Dr. Neil Balmforth
RESEARCH INTERESTS

Waves, Mixing, Tides And Convection:

In the ocean, mixing spans and unites a broad range of scales, from micrometers   to megameters, and plays a key role in maintaining the global balances of   heat and salinity and driving large-scale flow. Yet, despite its importance,   there is still a great deal of ignorance about how mixing occurs in the ocean.  One particular problem that connects modern oceanography with classical astronomy,  is how tidal dissipation occurs in the ocean. It was once thought that the  primary source of dissipation occurred in shallow seas (such as the Irish  sea), however, there is recent evidence to suggest that tidal dissipation  also occurs in the deep ocean through the action of the tide flowing over  topographic features on the ocean  floor. Another recently discussed issue is whether the solar heating of the ocean surface, being variable in latitude, can by itself drive large-scale ocean circulation. An old statement by Sandstrom claiming the negative is not based on watertight mathematical arguments. More recent work (Paparella and Young's "Anti-turbulence" theorem) has established limits on the form of the circulation, but not discounted it entirely, leaving open the form of this "horizontal convection".

Many of these problems were done in collaboration with Bill Young and Tom Peacock, and it would be rude not to mention Glenn Ierley.