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YOUNG, WILLIAM

Professor of Physical Oceanography

Degrees:

• B.S., Australia National University
• M.S., Australia National University
• Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Research Interests:

• Internal gravity waves
• Two-dimensional and geostrophic turbulence
• Tracer dispersion in fluid flows
• The general circulation of the ocean

Courses Recently Taught:

• MAE 294C: Intro/Applied Mathematics III
• MAE294B: Intro/Applied Mathematics II
• MAE294C: Intro/Applied Mathematics III
• SIO 203C: Intro/Applied Mathematics III
• SIO 219: Spec Topics/Physical Oceanogra
• SIO203B: Intro/Applied Mathematics II
• SIO203C: Intro/Applied Mathematics III

Honors and Awards:

• Fellow of the American Meteorological Society, 2008
• G.K. Batchelor Lecturer, University of Cambridge, 2006
• Houghton Lecturer, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1998
• Fellow of the American Geophysical Union, 1989
• McElwane Medal from the American Geophysical Union, 1989
• Carl-Gustav Rossby Award, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1982
• University Medal in Theoretical Physics from the Australian National University, 1976

Mentoring:

• di Lorenzo, Manuelle (Post Doc; 2006-2006)
• Petrelis, Francois (Post Doc; 2006-2006)
• Plasting, Stephen (Post Doc; 2006-2006)
• Tsang, Yue-Kin (Post Doc; 2006-2008)
• Tang, Wenbo (Graduate; 2003-2005)
• Birch, Daniel (Graduate; 2002-2007)
• Thompson, Andy (Graduate; 2002-2006)
• Dauxois, Thierry (Post Doc; 1998-1998)
• Manfroi, Aldo (Graduate; 1998-2003)
• Llewellyn Smith, Stefan (Post Doc; 1997-1998)
• Ben Jelloul, Mahdi (Graduate; 1996-1996)
• Ferrari, Raffaele (Graduate; 1996-2002)
• del Castillo Negrete, Diego (Post Doc; 1995-1997)
• Chen, Liangui (Post Doc; 1994-1995)
• Jones, Scott (Graduate; 1990-1995)
• McNamara, Sean (Graduate; 1990-1995)
• Hayashi, Yoshi-Yuki (Graduate; 1985-1985)

Snyder, A.W., and W.R. Young, 1978. Modes of optical waveguides. J. Opt. Soc. Am., 68, 297-309.

Young, W.R., and P.B. Rhines, 1980. Rossby wave action, energy, and entrophy in forced mean flows. Geophys. Astrophys. Fluid Dyn., 15, 39-52.

Rhines, P.B., and W.R. Young, 1982. Homogenization of potential vorticity in planetary gyres. J. Fluid Mech., 122, 347-367.

Rhines, P.B., and W.R. Young, 1982. A theory of the wind-driven circulation, I- mid-ocean gyres. J. Mar. Res., 40, Supp. 559-596.

5. Young, W.R., and P.B. Rhines, 1982. A theory of the wind-driven circulation, II-circulation models and western boundary layers. J. Mar. Res., 40, 849-872.

Young, W.R., P.B. Rhines, and C.J.R. Garrett, 1982. Shear-flow dispersion, internal waves, and horizontal mixing in the ocean. J. Phys. Oceanogr., 12, 515-527.

Rhines, P.B., and W.R. Young, 1983. How rapidly is passive scalar mixed within closed streamlines? J. Fluid Mech., 133, 135-145.

Young, W.R., 1983. Topographic rectification of tidal currents. J. Phys. Oceanogr. 13, 716-721.

Ierley, G.R., and W.R. Young, 1983. Can the western boundary layer affect the potential vorticity distribution in the Sverdrup interior of a wind gyre? J. Phys. Oceanogr., 13, 1753-1763.

Pedlosky, J., and W. R. Young, 1983. Ventilation, potential vorticity homogenization and the structure of the ocean circulation. J. Phys. Oceanogr., 13, 2020-2037.

Young, W.R., 1984. The role of western boundary layers in gyre scale ocean mixing. J. Phys. Oceanogr., 14, 478-483.

Dewar, W.K., P.B. Rhines, and W.R. Young, 1984. The nonlinear spin-up of a stratified ocean. Geophys. Astrophys. Fluid Dyn., 30, 169-197.

