Long-term Student Involvement in the GFD Lab
 
 

   Long-term research blends well with the teaching mission.  Projects from the graduate class frequently develop into thesis chapters and published papers.  Undergraduates have opportunities for work in the lab which can be associated with fellowships or part-time employment. Continuity of skills is greatly aided by keeping people around for extended time.
 
 

 
 
Convection in the Sea.  When cold winter winds blow over the  Labrador Sea, they make the surface waters dense.  The sinking motions seen here begin to rotate due to Coriolis forces, as they drill downward into the deep ocean. Such convection can reach 2 km beneath the surface, and produces major branches of the ocean circulation.  (Brian Scansen)
 
Internal waves.  Viewed from the side, these internal waves break like a silent surf on the sloping edges of the ocean.  They stir and mix the fluid there and drive horizontal circulations.  (Erika McPhee)      
                                                                                                                                          

                                                                                        
 
Convection beneath the sea-floor.  Bright fluorescent dye marks the upward streaming fluid in the hot hydrothermal regions just below the sea-bed.  These orderly yet chaotic convection cells drive more  turbulent motion in the cold seawater above.  (Abdellah Cherkaoui)


 
 
Particle motions in waves.  A time-exposure photograph shows the orbiting motions of fluid particles as internal waves pass by.  The pigtail shapes are typical of waves on a rotating Earth.  Mean circulation is induced by them.  (Brian Scansen)