Professor Christopher K.R.T. Jones — Recipient of the 2020 MPE Prize
Professor Chris Jones is the Bill Guthridge Distinguished Professor in Mathematics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Director of the Mathematics and Climate Research Network (MCRN). The 2020 MPE Prize recognizes Professor Jones for his many significant contributions to climate science and the mathematics of planet Earth.
Category Archives: Mathematics
Numerical Weather Prediction – A Real-Life Application at the Intersection of Mathematics and Meteorology
In the daily operation of weather forecasts, powerful supercomputers are used to predict the weather by solving mathematical equations that model the atmosphere and oceans. Continue reading
Posted in Mathematics, Weather
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Mathematical Models Enhance Current Therapies for Coronary Heart Disease
Coronary heart disease accounts for 18% of deaths in the United States every year. The disease results from a blockage of one or more arteries that supply blood to the heart muscle. This occurs as a result of a complex inflammatory condition called artherosclerosis, which leads to progressive buildup of fatty plaque near the surface of the arterial wall. Continue reading
Posted in Biomedicine, Mathematics
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Sustainable Development and Utilization of Mineral Resources
The sustainable development and utilization of mineral resources and reserves is an area of critical importance to society given the fast growth and demand of new emerging economies and environmental and social concerns. Continue reading
Posted in Optimization, Resource Management
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SIAM Conference — Analysis of Partial Differential Equations
SIAM’s final conference in the year of “Mathematics of Planet Earth” covers the analysis of partial differential equations. Continue reading
Posted in Conference Announcement, Mathematics
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Life on the Edge – Mathematical Insights Yield Better Solar Cells
Last Tuesday I had the pleasure of attending the Third Annual Mitacs Awards ceremony in Ottawa. These awards recognize the outstanding R&D innovation achievements of the interns supported by the various Mitacs programs—Accelerate, Elevate and Globalink. This year, I was particularly inspired by the story of the winner of the undergraduate award category. Continue reading
Posted in Mathematics, Renewable Energy
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Ocean Plankton and Ordinary Differential Equations
As applied mathematicians we love differential equations. So, if you are looking for an interesting set of ordinary differential equations (ODEs) with relevance for Planet Earth, you might take a look at the so-called NPZ model of biogeochemistry. Continue reading
Posted in Biogeochemistry, Dynamical Systems
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Integrating Renewable Energy Sources into the Power Grid
Reliable power system operation requires the continuous balance of supply and demand at every moment in time. However, large-scale integration of variable generations such as solar and wind can significantly alter the dynamics in a grid because wind and solar resources are intermittent. Continue reading
Posted in Optimization, Renewable Energy
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Understanding the Big Bang Singularity
If you want to understand the planet Earth, then why not go back to the beginning of the Universe? The big bang is an event that we do not understand. It is thought to have happened about 13.75 billion years ago. What occurred, as we understand it, is mind blowing. Continue reading
Posted in Astrophysics, Dynamical Systems
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“Mathematics and Climate” — A New Text
Today, allow me to indulge in a bit of self-promotion on the occasion of the publication by the Society of Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) of a new textbook, “Mathematics and Climate,” co-authored by your friendly MPE Blogmaster, Hans Kaper, and my colleague, Hans Engler, at Georgetown University. Continue reading
Posted in Climate Modeling, Mathematics, Statistics
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Contagious Behavior
There has been some press coverage of an article that appeared in the October 4, 2013 issue of Science called “Social Factors in Epidemiology” by Chris Bauch and Alison Galvani. The article highlights how social factors and social responses are intertwined in biological systems. Continue reading
Mathematics and Conflict Resolution
The November issue of the AMS Notices has an intriguing article about the use of mathematics to help solve the Middle East Conflict. Continue reading
Posted in Mathematics, Political Systems, Social Systems
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Mathematical Modeling and Leukemia
A group of mathematicians, biologists and hematologists from Romania is developing new mathematical models of leukemia, with the goal to help the medical community better understand the disease and develop adequate treatment routines. Since for a certain patient, the evolution of the disease strongly depends on the features of his/her disease (or on specific parameters – mathematically speaking), these treatment strategies should be adapted to the patient characteristics. Continue reading
Posted in Disease Modeling, Dynamical Systems
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Mathematics of Another Sphere
From October 9 – 13. 2013 many of the AIM staff were volunteering at a golf tournament, the Frys.com open. This is a PGA tour event and is a benefit to many charities including AIM. One of the days was designated AIM day to highlight the activities at AIM and one of the things the tournament directors asked us to do was make up a math+golf related quiz. Continue reading
Mathematics and Climate Research Network
The “Mathematics and Climate Research Network” (http://www.mathclimate.org/, MCRN) held its annual meeting, October 7-12 in North Carolina.
