2004 program of study : tides

Abstract

The summer of 2004 saw the GFD program tackle “Tides”. Myrl Hendershott (Scripps Institution of Oceanography) gave a fabulous introduction to the subject in the first week of the course, laying the foundations from astronomy and classical geophysical fluid dynamics. In the second week, Chris Garrett (University of Victoria) admirably followed up with recent developments on the subject, including the recent observations from satellite altimetry, their implications to mixing and circulation, and even a memorable lecture on the noble theme of how we might solve the world's energy crisis. The principal lectures proved unusually popular this summer, and the seminar room at Walsh often overflowed in the first two weeks. Following on from the lectures, the seminar schedule of the summer covered in greater detail the oceanographic issues with which researchers are actively grappling. We also heard about related problems regarding atmospheric, planetary and stellar tides, together with the usual mix of topics on GFD in general. The summer once again featured a lecture for the general public in the Woods Hole area. Carl Wunsch delivered a very well received lecture entitled “Climate Change Stories”, in which he gave an impression of how scientists generally believe our climate is currently changing, whilst simultaneously urging caution against some of the more outrageous and exaggerated claims. The lecture was held at Lilly Auditorium, thanks to the hospitality of the Marine Biology Laboratory. The reception following the lecture was enjoyed by all. Neil Balmforth and Stefan Llewellyn Smith acted as Co-Directors for the summer. Janet Fields, Jeanne Fleming and Penny Foster provided the administrative backbone to the Program, both during the summer and throughout the year beforehand. As always, we were grateful to the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution for the use of Walsh Cottage, and Keith Bradley's solid service could not be overlooked. Shilpa Ghadge and Shreyas Mandre are to be thanked for their part in comforting the fellows, developing the summer's proceedings volume (available on the GFD web site) and for running the computer network.