The polar regions of our planet (and, generally, the whole cryosphere) are unique platforms for data collection. One reason why the cryosphere is a big data reservoir is that physicists prefer to study solid matter. An experiment on matter in … Continue reading
Author Archives: Christiane Rousseau
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After months of following a stay-at-home confinement strategy to slow the progression of COVID-19, many countries are now attempting a return to normal by implementing a cautious strategy of relaxing the rules of confinement. A key ingredient for the success … Continue reading
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The SIR model is the classical mathematical tool to study the spread of an infectious disease like the current COVID-19 pandemic. In an SIR model, the population is divided into compartments of susceptible, infected and recovered individuals. A slight … Continue reading
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Inge Lehmann was a Danish mathematician. She worked at the Danish Geodetic Institute, and she had access to the data recorded at seismic stations around the world. She discovered the inner core of the Earth in 1936, by analyzing the seismic data from large earthquakes recorded at different stations around the world. Continue reading
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During all of MPE2013 we could enjoy almost daily blogs, in both French and English. Now that the year 2013 is coming to an end, we can look back and ask ourselves who ran the blog? None of us had realized at the beginning what a challenge this would represent. Continue reading
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Martin Nowak gave a public lecture at CRM on November 6. His lecture was part of the activities of the thematic semester “Biodiversity and Evolution,” which takes place this fall. Continue reading
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Half-way between chemistry and physics, the exploration of applications of ultrafast laser pulses is a very promising research topic with many potential applications, including meteorology and climate. Continue reading
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You may have read Edward Belbruno’s blog on New Ways to the Moon, Origin of the Moon, and Origin of Life on Earth of October 4th. I did and was intrigued by his application of weak transfer to the origin of the Moon, so I went to his 2005 joint paper with J. Richard Gott III with the same title, published in the Astronomical Journal. Continue reading
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I have been involved in the organization of a one-week educational workshop Mathematics of Climate Change, Related Hazards and Risks, which took place in Centro de Investigación Matemáticas (CIMAT) in Guanajuato (Mexico) from July 29 to August 2, 2013, as … Continue reading
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It has been known since Gauss that it is not possible to draw maps of the Earth that preserve ratios of distances. Continue reading
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If we take a simple model of the surface of the Earth to be a sphere of radius $R$, then the altitude of a point is its distance to the center of the Earth minus $R$. But we know that the surface of the Earth is not exactly a sphere Continue reading
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Is it possible to compute the past climate of the Earth at the time of dinosaurs? Continue reading
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MPE2013 gives us an opportunity to learn more about our planet. There are interesting features to be explored that require simple but deep principles of physics and that can become the basis of a discussion in the classroom. Continue reading
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Sandy coasts have a smooth profile while rocky coasts have a fractal nature. One characteristic feature of a rocky coast is that new details appear when we zoom in on it. And if we were to measure the length of the coast, the length would increase significantly when zooming in on the details. Continue reading
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Since the beginning of MPE2013, I have met people who were surprised when I classified celestial mechanics as a topic that would fit under Mathematics of Planet Earth. But part of celestial mechanics is concerned with planetary motion, and Earth is a planet. Continue reading
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“Mathematicians listen as the Earth rumbles… ” was the title of the fourth MPE Simons Lecture given by Ingrid Daubechies in Montreal on April 10. Her splendid lecture was delivered in French, but both English and French videos of the lecture will be on display soon on the Simons website. Continue reading
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A workshop “Mathematics of Climate Change, Related Natural Hazards and Risks” will take place in Guanajuato, Mexico, July 29 to August 2, 2013. The application deadline for participants is April 30, 2013. Priority will be given to young researchers from Latin America and the Caribbean. Continue reading
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We hear regularly some warnings of scientists on the important rise of the sea level that will occur before the end of the century. The worst scenario usually predicts a rise of less than a meter before 2100. Where does this number come from? Continue reading
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MPE2013 continues to spread among schools, science centers and universities. Many people are enthusiastic and eager to organize MPE activities. But what is an MPE topic?
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Mathematics allows us to explain some of Earth’s past climates. Indeed, they are linked in particular to variations of the orbit of the Earth. While the movement of the Earth is not quasi-periodic (i.e., a superposition of periodic movements), mainly … Continue reading
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An exciting day is coming up shortly. Now that MPE2013 has been launched in North America, the next launch will take place in Europe at the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris on March 5, 2013. The same day will see the … Continue reading
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Today is the official US launch of Mathematics of Planet Earth 2013 at the Joint Mathematics Meeting, with a special celebration at the Open House of the Institutes this Wednesday at 5h30pm. It is an excellent opportunity to recall the North-American origin of MPE2013. Here, we all share the passion of mathematics. Most probably, we also share passion for nature and our planet. MPE2013 is an opportunity to put together our two passions. Continue reading
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A new year is starting today. What will happen during this year? Will it again be warmer that than the normal, as have been the last 12 years? Will extreme meteorological events threaten our crops? Can we expect dramatic hurricanes … Continue reading
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MPE2013 is being launched today! The international launch takes place at the winter meeting of the Canadian Mathematical Society in Montreal and coincides with the Canadian launch. Continue reading
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Have you ever notiiced that the time when the Sun is at its highest position varies during the year? The earliest sunset is around December 10, before the winter solstice in the Northern hemisphere. Why? Continue reading
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A message from Hans Kaper: “We anticipate a daily blog during the entire year 2013. You may choose your date(s) and topic(s) to blog about your favorite event(s). We understand that last-minute changes are part of the action. To register, send a message to blog@mpe2013.org, with an indication of preferred dates and topics.” Continue reading