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Peking University, Nov.10, 2011: On the afternoon of November 2, the fourth lecture of the “Centennial Physics Lectures at Peking University (PKU)” series was held in the Sunny hall of Yingjie Exchange Center at PKU. Guest speaker Dr. Isaac M. Held, professor in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences (AOS) Program at Princeton University and Senior Research Scientist at Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), who is famous for researches on climate dynamics, delivered an academic report titled “The Hydrological Cycle and Global Warming.”
Prior to the lecture, Wang En’ge, Vice President and Dean of PKU, presented Professor Held with a certificate honoring him as the "Visiting Professor at Peking University". Xie Xincheng, Dean of the School of Physics of PKU, introduced Professor Held to the audience, including more than 200 teachers and students from PKU, Tsinghua University, Beijing Normal University, Nanjing University, East China Normal University, Graduate School of Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Academy of Sciences etc.
Based on the thermodynamic theory of the atmosphere and the atmospheric dynamics, Professor Held described possible changes in global and regional water circulations that may result from global warming, according to climate model simulations. He pointed out that global warming will lead to the phenomenon that “the wet will get wetter and the dry drier”. The reason is that global warming will cause changes in atmospheric circulation – the tropical Hadley cells will extend to the mid-latitude, followed by the same extension of the subtropical arid zone consequently. He also discussed the relationship between evaporation and precipitation that are related with global warming, and monsoon circulation changes.
After the lecture, Professor Held was given a souvenir of the “Centennial Physics Lectures at PKU” by Dean Xie Xincheng. Afterwards, the audience carried out academic talks with the professor.
Dean Xie Xincheng gave a sourvenir to Dr. Isaac M. Held
During his visit to PKU, Professor Held were also invited to deliver a series of academic lectures at the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, School of Physics, PKU, where he also attended several seminars with the students and teachers.
Professor Isaac M. Held received his B.S. degree from University of Minnesota, M.A. degree from State University of New York at Stony Brook and Ph.D. degree from Princeton University. He was a research fellow in Climate at Harvard University from 1976 to 1978. After that he joined the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory, NOAA. He is currently head of Weather and Atmospheric Dynamics Group, Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory/NOAA, Princeton University. He is also Member of the United States National Academy of Sciences since 2003. Professor Isaac Meyer Held was born on October 23rd, 1948 in Germany, then became a US citizen and got a bachelor’s degree from University of Minnesota. He finished his master’s degree at State University of New York at Stony Brook in physics in 1971, and in 1976, he got Ph.D. from Princeton University in atmospheric and oceanic sciences. During 1976-1978, he worked as a research fellow in Climate in Harvard University and also a research scientist in Princeton University. He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 2003. Professor Held is best known for modeling Hadley cells, which describe the properties of atmospheric circulation in Earth’s equatorial zone. His recent research interests include atmospheric and oceanic fluid dynamics/geophysical turbulence, as well as climate dynamics/global warming.
Extended Reading
Professor Isaac M. Held’s homepage
Professor Isaac M. Held’s Bibliography
Professor Isaac M. Held’s profile
Centennial Physics Lectures at Peking University
It has been nearly 100 years since the Department of Physics was established at Peking University. The Department’s founding in 1913 was not only an announcement of the importance that Peking University placed on the physical sciences, but also a milestone in the development of modern science in China. A hundred years on, the Department has made distinguished contributions to the nation and to the world in both education and academics. The department is now a college, the School of Physics, which includes physics, astronomy, and atmospheric and oceanic sciences.
To celebrate its centennial, the School of Physics creates the distinguished lecture series: Centennial Physics Lectures at Peking University. Eminent scholars around the world will be invited to present lectures on both fundamental and cutting-edge problems in physics, astronomy, and atmospheric and oceanic sciences. We hope that this lecture series will establish a thought-provoking forum, stimulate lively and topical intellectual debates, strengthen global and interdisciplinary collaborations, promote the advancement of physical sciences, and extend the distinguished and innovative scholarly tradition at Peking University. The lecture series will be held once each semester, starting in 2010. Colleagues and students from all fields and all institutes are invited to attend.
Following is the summary of the four lectures that already took place.
Lecture 1: Does the everyday world really obey quantum mechanics?
By: Nobel Laureate in Physics, Prof. Anthony J. Leggett from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Time: March 4, 2010
Abstract:
Quantum mechanics has been enormously successful in describing nature at the atomic level, and most physicists believe that it is in principle the "whole truth" about the world even at the everyday level. However, such a view prima facie leads to a severe problem: in certain circumstances, the most natural interpretation of the theory implies that no definite outcome of an experiment occurs until the act of "observation". For many decades this problem was regarded as "merely philosophical", in the sense that it was thought that it had no consequences which could be tested in experiment. However, in the last dozen or so years the situation has changed very dramatically in this respect. I will discuss the problem, some popular "resolutions" of it, the current experimental situation and prospects for the future.
Lecture 2: Physics of Nano-Scale Systems: Nanoscience — towards a new Technology
By: Nobel Laureate in Physics, Dr. Johannes Georg Bednorz, from IBM Zurich Research Laboratory, Switzerland
Time: November 17, 2010
Abstract:
On a first approach nanotechnology can be seen as an extension of current technology processes and device dimensions from the nanometer to the nanometer scale. In this sense downsizing CMOS technology plays a central role for the next generation of IT components. Nanoscience however exploring materials on the atomic or molecular level is not only discovering new phenomena but will be leading to new concepts in electronics and will open a fundamentally new field for materials and components with new functionality.
Lecture 3: The Frontiers of Fundamental Physics
By: Nobel Laureate in Physics, Dr. David J. Gross at Kavli Institute For Theoretical Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara
Time: June 7, 2011
Abstract:
In this talk, Dr. Gross will discuss the open questions that define the frontiers of fundamental physics. The questions range from cosmology (What is the origin of the Universe?), to elementary particle physics (How do the forces of nature unify?), to condensed matter physics (How to construct a quantum computer?), to Biophysics (What is the nature of Consciousness?).
Lecture 4: The Hydrological Cycle and Global Warming
By: Prof. Isaac M. Held, at Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory NOAA and Princeton University
Time: November 2, 2011
Abstract:
Many of the most important effects of global warming are expected to involve the Earth’s hydrological cycle. This talk will outline some global aspects of how the patterns of rainfall are expected to respond to warming. Topic covered will include the factors that control the global mean rate of precipitation, the idea that the “wet will get wetter and the dry drier”, and why we expect the tropical rain belts to move towards the hemisphere that warms the fastest.
Written by: Feng Xiaomang
Edited by: Chen Long
Source: PKU News (Chinese)
