(Press-News.org) Philadelphia, PA – October 17, 2012—Studying the dynamics of the ocean system can greatly improve our understanding of key processes of ocean circulations, which have implications for future climate. Can applying mathematics to the research help? Dr. Emily Shuckburgh of the British Antarctic Survey, speaking at the 2012 SIAM Annual Meeting, thinks the answer is an emphatic "yes."
Dr. Shuckburgh described mathematical ideas from dynamical systems used by her group, along with numerical modeling and experimental observations, to analyze circulation in the Southern Ocean. The Southern Ocean is unique in that it connects 3 major ocean basins—the Pacific, the Atlantic and the Indian oceans—with a powerful current that circulates all the way around Antarctica. This circumpolar current travels from the North Atlantic, sinking down to the bottom of the ocean and coming up to the surface around Antarctica, thus connecting the deep ocean with the atmosphere above. When water from the deep ocean comes up to the surface, it can exchange heat and carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, thus making it highly significant for climate change.
Shuckburgh and her team study circulation at Drake Passage, which separates South America from the Antarctic Peninsula, at the point where water in the Southern Ocean passes from the Pacific to the Atlantic oceans. Because of the differing properties of water from different regions—salty water from the Northern Atlantic and the extremely cold waters of Antarctic ice—this region is perfectly suited to study how water with different properties mixes together during circulation. Moreover, as water moves through Drake Passage, flowing over rock-bottom mountainous topography and then churning upward, it creates a great deal of mixing. Mixing is a key determinant in the uptake of heat and carbon by oceans.
Shuckburgh's team quantifies the amount of mixing by taking measurements of ocean properties and currents from the surface of the water down to the bottom of the ocean. In addition, dyes and tracers are tracked as they flow through Drake Passage in order to observe how mixing occurs. Diffusion of the tracer is a good qualitative indicator of transport and mixing properties, and can give an indication of how absorbed heat may be redistributed in the water.
Ocean mixing is currently not well simulated by climate models, even though it plays a major role in ocean heat uptake. Oceans are capable of absorbing, storing and slowly releasing large quantities of heat. As greenhouse gases trap heat from the sun, oceans absorb more heat, leading to increased sea surface temperatures, rising sea levels, and consequently, changing climate patterns around the world. In addition, oceans can diffuse the effects of changes in temperature over great distances due to mixing and movement, and potential alteration of ocean currents, which can result in a greater ability to absorb heat. Studying processes such as ocean mixing is thus essential to understanding the oceans' influence on future climate.
###
Watch a brief video clip of Dr. Shuckburgh discussing this work:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIr9C2JwXzs&feature=share&list=UUzgfBbH5wlakWp3GhLthPUQ
You can view the entire presentation at here:
https://live.blueskybroadcast.com/bsb/client/CL_DEFAULT.asp?Client=975312&PCAT=4072&CAT=4708
About SIAM
The Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM), headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is an international society of over 14,000 individual members, including applied and computational mathematicians and computer scientists, as well as other scientists and engineers. Members from 85 countries are researchers, educators, students, and practitioners in industry, government, laboratories, and academia. The Society, which also includes nearly 500 academic and corporate institutional members, serves and advances the disciplines of applied mathematics and computational science by publishing a variety of books and prestigious peer-reviewed research journals, by conducting conferences, and by hosting activity groups in various areas of mathematics. SIAM provides many opportunities for students including regional sections and student chapters. Further information is available at www.siam.org.
[Reporters are free to use the text and video in the above article as long as they acknowledge SIAM]
Mathematics and the ocean: Movement, mixing and climate modeling
2012-10-18
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Why are our salt marshes falling apart?
2012-10-18
WOODS HOLE, Mass.—Salt marshes have been disintegrating and dying over the past two decades along the U.S. Eastern seaboard and other highly developed coastlines, without anyone fully understanding why. This week in the journal Nature, MBL Ecosystems Center scientist Linda Deegan and colleagues report that nutrients—such as nitrogen and phosphorus from septic and sewer systems and lawn fertilizers—can cause salt-marsh loss.
"Salt marshes are a critical interface between the land and sea," Deegan says. "They provide habitat for fish, birds, and shellfish; protect coastal ...
Breech births cause more problems for moms and babies when water breaks early
2012-10-18
MAYWOOD, Ill. – Breech births increase the risk of complications for the mother and baby when the amniotic sac ruptures early. These findings were presented today by a researcher from Loyola University Health System at the 79th Annual Meeting of the Central Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists in Chicago.
