Uploaded September 2023 | Updated September 2026, 13 hours ago
Dive into the world of underwater weather with Scripps Oceanography PhD student Taylor McKie. This engineer-turned-oceanographer studies how the physics happening below the ocean’s surface impacts water density, which informs climate and weather patterns such as rain, drought, and even monsoon storms. In a conversation with Scripps alumna Kate Furby, Taylor discusses her early love of math, how a background in STEM translates to the field of ocean physics, and how research on the interactions between water masses can lead to improved weather predictions and more resilient communities.
1:55 Taylor McKie explains the Wirewalker instrument
2:40 Taylor uses coffee and cream to illustrate how the submesoscale, or interactions between different water masses, works
4:11 Animation explaining submesoscale currents, and how they impact our atmosphere and climate
#PhysicalOceanography #OceanScience #WomeninSTEM #UnderwaterWeather #Math #OceanPhysics #UCSanDiego #NSF #Oceanography #Oceanographer
Learn more about Taylor McKie and her research with the Multi-Scale Ocean Dynamics Lab at UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography: http://www.mod.ucsd.edu/news-blog/2022/5/12/mod-student-spotlight-taylor-mckie
Theme Song: "Kinda Wild" by Vannorte
Dive into the world of underwater weather with Scripps Oceanography PhD student Taylor McKie. This engineer-turned-oceanographer studies how the physics happening below the ocean’s surface impacts water density, which informs climate and weather patterns such as rain, drought, and even monsoon storms. In a conversation with Scripps alumna Kate Furby, Taylor discusses her early love of math, how a background in STEM translates to the field of ocean physics, and how research on the interactions between water masses can lead to improved weather predictions and more resilient communities.
1:55 Taylor McKie explains the Wirewalker instrument
2:40 Taylor uses coffee and cream to illustrate how the submesoscale, or interactions between different water masses, works
4:11 Animation explaining submesoscale currents, and how they impact our atmosphere and climate
#PhysicalOceanography #OceanScience #WomeninSTEM #UnderwaterWeather #Math #OceanPhysics #UCSanDiego #NSF #Oceanography #Oceanographer
Learn more about Taylor McKie and her research with the Multi-Scale Ocean Dynamics Lab at UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography: http://www.mod.ucsd.edu/news-blog/2022/5/12/mod-student-spotlight-taylor-mckie
Theme Song: "Kinda Wild" by Vannorte
