories drained their liquid waste partly into the lagoon and partly into dumps. Currents and erosion continue to disperse pollutants. 3. Sea: Meteorological conditions can accentuate high tides. Bora, a cold northerly in the Adriatic Sea, and Sirocco, a hot, dust-laden wind from the Libyan desert, can trigger dangerously high tides. 4. River: the Republic of Venice diverted four rivers that originally flowed into the lagoon. The loss of the silt and sediment is transforming the delta environment into a marine one. 5. Farm: 53 percent of the phosphates and other pollutants that enter the lagoon come from these sources. 6. Town: About 1,400,000 people live in the basin, but when one considers the quantity of nutrients and organic matter generated, environmentalists say, it is as if 4,000,000 people lived there. Offshore GAS extraction platforms Adriatic Sea opening to sea

Ocean Resources, Economy and Oceanography An example: The City of Venice, ITALY using oceanography and ocean engeneering Adriatic Sea More at opening to sea Install Gates to control the tide

Humans impacts on the Ocean and Climate How can humans impact the ocean and climate? dying corals, poisen fish, global warming cholera in India, changes in Mediterranean species city of venice was an example Alterations: chemical (e.g. mercury, aerosols, green house gases, oil) biological (e.g. introducing new faunas, phosphate from changes in land use, overfishing …) physical/geological (e.g. shoreline interventions …)

CNN : Asian Brown Cloud' poses global threat August 12, 2002 Posted: 10:43 PM EDT (0243 GMT) Humans impacts on the Ocean and Climate Satellite view  Aerosols change: radiation budget clouds concentration amount of rain in clouds

CNN : Asian Brown Cloud' poses global threat August 12, 2002 Posted: 10:43 PM EDT (0243 GMT) Humans impacts on the Ocean and Climate Where does it come from? The sources are changing fast

Humans impacts on the Ocean and Climate Oceanography in the Indian Ocean play a crucial role in isolating and understanding the impacts of asian aerosols.

… the aerosol is only one piece of a more complex puzzle The Global Warming Issue 0.8 C from thermometers from paleo records May human actually have something to do with this? An important question discussed by politician (G8 summit) and scientists (IPCC)

How do we define the science of Oceanography? My personal interest

Ocean and climate dynamics Physical-biological interactions in the ocean Ocean Forecasting I do not collect observations, but I travel to beautiful places! Strategy of my research: Use theoretical/mathematical models of the ocean to diagnose observations Tools: Ocean modeling and data assimilation Statistical data analysis I studied oceanography in San Diego at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography

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