Parting the waters, Part 2: Carl Drews on wind setdown research
NCAR researcher Carl Drews discusses the results of a computer modeling study that shows how a sustained wind can temporarily lower water levels (see http://www2.ucar.edu/news/parting-waters-computer-modeling-applies-physics-red-sea-escape-route ).
The research he describes arose out of his master's thesis in atmospheric and oceanic sciences. The research is published in the online journal, PLoS ONE and is part of Drews's larger research project with oceanographer Weiqing Han (University of Colorado) into the impacts of winds on water depths, including the extent to which Pacific Ocean typhoons can drive storm surges. By pinpointing a possible site south of the Mediterranean Sea for a potential Red Sea crossing, the study also could be of benefit to experts seeking to research whether such an event ever took place. (Visualization by Tim Scheitlin and Ryan McVeigh, NCAR; based on model simulations.)
An animation based on this computer modeling research is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZqIZqDh1ns
Show speech transcript
