Physical oceanographer

A physical oceanographer studies the ocean's motion and physical state, including ocean currents, waves, temperature, salinity and mixing. Observations and mathematical models connect local measurements with transport over much larger distances.

For example, temperature and salinity influence mass density, which affects stratification and buoyancy-driven motion. Interpreting a current therefore requires both fluid dynamics and the physical properties of seawater.

James F. Price is a physical oceanographer whose research addresses upper-ocean response to wind and heating, internal waves, and the interaction between hurricanes and the ocean. His institutional curriculum vitae lists studies of storm wakes, diurnal heating and cooling, and wind-driven currents.^[ref]

In Draining a Tank by James F. Price, experiments connect Torricelli's law to measured drainage through openings and outlet pipes. He compares observed flow with successive models incorporating surface tension and viscous drag, using dimensional analysis to organize the measurements. The study shows how apparently simple outflow can depart from an ideal-fluid law as the head decreases or the outlet geometry changes.^[ref]