AOS & CICS Newsletter Spring/Summer 2010 Volume 4, Number 2 “During my time here, I’ve had a chance to Gnanadesikan interact with biological, physical and chemical oceanographers, atmospheric Moving On After 15 dynamicists and chemists, terrestrial Program in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences (AOS) & ecologists and mechanical engineers. Years Princeton is an outstanding place to get a The Cooperative Institute for broad view of how our planet works.” Climate Science (CICS) “Anand is tireless in his dedication to discovery. He’s passionate about the Inside this issue: development of climate models and their Gnanadesikan Moving On.………….1 continuous evolution,” AOS Director Jorge Sarmiento said. “Not only is he a Oey’s Research Featured in dedicated scientist, he is an esteemed Interview………………………………….1 colleague and mentor to his students. He will be sorely missed.” Jerry D. Mahlman Lobby is Dedicated…………………………………2 Regarding continuing collaborations at GFDL and Princeton, Gnanadesikan said, SEAS-AOS-GFDL Workshop…………2 “I also anticipate continuing the GFDL Oceanographer & AOS Lecturer collaborations I’ve been fortunate enough Conference “Empowers” Women Anand Gnanadesikan to build here in the past fifteen years, and in Science…………………………………3 hope to be able to build new bridges to the paleoclimate and observational Rossi and Slater Honored……………3 After 15 years at Princeton, GFDL communities. I look forward to our Oceanographer and AOS Faculty Member continuing to learn about the planet GFDLEA Annual 5K Race…………….4 Anand Gnanadesikan has accepted a together!” tenured associate professor position at the Research in Action…………………….4 Earth and Planetary Sciences Department Outside of work, he is extensively involved at Johns Hopkins University. He will in outreach though programs such as AOS & CICS News……………………..5 Science Olympiad, the largest national begin his appointment in January, 2011. team science competition for secondary Gnanadesikan’s research interests focus on schools, and through working with understanding the mechanisms that drive museums to help bring up-to-date science Oey’s Research the large-scale physical circulation of the into exhibitions. ocean and the impact of changes in this Featured in Times circulation for climate, ocean chemistry, Gnanadesikan earned his undergraduate and ecosystems. Using general circulation degree in Physics from Princeton of Trenton models of the ocean and atmosphere and University and his Ph.D. in Oceanography examining how these simulate not only the from the Joint Program in Oceanography at MIT/Woods Hole Oceanographic Interview physical climate, but quantities such as radiocarbon, oxygen, and nutrients, has led Institution. ■ AOS Researcher Leo Oey was featured him to look at how human activities might June 14 in The Times of Trenton in an TigerTransit/Shuttle Services perturb the carbon cycle. Over the years, interview addressing the BP oil spill. he has been very involved in the Operating on development of new models at GFDL, Summer Schedule: The article discussed the overlap between including ocean-only models, coupled http://www.princeton.edu/transportatio Oey’s work in ocean modeling and the ocean atmosphere models, and models of n/ForrestalSummer10.pdf estimated distribution of oil from the spill. biogeochemical cycling. Using the Princeton Ocean Model (POM), co-developed by Oey, George Mellor, and The article in its entirety can be found at: Alan Blumberg in the early eighties, Oey http://www.nj.com/mercer/index.ssf/2010/ and his research team entered thousands of 06/gulf_view_not_a_pretty_picture.html ■ simulated particles at the coordinates of the spill site and had the computers crunch out the data of how those particles are likely to move and spread over time. Jerry D. Mahlman Lobby is Dedicated On Tuesday, May 4th, 2010 the newly renovated GFDL lobby was named the “Jerry D. Mahlman Lobby,” in honor of Jerry Mahlman, former director of GFDL and lecturer with rank of professor in the Jerry Mahlman, former director of GFDL and AOS Program. The dedication ceremony lecturer with rank of professor in the AOS was attended by Jerry’s and Janet’s Program daughter, Julie, and the many friends and colleagues who had the pleasure of From 2000-2009, Mahlman was a senior AOS Researcher Leo Oey working with Jerry throughout the years. research associate at the National Center “What we did was to release (simulated) for Atmospheric Research. In recent years, particles at the spill site and we track that he has been centrally involved in the in time for weeks, for months [sic],” Oey communication of climate change science told the Times. “And we throw in many to a wide variety of audiences, and assists particles and then we do some statistical in guiding the international policy analysis to average them and get a sense of deliberation process through the where those particles might go.” interpretation of climate science. "There's a big assumption, of course: We During the span of his illustrious career, assume that the oil will also follow