Walter Munk

Born on 19 October 1917 in Vienna, oceanographer Walter Munk was called the “Einstein of the oceans” for his profound contributions to physical oceanography and geophysics. Munk moved to New York at the age of 14. After earning his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Caltech, he joined the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, part of the University of California, where he earned his PhD and worked for most of his career. He first made a name for himself during World War II, when he and Harald Sverdrup, then director of the Scripps Institution, developed a system for wave forecasting to help Allied troops make amphibious landings in North Africa. In 1946, during the US nuclear weapons testing at Bikini Atoll in the Pacific Ocean, Munk analyzed wave propagation and the diffusion of radioactive materials by ocean currents. He also performed pioneering research in a number of other areas, such as ocean sound transmission, which he used not only to detect submarines but also to measure climate change : The warmer the water, the faster sound travels through it. Among the many honors and awards he received was the 1983 National Medal of Science for his lifetime of achievements in the physical sciences. Beginning in 1968 he served as a member of JASON, an elite group of scientists who advise the US government on science and technology. He died in 2019 at age 101. (Photo credit: AIP Emilio Segrè Visual Archives)

Editor’s note: This post has been updated.

Date in History: 19 October 1917