The European Research Council (ERC) has awarded a €1.5 million Starting Grant to Giovanni Dematteis, a physicist at the University of Turin, to study how hidden ocean waves shape Earth’s climate. His project, OPPIWaM, will investigate the role of internal ocean waves—powerful but invisible oscillations that transfer energy from winds and tides down to small turbulent scales. “Internal waves are the main channel through which large-scale forces like winds and tides fuel the mixing that drives global ocean circulation,” Dematteis explained. “Yet today’s ocean models can’t capture these processes, which leads to major uncertainties in climate predictions.” Over the next five years, Dematteis and his team will combine new mathematical models, advanced algorithms, and global ocean datasets to better describe how wave-driven turbulence works. Their goal is to reduce uncertainty in climate forecasts and provide a stronger physical basis for the ocean circulation models used worldwide.
“This recognition,” Dematteis said, “is an extraordinary opportunity to tackle one of the great open questions in climate science with innovative tools. I’m excited to carry out this research here in Turin, in close dialogue with the international community.”