Stephen Thorpe

Biography

Professor Stephen Thorpe BSc (London), PhD (Cantab), FRS Honorary Professor in the School of Ocean Sciences Emeritus Professor, University of Southampton Degrees 1958 BSc General (External) London University, 1st Class, Maths & Physics 1961 BA Cantab (1st Class in Parts 1 & 2 of Mathematics Tripos, distinction in Part 3) 1966 PhD Cantab; dissertation on 'Internal Gravity Waves' Employment 1962-1986 National Institute of Oceanography (later NERC Institute of Oceanographic Sciences), as Scientific Officer; Individual Merit Promotion 1975. 1986-2002 Southampton University, as Professor of Oceanography. Retired from the Chair of Oceanography 1997. Emeritus Professor 2003- Honours and Distinctions 1990-1992 President of the Royal Meteorological Society 1991 Fellow of the Royal Society of London (FRS) 1991-1994 Member of Natural Environment Research Council 1994 Golden EGS Badge Award 1997 Walter Munk Award (US ONR and Oceanography Soc.) 2000 Fridtjof Nansen Medal (EGS)

Research Interest

internal gravity waves; their generation, propagation, interaction, and breaking; seiches in lakes; stability of stratified fluids and shear flows, especially Kelvin Helmholtz instability; turbulence in stratified fluids, the properties of turbulent boundary layers (benthic, upper ocean and slope) in the ocean, Langmuir circulation, dispersion at small scales (including oil slicks); the use of acoustics to study processes near the ocean surface.