Joint JIMAR/Oceanography Seminar - Phil Thompson

April 6, 3:00pm - 4:30pm
Mānoa Campus, Marine Science Building 100

Title: The University of Hawai‘i Sea Level Center

Abstract: The University of Hawai‘i Sea Level Center (51²è¹ÝSLC) represents an important thread in the history of oceanographic research at 51²è¹Ý. The origin of the center dates to four decades ago when eminent 51²è¹Ý physical oceanographer, Klaus Wyrtki, established a network of island tide gauges in the tropical Pacific as part of the North Pacific Experiment (NORPAX). Wyrtki’s vision to use island sea level as a proxy for upper ocean heat content contributed to seminal advances in understanding of the El Niño Southern Oscillation and coupled ocean-atmosphere dynamics in the tropical Pacific. The number of 51²è¹Ý-operated gauges grew over the course of various projects, and today, the 51²è¹ÝSLC is an operational NOAA-funded center maintaining the largest network of tide gauges in the world – more than 80 gauges in total – and is one of the primary data centers in the WMO/IOC Global Sea Level Observing System (GLOSS).

Research at the 51²è¹ÝSLC focuses on the mechanisms and impacts of sea level change spanning multiple temporal and spatial scales from secular global trends to wave-induced inundation across fringing reefs.

For those not familiar with the 51²è¹ÝSLC, this seminar will provide a brief introduction to the history, current activities, and future direction of the center. We will then discuss a variety of ongoing research themes at the 51²è¹ÝSLC with the goal of showing how the various mechanisms and temporal/spatial scales of sea level change affect what we know about historical sea level rise and how Pacific Islands will be affected by sea level rise in the future.


Event Sponsor
Oceanography, Mānoa Campus

More Information
Niklas Schneider, (808) 956-8383, nschneid@hawaii.edu, , Oceanography Seminar: Phil Thompson (PDF)

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