Interview Question 6
with Dr. Thomas Rossby

6. What has most surprised you about studying ocean currents?

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Question 6 transcript:
"What has been most surprising maybe, or at least a striking aspect to what we have learned in our work is related to what I said earlier about the 'Meddy', and that is how structured the ocean can be at times. The 'Meddies' (i.e. the think lenses-See Question 3), that I mentioned already are very discrete features; we now know that they exist perhaps in all oceans. We have seen them in the Sargasso Sea. We know people who have seen them in the Pacific. We see them in large numbers in the Northern North Atlantic say, in the Iceland Basin or South of Greenland. So, these are highly structured features that sit within the general, within the ocean. So, its not just some kind of a turbulent system, they are highly, very modified systems. The Gulf Stream clearly is another system, which is highly structured and coherent. It is quite astonishing to find out how stiff the Gulf Stream is in width as it meanders going down stream from Cape Hatteras, its width is extremely inelastic. There may be water going in and out to the sides but it is extraordinarily stiff to the side. That's another example. A third example might be the rolling, bathymetry or shape of the ocean bottom in shaping where the waters are allowed to go. That might seem kind of obvious in terms of a sloping continental boundary. You don't go in and out so easily as you do along the boundary, but even the Mid-Atlantic Ridge has a very noticeable influence on how waters cross the ocean."

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Interview Questions:
  1. How did you first become interested in science?
  2. What is the focus of your research and why did you choose this field of study?
  3. What have been some recent discoveries in the study of ocean currents?
  4. How do you use acoustics to study ocean currents?
  5. What challenges have you faced in studying ocean currents?
  6. What has most surprised you about studying ocean currents?
  7. What skills are important in your area of research?
  8. What are the opportunities in the study of ocean currents? Can people with out PhDs participate in some way in this type of research?
  9. What is the greatest impact/relevance of your research?
  10. What continues to inspire you about your work?
  11. What advice would you give a high school student who expressed an interst in pursuing a career in your field?

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