Top view of blue frothy sea surface. Shot in the open sea from above.

Climate and Fluid Physics

The Climate and Fluid Physics group carries out research on fluid dynamics and thermodynamics problems relevant to Earth.

science Research area
contact_support Contact
Callum Shakespeare

About

 

The Climate and Fluid Physics group carries out research on fluid flow problems relevant to Earth, using numerical modelling, theory, and laboratory experiments in the Climate & Fluid Physics Laboratory.

We are interested in problems ranging from large-scale ocean circulation to ice melting, from convection to waves and turbulence and from lava flows to climate dynamics. Come chat with us at the Jaeger 7 Building where we all sit.

Research topics

Below is a non-exhaustive listing of the research carried out by the Climate and Fluid Physics group. Click on the links for more information about a specific topic.

Affiliations and connections

Climate and Fluid Physics is a key contributor to the Consortium for Ocean and Sea Ice Modelling in Australia (COSIMA), which developed the ACCESS-OM2 suite of coupled global ocean and sea-ice models and is now working towards its next iteration, ACCESS-OM3. We also have strong connections with ACCESS-NRI.

Climate and Fluid Physics is a node of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate Extremes and the ARC Centre of Excellence for 21st Century Weather.

Potential student projects

Student projects at the undergraduate, Honours, Masters and PhD levels are available in many areas related to Climate and Fluid Physics, including the research topics listed above. Below are a few examples of potential projects.

Potential student enquiries about these or other projects are always welcome. Feel free to reach out to a relevant member of our group to chat!

Visualisation galleries

Take a look at some of our modelling and laboratory flow visualisations:

GFD Lab Visualisations

 

Model Visualisations

 

Recent activity

We hold weekly group meetings. A full schedule of all our activities is available in our Google calendar.

Climate and Fluid Physics hold regular social events including dinners, annual retreats, and ski trips. A gallery of the group's social activities is here.

More information

Explore cutting-edge ocean simulations at ANU, showcasing sea temperature changes and dynamic oceanic flows, for insights into our planet's vital water systems.

Learn more

Highlighting distinguished alumni from ANU's Climate & Fluid Physics research group.

Learn more

Explore FluidsIn4K by ANU's Climate & Fluid Physics: high-quality videos showcasing fluid dynamics phenomena for educational outreach. Visit our YouTube for captivating visual content.

Learn more

This image gallery shows a series of classic flow visualisations captured in the CFP lab.

Learn more

Facilities in the CFP Laboratory include a rotating table for studies of the effects of planetary rotation on fluid flows, and extensive equipment for flow visualization and data acquisition.

Learn more

Explore the history of ANU's Climate & Fluid Physics Group, from its 1975 beginnings to current cutting-edge research in ocean dynamics and climate science.

Learn more

Some Climate & Fluid Physics social events are recorded for posterity.

Learn more

Projects

The Southern Ocean encircles Antarctica, dividing the polar regions from the warm tropical ocean. It is home to the world's strongest ocean current, the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, and is the primary location where ancient, deep ocean water is upwelled to the surface.  The Southern Ocean controls the natural...

Use your skills in physics, mathematics or computational science to better understand our climate system.

Members

Leader

Dr Callum Shakespeare

Senior Lecturer

Researcher

Postdoctoral Fellow

Director of ACCESS-NRI

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Research Fellow

Research/DECRA Fellow
Chief Investigator for the the ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate Extremes

Photo of Adele with supercomputer

Senior Lecturer

Research Fellow

Research Fellow

Postdoctoral Fellow

Research support officer

No photo provided

Technical Officer

No photo provided

Research Support Officer

Technical officer

Student

PhD Candidate

PhD Candidate

No photo provided

PhD Candidate

PhD Candidate

MSci Earth Sciences (Advanced)

PhD Candidate

PhD Candidate

PhD Candidate

PhD Candidate

Visitor and affiliate

plop

Visitor
Senior Lecturer at The University of Melbourne

Emeritus Professor

ARC DECRA research fellow

Emeritus Professor

News

Off the coast of Antarctica, trillions of tonnes of cold salty water sink to great depths. As the water sinks, it drives the deepest flows of the “overturning” circulation – a network of strong currents spanning the world’s oceans.

Read the article