Hobart

Seminar abstract

Friday 20 July, 11.30 am
CSIRO Auditorium, Hobart,

Edward Abraham
Specialist in statistical analysis, predictive modelling and data exploration
Dragonfly Limited, NZ

Stirring stuff: horizontal mixing in the surface ocean

At scales between 1 and 100 km, horizontal mixing in the surface ocean is dominated by eddy stirring, and images of the surface ocean show the tendrils, whorls and filaments characteristic of stirred fluids. Stirring is important for the horizontal transport of any property. The interaction with the growth of phytoplankton is especially interesting, as strong mixing will supply nutrients to a patch of phytoplankton, but may also cause rapid dilution. Persistence of a patch requires some balance between these two processes. While it is recognised as influential, stirring in the ocean is not well measured or understood.

In this talk, we review what is known about ocean stirring and discuss how it applies to phytoplankton, including presentation of Finite Time Lyapunov Exponents for the Tasman Sea.

Biographical details:
Dr. Edward Abraham is an expert in statistical analysis, predictive modeling, and data exploration. Following his PhD in the Department of Math and Theoretical Physics at Cambridge University he joined the New Zealand National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) in Wellington, where he worked on the coupling of physical and ecological processes. His publications include work on investigations of the influence of stirring on the longevity of phytoplankton blooms, the dynamics of coupled phytoplankton-zooplankton ecology, the characterization of oceanic flows using Lyapunov Exponent techniques, field investigations of the interaction of internal waves with topography, evaluation of fisheries, and the evolutionary ecology of sponges. This great breadth of research has been characterized by an unusual depth of analysis. In pursuit of additional challenges, Ed is currently leading the consulting company Dragonfly which undertakes quantitative research to underpin strategic decision making.

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Location:
CSIRO = Marine Laboratories Auditorium, Castray Esplanade, Hobart

For further information, or to schedule a seminar, contact:
To schedule a seminar, contact:
Karen Wild-Allen, (Oceanographic seminars) CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research (03) 6232 5010
Thomas Kunz, (Biological seminars) CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research
(03) 6232 5076
Annabel Ozimec (seminar administrator) CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research (03) 6232 5462
Sandra Zicus, Antarctic Climate and Ecosystems CRC (03) 6226 7888
Margaret Hazelwood, Institute of Antarctic and Southern Ocean Studies (IASOS) University of Tasmania (03) 6226 2971

Last updated 3/09/07