Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Program (GFD)

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https://hdl.handle.net/1912/11

The GFD Program began in 1959 at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution with the aim of introducing a then relatively new topic in mathematical physics, geophysical fluid dynamics, to graduate students in physical sciences. It has been held each summer since and promotes an exchange of ideas among the many distinct fields that share a common interest in the nonlinear dynamics of rotating, stratified fluids. These fields include classical fluid dynamics, physical oceanography, meteorology, astrophysics, planetary atmospheres, geological fluid dynamics, hydromagnetics, and applied mathematics.

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  • Technical Report
    The 1959 Summer Program of Theoretical Studies in Geophysical Fluid Dynamics
    (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 1959-10) Malkus, Willem V. R.
    This ten-week work-study-discussion program is centered about a formal course called Geophysical Fluid Dynamics. Eight participants are selected from graduate and postgraduate applicants. In the discussions emphasis is placed on the formulation of tractable research problems in geophysics. The participants are encouraged to work on satisfactory problems thus formulated and to continue with their research after returning to their respective institutions.
  • Technical Report
  • Technical Report
    The 1960 Summer Program of Theoretical Studies in Geophysical Fluid Dynamics
    (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 1960-11) Malkus, Willem V. R.
    This ten-week work-study-discussion program is centered about a formal course called Geophysical Fluid Dynamics. Eight participants are selected from graduate and postgraduate applicants. In the discussions emphasis is placed on the formulation of tractable research problems in geophysics. The participants are encouraged to work on satisfactory problems thus formulated and to continue with their research after returning to their respective institutions.
  • Technical Report
  • Technical Report
    The 1961 Summer Program of Theoretical Studies in Geophysical Fluid Dynamics
    (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 1961-11) Veronis, George
    This ten-week work-study-discussion program was centered about a formal course called Geophysical Fluid Dynamics. Sixteen participants were selected from graduate and postgraduate applicants. In the discussions emphasis was placed on the formulation of tractable research problems in geophysics. The participants were encouraged to work on satisfactory problems thus formulated and to continue with their research after returning to their respective institutions.
  • Technical Report
    Notes on the 1962 Summer Study Program in Geophysical Fluid Dynamics at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
    (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 1962) Stern, Melvin E. ; Thayer, Mary C.
  • Technical Report
    The 1962 Summer Program in Geophysical Fluid Dynamics
    (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 1962-11) Stern, Melvin E.
  • Technical Report
    Notes on the 1963 Summer Study Program in Geophysical Fluid Dynamics at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
    (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 1963) Veronis, George
    This year's lectures by Derek Moore form a detailed report of investigations on the fluid motion caused by the motion of a body in a homogeneous rotating fluid. The emphasis has been on the significance of the Taylor-Proudman theorem and the departure of the fluid from the behavior described by the Taylor-Proudman theorem. The plan was to probe deeply into one problem and thereby acquire information in a wider area of study of rotating fluids.
  • Technical Report
    The 1963 summer program of theoretical studies in geophysical fluid dynamics
    (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 1963-11) Veronis, George
    The program in Geophysical Fluid Dynamics for the summer of 1963 was a program of work, study and discussion and was formally outlined through two courses of lectures - one on the dynamics of rotating fluids, the other, a special lecture series on astrophysics. The twenty-three participants attempted to formulate and analyze tractable problems in geophysics and astrophysics.
  • Technical Report
    Notes on the 1964 Summer Study Program in Geophysical Fluid Dynamics at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
    (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 1964) Malkus, Willem V. R. ; Thayer, Mary C.
    Two distinctive features of large-scale geophysical flows are that they are dominated by the earth's rotation and that they are turbulent. This year's lecture program was an exploration of recent achievements in the study of, first, the simplest examples of turbulence, and second, the rotational constraint.
  • Technical Report
    Notes on the 1965 Summer Study Program in Geophysical Fluid Dynamics at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
    (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 1965) Malkus, Willem V. R. ; Thayer, Mary C.
  • Technical Report
    Notes on the 1966 Summer Study Program in Geophysical Fluid Dynamics at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
    (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 1966) Malkus, Willem V. R. ; Thayer, Mary C.
    The lecturers, Drs. Howard, Stern and Veronis, have introduced the participants to several aspects of geophysical fluid dynamics at the frontiers of current research. Their choice of topic and its development was to serve, on one hand, a pedagogic function and, on the other, to suggest a variety of allied unsolved problems.
  • Technical Report
    Notes on the 1967 Summer Study Program in Geophysical Fluid Dynamics at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
    (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 1967) Veronis, George