The MCRN is a virtual organization. It brings together leading researchers across the US to study the mathematics that underlies climate science. Research is done collaboratively in focus groups over the Internet, and researchers get together once a year at the annual meeting to explore new ideas and set the agenda for upcoming activities. Continue reading
Posted in Climate, Mathematics, Workshop Report
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Two Books on Climate Modeling
I am normally a great fan of book reviews, but one which covered a book on a climate caught my attention. I was troubled with the review that appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer because of the way it treated climate science in general and modeling in particular. Continue reading
Posted in Climate Modeling, Mathematics
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Thinking of Trees
It is October. Very soon the inspiring canvas of the Fall foliage will be gone and we will raise our eyes once in a while to enjoy an unexplained beauty of the branched architecture of the naked trees. Yet, there might be more than a shear aesthetic pleasure in those views and this is what today’s blog is about. Continue reading
Posted in Dynamical Systems, Mathematics, Patterns
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How Applied Mathematics Can Help Money Grow on Trees
A Berkeley graduate student, George Dantzig, was late for class. He scribbled down two problems from the blackboard and handed in solutions a few days later. But the problems on the board were not homework assignments; they were two famous unsolved problems in statistics. The solutions earned Dantzig his PhD. Continue reading
Posted in Finance, Optimization, Resource Management
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Budget Chicken
More and more the political wrangling over the government shutdown (and the looming debt ceiling) is described as a game of “Chicken,” Continue reading
Posted in Mathematics, Political Systems
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SIAM Conference on the Analysis of PDEs
Mathematics has always responded to demands of applications, even as mathematics continued to develop its own internal structures. One need only look back to the mid-twentieth century to see the mathematics spawned by demands of the military needs of the time. Today we see a tremendous growth in applied mathematics related to biology and medicine. Continue reading
Posted in Biology, Conference Announcement, Mathematics
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Deriving the Navier-Stokes Equations from Molecular Dynamics: A Case Study for Dimension Reduction
In today’s blog, I will go into one of the issues in mathematical ecology mentioned in yesterday’s blog reporting on the MBI workshop on “Sustainability and Complex Systems.” The issue came up in the discussion sessions, where the question was asked how one could apply dimension-reduction techniques to individual-based models (IBMs) and derive more manageable descriptions of ecological systems. Continue reading
Posted in Dimension Reduction, Ecology, Mathematics
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Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN)
Earlier this year, President Obama announced a major federal research initiative dubbed the “brain initiative.” According to the initial announcement, its goal was to develop and use imaging techniques to better understand neural processes and brain function. Continue reading
Posted in Biology, Dynamical Systems, Patterns
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ICMS Workshop: Early Warning Signs of Tipping
In a previous post, Kaitlin gave a great overview of the recent ICMS Tipping Points workshop. Today we will continue that conversation with a detailed look at efforts to understand and detect early warning signs of tipping. Continue reading
Posted in Complex Systems, Mathematics, Tipping Phenomena
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Math for Weather, Bacteria, Aircraft
Interested in the role of mathematics in predicting the weather or how bacteria adapt or designing aircraft? Continue reading
Posted in Biology, Mathematics, Weather
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Probability Measures and Vortex Dynamics
On March 18, 1999, a small aircraft crashed near St. Louis, and the ensuing FAA investigation concluded that the crash was caused by wake turbulence from a helicopter that had just landed ahead of the plane. Continue reading
Posted in Mathematics
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The Mathematics Behind Biological Invasions
Invasive species are a big deal today. One need only do a simple Google search and see all the exotic species that are hitching a ride on container cargo to find a niche on a new continent. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has a web site devoted to invasive species; the U.S. National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Agency (NOAA) also has a web site on this topic. Continue reading
Posted in Biodiversity, Ecology, Mathematics
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Microlocal Analysis and Imaging
