Video: A Salute to a Legend: Walter Munk Turns 100

Notable friends and colleagues from around the world share birthday greetings for Walter Munk. This video was played at the Centennial Conversation celebrating the 100th birthday of the renowned Scripps oceanographer

Often called the world’s greatest living oceanographer, Munk is known for inventing the science of wave forecasting with former Scripps director Harald Sverdrup, which helped Allied troops plan amphibious invasions. In 1943, Munk created the first wave prediction course and trained American military meteorologists at Scripps Oceanography, including those who would later predict conditions for World War II D-Day landings in Normandy.

Munk also pioneered tide prediction, and many aspects of ocean acoustics, ocean circulation, and deep-sea tides. Recently, he has explored the relationship between changes in ocean temperature, sea level, and the ocean between ice sheets and the seafloor. Known for his endless curiosity, Munk still conducts research today.

For more information on Walter Munk and centennial celebration events, visit http://munk100.ucsd.edu.

Related Video: A Salute to a Legend: Walter Munk Turns 100