Introduction to Physical Oceanography
Course Schedule for Fall 2007
This is a general outline of the material that will
be discussed each day, and we will probably deviate from it as
the course progresses. It is meant to be an overview of the
topics to be discussed in roughly the order they will be
discussed. Some topics may take more or less time than
listed.
August 27, 2007 - A
Voyage of Discovery
- Course introduction & Goals
- The
Big Picture
August 29, 2007 - The
Historical Setting I
August 31, 2007 - The
Physical Setting I
September 3, 2007 - The
Physical Setting II
- Sound
in the ocean
- Mapping
the ocean's floor
Maps
of the sea floor calculated from echo sounder data, multibeam
sonar, and altimetric data and a description of the technique
are available through the Marine
Geology and Geophysics program of the NOAA's National
Geophysical Data Center and through the US Geological Survey,
This Dynamic Planet,
showing seafloor bathymetry and land topography, earthquake
epicenters, volcanoes, and plate boundaries. An Interactive
version of the map is at the Smithsonian
Museum. Click on the
map image to bring up the interactive
viewer. The latest
global bathymetric maps of the ocean are made from ship data
by GEBCO (General
Bathymetric Charts of the Ocean) and by combining altimeter
and ship data. The later technique is described in Sandwell
and Smith's papers at Global
Bathymetric Prediction for Ocean Modeling and Marine Geophysics and Exploring
the Ocean Basins with Satellite Altimeter Data.
Homework 1 Due
September 5, 2007 - Atmospheric
Influences
- Earth
in space
- Atmospheric
forcing of the ocean: Oceanic winds
- Measurement
of winds
- Wind Stress
A description of reanalyzed data, and surface-flux data sets,
including surface winds, is available from the National Centers
for Environmental Prediction/National Center for Atmospheric
Research NCEP/NCAR
Reanalysis Project. Other reanalyzed data are available
from the European
Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts.
September 7, 2007 - The
Oceanic Heat Budget I
September 10, 2007 - The
Oceanic Heat Budget II
- Global
data sets for Fluxes
- Geographical
and seasonal distribution of fluxes
- Meridional
Heat Transport
- Variations
in Solar Constant
See moisture stream from the tropics into mid-latitudes where
it falls as rain in this visualization
for January and for August from
the Visualization Group at
the National Center for Atmospheric Research. See the
recent AVISO
article on how hot water in the Gulf of Mexico led to the
catastrophic intensification of Hurricane Katrina in August
2005.
Maps of terms in the heat budget of the ocean can be obtained
from the Live Access to the National Virtual Ocean Data System maintained
by the NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory. For example,
select the Esbensen-Kushnir
Heat Budget Climatology.
Homework 2 Due
September 12, 2007 - Surface
Temperature, Salinity, and Density of Sea Water I
September 14, 2007 - Surface
Temperature, Salinity, and Density of Sea Water II
September 17, 2007 - Role
of Ocean in North American Drought
The heat and water vapor released from the ocean due
to solar heating helps drive the atmospheric circulation. The circulation
carries some of the vapor over land where it condenses as rain.
The ocean-tmosphere system has many feedback mechanisms and multiple
semi-stable modes, some of which lead to drought.
Homework 3 Due
September 19, 2007 - Films
Showing Our Best Visualization of the Ocean's Circulation
Temperature, salinity and currents in the ocean from
eddy-resolving numerical model. Download and view:
1) Simulation of tropical sea-surface
temperature in the Pacific from the Earth
Simulator.
2) Additional images from the Virtual
Atmosphere and Ocean in the Earth Simulator.
The Earth Simulator computer at the Japanese Marine Science and Technology Agency
JAMSTEC, Yokohama, Japan.
3) Simulation of sea-surface temperature
in the Gulf Stream from the Navy
Layered Ocean Model 1/16° global model.
4) Simulation of sea-surface
heights and currents in the Gulf of Mexico from the Navy
Layered Ocean Model 1/16° global model.
5) Simulation of drifter positions in the Pacific.
September 21, 2007 - Equations
of Motion I
September 24, 2007 - Quiz 1
September 26, 2007 - Equations
of Motion II
- The
Total Derivative
- Momentum
Equation
- Conservation
of Mass: Continuity Equation
- Solutions
to the Equations of Motion
For more information about the mysterious Coriolis force see
the University of Illinois, Department of Atmospheric Sciences'
Online Guide to the Coriolis
Force. The site includes a great film
clip of children demonstrating the influence of rotation
on rolling balls.
September 28, 2007 - Equations
of Motion with Viscosity I
October 1, 2007 - Equations
of Motion with Viscosity II
For more information on double diffusion and salt
fingering, see a description of salt
fingering in the ocean by Bill
Merryfield at the Institute for Ocean Sciences, Canada.