Modern society is increasingly dependent on imaging technology. Medical imaging has become a vital part of healthcare, with X-ray tomography, MRI, and ultrasound being used daily for diagnostics and treatment monitoring of various diseases; meteorological radar predicts weather, sonar scanners produce sea-floor maps, and seismometers aid in geophysical exploration. Continue reading
Posted in Imaging, Mathematics
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Ocean Acidification and Phytoplankton
The health of the world’s oceans has been in the news a lot over the last few months. Recent reports suggest that the oceans are absorbing carbon dioxide at unprecedented rates. The ocean is the dominant player in the global carbon cycle, and the sequestering of more carbon dioxide, a major greenhouse gas, sounds like a good thing. However, researchers have measured significant increases in ocean acidity, and they worry this will have a negative impact on marine life, especially phytoplankton. Continue reading
Posted in Biosphere, Inverse Problems, Ocean
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How Vegetation Competes for Rainfall in Dry Regions
The greater the plant density in a given area, the greater the amount of rainwater that seeps into the ground. This is due to a higher presence of dense roots and organic matter in the soil. Since water is a limited resource in many dry ecosystems, such as semi-arid environments and semi-deserts, there is a benefit to vegetation to adapt by forming closer networks with little space between plants. Continue reading
Posted in Biosphere, Mathematics, Patterns
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The Unreasonable Effectiveness of Collective Animal Behavior
Observing collective phenomena such as the movement of a flock of birds, a school of fish, or a migrating population of ungulates is a source of fascination because of the mystery behind the spontaneous formation of the aggregating behavior and the apparent cohesiveness of the movements. However, they can also be the cause of a major environmental and social problem when one thinks, for example, of the flight of a swarm of voracious locusts ravaging crops in various parts of the world and putting many communities under severe stress. Continue reading
Posted in Biosphere, Mathematics, Patterns
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A Feast of Celestial Mechanics
While I am a pure mathematician working in dynamical systems, I have always been fascinated by the mathematics of the N-body problem and its applications to celestial mechanics in general, and to the Solar system in particular. Continue reading
Biodiversity at SIAM Annual Meeting
Biodiversity is a major concern today, with species vanishing at a high rate. Nations have launched efforts to preserve species by designating preserves or wilderness areas. Investments of money and resources are needed to establish and maintain such preserves. How does a nation or organization decide how to invest its funds and resources in order to maximize the goals of species preservation? Continue reading
Posted in Biodiversity, Conference Report, Mathematics
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Patterns on Earth
A recurrent idea in science is that the loss of stability of an equilibrium position through diffusion can lead to the creation of patterns. The idea goes back to Turing in his famous 1952 paper “On the chemical basis of morphogenesis,” which proposes a model for morphogenesis through chemical reaction-diffusion. Continue reading
Posted in Biosphere, Mathematics, Patterns
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Gaussian Beams
What do bats and oil companies have in common? Both use active sensing methods (echolocation) in pursuit of their objectives—dinner or oil reserves. Recently, the method of Gaussian beams has become a promising alternative for asymptotic solutions to the wave equations in place of the traditional methods based on geometric optics for finding approximate short-time solutions. Continue reading
Posted in Energy, Imaging, Mathematics
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Systemic Risk in Complex Systems
Ten years ago today (8/14/2003), the northeastern U.S. suffered the worst blackout in U.S. history, when about 15 million people lost power. The massive loss of power was attributed to a small event that cascaded through the complex power distribution system. Continue reading
Posted in Complex Systems, Mathematics, Networks, Risk Analysis, Statistics
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Seeing the Earth from Above
The IMA is offering a workshop, “Imaging in Geospatial Applications” from September 23 to 26, 2013. Continue reading
Drawing Conformal Maps of the Earth
It has been known since Gauss that it is not possible to draw maps of the Earth that preserve ratios of distances. Continue reading
Posted in Mathematics
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Mathematics and Sustainability – A Trio of Autumn Workshops
In support of worldwide MPE2013 efforts, NSF’s Mathematical Biosciences Institute (MBI) at Ohio State University is hosting three autumn workshops aimed at the interface of mathematics and the science of sustainability. Continue reading
What Does Altitude Mean?
