Aopp

The Atmospheric, Oceanic and Planetary Physics (AOPP) sub-department offers a number of D.Phil. places every year for students to take part it in the research work of the department. We do not offer any graduate Masters courses. The sub-department's research focuses on the study of physical processes in the atmospheres, surfaces and oceans of the E... arth and other planets, using experimental and theoretical techniques. We have approximately 80 members, including 13 permanent academic or research staff, about 30 post-doctoral researchers and about 30 graduate students. On the experimental side we develop space instruments for remote and in-situ sensing of the structure and composition of planetary atmospheres and surfaces. Several new space experiments are being planned or are under development, including Earth-orbiting instruments to investigate global change, and missions to Mars, Jupiter and Near-Earth objects. Extensive overseas and domestic collaborations are involved, with industrial and scientific centres in Europe and the USA. We have a large programme devoted to the analysis and interpretation of data from these instruments. AOPP is an important centre for theoretical atmospheric and oceanic modelling. We study the microphysical processes by which atmospheric aerosols and clouds influence climate, using advanced computer models in conjunction with a wide range of measurements. Our climate dynamics group studies the large-scale behaviour of the atmosphere-ocean system and its response to external drivers such as the increases in greenhouse gas levels responsible for anthropogenic climate change. The physical oceanography group investigates the global ocean circulation and the impact of the oceans on climate, with particular attention to the meridional overturning circulation, the development of a 'next-generation' ocean model and studies of fundamental oceanic processes. Other modelling of the Earth's atmosphere focuses on large-scale dynamical and chemical-transport processes relevant to climate, and on ...Read More