Physics 255: Physical Oceanography

Professor Mark O. Battle Fall 2002

Lectures: Monday, Wednesday, Friday 11:30-12:25pm, Searles 313

Office Hours: Wednesday and Thursday, 1:30-3:00pm or by appointment

Physical Oceanography is the study of the world’s oceans from the perspective of a physicist. Like many sub-disciplines in physics, it is a difficult field to clearly define. In this course we will take an approach that is sometimes focused and sometimes broad. We will develop the mathematical equations that describe tides, waves and ocean currents. This will enable us to understand large-scale phenomena (e.g. the gulf stream) and small-scale processes (e.g. breaking waves), but detailed predictions will be beyond our means due to the computational difficulties of fluid mechanics. After looking in depth at the motion of water masses, we will broaden our perspective and touch briefly on more general aspects of oceanography: The origin of oceans and ocean basins, acoustical oceanography, observing systems and instruments, navigation and mapping.

Course Requirements:

Regular attendance at lectures is expected. This is particularly important since we will be moving well beyond the required text.

You will be expected to complete problem sets (quasi-weekly). These will be assigned on Mondays and collected at the beginning of class one week later. Problem sets turned in 2 days late (Wednesday) will be assessed a penalty of 20%. They will not be accepted after Wednesday.

In place of problem sets (and sometimes in addition to them), I will expect you to find articles from the current scientific literature, digest their contents and present them to the class for discussion. These presentations will be graded on clarity, thoroughness of preparation, and depth of understanding.

There will be two exams: a midterm and a final.

Textbook:

There are two textbooks for the course, but neither is ideal. For a clear conceptual picture, you can refer to Ocean Circulation, 2^nd Ed. by The Open University. For more mathematical sophistication, you should consult Introduction to Physical Oceanography, 2^nd Ed. by John A. Knauss. A copy of each will be on reserve in the Hatch, along with other books from which readings will be assigned.

Grading:

Homeworks and presentations: 30%

Midterm exam: 30%

Final exam: 40%

Important Dates:

Midterm exam: October 23rd (Wednesday)

Final exam: December 21st (Saturday) 2:00pm