If we take a simple model of the surface of the Earth to be a sphere of radius $R$, then the altitude of a point is its distance to the center of the Earth minus $R$. But we know that the surface of the Earth is not exactly a sphere Continue reading
Posted in Geophysics, Mathematics
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Talking Across Fields
The AIM workshop on exponential random network models was an experiment, bringing together people in applied social sciences, biologists, statisticians, and mathematicians who are interested in the emerging field of graph limit theory. Continue reading
Predicting the Unpredictable – Human Behaviors and Beyond
No matter how surprising, outlandish, or even impossible it may seem, one of the next challenges of modern applied mathematics is the modeling of human behaviors. Continue reading
Posted in Mathematics, Social Systems
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SIAM Annual Meeting – I.E. Block Community Lecture
MPE2013 features a wealth of public lectures to highlight the year of Mathematics of Planet Earth. There is also a public lecture (the I.E. Block Community Lecture) associated with the SIAM Annual Meeting, and the topic of lecture this year follows an MPE theme. Continue reading
Posted in Biology, Mathematics, Public Event
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KAM Theory and Celestial Mechanics
Is the Earth’s orbit stable? Will the Moon always point the same face to our planet? Will some asteroid collide with the Earth? Continue reading
Posted in Astrophysics, Mathematics
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The Mystery of Vegetation Patterns
Vegetation patterns are a mysterious phenomenon that we can think about in the same way as patterns that form in many other contexts. What’s more, they may have importance that transcends their beauty. Continue reading
Posted in Biosphere, Mathematics, Patterns
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DIMACS/CCICADA Collaboration on REU and Other Sustainability Projects
The Center for Discrete Mathematics and Theoretical Computer Science (DIMACS) and the Command Control Interoperability Center for Advanced Data Analysis (CCICADA), both based at Rutgers University, have collaborated on some recent activities to enhance the summer experience for several undergraduate students participating in the DIMACS/CCICADA Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program. DIMACS and CCICADA recently co-hosted a workshop on Science and Technology Innovations in Hurricane Sandy Research. Continue reading
Posted in Astrophysics, Atmosphere, Biodiversity, Biogeochemistry, Biology, Biosphere, Carbon Cycle, Climate, Climate Change, Climate Modeling, Climate System, Complex Systems, Computational Science, Conference, Conference Announcement, Conference Report, Cryosphere, Data, Data Assimilation, Data Visualization, Dimension Reduction, Disease Modeling, Dynamical Systems, Ecology, Economics, Energy, Epidemiology, Evolution, Extreme Events, Finance, General, Geophysics, Imaging, Inverse Problems, Machine Learning, Mathematics, Meteorology, Natural Disasters, Networks, Ocean, Optimization, Paleoclimate, Patterns, Political Systems, Probability, Public Event, Public Health, Renewable Energy, Resource Management, Risk Analysis, Social Systems, Statistics, Sustainability, Sustainable Development, Tipping Phenomena, Transportation, Uncertainty Quantification, Weather, Workshop Announcement, Workshop Report
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Königsberg’s bridges, Holland’s dikes, and Wall Street’s downfall
As a large crowd gathered at CRM on Friday evening, May 10, to hear Paul Embrechts, Professor of Mathematics at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zürich (ETHZ), everyone was wondering how he would connect “Königsberg’s bridges, Holland’s dikes, and Wall Street’s downfall.” Continue reading
Posted in Mathematics, Risk Analysis, Statistics
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Blog on Math Blogs
Today’s blog is a short blog about a “Blog on Math Blogs.” Continue reading
Posted in General, Mathematics, Statistics
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The Realities and the Potential of LED Lighting
When I was at the hardware store the other day buying a replacement for a burnt out light bulb I saw the array of LED bulb options. Continue reading
Posted in Energy, Mathematics
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The Sphere of the Earth at the National Museum of Natural History and Science of Lisbon
The National Museum of Natural History and Science of the University of Lisbon, Portugal, has added several new and significant displays to the exhibition “Forms and Formulas” in the framework of the Portuguese activities for MPE2013. Highlight is the winning entry of the MPE2013 competition, “The Sphere of the Earth,” an interactive module created by Daniel Ramos (Spain). Continue reading
Posted in Mathematics, Public Event
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Random Networks and the Spread of HIV
