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UCCRI is an Interdisciplinary Research Centre, with a network of over 150 researchers from all 6 Schools of the University of Cambridge. The Institute supports multidisciplinary research on biodiversity conservation and the social context within which humans engage with nature. It works from a base in the David Attenborough Building, which is designed to enhance collaboration and the sharing of perspectives across organisational and disciplinary boundaries.
URL: http://talks.cam.ac.uk/show/index/59874
Updated: 47 min 18 sec ago

Wed 29 Oct 14:00: External Seminar Christian Fankhauser TBC

Tue, 25/02/2025 - 11:37
External Seminar Christian Fankhauser TBC

Abstract not available

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Wed 30 Apr 14:00: External Seminar - Monica Garcia Gomez TBC

Tue, 25/02/2025 - 10:29
External Seminar - Monica Garcia Gomez TBC

Abstract not available

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Wed 19 Mar 14:00: Cell edges: from polarity to growth control Please contact the events team at Events@slcu.cam.ac.uk for the online Zoom link.

Tue, 25/02/2025 - 10:29
Cell edges: from polarity to growth control

Abstract not available

Please contact the events team at Events@slcu.cam.ac.uk for the online Zoom link.

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Wed 12 Mar 14:00: Spatio-temporal Melt and Basal Channel Evolution on Pine Island Glacier Ice Shelf from CryoSat-2

Mon, 24/02/2025 - 09:59
Spatio-temporal Melt and Basal Channel Evolution on Pine Island Glacier Ice Shelf from CryoSat-2

Ice shelves buttress the grounded ice sheet, restraining its flow into the ocean. Mass loss from these ice shelves occurs primarily through ocean-induced basal melting, with the highest melt rates occurring in regions that host basal channels – elongated, kilometre-wide zones of relatively thin ice. While some models suggest that basal channels could mitigate overall ice shelf melt rates, channels have also been linked to basal and surface crevassing, leaving their cumulative impact on ice-shelf stability uncertain. Due to their relatively small spatial scale and the limitations of previous satellite datasets, our understanding of how channelised melting evolves over time remains limited. In this study, we present a novel approach that uses CryoSat-2 radar altimetry data to calculate ice shelf basal melt rates, demonstrated here as a case study over Pine Island Glacier (PIG) ice shelf. Our method generates monthly Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) and melt maps with a 250 m spatial resolution. The data show that near the grounding line, basal melting preferentially melts a channel’s western flank 50% more than its eastern flank. Additionally, we find that the main channelised geometries on PIG are inherited upstream of the grounding line and play a role in forming ice shelf pinning points. These observations highlight the importance of channels under ice shelves, emphasising the need to investigate them further and consider their impacts on observations and models that do not resolve them.

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Thu 06 Mar 18:45: The History of Forests

Thu, 20/02/2025 - 15:43
The History of Forests

The first notable fact is that, apart from Ireland, Britain has the lowest woodland cover in relation to its size than any other country in Europe. That second is that, ignoring taxonomically complex genera such as Sorbus and Ulmus, there is a very limited number of native forest tress (and shrubs), with important genera only represented by one or two species.

We compare this with forest composition in other regions of northern and southern Europe and then with temperate areas of East Asia and North America.

The key to great differences in diversity and fascinating distribution patterns of individual tree genera, so revealed, lies in the geological, geographical and climatic history of the Northern Hemisphere.

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Tue 18 Feb 11:00: Searching for Life in Stranger Seas https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_N2YxZjU5NTgtYzIwNi00MTY2LThkY2ItZjQyMTJmNjdkMWQw%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%2249a50445-bdfa-4b79-ade3-547b4f3986e9%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a...

