The ocean plays a critical role in Earth’s climate and is necessary to sustain life on our planet, yet we still have much to learn about how it is changing due to natural and anthropogenic forces. As physical oceanographers, we make new observations of the oceans and use physics, mathematics, computer models and statistics to better understand how the oceans work and make more accurate predictions of how they may change in the future. The Physical Oceanography Department at WHOI is home to nearly 150 scientists, technicians, engineers, students and administrative support staff who are addressing fundamental questions in fluid dynamics and applying knowledge on the ocean’s physical environment to help solve some of the most critical issues facing society today. Among the many diverse and inter-disciplinary topics being studied at WHOI are:

• heat and carbon storage and transport in the oceans
• sea level rise
• oceans and hurricanes
• the water cycle
• Arctic changes
• impact of ocean temperature variations on fisheries
• past climates
• autonomous vehicles and drifters for regional and global observations
• sustained measurement systems for long-term ocean and atmospheric monitoring
• new methods for observing oceans from space