The ocean is critical to the vitality of our planet. It regulates the climate, produces over half the oxygen we breathe, and sustains life on Earth. This World Ocean Day AMS recognizes the critical role the ocean has in our everyday lives and the people in our community that seek a deeper understanding of the Earth’s primary climate regulator.
Under the auspices of the AMS Scientific and Technological Activities Commission, commonly referred to as STAC, there are seven committees that have a focus on the ocean:
- The Committee on Air–Sea Interaction promotes the exchange and archiving of knowledge in air–sea interaction.
- The focus of the Committee on Atmospheric and Oceanic Fluid Dynamics is on understanding the physical processes that govern the ocean and atmosphere, from wave-mean flow interactions and mesoscale ocean dynamics to polar processes and tropical circulation.
- The Committee on Coastal Environment fosters a robust community of professionals, including academic, government, industry, and nonprofit organizations, to solve fundamental, applied, and interdisciplinary scientific questions on coastal processes.
- The Committee on Meteorology and Oceanography of the Southern Hemisphere stimulates scientific dialogue and advances the understanding of the weather, climate, and unique ocean-dominated systems south of the Equator.
- The Committee on Polar Meteorology and Oceanography brings together the polar atmosphere, snow and ice covers, polar oceans, and the atmosphere’s interface with the ocean/land surface to examine how they impact the weather and climate of the polar regions.
- The Committee on Satellite Meteorology, Oceanography, and Climatology promotes scientific discussion and professional activity regarding new concepts, research, regular operations, and practical application of satellite measurements to meteorological, oceanographic, and climatological problems.
- The Committee on Tropical Meteorology and Tropical Cyclones encourages research activities in problems of the tropical atmosphere and its relationships to other parts of the atmosphere–ocean–Earth system.
A myriad of ocean-themed research can be found on AMS Journals Online, with primary sources being the Journal of Physical Oceanography, the Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology, and the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society.
The AMS thanks each member, past and present, of these committees and journal editorial boards. Their affinity for the ocean and desire to understand its complexities help make our world a better place.
And for a deep dive into the study of the ocean, from the mystery of the ocean floor to the tides crashing onto the shoreline, the AMS Education Program released the sixth edition of Introduction to Ocean Sciences. This book provides the physical, chemical, geological, and biological foundations for understanding Earth’s ocean. Special emphasis is given to the flow and transformation of water and energy into and out of the ocean, the physical and chemical properties of ocean water, ocean circulation, marine life and habitats, interactions between the ocean and the other components of the Earth system (i.e., hydrosphere, atmosphere, lithosphere, and biosphere), and the human and societal impacts on and responses to those interactions.
