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 the CEOAS Email Lists Box Note 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 (except where noted)
Spring Term 2025
POA seminars will be held on Tuesdays at 3:30 PM in Burt 193. If you would like to present, are hosting a visitor, know someone who might be interested, or have speaker suggestions, please contact Mareike Koerner, 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.
See the POA Google Calendar.
- April 1 – Jack Barth, To Stir Curiosity: Steinbeck and Ricketts’ Expedition to the Sea of Cortez
- April 22 – Sam Lewin (UC Berkley), Multiscale mixing variability on the inner shelf
- May 13 – Anta-Clarisse Sarr (University of Oregon), From monsoon to global ocean circulation : constraining past climate dynamics using tracers-enabled Earth System Models
- May 20 – Suneil Iyer, Predicting ocean turbulence by training neural networks with the multiyear 𝜒pod record at 0°N, 140°W: performance, limitations, and applications
- May 27 – Jim Moum (CEOAS)
Wintertime Convection in the Subpolar North Atlantic
- June 3 at 3:30 p.m. in Burt 193 and also on Zoom – Alejandra Sanchez-Rios (UCSD Scripps)
Exploring T-S Variability and Its Impact on Sound Propagation in the Jan Mayen Channel: Insights from the NORSE campaign
Abstract: Lateral variability in the upper ocean's temperature-salinity (T-S) distribution significantly impacts sound propagation, primarily through its effect on acoustic ducts. This variability is shaped by a complex interplay of processes, including mesoscale eddy stirring, submesoscale instabilities, and atmospheric forcing. Our study investigates the along-isopycnal T-S variability, also referred to as “spice”, in the Jan Mayen Channel— a region in the Nordic Sea where the warm and salty North Atlantic water converges with the cold and fresh Greenland Sea water. Using high-resolution data from the ONR-funded Northern Ocean Rapid Surface Evolution (NORSE) experiment (2021-2023), we analyze T-S variability within the upper 500 meters of the channel and identify structures that modify sound propagation pathways. We aim to differentiate deterministic patterns from stochastic variability by combining these measurements with long-term datasets from Argo floats in the Norwegian, Greenland, and Iceland basins. By comparing the spice distribution from our high-resolution Jan Mayen Channel section with larger-scale water masses, we aim to better understand water mass transformation in the region and its influence on upper-ocean background stratification. Using spice as a tracer, we identify water mass origins and their connection to heat and salt exchange across the basins, inferring how changes in upper ocean T-S structure will influence sound propagation. This work will help improve our ability to monitor the ocean environment using sound and further understand the changes facing this region where water mass exchange is crucial for global ocean circulation.