Martina Morris, a Professor of Sociology and Statistics at the University of Washington, studies the transmission of sexually transmitted diseases like HIV using network analysis. Continue reading
Posted in Epidemiology, Mathematics, Public Health
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Earth’s Climate at the Age of the Dinosaurs
Is it possible to compute the past climate of the Earth at the time of dinosaurs? Continue reading
Posted in Astrophysics, Mathematics, Paleoclimate
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Modeling the Progression and Propagation of Infectious Diseases
Two recent articles, written for a general audience, provide examples from the applied mathematics literature that show how mathematics is used to model and understand the progression and propagation of certain kinds of infections. Continue reading
Posted in Disease Modeling, Mathematics
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INdAM Workshop “Mathematical Models and Methods for Planet Earth”
The workshop “Mathematical Models and Methods for Planet Earth,” organized by the Italian National Institute for Advanced Mathematics (INdAM) under the auspices of MPE2013 in Rome, May 27-29, finished a few days ago. Continue reading
Posted in Conference Report, Mathematics
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The Mathematics Behind Biological Invasions — An MPE Event
The Pacific Institute for the Mathematical Sciences (PIMS) is organizing a Mathematical Biology Summer School at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada, May 27-June 14, 2013, on “The Mathematics Behind Biological Invasions.”
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Posted in Ecology, Mathematics, Workshop Announcement
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MPE-Related News Items
Several articles in the past few weeks have caught my attention. Continue reading
SIAM Conference on Applications of Dynamical Systems, Snowbird, May 19-23
The SIAM Activity Group on Dynamical Systems (SIAG/DS) held its biennial meeting (DS13) at the Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort in Snowbird, Utah, May 19-23, 2013. Continue reading
Posted in Climate, Conference Report, Mathematics
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INdAM Workshop — “Mathematical models and methods for Planet Earth”
The Italian National Institute of Advanced Mathematics (INdAM) is organizing a Workshop “Mathematical models and methods for Planet Earth” in Rome, Italy, on May 27-29, 2013. Continue reading
Posted in Mathematics, Workshop Announcement
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Using Mathematics to Understand, Detect, and Predict Biological Events in Our Water Systems
In coastal ocean, estuary, and lake systems, there is much interest in understanding, detecting, and predicting biological events. Continue reading
Posted in Biology, Data Assimilation, Mathematics
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Neglected Tropical Diseases — and how mathematics can help
“Neglected Tropical Diseases” isn’t just a generic title for all the forgotten diseases in the world; it’s a specific designation on behalf of the World Health Organization for 13 particular diseases that qualify for neglected status. Collectively, these diseases infect about one sixth of the world’s population. Continue reading
Posted in Disease Modeling, Mathematics, Public Health
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Report: The Mathematical Sciences in 2025
The full report on The Mathematical Sciences in 2025 from the National Academies Press is now available for download. Continue reading
Posted in General, Mathematics, Statistics
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AIM Workshop: Nonhomogeneous boundary-value problems for nonlinear waves
This week at AIM features a MPE related workshop concerned with boundary-value problems for nonlinear dispersive evolution equations and systems. The workshop has participants with diverse interests in both the pure and applied aspects of such problems. Continue reading
Posted in Mathematics, Workshop Report
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2013 SIAM Conference on Applications of Dynamical Systems
The 2013 SIAM Conference on Applications of Dynamical Systems (DS13) will be held at the Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort, Snowbird, Utah, May 19-23. Continue reading
Posted in Climate, Conference Announcement, Energy, Mathematics, Sustainability, Weather
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Low Fuel Spacecraft Trajectories to the Moon
There is widespread interest in finding and designing spacecraft trajectories to the Moon, Mars, other planets, or other celestial bodies (comets, asteroids), which require as little fuel as possible. Continue reading
Discontinuous Pressure in Coupled Flows
Pressure is an important property of fluid flow, and it is known that the pressure changes continuously in the fluid domain. In the coupling of flows of different nature, however, the situation can be more complicated and discontinuities may appear in the pressure field. Continue reading
