Tropical Ocean-Atmosphere Interactions: The Past, The Present and the Future: A Symposium Honoring George Philander and His Work; Princeton, New Jersey; September 6-7, 2012

Princeton University, Princeton NJ

Investigators

Abstract

This award is towards support of a two-day symposium to celebrate the contributions of George Philander. The following five key questions will be addressed at the meeting: (i) What is the relative importance of the thermohaline and wind-driven components of the oceanic circulation to the Earth's climate? (ii) Do conditions in polar regions determine conditions in the tropics, or vice versa? (iii) How can records of recurrent Ice Ages be used to develop testable hypotheses for climate models? (iv) What tests can records of recurrent Ice Age provide for climate models? (v) Why is global warming so polarizing? A key goal of the symposium is to engage a younger generation of scientists in scientific discussion that crosses disciplinary boundaries. NSF funding will cover participant travel costs including support for young scientists to attend the symposium.