On March 27, 2024, the Inter-campus Marine Science (IMS) of University of Massachusetts (UMass) hosted an symposium at the School for Marine Science and Technology (SMAST). The event brought together students and faculties from various UMass campuses to showcase their latest findings and innovations in marine science. One of the highlights of the symposium was Sid Kerhalkar (a 5^th year PhD candidate in the Tandon Lab), who was invited as a plenary speaker. Sid captivated the audience with his talk on the physics of hurricanes, drawing on insights from our recently concluded field trip to the Arabian Sea where we sampled the ocean post-hurricane (read more about the field campaign here).

Debarshi Sarkar (1^st year PhD student) presented his research on biases in reanalysis fluxes in the Arabian Sea through a compelling poster and a lightning talk. His work with Sid and Dr. Tandon as co-authors shed light on the biases in the Arabian Sea meteorological and flux variables.

In addition to his plenary talk, Sid was voted with the best “Marine-Science” themed photo award in the symposium’s photo contest. Sid’s winning photograph captured the most essential instrument associated with oceanography, the CTD rosette. Overall, the UMass IMS symposium proved to be a fruitful gathering for the Tandon lab members.

On March 15, 2024, Tandon Lab welcomed members from the Mahadevan Lab (Drs Amala Mahadevan, Alex Kinsella and Nihar Paul) for a collaborative group meeting. The session proved to be a melting pot of expertise, with members engaging in lively discussions spanning a broad spectrum of research areas. From the intricacies of clouds and atmospheric convection to the dynamics of air-sea interaction and ocean transport, every facet of ocean and atmospheric science found representation. The dialogue extended to topics as diverse as hurricane wakes, mooring designs for right whale monitoring, and beyond. This convergence of minds highlighted the commitment to interdisciplinary collaboration, laying the groundwork for future projects, innovations in understanding and addressing complex issues in ocean research.

In February 2024, the vibrant city of New Orleans became the focal point of ocean, atmosphere and marine biosphere research as Dr. Tandon and Sid (a PhD candidate in Tandon Lab)  participated in the prestigious Ocean Sciences Meeting. This gathering, organized by AGU, ASLO and TOS, and renowned for its interdisciplinary approach to marine research, provided a platform for scientists and scholars to share insights and innovations shaping the future of oceanography.

Dr. Tandon presented a poster on reanalysis flux biases in the Arabian Sea. Drawing on research conducted by his PhD student, Debarshi (who could not attend due to class schedules), Dr. Tandon shed light on the biases in the Arabian Sea meteorological and flux variables, which could play a significant role in the forecasting errors in sub-seasonal to seasonal weather over Indian subcontinent. The poster sparked discussions and offered valuable perspectives for identifying and addressing biases in reanalysis fluxes, a critical aspect of understanding air-sea coupling. Dr Tandon was also a co-author on 6 other presentations/posters.

 

One of those included Sid, who talked about Hurricane wake recovery in the Arabian Sea. His presentation highlighted one-of-a-kind observational field campaign, which braved high waves to sample the hurricane wake and showcase the role of wind and density gradients coupling to drive lateral  processes to recover the wake. Sid’s insights stirred up an interesting conversation among experts, who initially believed that surface forcing was the only important process in the recovery of the wake.

The Ocean Sciences Meeting served as a melting pot of ideas and collaborations, where Dr. Tandon, Sid, and countless other researchers (including former members and collaborators of Tandon Lab) exchanged knowledge and forged partnerships for future research in marine science.