This issue of Oceanography features the usual potpourri of topics for which the magazine is famous.

The Paluszkiewicz paper on deep convection describes a globally important process that we often hear of; however, many of us are not aware of the latest modeling efforts and the conceptual basis for the models. This paper shows how the new high-performance computers are really making their power felt. The emerging ability to model oceanographic processes on scales of eddies and smaller features will finally give us a view of the ocean we have not yet had.

Olson and his colleagues present their thoughts on the biological role of fronts. Since the days of whaling, and we’re sure before that, people have appreciated the importance of fronts. A passing ocean front is an event that can bring people on deck. Fronts have color, fish, garbage, turtles, and higher waves. Fronts even have distinctive sounds. We all know that fronts are important biophysical entities, but we lack conceptual models for them. In reading the paper LIFE ON THE EDGE you may have a better feel for those concepts.

This issue’s The Future of Oceanography column presents the work of John Moisan. His ecosystem modeling effort nicely combines the power of the modern numerical circulation model with biological information to provide us with a new view of production in eastern boundary current eddy and jet fields.

Anyone who chooses to study the ocean has chosen to give up the option of controlled experiments. We must let nature vary the forcing functions for us and try to unravel the resultant cause and effect. Oviatt describes one of the few facilities in the world that provides the researcher with the option of a controlled experiment. There are frequent discussions about the merits of open versus closed experiments.

Arnold Gordon has now stepped down as President of the Society; in this issue we present his parting words. We are sure these are not his last! The Society gave Arnold a chart as a memento that, curiously, is missing the continent that has been the land boundary to his ocean of greatest interest.

Margaret Leinen, our new President, gives the final word with her thoughts on the society and its future. Margaret will have a regular column that will serve as her sounding board as well as a place for Society news.

— Larry Atkinson and Connie Sancetta

Atkinson, L., and C. Sancetta. 1994. Quarterdeck: Models, experiments, goodbyes, and hellos. Oceanography 7(2):34, https://doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.1994.04.

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