AUSTRALIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCE
MEDIA RELEASE
AAS 29/10
8
October 2010
Small things matter: global currents meet tiny pockets of turbulence
Understanding small-scale ocean turbulence and eddies, the transport of currents and salt and nutrient
content, will lead to better ocean-climate forecasting models.
Professor Matthew England from the University of New South Wales will present these research findings
on Sunday 10 October at the 2010 UK-Australia Frontiers of Science – Marine Science Meeting, being
held by the Australian Academy of Science and the UK Royal Society.
About 80 per cent of the additional heat trapped by man-made greenhouse gases has been absorbed by
the oceans, along with about one third of the world’s industrial carbon emissions.
'Our oceans are central to the planet’s climate, its variability and future change,' said Professor England,
who will also discuss how various forecasting models work.
Dr Andy Hogg from the Australian National University in Canberra will provide examples of modelling at
various locations around the globe that show how eddies on the scale of 10 to 100 kilometres, and even
turbulent mixing on the scale of millimetres, can influence large-scale ocean circulation.
'It is known that where these interactions occur, changes in ocean dynamics may also occur. More
sophisticated ocean-climate models are needed to improve representations of these,' Dr Hogg said.
Dr Stephanie Waterman from the National Oceanography Centre, Grantham Institute of Climate Change
in London will discuss improvements to ocean-climate models that might be made based on findings from
the Southern Ocean SOFINE project. In this project, observations in a particular mixing hotspot in the
Southern Ocean appear to provide clues for understanding the interaction of small-scale turbulence and
global ocean circulation patterns.
'If we can better represent the current state of the ocean, we will be in a better position to predict its future
evolution in a changing climate,' she said.
The scientists will be presenting their work in Perth on Sunday 10 October. Media are welcome to attend
and interview speakers.
Event: 2010 UK-Australia Frontiers of Science – Marine Science Meeting
Date: 10 to 12 October 2010
Venue: Rendezvous Observation City Hotel, 140 The Esplanade, Scarborough, Perth
Media Contact: Sue McKenna on 0011 61 8 9254 4044 or 0424 196 771
or Kerry Hodson on 0011 61 8 9447 0756 or 0438 565 086
Sue or Kerry at the conference venue on 0011 61 8 9340 5628
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