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Abstract:
The circulations of oceans and atmosphere present challenging problems
of applied mathematics, combined with much physics and even chemistry and
biology. Rossby wave theory provides a model for winds and currents.
These are largely horizontal movements of air or water, over scales of
hundreds to thousands of km. Weather systems, the Gulf Stream and even
violent storms and changing climate have Rossby-wave 'images'. The
general circulation itself is in many instances shaped by these waves.
A particular application, involving some interesting new instruments and
'vehicles' is to look at the interaction of the Arctic region with the
rest of the world. A combination of theory, computer- and laboratory
models, and field expeditions is now focusing on this region, where global
warming is most severe.
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