Mon, 17/02/2025 - 11:35
Searching for Life in Stranger Seas

With a planet teaming with life all around us, it is tempting to think that any life on other worlds must be like Earth life. But is that true, and if it is not, what limits can we place on where we might look for life on other worlds? Starting from the still-controversial possibility of the presence of phosphine in the clouds of Venus, I will discuss what we know (not much) can model (some) and speculate about how the chemistry of life might work on other worlds under conditions very different from Earth. In particular, different atmospheres give different chemistries, possibly chemistries that use solvents other than water as their base. Alternative solvents open up the possibility of life on many bodies previously considered uninhabitable, such as the clouds of Venus, the surface of Mars, even the Moon. I will end with some thoughts on complex, even intelligent, life and where we might find it.

https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_N2YxZjU5NTgtYzIwNi00MTY2LThkY2ItZjQyMTJmNjdkMWQw%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%2249a50445-bdfa-4b79-ade3-547b4f3986e9%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%2253b919d9-f8a7-4f56-9bb0-baaf0ba7404d%22%7d

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Wed 26 Feb 15:30: The Impacts of Freshwater Transport on the Weddell Gyre Carbon Budget

Fri, 14/02/2025 - 17:36
The Impacts of Freshwater Transport on the Weddell Gyre Carbon Budget

The Weddell Gyre mediates carbon exchange between the abyssal ocean and atmosphere, which is critical to global climate. This region also features large and highly variable freshwater fluxes due to seasonal sea ice, net precipitation, and glacial melt; however, the impact of these freshwater fluxes on the regional carbon cycle has not been fully explored. Using a novel budget analysis of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) mass in the Biogeochemical Southern Ocean State Estimate and revisiting hydrographic analysis from the ANDREX cruises, we highlight two freshwater-driven transports. Where freshwater with minimal DIC enters the ocean, it displaces DIC -rich seawater outwards, driving a lateral transport of 75±5 Tg DIC /year. Additionally, sea ice export requires a compensating import of seawater, which carries 48±11 Tg DIC /year into the gyre. Though often overlooked, these freshwater displacement effects are of leading order in the Weddell Gyre carbon budget in the state estimate and in regrouped box-inversion estimates. Implications for evaluating basin-scale carbon transports are considered. [Time permitting, I’ll also share some results on the role of heat addition in driving circulation change and warming patterns in the Indian sector of the Southern Ocean.]

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Wed 26 Feb 15:30: Freshwater displacement effect on the Weddell Gyre carbon budget

Fri, 14/02/2025 - 11:13
Freshwater displacement effect on the Weddell Gyre carbon budget

The Weddell Gyre mediates carbon exchange between the abyssal ocean and atmosphere, which is critical to global climate. This region also features large and highly variable freshwater fluxes due to seasonal sea ice, net precipitation, and glacial melt; however, the impact of these freshwater fluxes on the regional carbon cycle has not been fully explored. Using a novel budget analysis of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) mass in the Biogeochemical Southern Ocean State Estimate and revisiting hydrographic analysis from the ANDREX cruises, we highlight two freshwater-driven transports. Where freshwater with minimal DIC enters the ocean, it displaces DIC -rich seawater outwards, driving a lateral transport of 75±5 Tg DIC /year. Additionally, sea ice export requires a compensating import of seawater, which carries 48±11 Tg DIC /year into the gyre. Though often overlooked, these freshwater displacement effects are of leading order in the Weddell Gyre carbon budget in the state estimate and in regrouped box-inversion estimates. Implications for evaluating basin-scale carbon transports are considered. [Time permitting, I’ll also share some results on the role of heat addition in driving circulation change and warming patterns in the Indian sector of the Southern Ocean.]

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Wed 21 May 14:30: Title to be confirmed

Thu, 13/02/2025 - 11:50
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Abstract not available

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Wed 23 Apr 14:00: Title to be confirmed

Thu, 13/02/2025 - 11:48
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Wed 09 Apr 15:00: Title to be confirmed

Thu, 13/02/2025 - 11:48
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Wed 19 Mar 14:00: Tipping points of the Ross and Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelves: how worried should we be?

Thu, 13/02/2025 - 11:47
Tipping points of the Ross and Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelves: how worried should we be?

