During June 20–24, four graduate students and a postdoctoral researcher from around Norway took part in the weeklong intensive “Fundamentals of Ocean/Atmosphere Data Analysis” with instructor Jonathan Lilly from the Planetary Science Institute in Tucson, Arizona. Participants learned simple yet powerful methods for analyzing any type of data from the atmosphere or ocean. An emphasis was also placed on cultivating the important mental skills of objectivity, creativity, and intuition. One-on-one meetings with the instructor allowed for individualized feedback and suggestions.
As a final project, students completed and presented a report in which they applied what they learned to a dataset of their own choosing. These included heat flux data from the Greenland Sea, satellite observations of upwelling features off the coast of Brazil, and high-resolution model output from the Arctic Ocean. The students made remarkable progress during the week, with many new features and phenomena from their chosen datasets coming to light. The diversity of topics and participants led to a vibrant learning environment for all involved.
Text and photo: Jonathan Lilly