Courses & Resources
Physical Oceanography (Winter 2013)
This course provides an introduction to the physical balances and dynamical mechanisms governing ocean circulations. The course will begin with a descriptive overview of water mass distributions, wind and buoyancy forcing and considerations of the ocean's interaction with the cryosphere. We will consider how the effects of rotation and stratification give rise to the ocean's gyre circulation, western boundary currents and abyssal circulations. In the latter part of the course we address more recent topics including the meridional overturning circulation, interior mixing processes, mesoscale and submesoscale dynamics.
Southern Ocean Dynamics (Spring 2012)
This course focuses on the physical oceanography of the Southern Ocean. The Southern Ocean is unique from the ocean basins due to the lack of continental barriers, interactions between the ocean and the cryosphere and the communication between surface and deep water masses. Beginning with a review of the equations of motion governing ocean circulation, topics covered during the course will include: a description of water mass formation and modification processes in the Southern Ocean, the dynamics of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current and the meridional overturning circulation, surface mixed-layer dynamics and interactions of the ocean with the cryosphere. The course will also use both ocean observations and laboratory experiments to illustrate key features. Prerequisite: ESE 102, or permission from instructor.