The abyssal ocean: its dynamics and its role in climate

In this lecture I will review recent advances in our understanding of the role played by turbulence in setting the overall structure of the oceans. I will focus on the deep ocean, where the impact of turbulence is strongly modulated by the presence of topography. The presentation will start with some theoretical arguments followed up by results from a very recent field campaign. I will conclude by discussing the implications of these results for our understanding of the global ocean circulation and its role in the...

The Physics of High CAPE

Severe convective storms are a significant source of weather-related losses and injury, worldwide. Yet very little is known about what sets their climatology in the current climate, and why climate models generally indicate increased severe storm activity as the climate warms. In this talk, I will focus on one of the main ingredients in severe convective storms: Convective Available Potential Energy (CAPE). The global climatology of CAPE differs significantly from that of deep convection in general; for example, high CAPE values are quite rare over...

The Plants and Climate Reading Group meets biweekly to discuss papers spanning a range of topics, from plant physiology to land-...

Janet Hering, Director Emerita, Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, will give a talk as part of the Climate Science Series. Hosted by the Harvard University Center for the Environment. Co-sponsored by the EPS-ESE DIB Council. 

Open to the Harvard community. Lunch will be provided. Please RSVP here: https://www.addevent.com/event/Jq18802283.

ABSTRACT: Despite many arguments to increase the representation of women in academic...

‘Picking your path’ towards accessible and inclusive geoscience field education

Fieldwork is a critical aspect of geoscience education and there is now a substantive body of research-informed evidence to support its continued inclusion in the undergraduate geoscience curriculum. However, while the value of fieldwork for understanding the Earth and Earth processes is well established, fieldwork as an activity is not inclusive or accessible for all students. This is particularly true for students with disabilities who can encounter multiple barriers to participating in...

Forest Recovery from Hurricane Disturbances

Hurricanes are a major disturbance to tropical forests. We used census observations at Bisley Experimental Watersheds (BEW) in Puerto Rico to study the mortality after hurricane Hugo in 1989 and after hurricane Maria in 2017 and the subsequent recovery of the forest after hurricane Hugo between 1989 and 2014 (the last census before hurricane Maria). We found that hurricane-induced mortality varied with species/plant functional types (PFTs) and stem sizes. Specifically, palms had the lowest mortality, followed by mid and late...

Talk Title:  Advances in Global Hydrology based on GRACE Satellite Gravimetry

Abstract:  Two decades of GRACE (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment) satellite data have significantly advanced our understanding of global hydrology. GRACE satellites measure variations in Earth’s gravity which are controlled mostly by water storage changes, such as those related to...