Weather, Ocean, and Climate

This presentation will focus on how the atmosphere and ocean work together to produce the Earth’s weather and climate systems. The global air-ocean circulation is an enormous heat engine, which regulates the climate by moving incredible amounts of heat from the tropics to the polar regions. It produces a wide range of weather patterns triggering events such as tropical cyclones, El Niño, and the Gulf Stream. The role of the heat engine in the Earth’s climate system and the causes of climate change will be explained, including the role of the ocean in understanding and monitoring climate change. The large-scale consequences of climate change as well as local impacts will be discussed.

Peter Ranelli, Ph.D., has more than 40 years of experience in oceanography and meteorology. He completed a 25-year career in the U.S. Navy, specializing in operational oceanography and meteorology, retiring with the rank of captain. He has extensive experience in underwater systems including autonomous robotic vehicles, underwater acoustics as applied to anti-submarine warfare and communications, physical oceanography and meteorology, oceanographic instrumentation and operational environmental support. He served as the battle group oceanographer for the USS New Jersey (BB-62), the fleet oceanographer for the U.S. Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean Sea and deputy director of ocean and atmospheric sciences at the Naval Research Laboratory. After leaving the Navy, he was the head of applied research at the NATO Undersea Research Centre in Italy. Peter has a master’s degree with distinction in meteorology and oceanography from the Naval Postgraduate School and was awarded a secretary of the Navy fellowship to earn a Ph.D. in oceanography from Dartmouth College.