Ocean models consistently project that with sufficient climate change forcing, the Ross and Filchner-Ronne ice shelf cavities could abruptly transition from a cold state to a warm state. Crossing these tipping points would have profound consequences for basal melt rates, buttressing of ice streams, and ultimately sea level rise. Here we analyse over 14,000 years of “overshoot” simulations with the UK Earth System Model, which includes a fully coupled Antarctic Ice Sheet. As the climate warms, stabilises at different temperatures, and cools again, we simulate many examples of the cavities tipping and recovering. We find that global warming thresholds of around 3.5°C and 5°C tip the Ross and Filchner-Ronne respectively. We also find evidence of hysteresis: the climate must cool back down beyond the tipping thresholds in order for each cavity to return to its original cold state. Even if the oceanography recovers, the ice sheet does not: sea level contribution from each catchment takes centuries even to stabilise, and the ice does not begin to regrow on this timescale. Therefore, if the Ross or Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelves cross tipping points, the resulting sea level rise will be effectively irreversible.

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Wed 26 Mar 15:30: Title to be confirmed

Thu, 13/02/2025 - 11:46
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Wed 12 Mar 14:00: Title to be confirmed

Thu, 13/02/2025 - 11:46
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Wed 26 Feb 15:30: Title to be confirmed

Thu, 13/02/2025 - 11:43
Title to be confirmed

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Fri 14 Feb 16:00: Synchronization in Navier-Stokes turbulence and its role in data-driven modeling

Wed, 12/02/2025 - 11:12
Synchronization in Navier-Stokes turbulence and its role in data-driven modeling

In Navier-Stokes (NS) turbulence, large-scale turbulent flows determine small-scale flows; in other words, small-scale flows are synchronized to large-scale flows. In 3D turbulence, previous numerical studies suggest that the critical length separating these two scales is determined by the Kolmogorov length. In this talk, I will introduce our theoretical framework for characterizing synchronization phenomena [1]. Specifically, it provides a computational method for the exponential rate of convergence to the synchronized state, and identifies the critical length based on the NS equations via the “transverse” Lyapunov exponent. I will also discuss the synchronization property of 2D NS turbulence and how it differs from the 3D case [2]. These insights into synchronization and critical length scales are essential for developing machine-learning closure models for turbulence, in particular their stable reproducibility [3]. Finally, I will illustrate how “generalized” synchronization is crucial for predicting chaotic dynamics [4].

[1] M. Inubushi, Y. Saiki, M. U. Kobayashi, and S. Goto, Characterizing small-scale dynamics of Navier-Stokes turbulence with transverse Lyapunov exponents: A data assimilation approach, Phys. Rev. Lett. 131, 254001 (2023).

[2] M. Inubushi and C. P. Caulfield (in preparation).

[3] S. Matsumoto, M. Inubushi, and S. Goto, Stable reproducibility of turbulence dynamics by machine learning, Phys. Rev. Fluids 9, 104601 (2024).

[4] A. Ohkubo and M. Inubushi, Reservoir computing with generalized readout based on generalized synchronization, Sci. Rep. 14, 30918 (2024).

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Mon 17 Mar 13:00: Volcanic fissure localisation and lava delta formation: Modelling of volcanic flows undergoing rheological evolution

Tue, 11/02/2025 - 17:18
Volcanic fissure localisation and lava delta formation: Modelling of volcanic flows undergoing rheological evolution

In this talk, I will present two volcanologically motivated modelling problems. In the first, I will detail how thermoviscous localisation of volcanic eruptions is influenced by the irregular geometry of natural volcanic fissures. Fissure eruptions typically start with the opening of a linear fissure that erupts along its entire length, following which activity localises to one or more isolated vents within a few hours or days. Previous work has proposed that localisation can arise through a thermoviscous fingering instability driven by the strongly temperature dependent viscosity of the rising magma. I will show that, even for relatively modest variations of the fissure width, a non-planar geometry supports strongly localised steady states, in which the wider parts of the fissure host faster, hotter flow, and the narrower parts of the fissure host slower, cooler flow. This geometrically-driven localisation differs from the spontaneous thermoviscous fingering localisation observed in planar geometries, and is potentially more potent for parameter values relevant to volcanic fissures.

