The topic for the 30th Geophysical Fluid Dynamics
Summer Program was "The Influence of Convection on Large-
Scale Motions." The principal lecturer, Kerry Emanual,
presented the essential elements of dry convection, the
thermodynamics of moist air, and moist convection (both
precipitating and not). Building upon this excellent
summary of the fundamentals of atmospheric convection, he
then discussed its role in the dynamics of squall lines,
tropical cyclones, and the 40-day tropical wave. Moist
convection has not been discussed in recent GFD seminars,
and Kerry's lectures provided a superb introduction to the
topic for both Fellows and Staff. Other meteorologists
discussed recent theoretical and observational research on
atmospheric convecting systems.
Convectively-driven flows in the ocean were
described by Peter Killworth; Ed Spiegel and Christian
Elphick reviewed the theory of nonlinear convection. These
views of convection in other systems lent valuable
perspectives on the atmospheric problem.