Young, W.R., 1985. Some interactions between small numbers of baroclinic vortices. Geophys. Astrophys. Fluid Dyn., 33, 35-61.

Pierce, B.P., and W.R. Young, 1986. Lycaenid butterflies and ants: two-species stable equilibria in mutualistic, commensal and parastic interactions. Am Naturalist, 128, 216-227.

Broutman, D., and W.R. Young, 1986. On the interaction of small-scale oceanic internal waves with near inertial waves. J. Fluid Mech., 166, 341- 358.

Young, W.R., 1986. Elliptical vortices in shallow water. J. Fluid Mech., 171, 101-119.

Hayashi, Y.Y., and W.R. Young, 1986. Stable and unstable shear modes of rotating parallel flows in shallow water. J. Fluid Mech., 184, 477-504.

Young, W.R., and G.R. Ierley, 1986. Eastern boundary conditions and weak solutions of the ideal thermocline equations. J. Phys. Oceanogr., 16, 1884-1900.

Abarbanel, H.D.I., and W.R. Young, 1987. The General Circulation of the Ocean. Springer-Verlag, New York, 291 pp.

Young, W.R., 1987. Baroclinic Circulation Theories. In: The General Circulation of the Oceans., ed. by H.D.I. Abarbanel and W. R. Young, Springer-Verlag.

Young, W.R., 1987. Selective decay of entrophy and the excitation of barotropic waves in a channel. J. Atm. Sci., 44, 2804-2812.

Cessi, P., G.R. Ierley, and W.R. Young, 1987. A model of the inertial recirculation driven by potential vorticity anomalies. J. Phys. Oceanogr., 17, 1640-1652.

Ierley, G.R., and W.R. Young, 1988. Inertial recirculation in a beta-plane corner. J. Phys. Oceanogr., 18, 683-689.

Young, W.R., 1988. Arrested shear dispersion and other models of anomalous diffusion. J. Fluid Mech., 193, 129-149.

Young, W.R., A. Pumir, and Y. Pomeau, 1989. Anomalous diffusion of tracer in convection rolls. Phys. Fluids, A-1, 462-469.

Thompson, L., and W.R. Young, 1989. An upper bound on the size of sub-mesoscale coherent vortices. J. Phys. Oceanogr., 19, 233-237.

Childress, S., G.R. Ierley, E.A. Spiegel and W.R. Young, 1989. Blow-up of unsteady two-dimensional Euler and Navier-Stokes solutions having stagnation point form. J. Fluid Mech., 203, 1-22.

Vallis, G.K., G.F., Carnevale, and W.R. Young, 1989. Extremal energy properties and construction of stable solutions of the Euler equations. J. Fluid Mech., 207, 133-152.

Carnevale, G.F., Y. Pomeau, and W.R. Young, 1990. Statistics of Ballistic Agglomeration. Phys. Rev. Lett., 64, 2913-2916.

Cessi, P., R.V. Condie, and W.R. Young, 1990. Dissipative dynamics of western boundary currents. J. Mar. Res., 48, 677-700.

Cessi, P., E.A. Spiegel, and W.R. Young, 1990. Small scale excitation in large systems. In: Nonlinear Evolution of Spatio-Temporal Structures in Dissipative Continuous Systems, ed. by F.H. Busse and L. Kramer. Plenum Press, New York, pp. 231-236.

Young, W.R., and S. Jones, 1991. Shear dispersion. Phys Fluid, A. 3, 1087-1101.

Carnevale, G.F., J.C. McWilliams, Y. Pomeau, J.B. Weiss, and W.R. Young, 1991. Evolution of vortex statistics in two-dimensional turbulence. Phys. Rev. Lett., 66, 2735-2737.

Niiler, P.O., D.K. Lee, W.R. Young and J.H. Hu, 1991. Expendable current profiler (XCP) section across the North Pacific at 25N. Deep-Sea Research, 38, Suppl. 1, 545-561.

Ierley, G.R., and W.R. Young, 1991. Viscous instabilities in the western boundary layer. J. Phys. Oceanogr., 21, 1323-1332.

