Showing articles associated with Helen Johnson

How does the ocean circulate, what is the underlying physics, and how does this circulation interact with the atmosphere to influence our weather and climate?

These are the questions Professor Helen Johnson, physical oceanographer, seeks to answer.

Her research focuses on ocean currents and the role they play in climate. She is particularly interested in the circulation of the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, which are important for regional and global climate and predicted to change significantly over the coming few decades, yet still relatively poorly understood.

Professor Johnson’s research group use ocean observations made from ships, moorings, floats and satellites, alongside fluid dynamics theory and a hierarchy of computational models to probe the underlying physics, understand recent changes and improve the predictions of climate models.

As an Associate Professor in the Earth Science department here at Oxford, she also teaches undergraduate and graduate students how and why the ocean circulates, the wider implications of that circulation, and some of the key tools we use to study it. 

She hopes to engage and inspire a new generation of students to learn more about the ocean and the part in plays in our changing climate.