The Physics of Oceans and Atmospheres (POA) research discipline contains two core subdisciplines: Physical oceanography and atmospheric sciences.
Teaching and Research Faculty
Andrea Allan, Jack Barth, Jesse Cusack, Simon de Szoeke, Edward Dever, Melanie Fewings, Jonathan Fram, Amrapalli Garanaik, Jessica Garwood, Jennifer Hutchings, Andrea Jenney, Mike Kosro, Jim Lerczak, Ricardo Matano, Phil Mote, Jonathan Nash, Larry O'Neill, Tuba Özkan-Haller, Brodie Pearson, David Rupp, Roger Samelson, Andreas Schmittner, Kipp Shearman, Karen Shell, Emily Shroyer, Nick Siler, Eric Skyllingstad, Yvette Spitz, Justin Wettstein, Greg Wilson, Ed Zaron, Seth Zippel
POA Email Lists
Go to CEOAS Email Lists (on SharePoint; login required) and search for "poa" using Ctrl-F (Windows, Linux, Chrome OS), ⌘-F (Mac), or tap (upload) then Find on Page (phone or tablet).
Physics of Oceans and Atmospheres Seminar Series
Tuesdays from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. in Burt 193 and on Zoom
Spring Term 2026
Information will be updated as it becomes available.
If you would like to present, are hosting a visitor, know someone who might be interested, or have speaker suggestions, please contact Jihun Jung who is organizing this term's POA seminars. Also welcome are suggestions for non-OSU visiting speakers. POA discipline seminar funds are available to provide partial travel support for external visitors if needed.
- April 14 – Christo Buizert (OSU CEOAS), The ocean heat valve: AMOC and planetary energy budget during abrupt glacial climate change
- April 21 – Nick Siler (OSU CEOAS), The mountains are getting shorter: orographic precipitation change in the western US
- May 5 – James Girton (University of Washington), The promise, potential, and pitfalls of globally-distributed subsurface internal wave and mixing measurements
- May 12 – J. Xavier Prochaska (UC Santa Cruz)
Title: On measuring the energy transfer at horizontal scales of ~10-100km with underwater gliders
Abstract: The ocean is energized on large scales by winds and tides whose torques drive flows at horizontal scales of ~100km that dominate the oceanic kinetic energy (KE) budget. To maintain equilibrium, this KE injection must be dissipated. Quasi-geostropic (QG) theory predicts an inverse cascade that promotes dissipation through boundary friction, but current estimates suggest this accounts for only a small fraction of the injection. This and arguments from turbulence theory imply a forward cascade at ~10km scales to dissipate KE on much smaller scales. To test for such energy transfers, we have analyzed several experiments employing arrays of underwater gliders equipped with ADCP sensors. We measure the third order structure function of the longitudinal velocity difference <duL3>, which in an isotropic homogeneous fluid scales with the energy flux. Statistically, the glider experiments yield robust estimates of <duL3>. However, we find significant non-zero first order moment <duL> statistics indicating inhomogeneity and non-isotropy over the duration of the surveys. We discuss the implications for assessing energy cascades with <duL3>, informed by analysis of a two-layer QG turbulence model.
- May 19 – Kyle Nardi, Title TBD
- May 26 – Inés Leyba, Title TBD
- June 2 – Open (If you are interested in giving a talk, contact Jihun Jung.)
- June 9 – Bethan Wynne-Cattanach, Title TBD