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
- Oceanographic Exploration
- Milestones in Understanding the Ocean
- Development of theoretical ideas.
- Importance of measurements in oceanography and the sampling problem
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
- Terms in the oceanic heat budget
- Direct calculation of fluxes
- Indirect Calculation of fluxes from bulk formulas and other sources
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
- Definition of Salinity
- Definition of Temperature
- Geographical Distribution of Temperature and Salinity
- The oceanic Mixed Layer and Thermocline
September 14, 2007 - Surface Temperature, Salinity, and Density of Sea Water II
- Density, Potential Temperature, and Neutral Density
- Measurement of Temperature
- Measurement of Conductivity
- Measurement of Pressure
- Measurement of Temperature and salinity With Depth
- Light in the Ocean
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
- Dominant Forces for Ocean Dynamics
- Coordinate Systems
- Types of Flow in the Ocean
- Conservation of Mass and Salt
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
- Hydrostatic Equation
- Geostrophic Approximation, Geostrophic Currents
- Satellite Altimeter Measurements of Surface Geostrophic Currents
Homework 4 Due
October 10, 2007 - No Class Today
October 12, 2007 - No Class Today
October 15, 2007 - Geostrophic Currents II
- Calculating Geostrophic Currents from Hydrographic Data
- Barotropic and Baroclinic Flow
- Comments on Geostrophic Method
Homework 5 Due
October 17, 2007 - Measurement of Ocean Currents
- Currents from Hydrographic Sections
- Lagrangean Measurements of Currents the Argo Project. See map of floats deployed in the ocean.
- Eulerian Measurements of 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
- Importance of the deep circulation, role of the oceans in climate and abrupt climate change
- Stommel-Arons' theory of the deep circulation
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
- Shoaling waves. Waves coming into the surf zone
- Wave refraction
- Breaking waves
- Currents in the surf zone
- Tsunamis
- Storm surges
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
