By: Dyllan Furness, Director of Communications
For more than fifty years, Robert Weisberg has studied the movement of ocean waters. In a new book, , he explains the role of physics in the ocean, interactions between currents and other ocean processes, and how circulation can impact communities on land.
Weisberg, who was named a Distinguished University Professor in 2007 and emeritus professor in 2023, joined 无码专区 as a physical oceanographer in 1984, when the College of Marine Science was known as the Department of Marine Science. He launched the and led the development of cutting-edge models for ocean currents. Since then, those models have been used to , , determine the path of nutrient pollution following wastewater spills, and more.
We asked Weisberg, who , about his new book and why more people would benefit from understanding the physics of the ocean.
IMAGE ABOVE: Dr. Robert Weisberg, Distinguished University Professor.
Q: What inspired you to write this book about ocean physics and circulation?
A: After a career of publishing in refereed professional journals hardly read except for a few in the field of physical oceanography, I decided to write something for a broader audience. When most people think about the ocean, they envision pretty fish on coral reefs and other aspects of marine biology. But oceanography consists of a much broader set of topics generally ignored in popular literature or by broadcast media. Thus, a need existed to expose the public to other aspects of the ocean.
Q: Why should the average person care about the physics of the ocean?
A: Just about everything that we experience on Earth is dependent upon the movement of the ocean鈥檚 water. From the environment that we live in to the food that we eat, the ocean鈥檚 circulation is literally existential. The public should be aware of the role that the ocean plays in the world that they live in.
Q: Coastal communities are obviously connected to the ocean and movement of its water, but what about people who live further from the shore? What impacts do ocean physics have on inland communities?
A: Florida provides a prime example. Our economy is tourism and agriculture based. Tourism in Florida is largely ocean related. Snowbirds, for example, flock to the coast. Agriculture works because we have adequate rainfall, and the rain comes from the ocean.
Q: How does physical oceanography relate to other oceanography disciplines, such as biology, chemistry, and geology?
A: Organisms reside where conditions are suitable. Nutrients are either replete or deplete depending upon a trade-off between consumption and replenishment. The replenishment is largely by the ocean鈥檚 circulation. Except for the geological time scale changes in the Earth鈥檚 configuration and major episodic events, ecology, and related water chemistry begins with the ocean鈥檚 circulation.
Q: How has the study of physical oceanography changed since you began working in the field?
A: It remains a very youthful field of study in that substantive theoretical advancements occurred over the course of my career, and these advancements continue through the present time. There remains much to learn, especially regarding the nuances of climate variability. Technology advances also changed how we sample the ocean.
Q: What is a lesser-known fact about ocean circulation that people may not be aware of?
A: That is forms the underpinnings of climate and ecology and even determines to some degree just where we live.
Q: What is a significant problem in the study of ocean physics that has yet to be resolved?
A: There are different modes of interannual to multi-decadal to millennial climate variations that are determined by the coupling between the ocean and atmosphere, which we are just beginning to understand. For instance, the El Nino 鈥� Southern Oscillation did not have a mechanistic theory until the late 1980鈥檚; decadal variations in the Pacific Ocean did not have such theory until the mid-1990s. We did not even have an explanation for Benjamin Franklin鈥檚 Gulf Stream map until 1948, and thermocline theory did not appear until 1983. Problems to be solved abound, leaving this subject wide-open to the next generation of scientists.
Q: What guidance do you have for students interested in pursuing careers related to physical oceanography?
A: Oceanography is an applied science, and this goes for all oceanography disciplines. So, my advice to students is to get a very well-rounded basis in science at the undergraduate level through a science or engineering major. If there is an interest in ocean physics, then put added emphasis into physics while still maintaining a well-rounded set of courses. Of great importance for any quantitative science career is a strong grounding in mathematics. Three years of applied mathematics, inclusive of differential equations, vector calculus and linear algebra is recommended.