Preterm, premature rupture of the amniotic sac contributes to one-third of all preterm births. A rupture is considered premature when it occurs before the onset of labor prior to 37 weeks' gestation. When the amniotic sac breaks prematurely, it can lead to ...
New fruit fly model of epilepsy reveals mechanisms behind fever-induced seizures
2012-10-18
Irvine, Calif., Oct. 17, 2012 – UC Irvine and Brown University researchers have created a new fruit fly model of inherited epilepsy that's providing insights into the mechanisms underlying temperature-dependent seizures while establishing a platform from which to develop therapies for these disorders.
In the Oct. 10 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience, Diane O'Dowd of UCI, Robert Reenan of Brown and colleagues report their method for placing a gene mutation that causes human fever-induced seizures into drosophila fruit flies. As a result, the mutant flies experience ...
USDA scientists collaborate with global researchers to advance the mapping of the barley genome
2012-10-18
WASHINGTON, October 17, 2012--In a major advance that will unlock the benefits of the mapping of the barley genome--one of the world's most important cereal crops--work conducted and supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in collaboration with researchers around the world has resulted in the most advanced sequencing of the barley genome to date, as reported today in the journal Nature. The advance will give researchers the tools to produce higher yields, improve pest and disease resistance, and enhance nutritional value of barley. Past genomic research supported ...
Living Voters Guide adds fact-checking by Seattle librarians for 2012 election
2012-10-18
When facing a difficult choice, many of us turn to that old standby: the pro-con list. A University of Washington project takes election pro-con lists to the next level, moving them online and allowing voters to work together to draft points – brief arguments for or against – and refine their positions.
Now in its third year, the Living Voters Guide, presented in partnership with Seattle's CityClub, just won a regional award and has been updated for the 2012 election. This year the guide has expanded to include a California edition, and the Washington guide will include ...
A European-wide network for systematic GMO impact assessment
2012-10-18
In Europe there are many concerns about adverse environmental effects of GM crops, and the opinions on the outcomes of environmental risk assessments (ERA) differ largely. GM crop safety testing and introduction studies among the regulatory system are insufficiently developed. Therefore the proposed framework aims at improving the regulatory system.
Specific elements of the network are a) methodologies for both indicator and field site selection for GM crop ERA and PMEM, b) an EU-wide typology of agro-environments, c) a pan-European field testing network using GM crops, ...
Keck observations bring weather of Uranus into sharp focus
2012-10-18
MADISON – In 1986, when Voyager swept past Uranus, the probe's portraits of the planet were "notoriously bland," disappointing scientists, yielding few new details of the planet and its atmosphere, and giving it a reputation as a bore of the solar system.
Now, however, thanks to a new technique applied at the Keck Observatory, Uranus is coming into sharp focus through high-resolution infrared images, revealing in incredible detail the bizarre weather of the seventh planet from the sun.
The images were released in Reno, Nev. today (Oct. 17, 2012) at a meeting of the ...
U of M scientist contributes to mapping of barley genome
2012-10-18
MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (10/17/2012) —An international team of researchers, including a University of Minnesota scientist, has developed an integrated physical, genetic and functional sequence assembly of the barley genome, one of the world's most important and genetically complex cereal crops. Results are published in today's issue of Nature.
The advance will give researchers the tools to produce higher yields, improve pest and disease resistance, and enhance the nutritional value of barley.
Importantly, it also will "accelerate breeding improvements to help barley ...
Gluten and lactose-free ingredient substitute found for low-fat white sauces
2012-10-18
CHICAGO—Consumers are increasingly demanding the development of ready-to-eat gluten and lactose-free food products that meet their needs and help improve their health. A recent study in Journal of Food Science, published by the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), shows how new white sauce formulations are being created to meet these demands.
Consumers with celiac disease often find that gluten-free products are of inferior quality compared with their traditional, non-gluten-free counterparts. Traditional white sauce is made with milk, flour or starch, oil, and salt. ...
Choosing the right mango for the right product
2012-10-18
CHICAGO- With over a thousand different varieties of mangoes to choose from, selecting the right variety for mango products can be a daunting task. A new study in the Journal of Food Science, published by the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), explores the impact that processing has on the flavor and texture of mango varieties. Findings suggest that processing plays an important role in determining the flavor and texture of the final product.
Researchers at Kansas State University studied the flavor and texture of four different mango varieties as they were processed ...