October 3, 2007 -Response
of the Upper Ocean to Winds I
October 5, 2007 - Response
of the Upper Ocean to Winds II
October 8, 2007 - Geostrophic
Currents I
Homework 4 Due
October 10, 2007 - No Class
Today
October 12, 2007 - No Class
Today
October 15, 2007 - Geostrophic
Currents II
Homework 5 Due
October 17, 2007 - Measurement
of Ocean Currents
October 19, 2007 - Wind
Driven Ocean Circulation I
October 22, 2007 - Wind
Driven Ocean Circulation II and
Vorticity
Homework 6 Due
October 24, 2007 - Vorticity
in the Ocean
- Conservation of vorticity
- Vorticity
and Ekman pumping
Watch a model ocean spin
up as calculated from a simple computer model run by John
Lyman at Oregon State University. The output shows the streamfunction
of the sea surface of a rectangular basin after wind is turned
on, showing the development of a basin-wide circulation and
a western-boundary current. Caution! 13 Mbyte file.
October 26, 2007 - Wind
Driven Ocean Circulation in the North Atlantic
- Measured currents in the North Atlantic
- The Gulf Stream and Gulf Stream recirculation system
- Baroclinic instability
October 29, 2007 - Quiz 2
October 31, 2007 - Deep
circulation in the ocean I
November 2, 2007 - Deep
circulation in the ocean II
Read more
about the deep circulation at Planet Water, including the
role of deep eddies and new information about the role of the
Arctic.
November 5, 2007 - Equatorial
Processes I
- Equatorial
processes: surface and subsurface currents
- Why the equatorial Pacific is important for meteorology
- El
Niño/La
Niña: The variability of the equatorial
currents
November 7, 2007 - Equatorial
Processes II
- Why
does El Niño influence
global weather?
- Observing
El Niño
- Forecasting
El Niño
Additional Reading: See the on-line
tutorial describing El
Niño and its consequences maintained
by the Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory of NOAA or A
Quick Guide toEl
Niño maintained by the
Jet Propulsion Laboratory and latest
sea surface height anomaly maps of the Pacific from Jason.
The laboratory also has animations
of sea-level anomalies in the tropical Pacific since 1992.
November 9, 2007 - Numerical
Models I
Additional Reading:
You may wish to look at a high-resolution
model of the Gulf Stream developed by Matt O'Keefe at
the Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Minnesota
and Prof. Rainer Bleck at the Department of Meteorology and
Physical Oceanography, Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric
Science, University of Miami.
Bob
Leben and his team at the University
of Colorado Center for Astrodynamics Research are
now producing real-time maps of the circulation in the
Gulf of Mexico. Their Real-Time
Data for Gulf of Mexico web page gives the output of their
calculations.
November 12, 2007 - Numerical
models II
Homework 7 Due
November 14, 2007 - Ocean
Waves I
- Linear
wave theory
- Concept
of a wave spectrum
- see animation of a dispersive
wave from Akira Hirose at the University of Saskatchewan.
November 16, 2007 - Ocean
Waves II
NOAA
wavewatch NOAA has a tutorial on
how they forecast waves.
November 19, 2007 - Film
- Film: Portrait of
a Coast. This is a beautiful film that follows
the seasonal cycle of a New England coast noting problems caused
by coastal development.
- While watching the film try to remember:
- Why are beaches important?
- What is the seasonal cycle of the beach? When is it highest,
when lowest?
- What processes influence the beach?
- How does coastal development lead to problems?
- What are the problems?
Homework 8 Due
November 21, 2007 No Class Today
November 23, 2007 - Thanksgiving
Holiday
November 26, 2007 - Coastal
Processes I
Additional Reading: Global
forecasts and output of wave analysis models are available through
the NOAA
WaveWatch.
For information
on a platform to produce power from waves, see the Japan
Marine Science and Technology Center site. They have developed Mighty
Whale, a moored barge that converts wave power to electricity
while reducing wave heights. The device serves as a breakwater and power station.
National Geographic Magazine has an interesting article on surfing
monster waves at Jaws,
Maui Hawaii. A full description of what causes the monster
waves, including information on calculating
wave refraction and breaking waves at Jaws is provided by Robert
A. Dalrymple at the University of Delaware.
See the on-line tutorial on tsunamis maintained
by the University of Washington and NOAA's Pacific Marine Environmental
Laboratory. The NOAA Lab's pages provide more
information. The Pacific
Tsunami Museum has a great on-line collection
of photographs of tsunamis coming ashore in Hawaii and the
damage they did.
November 28, 2007 - Tides
- Theory of tides
- Tidal Prediction
- Tides and the deep circulation of the ocean
Get tidal data from NOAA's TidesOnline,
including recent
plots of tide data from selected ports,
and historical
data..
Additional Reading: See the on-line
tutorial on the Theory
of Tides, by NOAA, NOAA
Tide Gauges by the Proudman Oceanographic Laboratory,
and Misconceptions
About Tides by Donald E. Simanek
Homework 9 Due
November 30, 2007 - Optional
Quiz 3
December 3, 2007 - No Class
Today
Revised on:
18 June, 2008
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