Walter Munk

Walter Heinrich Munk (October 19, 1917 – February 8, 2019)^[1] was an American physical oceanographer.^[1][2] He was professor of geophysics emeritus and held the Secretary of the Navy/Chief of Naval Operations Oceanography Chair at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. He has won awards such as Alexander Agassiz Medal (1977), National Medal of Science (1985), William Bowie Medal (1989), Vetlesen Prize (1993), Kyoto Prize (1999) and Crafoord Prize (2010).

Munk in Stockholm, May 2010

Munk was born in Vienna, Austria-Hungary to a Jewish family. He was sent to a boys' preparatory school in upper New York state in 1932.^[3]

Munk turned 100 in October 2017.^[4] He died on February 8, 2019, at La Jolla, California. He was 101.^[1]

Early life and education

In 1917, Munk was born to a Jewish family in Vienna, Austria-Hungary.^[5]

Personal life

Munk remained actively engaged in scientific endeavors throughout his life, with publications as late as 2016.^[6][7] He turned 100 in October 2017.^[8] He died of pneumonia on February 8, 2019, at La Jolla, California, aged 101.^[1][9]