Science for the Public: Contemporary Science Issues and Innovations

January 10, 2023 Belmont Media Center, Belmont MA

Amala Mahadevan, Ph.D., Senior Scientist, Physical Oceanography, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

The relationship between atmosphere and oceans is a major factor in the dynamics of Earth’s climate. One of the most important regions for this interaction is the Bay of Bengal. Dr. Mahadevan, a leading researcher on this area, emphasizes that the Bay of Bengal impacts more of humanity than any other ocean area in the world. She explains how ocean-atmosphere dynamics create the monsoons that deliver freshwater to more than a third of the human population on this planet, and how, in turn, the freshwater deposited by the monsoons impacts the ocean’s structure and circulation.