Young, W.R., and S. Jones, 1991. Dispersion in an unconsolidated porous medium. Phys. Fluids A., 3, 2468-2470.

McNamara, S. and W.R. Young, 1992. Inelastic collapse and clumping in a one-dimensional granular medium. Phys. Fluids A., 4, 496-504.

Cessi, P. and W.R. Young, 1992. Fixed-flux convection in a tilted slot. J. Fluid Mech. , 237, 57-71.

Cessi, P. and W.R. Young, 1992. Multiple equilibria in two-dimensional thermohaline circulation. J. Fluid Mech., 241, 291-309.

Carnevale, G.F., J.C., McWilliams, Y., Pomeau, J.B. Weiss, and W.R. Young, 1992. Rates, pathways, and end-states of nonlinear evolution in decaying two-dimensional turbulence: scaling theory vs. selective decay. Phys. Fluids A, 4, 1314-1316.

Balmforth, N.J., S.P. Meacham, E.A. Spiegel and W.R. Young, 1992. Global equilibria of turbulent accretion disks. Annals New York Acad. Sci., 675, 53-64.

Stommel, H. M. and W.R. Young, 1993. The average T-S relation of astochastically forced box model. J. Phys. Oceanogr., 23, 151-158.

McNamara, S. and W.R. Young, 1993. Kinetics of a one-dimensional granular medium in the quasielastic limit. Phys. Fluids A., 5, 34-45.

Young, W.R., 1994. The subinertial mixed layer approximation. J. Phys. Oceanogr., 24, 1812-1826.

Roemmich, D., M.Y. Morris, W. R. Young and J.R. Donguy, 1994. Fresh equatorial jets. J. Phys Oceanogr.., 24, 540-558.

Jones, S.W. and W.R. Young, 1994. Shear dispersion and anomalous diffusion by chaotic advection. J. Fluid Mech., 280, 149-172.

McNamara, S. and W.R. Young, 1994. Inelastic collapse in two dimensions. Phys. Rev. E. 50, R28.

Young, W.R. and L. Chen, 1995. Baroclinic instability and thermohaline gradient alignment in the mixed layer. J. Phys. Oceanogr, 25, 3172-3185.

Chen, L. and W.R. Young, 1995. Density compensated thermohaline gradients and diapycnal fluxes in the mixed layer. J. Phys. Oceanogr., 25, 3064-3075.

Young, W.R., 1995. Decaying two-dimensional turbulence. Turbulence, A Tentative Dictionary, 1-4, Eds. P. Tabeling and O. Cardoso, Plenum Press.

McNamara S., and W.R. Young, 1996. Dynamics of a freely evolving, two-dimensional granular medium. Phys. Rev. E., 53, 5089-5100.

Cessi, P., and W.R. Young, 1996. Some unexpected consequences of the inter-action between convective adjustment and horizontal diffusion. Physica D., 98, 287-300.

Balmforth, N.J., and D. del-Castillo-Negrete and W.R. Young, 1997. Dynamics of vorticity defects in shear. J. Fluid Mech., 333, 197-230.

Young, W.R., and M. Ben Jelloul, 1997. Propagation of near-inertial oscillations through a geostrophic flow. J. Mar. Res., 55, 735-766.

Ferrari, R., and W.R. Young, 1997. On the development of thermohaline correlations as a result of nonlinear diffusive parameterizations. J. Mar. Res., 55, 1069-1101.

Balmforth, N.J., and W.R. Young. 1997. Long-wave instability in marginally stable shear flows. Phys. Rev. Lett., 79, 4155-4158.

Balmforth, N.J., S.G. Llewellyn Smith, and W.R. Young. 1998. Dynamics of interfaces and layers in a stratified turbulent fluid. J. Fluid Mech., 355, 329-358.

Balmforth, N.J., S.G. Llewellyn Smith, and W.R. Young. 1998. Enhanced dispersion of near-inertial waves in an idealized geostrophic flow. J. Mar. Res., 56, 1-40.

Manfroi, A.J., and W.R. Young, 1999. Slow evolution of zonal jets on the beta-plane. J. Atmos. Sci., 56, 784-800.

Balmforth, N.J., and W.R. Young, 1999. Radiative damping of near-inertial oscillations.J. Mar. Res., 57, 561-584.

