Mathematics Awareness Month - April 2009

Ice Sheets and Sea Level Rise by David Holland New York University

Rainfall in the climate system: changes under global warming and challenges for climate modelers by J. David Neelin, Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences And Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics, University of California, Los Angeles

Uncertainty in Climate Predictions by Douglas Nychka, Director of the Institute for Mathematics Applied to Geosciences (IMAGe) and Senior Scientist in the Geophysical Statistics Project (GSP), National Center for Atmospheric Research Nychka talks about the statistics related to the climate, and about dealing with the uncertainty associated with climate models.

Tropical climate variability by David Neelin, Professor of Atmospheric and Oceanic Science, and Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics, University of California, Los Angeles Part 1: Tropical climate variability, especially El Niño. Part 2: The complexity of climate models

What individuals and governments can do to help mitigate climate change. by Jon Huntsman, Jr., Governor of Utah

Polar Land Ice by David Holland, Center for Atmosphere Ocean Science (CAOS), Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, New York University Part 1: Some of the basics of land ice. Part 2: In the second half, Holland speaks about the rapid disappearance of land ice in some areas, and the need for new math and science to analyze that disappearance.

How satellites monitor the climate. by Jay Zwally, Ice Cloud and Land Elevation Satellite (ICESat) Project Scientist, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

Global climate models by Inez Fung, Professor of Atmospheric Science and Co-Director of the Berkeley Institute of the Environment, University of California, Berkeley

Mathematics in Energy Production by Margot Gerritsen, Department of Energy Resources Engineering, Mechanical and Civil & Environmental Engineering by courtesy, Stanford University Part 1: Mathematics’ role in extracting fossil fuels. Part 2: Math’s use in alternative energies.

Hurricanes and Climate by Kerry A. Emanuel, Professor of Atmospheric Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Part 1: In the first part, Emanuel gives some background on hurricane forecasts and the impact of hurricanes on the climate. Part 2: In the second part, Emanuel continues on forecasting hurricanes and concludes with a call to young people to take up the research necessary to advance the field.

Chaotic Convection in a Toy Climate by Christopher M. Danforth, Mathematics & Statistics, University of Vermont

A Math Students Journey to Antarctica by Adam Gully, Department of Mathematics, University of Utah

Sea Ice in the Global Climate System by Kenneth M. Golden, Department of Mathematics, University of Utah; Elizabeth Hunke, Los Alamos National Laboratory; Cecilia Bitz, Department of Atmospheric Sciences, University of Washington; and Marika Holland, National Center for Atmospheric Research Part 1: The basics and significance of sea ice. Part 2: The challenges in sea ice research. Part 3: Some of Ken’s adventures doing sea ice research in the Arctic and Antarctic. Part 4: Ken concludes talking about involving undergraduates in sea ice research and the connection between his research and modeling bone porosity and air flow through lungs.

An Arctic Adventure for an Undergraduate Math Student by Megan Morris, Department of Mathematics, University of Utah