The second problem concerns lava delta formation. A lava delta arises when a volcanic lava flow enters a body of water, extending the pre-eruption shoreline via the creation of new, relatively flat land. A combination of cooling induced rheological changes and the reduction in gravitational driving forces controls the morphology and evolution of the delta. I will present shallow-layer continuum models for this process, highlighting how different modes of delta formation manifest in different late-time behaviours. In particular, I will derive a steady state shoreline extent when the delta formation is driven only by buoyancy forces, and late time similarity solutions for the evolution of the shoreline when the viscous lava fragments and forms `hyaloclastic’ debris on contact with the water.

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Fri 21 Feb 14:00: Post-doc talks

Tue, 11/02/2025 - 15:14
Post-doc talks

Dario Klingenberg: Using nonlinear optimisation to investigate shear turbulence

Much research has focused on understanding how flows transition to turbulence. However, an equally important question is how, once established, turbulence is sustained. Interestingly, the same methods used for the transition problem are also useful in the turbulent setting, despite the stark differences between the two. In this work, I will use nonlinear optimisation to find the initial perturbation that, over a given time horizon, experiences the highest energy growth in channel flow with a friction Reynolds number of 180. Although the precise form of the initial condition depends on this time horizon, and also the initial energy available to it, it turns out that over a wide range in this parameter space, optimals with very similar dynamics arise. Interestingly, many important aspects of these dynamics are consistent with observations made in real turbulence. Based on these results, it is argued that nonlinear optimals are a conceptually simple and valuable concept to investigate turbulence.

Philipp Vieweg: Large-scale flow structures and their induced mixing in horizontally extended forced stratified shear flows

Covering about 70% of Earth’s surface, the oceans represent the biggest heat sink in climate and weather models. However, our understanding of the oceans’ inherent turbulent processes is still far from complete. Here, we study an idealised or simplified configuration that is stably stratified and continuously forced. The basic configuration has been introduced by Smith et al. (Journal of Fluid Mechanics 910, A42 (2021)) for small numerical domains and may be susceptible to Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities. We extend these results to horizontally extended domains by conducting direct numerical simulations using the GPU -accelerated open-source spectral element solver NekRS.

On the one hand, we analyse the formation and convergence of large-scale flow structures in extended domains. Due to the anisotropic nature of the flow, this involves separate treatments of the stream-wise and span-wise direction. On the other hand, we analyse the impact of these flow structures on their induced mixing of the two layers of fluid.

Based on these structural and statistical analyses of stratified turbulent flows, this research contributes to advancing our current understanding of oceanic flows and allowing for improved predictions using global simulations that involve turbulence modelling.

James Shemilt: Viscoplastic dynamics of mucus transport during coughing

Coughing is a mechanism by which excess mucus is cleared from the lungs’ airways. In obstructive lung diseases such as cystic fibrosis, the rheology of mucus changes, including its yield stress increasing, and coughing can become a central mechanism for mucus clearance. I will present thin-film modelling of a viscoplastic liquid layer driven by high-speed confined air flow, which is a model for mucus transport during a cough that accounts for the yield stress of mucus. Numerical solutions of the thin-film equations, and travelling-wave solutions, are used to quantify how the liquid’s yield stress alters the dynamics. Criteria are determined for finite-time blow-up of solutions, where the liquid layer reaches the upper wall of the channel. I will also discuss how these theoretical results compare with experiments in which viscoplastic liquid layers are exposed to high-speed air flow.

Fabio Pino: Stability and Dynamics of Evaporating/Condensing Liquid Film Flows

Pulsating heat pipes (PHPs) have emerged as an effective heat transfer device for small-scale electronics. Their enhanced thermal performance relies on the periodic evaporation and condensation of a liquid film lining the pipe walls. However, an incomplete understanding of the phase change mechanism limits its broader application.

This research addresses this gap by investigating the linear and nonlinear stability of a 3D evaporating/condensing liquid film over an inclined plate. To reduce the complexity of the governing equations, we will develop a liquid film integral boundary layer model. This model will capture key liquid film dynamics, including phase change, inertia, and thermo-capillarity. The integral model’s validation will involve comparing the linear stability properties with the solution to the linearised full governing equations and assessing nonlinear dynamics against COMSOL simulations of the governing equations.

