Waves and Ice: the far side of maths

Hosted by the School of Mathematical Sciences, physical oceanographer/ocean engineer Dr Alberto Alberello will recount his adventures on an icebreaker in the Southern Ocean and discuss how maths can be applied to untangle aspects of complex marginal ice zone dynamics.

Title: Waves and Ice: the far side of maths
Speaker: Dr Alberto Alberello

Abstract: Roaring Forties, Furious Fifties and Screaming Sixties are the folkloristic names for the belt of latitudes between 40° and 70° South where, uninterrupted by continental masses, strong winds blow over the Southern Ocean forming the fiercest waves on the planet. In winter, freezing temperatures promote the formation of sea-ice around Antarctica and its advance over this stormy Ocean. Waves and ice establish a strongly coupled dynamics in the so-called marginal ice zone, a region known to play a pivotal role in the global climate system by modulating heat, mass and momentum exchanges between the ocean and the atmosphere.

In this talk, I will recount my adventures on an icebreaker in the Southern Ocean during which I experienced first hand fierce waves and freezing temperatures. We will then see how maths has been applied to untangle aspects of the complex marginal ice zone dynamics.

Upcoming talks:

• 17/5, 3:10pm: Bronwyn Hajek (UniSA)
• 24/5, 2:10pm: Andrew Zammit Mangion (Wollongong)
• 7/6, 3:10pm: Ramiro Lafuente (UQ)
• 21/6, 3:10pm: Amie Albrecht (UniSA)