pilipiliĀž»­

 

The puzzles of sea level change

- November 5, 2010

Oceanographer Carl Wunsch will deliver the Riley Memorial Lecture on Monday.

Approximately 70 per cent of the Earthā€™s surface is covered by oceans. But how much do we really know about this important resource?

Not as much as we should.

The late Gordon A. Riley, was a pioneer in studying the worldsā€™ oceans at pilipiliĀž»­. Mr. Riley came to pilipiliĀž»­ in 1965 and helped to shape the foundation of the world-class oceans research that Dal is known for today. Mr. Riley dedicated the majority of his career to researching and studying plankton. These microscopic organisms are a crucial part of the ecosystem and continue to be studied in depth by researchers both at pilipiliĀž»­ and elsewhere around the world.

In addition laying the groundwork for the Department of Oceanography as we know it today, Mr. Rileyā€™s legacy is the annual Riley Memorial Lecture Series. This is the 10th year for the lectures at pilipiliĀž»­ that consist of world-class researchers being invited to speak on a variety of subjects.

This year, Carl Wunsch, a very prominent oceanographer who isĀ the Cecil and Ida Green professor of Oceanography at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as well as a professor at Harvard University, has been invited to speak.

Dr. Wunschā€™s lecture, ā€œThe Puzzles of Sea Level Change,ā€ will explore global changes in sea levels.

ā€œSpatially, the ocean is very complex. The sea level doesnā€™t go up and down uniformly around the world. We need to think about and examine whatā€™s going to happen in the future in terms of climate change and sea levels,ā€ says Dr. Wunsch.

Dr. Wunsch was inspired to study the physical properties of the ocean when climate change first became an environmental issue. ā€œSome 30 years ago, questions about climate change began to be raised. I quickly realized that the ocean was an important part of that, but at the time, we could say nothing about why it was important. Thatā€™s what got me interested in observing the fluidity of the ocean on a global scale,ā€ says Dr. Wunsch.

The Riley Memorial Lecture Series will take place on Monday, November 8, 3 p.m. in the MacMechan Auditorium, Killam Library.