Posted in Geophysics, Mathematics
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Guinea Worms, the Carter Center, and Mathematics
A couple of weeks ago I saw former president Jimmy Carter on the Daily Show. The story he told Jon Stewart was nothing short of amazing. Continue reading
Posted in General, Mathematics, Public Health
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Fields Institute — Focus Program on Commodities, Energy, and Environmental Finance
Commodities and energy markets continue to grow in activity and influence. Because of the growing concern about environmental issues inherent to the production and consumption of energy, quantitative insights into these marketplaces are crucial for sustainable development and policy making with respect to climate change. Continue reading
Finding a Sensible Balance for Natural Hazard Mitigation with Mathematical Models
Uncertainty issues are paramount in the assessment of risks posed by natural hazards and in developing strategies to alleviate their consequences. In a paper published last month in the SIAM/ASA Journal on Uncertainty Quantification, Jerome and Seth Stein describe a model that estimates the balance between costs and benefits of mitigation following natural disasters, as well as rebuilding defenses in their aftermath. Continue reading
More about E.O. Wilson’s Story “Great Scientist > Good at Math”
Today’s blog is an update on a story that was in the news earlier and also some comments on a recent article in the New York Review of Books. (See the blog of 4.11.2013.)
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Posted in Biology, Evolution, General, Mathematics
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ICERM IdeaLab on Tipping Points, July 15-19, 2013
Climate tipping points refer to sudden rapid transitions of the Earth’s climate that are precipitated by initially small changes of the natural environment. For instance, tipping points could correspond to the activation of positive feedback loops that then lead to a major change in the climate. Continue reading
Posted in Climate, Mathematics, Workshop Announcement
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Flow through heterogeneous porous rocks: What average is the correct average?
How fast does water flow through sand or soil? Maybe not so fast, but everyone has seen water soak into beach sand and garden soils. Most people have also noticed a concrete sidewalk soaking up a little water as rain begins to come down. But how fast does water flow through a rock? Continue reading
Posted in Geophysics, Mathematics
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SIAM Conference “Applications of Dynamical Systems” and MPE2013
The Earth is a giant dynamical system that evolves over time at various scales, depending on the state(s) of interest. Therefore, it is not surprising that a conference on applied dynamical systems would feature topics central to Mathematics of Planet Earth 2013. Continue reading
Posted in Climate, Conference Announcement, Mathematics
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“Sustainability Improves Student Learning (SISL) in STEM”
How precarious is the existence of the Monarch butterfly? Does personal diet affect the environment? What are the consequences of increased human life expectancy? Continue reading
Posted in General, Mathematics, Sustainability, Workshop Report
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Raspberry Fields Forever (cont’d)
Our team had begun our initial work on what we call the “berry problem”, and I was able to describe our efforts to help stakeholders in the Pajaro Valley region in California balance water needs among competing interests. Continue reading
The Mathematics behind Green Buildings
Most buildings more than 20 years old are energy “hogs.” They take a lot of energy to heat in the winter, and they take a lot of energy to cool in the summer. The benefits of saving energy in buildings are enormous. Continue reading
Posted in Energy, Mathematics
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Mathematical Modeling of Alternative Energy Systems: An Example of How Academic Mathematicians Can Contribute to the World
Hydrogen fuel cells are of interest as an alternative energy technology. They are electrochemical systems that combine hydrogen and oxygen (from air) to produce electrical energy. They have potential for use in many applications, including automotive, stationary power and small-scale power for mobile electronics. Continue reading
Posted in Energy, Mathematics
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Improving Algorithms in Climate Codes
Climate science relies on modeling and computational simulation. Improving the algorithms and codes related to climate modeling is an ongoing research effort. Continue reading
Posted in Climate Modeling, Mathematics
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Why is celestial mechanics part of MPE2013?
