#8 Topic: Ocean Modelling
Lecturer: Marc Salzmann
Date: Monday, February 1, 2020 10:00 – 11:00 a.m.

The ocean is full of processes spanning a large range of temporal and spatial scales. Although many of the physical processes are described by a set of well-known equations (except of course the exact location of the two moon jellyfish disturbing the pycnocline in the top water layer of Gullmarn fjord, Sweden), limited computing power requires averaging these equations and consequently parameterizations of various sub-grid scale processes which according to one famous ocean modeler should at least “pass the ‘laugh test'”. After a brief introduction to the ocean highlighting only a few of its various major roles in the climate system, this presentation attempts to give a brief introduction to ocean modelling. Ocean models are a crucial component of climate models and they reproduce key features of the ocean circulation based solely on a set of equations and parameterizations. Notwithstanding, a few key issues that remain to be addressed will be highlighted. The crucial role of observations for ocean modelling efforts will become apparent.