[Acmsmajors] Undergraduate Math Sciences Seminar--this week's talk

[Julie Eaton]

Date:  Thursday March 1, 2007

Time:  12:30-2 pm Denny 304

Speaker: Pascale Lelong, NorthWest Research Associates

Title:  Problems in geophysical fluid dynamics and the mathematical 
tools we use to solve them

Abstract:
My research focuses on the physics of submesoscale oceanic and
atmospheric fluid flows. The submesoscales are the intermediate
spatial scales that bridge the regime of large, energy-carrying
motions such as currents or mesoscale eddies, and the isotropic
turbulent regime at which energy is dissipated. Submesoscale motions
include inertia-gravity waves, small-scale vortices and
rotating/stratified turbulence. A good dynamical understanding of the
submesoscale regime is crucial to a many different problems that
range from being able to predict pollutant dispersal in regional
models, to atmosphere/ocean weather prediction, and global climate
change.