the Mahlman published over 100 scientific particles' movements. They generally do, papers. Among his many awards, he but not exactly," Oey said in the article. received the U.S. Department of Commerce Gold Medal in 1986, the He cautioned that long range ocean modeling isn’t specifically equipped to Jerry and Janet Mahlman’s daughter, Julie, at American Geophysical Union First Annual th predict the movement of an oil spill, the May 4 lobby dedication Jule G. Charney Lecturer Award in 1993, because the models don’t calculate in the Mahlman’s NOAA career began on the day the Presidential Distinguished Rank Award properties specific to oil. Instead, the agency was created, October 3, 1970 in 1994, and the highest honor given by the modeling focuses on historical data of when he joined Joseph Smagorinsky and American Meteorological Society, the current locations and shifts, as well as wind Syukuro (Suki) Manabe in their pioneering Carl-Gustaf Rossby Research Medal, in patterns that affect ocean currents. efforts to develop atmospheric circulation 1994. models at GFDL. During his three decades In discussing the Loop Current, a high- at GFDL, Mahlman was a pioneer in Mahlman received his undergraduate speed stream that pulses north into the Gulf stratospheric dynamics and chemistry as degree from Chadron State College in 1962 of Mexico and travels in a clockwise well as numerical modeling. He added and earned his Ph.D. from Colorado State pattern toward Florida, Oey told the Times significantly to the understanding of how University in 1967. ■ that the POM estimates that, at most, 10 climate works and spent much of his career percent or so of the surface particles that modeling how Earth's atmosphere responds originate at the spill site could get caught to the steady buildup of greenhouse gases. SEAS-AOS-GFDL up in the main Loop Current and Gulf Stream. He added, however, that this Under Mahlman’s tenure as director, Workshop held on figure is a worst-case scenario. GFDL continued to recruit highly talented scientists and provide an intellectually Main Campus He also noted that despite the model’s stimulating environment for them, a sophistication, the forecasting done thus far tradition begun by Smagorinsky, the lab’s A Student-Postdoc workshop on Fluid via the POM has focused on what happens first director. “I am proud that we are able Dynamics & the Global Environment was at or near the surface; it doesn’t take into to attract, nurture and retain these young held at the Friend Center on Friday, May account the oil plume at depth. In response, scientists,” Mahlman said just prior to his 21st, with some 35 people in attendance. Oey and his team are beginning to examine retirement from GFDL in 2000. Today, The workshop, organized by the School of simulated particles at 800 meters below the some ten years later, this legacy of support Engineering and Applied Sciences surface. for younger scientists at GFDL remains Program, the Atmospheric and Oceanic one of the key elements to the lab's Sciences Program, and GFDL, focused on continued success. environmental fluid dynamics. Workshop Commenting on the workshop, Palter said, The professional development sessions sessions ran from 9 a.m. to approximately "The Fluid Dynamics & the Global covered issues such as: strategies for 3 p.m. and covered such topics as: Environment Student-Postdoc meeting funding, proposal writing, negotiations, “Weather and Climate Simulations,” gave AOS and GFDL postdocs and and balancing work and family. The “Turbulence, Instabilities, and students a unique opportunity to interact agenda also included time for one-on-one Fundamentals,” and “Flows and Fluxes in with students and postdocs in Princeton's interaction between junior and senior Complex Geometries.” "As GFDL and the engineering departments. It is unusual to scientists as well as unstructured time for AOS program move towards thinking be at a workshop in which research ranges informal networking. “The Patullo about smaller spatial scales and coupling from the sub-millimeter scale of surface- Conference was a great way to meet a large with biological systems, we are finding the tension driven flows through flexible number of the female students and engineering community moving up to the membranes to the global scale of climate postdocs working in physical scales which we care about,” AOS Faculty modeling." ■ oceanography today. We had a lot of Member and GFDL Oceanographer Anand intense discussions, but also some fun Gnanadesikan said. kayaking in the alligator-filled river. I wish this sort of opportunity to talk and Among the speakers were AOS and CICS Conference learn about all the aspects of a scientific Researchers Rym Msadek, Joseph Kidston, career had been around when I was a Mehmet Ilicak, and Jaime Palter. During “Empowers” postdoc 15 years ago,” Legg added. the “Weather and Climate Simulations” session, Msadek presented predictability Women in Science The Pattullo Conference was held May 23- results based on GFDL coupled model 26, 2010 in Charleston, South Carolina.