    In former years some of the research and seminars of the WHOI Geophysical Fluid Dynamics program was concerned with determining the interior structure and motions of stars and galaxies. This year we have focused our attention downward rather than upward and have attempted to learn some things about the earth's interior. Freeman Gilbert's lectures on the inverse problem in seismology discuss one aspect of the geophysicist's attempts to infer some things about the earth's interior from the evidence which is available at the surface. Paul Robert presented a survey of the difference attempts to attribute the earth's magnetic field to dynamo action. Willem Malkus, Raymond Hide and Stephen Childress supplemented Roberts' lectures with seminars. As students of our physical environment all of us were entertained and stimulated by this introduction to the netherworld.
  • Technical Report
    Notes on the 1968 Summer Study Program in Geophysical Fluid Dynamics at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
    (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 1968) Veronis, George ; Thayer, Mary C.
    The general circulation of the oceans was the topic of concentration for the 1968 WHOI Summer Program in Geophysical Fluid Dynamics
  • Technical Report
    Notes on the 1969 Summer Study Program in Geophysical Fluid Dynamics at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
    (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 1969) Malkus, Willem V. R. ; Thayer, Mary C.
    The principal theme of this eleventh Summer Program has been Astrophysical Fluid Dynamics. As in the past, we have explored the region of overlap in technique and theory of our summer theme and other aspects of Fluid Dynamics. An interesting example of this overlap is the application of the physics of salt-finger instability, a significant oceanographic process, to instabilities due to differential rotation in the sun, a critical problem in stellar evolution.
  • Technical Report
    Notes on the 1970 summer study program in geophysical fluid dynamics at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
    (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 1970) Malkus, Willem V. R. ; Thayer, Mary C.
    The principal lectures of this twelfth Summer Program were given by Joseph Pedlosky of the University of Chicago. On the following page one sees Dr. Pedlosky demonstrating advanced effects caused by rotation and stratification. Only in his last few lectures do these novel phenomena emerge from the analysis.
  • Technical Report
    Notes on the 1971 summer study program in geophysical fluid dynamics at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
    (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 1971) Veronis, George ; Thayer, Mary C.
    A topic, such as planetary atmospheric dynamics, is necessarily a speculative one because of the extreme difficulty of obtaining detailed observations. A single datum is often responsible for several "theories". Andy Ingersoll was continually challenged during his attempts to present a coherent picture of a broad spectrum of observations and speculations about the atmospheres of the planets. He emerged somewhat battered but still intact. All of us felt rewarded by his efforts. The formal lectures were followed by a microsymposium on planetary atmospheres which included discussions of the latest observations, speculative theories and simple models of certain gross features.
  • Technical Report
    Notes on the 1972 Summer Study Program in Geophysical Fluid Dynamics at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
    (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 1972) Veronis, George ; Thayer, Mary C.
    The effect of gravity on fluids of varying density is of fundamental importance in natural flows. This subject formed the topic of concentration for the fourteenth summer program in Geophysical Fluid Dynamics at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. We had the good fortune to hear Stewart Turner lecture on stratified flows just after he had completed the manuscript for his book on the subject. Turner chose to emphasize nonlinear and turbulent aspects of stratified flows and, therefore, had to give up the deductive approach in favor of treatments based on dimensional analysis and similarity arguments. This summary of the many experimental studies of these flows increased our awareness of the fascinating variety of phenomena in which stratification plays so vital a role.
  • Technical Report
    Notes on the 1973 Summer Study Program in Geophysical Fluid Dynamics at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
    (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 1973) Ingersoll, Andrew P. ; Thayer, Mary C.
    Nonlinear wave interactions formed the theme of the fifteenth summer program in Geophysical Fluid Dynamics at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Owen Phillips was our principal lecturer on this subject, He chose to emphasize interactions among small numbers of discrete wave modes, including both internal and surface gravity waves in his discussions. His lectures provided a stimulating introduction to this important subject. Phillips' lectures were supplemented by a lecture by William Simmons on experiments with interacting internal waves, and a lecture by Carl Wunsch on internal waves in the ocean. Later in the summer, Wunsch gave us a lecture series on practical time-series analysis.
  • Technical Report
    Notes on the 1974 summer study program in geophysical fluid dynamics at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
    (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 1974) Veronis, George ; Thayer, Mary C.
    This year the central topic was the general circulation of the oceans. Some of the basic ideas used in wind-driven and thermohaline studies were presented in the introductory course of lectures and simple models that have guided our thinking in the development of the topic were discussed. As part of the introductory lectures Peter Niiler developed a model of the mixed layer, exploring the reasoning and the parameterization behind the theories of this important boundary region at the surface of the ocean. Dennis Moore gave a careful account of transient flows in equatorial regions and showed how dynamical conditions on the eastern and western boundaries are satisfied by a superposition of planetary, Kelvin and Yanai waves. Peter Rhines concluded the series with a discussion of topographically induced low frequency motions. At the request of the students Joseph B. Keller gave a lecture on "Solution of Partial Differential Equations by Ray Theory".