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outline 2018/08/15 1

Ocean 620 structures and phenomena Introduction to Physical 1. Large-scale distribution of T, S, tracers 2. General circulation and named currents Sample Syllabus 3. Mesoscale eddies Eric Firing (efi[email protected], MSB 416, x67894) Niklas Schneider ([email protected], MSB 205B, 4. x62912) 5. Fine structure and microstructure MSB315, MWF 10:30-11:20am https://currents.soest.hawaii.edu/ocn620/ Building blocks of dynamics

1. Hydrostatic balance

Overview 2. Rotation: and centrifugal forces

The purpose of this course is to help students acquire 3. Geostrophic balance some basic knowledge of what the ocean looks like, 4. balance and some understanding of how it works. For the former we will use up-to-date observations and data 5. Potential vorticity products, and for the latter we will learn about how rotation, stratification, and the shape of the , 6. Forcing: fluxes of and buoyancy together with the basic of in motion, lead to the rich variety of structures and phenomena that we observe. Readings This is not strictly a lecture course. Class may The central resource for the course is the class web- include quick quizzes, discussions, question and an- site: https://currents.soest.hawaii.edu/ocn620/. It swer sessions, brief student presentations, and exper- iments. includes lecture notes prepared over the years primar- ily by Eric Firing. Additional information in various forms is also available, and more will be added as the Topics course progresses. We do not have an assigned textbook for the course. The following is a rough outline of themes and topics You might find the following free texts useful; both that we expect to encounter; it is not a schedule. All can be downloaded from links in https://currents. themes and many topics will come up repeatedly and soest.hawaii.edu/ocn620/other courses.html. in different contexts during the course. Introduction to by Themes and concepts Robert H. Stewart.

1. Scales Regional Oceanography: an Introduction by Tomczak and Godfrey is a good source of 2. Approximation primarily descriptive information. 3. The interplay of rotation and stratification Other texts that you might find helpful include: 4. Waves as conveyors of information 5. Linear versus nonlinear behavior Descriptive Physical Oceanography, 6th Edition by Talley et al. is packed with up-to-date PO 6. Instability information. outline 2018/08/15 2

Ocean Dynamics and the by complained about the mathematics, it is our expe- Williams and Follows gives a concise and mod- rience that the real problem is more often lack of a ern introduction to PO and its relation to ocean background in basic physics. and chemistry. , Ocean and Dynamics Student Learning Outcomes by John Marshall and Alan Plumb introduces geophysical fluid dynamics as applied equally to By the end of this course, we expect all students to the atmosphere and the ocean. It uses rotating be familiar with the main features of the ocean tank experiments–some of which we will do in circulation and , with the main classes this class–to demonstrate how rotation affects of ocean waves, with other important processes such fluid dynamics. as mixing, and with the dynamic balances that gov- ern these phenomena and processes. We recognize Atmosphere- by Adrian Gill is that we will be covering a broad area and introduc- an old but highly respected text and reference. ing many new and sometimes unintuitive concepts. Although as a whole it is too advanced to be used Just do your best, and rest assured that your expo- as a primary text for this course, parts may be sure to these concepts, and the effort you put into helpful, particularly to those who continue their understanding them, will be worthwhile so long as studies of physical oceanography or . you pursue your interest in oceanography. In addition to learning facts and concepts, you should Grading gain some skills such as the following:

The weighting for the final grade will be 25% for the • Calculate Ekman and estimate veloc- midterm, 45% for the final, and 30% for class partic- ity in an Ekman layer. ipation, quizzes, and homework. • Estimate geostrophic currents from a -surface topography map or from a CTD section. Mathematics • Interpret a meter record or a record in terms of the types of motion that con- An important part of the language of physical tribute to the variability at different frequencies. oceanography (and aspects of biological and ) is vector calculus, with which some of • Predict arrival from a or an you may not yet be familiar. We cannot provide a . full course in vector calculus, and we will not require you to learn it well enough to solve complex problems. • Estimate how a pollutant or other tracer might But we will introduce the basic concepts and symbols, spread in a given area. and we will expect you to learn them well enough to • Explain the basic dynamics of the -driven understand their physical meaning and perform some ocean circulation. simple calculations. • Discuss how a storm might affect a pop- Experience has shown that a strong mathematical ulation. background is not essential for doing well in this course; but a student with such a background should • Read and understand a paper in the modern PO be able to get more out of the course than one with- literature. out. In other words, the goal is not just to know some things, but to be able to do something with what Physics you know.

Physical oceanography is largely the physics of the One more goal: have fun! ocean; although students in this course have often