Since the beginning of MPE2013, I have met people who were surprised when I classified celestial mechanics as a topic that would fit under Mathematics of Planet Earth. But part of celestial mechanics is concerned with planetary motion, and Earth is a planet. Continue reading
Posted in Astrophysics, General, Mathematics
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Raspberry Fields Forever
In January of 2011, AIM held a Sustainability Problems workshop, with the goal of bringing together mathematicians and industry representatives to work on a variety of sustainability problems, including renewable energy, air quality, water management, and other environmental issues. Continue reading
Math-to-Bio? Yes, but also Bio-to-Math!
An exciting aspect of the relationship between mathematics and biology is the potential — the expectation even — that biology will provide the impetus for new mathematics, and that the feedback loop between mathematics and biology will be at least as influential and exciting as the one mathematics and physics has enjoyed for over 2000 years.
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Posted in Biology, General, Mathematics
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Mathematicians listen as the Earth rumbles…
“Mathematicians listen as the Earth rumbles… ” was the title of the fourth MPE Simons Lecture given by Ingrid Daubechies in Montreal on April 10. Her splendid lecture was delivered in French, but both English and French videos of the lecture will be on display soon on the Simons website. Continue reading
Posted in General, Geophysics, Imaging, Mathematics
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“Great Scientist > Good at Math”
Last Friday, the Wall Street Journal published an essay by E.O. Wilson that has since generated much discussion from readers (229 comments to date) on the WSJ website and also among mathematicians. Continue reading
Posted in Biology, General, Mathematics
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Mathematics of Tipping Points
A lake that used to be clear, with a rich vegetation and a diverse aquatic life, suddenly becomes turbid, with much less vegetation and only bottom dwelling fish remaining. It turns out that the change comes from increased nutrient loading, but when the runoff leading to the nutrient inflow is reduced, the lake doesn’t become clear again – it remains murky. Continue reading
Posted in Climate Modeling, Mathematics
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Mathematical Models Help Energy-efficient Technologies Take Hold in a Community
Mathematical models can be used to study the spread of technological innovations among individuals connected to each other by a network of peer-to-peer influences, such as in a physical community or neighborhood. Continue reading
Posted in Energy, Mathematics, Resource Management
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Celebrate the Mathematics of Sustainability
April is Mathematics Awareness Month (MAM). This year’s theme is Mathematics of Sustainability, which explores how mathematics helps us better understand these complex questions. Continue reading
Posted in Mathematics, Sustainable Development
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Mathematical Sciences in the 21st Century
A distinguished panel of experts, gathered by the National Academies, has recently produced a very interesting and informative publication: Fueling Innovation and Discovery: The Mathematical Sciences in the 21st Century. This publication was released by the National Academies in advance of their report The Mathematical Sciences in 2025, developed with support from the National Science Foundation. Continue reading
Posted in General, Mathematics
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Teaching to the Planet
For the past nine weeks, I had the privilege to teach a Massive Open Online Course(MOOC) on image and video processing. Continue reading
Posted in Imaging, Mathematics
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Chaos in an Atmosphere Hanging on a Wall
This month marks the 50th anniversary of the 1963 publication of Ed Lorenz’s groundbreaking paper, “Deterministic Nonperiodic Flow,” in the Journal of Atmospheric Science. This seminal work, now cited more than 11,000 times, inspired a generation of mathematicians and physicists to embrace the nonlinearity governing our complex world. Continue reading
Posted in Climate, Mathematics, Meteorology
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Report from AIM: “Nonlinear wave equations and integrable systems – Mathematics for a nonlinear planet”
A small research group has been meeting at the American Institute of Mathematics (AIM) in Palo Alto, CA, during the week of Feb. 18-22 to work on integrable systems of nonlinear Schroedinger type, a special class of nonlinear partial differential equations (PDEs). Continue reading
Posted in Mathematics, Workshop Report
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Some Mathematics Behind Biological Diversity
I was planning to send an update every day from the data assimilation workshop at the Banff Center, but I’ve been so busy here that by the time I get back to my room I’m ready to collapse. The Banff Center is the best place I know of for a workshop. It’s almost like working hard and being on vacation at the same time, with the benefits of both. Continue reading