Based on the integral model, the continuation and bifurcation analysis of steady-state solutions will reveal how the liquid film’s behaviour develops as the evaporation rate or the Reynolds number varies. This analysis will identify key transitions and stability shifts affecting system performance. In addition, we will investigate the transient behaviour of disturbances via a nonlinear, nonmodal stability analysis. This approach will uncover nonlinear mechanisms that drive instabilities, such as the impact of temperature variations on the solid substrate during the evaporation or condensation phase.

The findings of this research will provide deeper insight into liquid film dynamics and develop a predictive reduced-order model for PHP systems. Additionally, these will be critical for designing optimal control laws based on liquid film stability properties, enhancing the evaporation/condensation mechanism, and guiding the design of more stable and efficient PHP configurations.

Gergely Buza: Rigorization of model reduction in fluid dynamics

The emergence of data-driven methods has fueled a newfound interest in the utilization of nonlinear tools from dynamical systems theory. In fluid dynamics, prominent examples are Koopman eigenfunctions (through dynamic mode decomposition) and spectral submanifolds. Due to their immense popularity, both of these techniques have been studied extensively, to the point that most aspects regarding their implementation are now fully fleshed out. However, there is one issue that has remained mostly untouched, and it is perhaps the most pressing one — the mathematical foundation of these tools. While the theory is well understood in the case of finite-dimensional systems, fluid dynamics is inherently infinite-dimensional, which calls for a more careful assessment. The talk will provide existence and uniqueness results for spectral submanifolds, smooth invariant foliations and Koopman eigenfunctions in the full, infinite-dimensional phase space of the Navier-Stokes system, alongside avenues to make the approximation procedure rigorous.

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Fri 14 Feb 16:00: Synchronization in Navier-Stokes turbulence and it's role in data-driven modeling

Tue, 11/02/2025 - 11:20
Synchronization in Navier-Stokes turbulence and it's role in data-driven modeling

In Navier-Stokes (NS) turbulence, large-scale turbulent flows determine small-scale flows; in other words, small-scale flows are synchronized to large-scale flows. In 3D turbulence, previous numerical studies suggest that the critical length separating these two scales is determined by the Kolmogorov length. In this talk, I will introduce our theoretical framework for characterizing synchronization phenomena [1]. Specifically, it provides a computational method for the exponential rate of convergence to the synchronized state, and identifies the critical length based on the NS equations via the “transverse” Lyapunov exponent. I will also discuss the synchronization property of 2D NS turbulence and how it differs from the 3D case [2]. These insights into synchronization and critical length scales are essential for developing machine-learning closure models for turbulence, in particular their stable reproducibility [3]. Finally, I will illustrate how “generalized” synchronization is crucial for predicting chaotic dynamics [4].

[1] M. Inubushi, Y. Saiki, M. U. Kobayashi, and S. Goto, Characterizing small-scale dynamics of Navier-Stokes turbulence with transverse Lyapunov exponents: A data assimilation approach, Phys. Rev. Lett. 131, 254001 (2023).

[2] M. Inubushi and C. P. Caulfield (in preparation).

[3] S. Matsumoto, M. Inubushi, and S. Goto, Stable reproducibility of turbulence dynamics by machine learning, Phys. Rev. Fluids 9, 104601 (2024).

[4] A. Ohkubo and M. Inubushi, Reservoir computing with generalized readout based on generalized synchronization, Sci. Rep. 14, 30918 (2024).

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Mon 03 Mar 13:00: Intensified shelf break exchange through submarine canyons: upwelling, internal tides, and turbidity currents

Mon, 10/02/2025 - 16:46
Intensified shelf break exchange through submarine canyons: upwelling, internal tides, and turbidity currents

Submarine canyons are a ubiquitous feature of continental margins worldwide and their complex geomorphology controls several physical processes that intensify the exchange of water masses, nutrients and carbon across the shelf break – from shallow shelf seas to the deep open ocean, and vice versa. In this seminar, I will illustrate three important shelf break exchange processes that are strongly controlled by submarine canyon geomorphology and discuss their interdisciplinary impacts. I will then highlight some previous and current research into these processes, applied to an exemplar submarine canyon close to the UK, and introduce two exciting upcoming projects that will further elucidate our understanding.

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