Trevor McDougall: What’s the ocean got to do with climate change?

The ocean provides essential services to humanity and the planet. Ocean currents move seawater, heat and dissolved gases from one ocean basin to another, and vertically from the sea surface to the abyss. These actions help the ocean mediate the impacts on the planet being warmed by the sun in the tropics and being cooled by outgoing radiation in the polar regions.      

But how and why does the ocean absorb heat in one place and deliver it to another?  

Emeritus Professor Trevor McDougall shares his insights and discoveries in ocean physics, including the ocean's critical role in climate regulation. Trevor, with a PhD predating the discovery of El Niño and widespread awareness of human-induced global heating, brings a wealth of experience to the discussion. 
 

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Emeritus Professor Trevor McDougall received the 2022 Prime Minister's Prize for Science for his discovery of four new ocean mixing processes and his work to define the thermodynamic properties of seawater. He recently retired after 11 years at the School of Mathematics and Statistics, UNSW Science.