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Taking a Spin at Science

May 20, 2018

Henry Stommel (left) and Louis Howard were MIT professors who had ties to WHOI throughout much of their careers. Stommel is considered one of the most original and influential physical oceanographers of all time. His work in the 1940s and 1950s formed the basis for today’s understanding of global ocean circulation. Howard was an applied mathematician and modeler whose work significantly advanced the field of fluid dynamics. In 1968, Stommel and Howard were the principal instructors for the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Program at WHOI, which focused that year on the “general circulation of the ocean.” These renowned scientists also had a playful sense of humor: To demonstrate the effect of Earth’s rotation on seawater, they hopped onto a turntable in the basement of Walsh Cottage. (Photo courtesy of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Archives)