Do oceanographers need computer skills?
Computers play an intense role in physical oceanography, giving us simulations of waves and circulation based on Newtonian dynamics. Ocean and atmosphere are coupled together in ‘climate models’ and ‘circulation models’; the computer models become the meeting point for observations, theory and prediction. It should be stressed, however, that unlike meteorologists, we are not so concerned with day-to-day prediction. Understanding of fundamental dynamic processes, mapping of the state of the ocean today, observing and modelling atmosphere/ocean interaction, and assessment of the health of oceanic ecosystems are more pressing goals than predicting the path of an ocean current. At the same time, approximate models of biological communities are being incorporated into computer models, as are the spreading and mixing of chemical tracers and the components of the carbon cycle.
