Climate Change and the Mathematics of Sea Ice

Presented by Kenneth Golden

This lecture is part of the IPAM workshop "Flows and Networks in Complex Media" and is sponsored by IPAM, IoE, JIFRESSE, IGPP, UCLA Department of Mathematics, and the UCLA Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences.

Video of the public lecture can be seen online here. Real Audio player is required to see the video and can be downloaded here.

Time and Location:

Wednesday, April 29, 2009, 4:30 pm
LaKretz Room 110 (maps and directions)

Light refreshments outside the lecture hall starting at 4:00 PM
Reception in the IPAM building immediately following the lecture.

For more information about this lecture (including directions and parking) and the workshop, visit our website, or call (310) 825-4755.

Abstract:

Earth's sea ice packs are acute indicators as well as agents of climate change. They also serve as primary habitats for robust algal and bacterial communities which sustain life in the polar oceans. Fluid flow through porous sea ice mediates ice growth and melting, biomass build-up, and the reflection of solar radiation. We'll describe recent advances in using mathematics to understand such critical processes, and related electrical properties of sea ice important in monitoring its thickness. Video from a 2007 Antarctic expedition where we measured fluid and electrical transport in sea ice will be shown.

The Speaker:

Kenneth M. Golden’s scientific interests lie in composite materials, sea ice, and phase transitions. He has published 45 papers in mathematics, physics, geophysics, electrical engineering and mechanical engineering journals, and given over 200 invited research lectures on six continents, including two presentations in the US Congress. Dr. Golden has journeyed on five Antarctic and five Arctic expeditions to study sea ice. Dr. Golden received his Ph.D. in Mathematics at the Courant Institute of NYU in 1984. Prior to moving to Utah in 1991, he was an Assistant Professor of Mathematics at Princeton University, and a National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow at Rutgers University in mathematical physics. Professor Golden has received teaching awards from Princeton and the University of Utah. His research has been covered by the media in newspaper, magazine, and web articles, and he has been interviewed on both radio and television.

Contact Us:

Institute for Pure and Applied Mathematics (IPAM)
Attn: MRAWS3
460 Portola Plaza
Los Angeles CA 90095-7121
Phone: 310 825-4755
Fax: 310 825-4756
Email: mraws3@ipam.ucla.edu
Website: http://www.ipam.ucla.edu/programs/mraws3/