Posted in Biodiversity, Mathematics
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Report on the Workshop “Stochastics in Geophysical Fluid Dynamics: Mathematical foundations and physical underpinnings”
Last week a workshop was held at the American Institute of Mathematics (AIM) in Palo Alto, California, around the theme of stochastic PDEs and applications in climate and weather modeling: “Stochastic in Geophysical Fluid Dynamics: Mathematical foundations and physical underpinnings.” The workshop brought together a lively mix of specialists in climate modeling and weather prediction alongside experts in the fields of deterministic and stochastic partial differential equations. Continue reading
2013 AARMS Mathematical Biology Workshop
We are pleased to announce the 2013 AARMS Mathematical Biology Workshop to be held at Memorial University of Newfoundland, July 27-29, 2013, in St John’s, Newfoundland. Registration closes on May 17, 2013 and abstracts should be submitted by June 30, 2013. Continue reading
Posted in Biology, Mathematics, Workshop Announcement
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Report on “Models and Methods in Ecology and Epidemiology (M2E2)”
“Science without data is science-fiction.” This was on of the boldest (if more facetious…) statements heard at the workshop “Models and Methods in Ecology and Epidemiology (M2E2)” held at CRM last week. Speakers from very diverse backgrounds presented a wide rage of mathematical models developed to better understand the dynamics and propagation mechanisms of, amongst others, Avian Flu, Lyme Disease and the West Nile virus. Throughout the presentations, the pervasive role played by data incorporation in the models was emphasized, and the equally important organization of model development as a team effort was underlined. Continue reading
There Will Always be a Gulf Stream — An Exercise in Singular Perturbation Technique
One hears occasionally in the popular media that one possible consequence of global warming might be the disappearance of the Gulf Stream. This makes physical oceanographers cringe. The Gulf Stream and its analogs in other ocean basins exist for fundamental physical reasons. Climate change may well bring changes in the Gulf Stream. It may not be in the same place, may not be of the same strength or have the same temperature and salinity characteristics, but as long as the continents bound the great ocean basins, the sun shines, the earth turns toward the east and the wind blows in response, there will be a Gulf Stream. Continue reading
Posted in Geophysics, Mathematics, Ocean
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Prospects for a Green Mathematics
It is increasingly clear that we are initiating a sequence of dramatic events across our planet. They include habitat loss, an increased rate of extinction, global warming, the melting of ice caps and permafrost, an increase in extreme weather events, … Continue reading
Posted in Biosphere, Mathematics
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Mathematics and Climate
What is the role of mathematics in climate science? Climate science, like meteorology, is largely a branch of physics; as such, it certainly uses the language of mathematics. But could mathematics provide more than the language for scientific discourse? Continue reading
Posted in Climate Modeling, Mathematics
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Stochastics in Geophysical Fluid Dynamics
A workshop is taking place this week at the American Institute of Mathematics (AIM) in Palo Alto, California, on “Stochastics in Geophysical Fluid Dynamics: Mathematical foundations and physical underpinnings.” This workshop is co-organized by Nathan Glatt-Holtz (Institute of Mathematics and … Continue reading
Posted in Geophysics, Mathematics
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Ice Floes, Coriolis Acceleration and Estimating the Viscosity of Air and Water
I have wanted to run this story down since I saw the reference in Lamb’s Hydrodynamics to a paper by G. I. Taylor that contains a description of what oceanic and atmospheric scientists call “Ekman layers.” Physical oceanographers learn early … Continue reading
Posted in Atmosphere, Geophysics, Mathematics, Ocean
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The New Math
Why has the MPE2103 movement been popular with mathematicians? The traditional view of mathematicians is that they like to work in solitude and that there is a great divide between pure and applied mathematicians. So how has MPE2013, a massive collaborative effort on the part of pure and applied mathematical scientists, managed to bridge this chasm? Continue reading
Posted in General, Mathematics
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Our Changing Shoreline: Modeling the Effects of Storm Surges on Coastal Vegetation
The unprecedented storm surge from Hurricane Sandy was enough to shift coastal shorelines along New York and New Jersey. One barrier island, Fire Island – off the southern coast of Long Island, N.Y., for example, traveled as much as 85 … Continue reading
Posted in Ecology, Mathematics, Natural Disasters
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