Dauxois, T., and W.R. Young, 1999. Near-critical reflection of internal waves. J. Fluid Mech., 390, 271-295.

Balmforth, N.J., S.G Llewellyn-Smith and W.R. Young, 2001. Disturbing vortices. J. Fluid Mech. 426, 95-133.

Ferrari, R., Manfroi, A., and W.R. Young, 2001. Strongly and weakly self-similar diffusion. Physica D 154, 111-137.

Young, W.R., A.J. Roberts and G. Stuhne, 2001. Reproductive pair correlations and the clustering of organisms. Nature 412, 328-331.

65. Manfroi, A.J. and W.R. Young, 2002. Stability of beta-plane Kolmogorov flow. Physica D 162, 208-232.

Llewellyn Smith, S.G. and W.R. Young, 2002. Conversion of the barotropic tide. J. Phys. Oceanogr., 32, 1554-1566.

Balmforth, N.B., G.R.Ierley and W.R. Young, 2002. Tidal conversion by subcritical topography. J. Phys. Oceanogr., 32, 2900-2914.

Paparella, F. and W.R. Young, 2002. Horizontal convection is nonturbulent. J. Fluid Mech., 466, 205-214.

Balmforth, N.B. and W.R. Young, 2003. Diffusion limited scalar cascades. J. Fluid Mech., 482, 91-100.

Llewellyn Smith, S.G. and W.R. Young, 2003. Tidal conversion at a very steep ridge. J. Fluid Mech., 495, 175-191. Tang, W., Caulfield, C.P. and W.R. Young, 2004. Bounds on dissipation in stress-driven flow J. Fluid Mech., 510, 333-352.

Tang, W., Caulfield, C.P. and W.R. Young, 2005. Bounds on dissipation in stress-driven in a rotating frame. J.Fluid Mech., 540, 373-391.

Plasting, S.C. and W.R. Young, 2006. A bound on scalar variance for the advection diffusion equation. J.Fluid Mech., 552, 289-298.

Birch, D.A. and W.R. Young, 2006. A master equation for a spatial population model with pair interactions. Theoretical Population Biology, 70, 26-42.

75. Thompson, A.F. and W.R. Young 2006. Scaling baroclinic eddy flux: vortices and energy balance. J. Phys. Oceanogr., 36, 720-738.

76. Petrelis, F., S.G. Llewellyn Smith and W.R. Young, 2006. Tidal conversion at a submarine ridge. J.Phys. Oceanogr., 36, 1053-1071.

77. di Lorenzo, E., W.R. Young and S.G. Llewellyn Smith 2006. Numerical and analytical estimates of M2 tidal conversion at steep oceanic ridges. J.Phys.Oceanogr., 36, 1072-1084.

Cessi P., W.R. Young and J. A. Polton 2006. Control of large-scale heat transport by small-scale mixing. J.Phys.Oceanogr., 36, 1877-1894.

Thompson, A.F. and W.R. Young 2007. Two-layer Baroclinic Eddy Heat Fluxes: Zonal Flows and Energy Balance. J. Atmos. Sci., 64, 3214-3231.

Balmforth N.J., J.W.M. Bush, D. Vener and W.R. Young 2007. Dissipative descent: rocking and rolling down an incline. J. Fluid Mech., 590, 295-318.

Birch, D.A., Y.-K. Tsang and W.R. Young 2007. Bounding biomass in the Fisher Equation. Phys. Rev. E 76, 041910. (Also selected to appear in the Virtual Journal of Biological Physics Research 13, issue 12.)

Birch, D.A., W.R. Young and P.J.S. Franks 2008. Thin layers of plankton: Formation by shear and death by diffusion Deep Sea Res. Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers, 55, 2277-295.

Young, W.R., Y.-K. Tsang and N.J. Balmforth 2008. Near-inertial parametric subharmonic instability. J. Fluid Mech. 607 pp 25-49.

Birch, D.A., W.R.Young and P.J.S. Franks 2008. Plankton layer profiles as determined by shearing, sinking and swimming. Accepted by Limnology and Oceanography.

Tsang, Y-K and W.R. Young 2008. Energy-enstrophy stability of beta-plane Kolmogorov flow with drag. Phys. Fluids 20, 084102