Ocean Day 2012 overview

This document provides a summary of the talks, posters and discussions generated by the Ocean Day held at Imperial College on 18 April 2012. This event gathered more than a hundred academics from the main oceanographic centres in the UK. The range of topics addressed was enormous, despite solely addressing the physical aspects of the oceans.

Three broad ideas came nevertheless frequently throughout the day:

•  The two-way interactions between oceans and atmosphere are so prominent that it is difficult to study one fluid without the other.
• Progresses in observations and numerical modelling of the ocean over the last decade have increased our knowledge of how it behaves, but they raise even more questions as to how it works.
• The spatial and time scales accessible to numerical models of the oceans is truly fascinating, allowing the realistic study of its behaviour in present – day and in deep geological times.

Besides its scientific focus, the event also helped to raise the profile of Imperial College’s oceanographic research and in developing a sense of community for UK physical oceanographers.