Overturning Circulation in the Southern Ocean

The Southern Ocean is the place where wind-forced currents allow the deep ocean to connect to the surface, exchanging carbon dioxide and heat with the atmosphere.

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Mixing in flow between ocean basins

Underwater cascades carrying huge volumes of water are common in the oceans. They occur where water overflows from sea and ocean basins into neighbouring basins over bottom ridges, or through channels and straits.

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Rivers of lava

Thermal erosion of basaltic ground during the laminar flow of a basaltic lava has been observed on the Big Island of Hawaii, where flows about 1m deep have been observed to erode 5-15m into the underlying solidified basalt over several months to create deep lava tubes.

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Geophysical Fluid Dynamics (GFD)

The Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory carries out research on a variety of fluid flow problems, with complementary emphases on laboratory experiments and numerical modelling.

Student Research Projects:

The GFD group is currently offering Research Projects covering a range of topics. Projects are available at undergraduate, Honours or PhD level.

GFD Lab Photo Gallery:

The GFD Laboratory at RSES, ANU, is housed in a purpose-designed building. Facilities include a rotating table for studies of the effects of planetary rotation on fluid flows, a constant temperature room and extensive equipment for flow visualization and data acquisition.