Michael Selwyn Longuet-Higgins. 8 December 1925—26 February 2016

Abstract

Michael Longuet-Higgins was a geometer and applied mathematician who made notable contributions to geophysics and physical oceanography, particularly to the theory of oceanic microseism and to the dynamics of finite amplitude, sharp-crested wind-generated surface waves. The latter led to his pioneering studies on breaking waves. On a much larger scale, he showed how ocean waves produce currents around islands in the ocean. He considered wider aspects of the physics of waves, including wave-driven transport of sand along beaches, and the electrical effects of tidal streams. He also contributed to subjects of a geometrical character such as the growth of quasi-crystals, the assembly of protein sheaths in viruses, to chains of circle themes and to a wide variety of other topics. He was an extraordinary applied mathematician, using the simplest forms of mathematics to demonstrate and discover highly complex nonlinear phenomena. In particular, he often thought of problems involving water waves using his unique knowledge of geometry and then tested his theories by experiment. Along with Brooke Benjamin FRS, Sir James Lighthill FRS, Walter Munk FRS, John Miles and Andrei Monin, Michael Longuet-Higgins stands out as one of the towering figures of theoretical fluid dynamics in the twentieth century. His contributions will have a continuing influence on our attempts to understand better the processes that influence the oceans.