Since there has been some incredible space exploration news in the last several days, it only seems fitting that I should remind all my readers that we should still be fascinated by ocean exploration too. The advances we are making in Space are wonderful, but we must simultaneously explore the oceans which are much closer to us, and also contain resources which stand to benefit mankind.
With climate change, polar ice caps are melting, and sea level is rising. This phenomenon will have a profound impact on life as we know it unless we learn more about how and why it is happening, and do something to stop it. One of the tools that can help us understand ice formations and sea levels is the satellite altimeter. A satellite generates and transmits a pulse onto the water surface, or the ice surface, and then receives a return. Onboard software computes, based on the time for the pulse to return, the sea level, or the altitude of the ice formation. By taking measurements over time, we can learn about trends in sea level, or trends in ice melting.
Satellite altimetry and recent findings based on analysis of altimetry are just some of the topics covered in the upcoming ATI course Applied Physical Oceanography. This two-day course covers the physical (emphasis on physics) concepts and some of the mathematical background of this exciting field of oceanography. It is designed as a primer for the professional who wants to learn more about the broad field of physical oceanography. There will be a strong emphasis on understanding the basic ocean processes.
ATI will be presenting a free promotional session highlighting this course on June 9 at 12:30. The full course will be presented in July 2023. During the promotional webinar, the instructor, Dr. David Porter, will present an overview of the course, and some interesting information about Applied Physical Oceanography. Please join us for the promotional webinar if you think you may want to take the course, but need additional information. Please join us for the promotional webinar even if you have no intention of taking the course; maybe we will change your mind.
More information on the Applied Physical Oceanography can be found here. At this site, you can register for the free promotional webinar, or the full course, or both.
We hope to see you in this class. And, we hope to see continued ocean exploration as well as space exploration.