Ae 233: Hydrodynamic Stability (Spring 2009). Laminar-stability theory as a guide to laminar-turbulent transition. Rayleigh equation, instability criteria, and response to small inviscid disturbances. Discussion of Kelvin-Helmholtz, Rayleigh-Taylor, Richtmyer-Meshkov instabilities and instabilities in geophysical flows. The Orr-Sommerfeld equation, the dual role of viscosity, and boundary-layer stability. Modern concepts such as pseudomomentum conservation laws and nonlinear stability theorems for 2D and geophysical flows. Weakly nonlinear stability theory and phenomenological theories of turbulence.

ESE/Ge 173: Topics in Atmosphere and Ocean Dynamics (Fall 2003–2008). A lecture and discussion class about current research in atmosphere and ocean dynamics. Topics covered vary from year to year and may include: geostrophic turbulence, atmospheric convection and cloud dynamics, wave dynamics and large-scale circulations in the tropics, middle atmosphere dynamics, dynamics of El Nino and the Southern Oscillation, maintenance of ocean thermocline, dynamics of the Southern Ocean.
Topics:

• Geophysical Turbulence (2003)
• Global Atmospheric Circulations (2004)
• Large-Scale Dynamics of the Atmosphere (2005)
• Principles of Global Planetary Circulations (2006)
• Tropical Atmosphere Dynamics (2007)
• Large-Scale Ocean Dynamics (2008)

ESE/Ge 153: Atmosphere and Ocean Dynamics (Spring 2004, with Andy Ingersoll). Fluid dynamics of atmosphere and oceans, beginning from linear wave dynamics and wave-mean flow interaction theory and leading to theories of the maintenance of large-scale circulations. Topics include: barotropic Rossby waves, flow over topography; shallow water dynamics and potential vorticity; quasigeostrophic theory; barotropic and baroclinic instability; wave-mean flow interaction; maintenance of the global-scale circulation of the atmosphere; structure of wind-driven ocean circulation.

ESE 200: Large-scale Dynamics of the Atmosphere (Spring 2003). Introduction to the global-scale fluid dynamics of the atmosphere, beginning with an analysis of classical models of instabilities in atmospheric flows and leading to currently unsolved problems. We will analyze models of baroclinic instability (the instability mechanism responsible for weather variability in midlatitudes); discuss theories of large-scale waves in the atmosphere; and examine such currently unsolved problems as the modeling of the macro-turbulence of the atmosphere. The course is designed for students in environmental science and planetary science and for applied mathematicians and engineers seeking an introduction to current research topics in atmospheric dynamics.
Topics include: barotropic Rossby waves; the quasigeostrophic two-layer model (potential vorticity, baroclinic instability); wave-mean flow interaction theory (non-acceleration theorem); turbulent fluxes in the extratropical climate; geostrophic turbulence; global-scale tracer transport; Hadley cell dynamics.

ACM/ESE 118: Methods in Applied Statistics and Data Analysis (Fall 2002, 2003, 2004; Winter 2006, 2007). Introduction to fundamental ideas and techniques of statistical modeling, with an emphasis on conceptual understanding and on the analysis of real data sets. Multiple regression: estimation, inference, model selection, model checking. Regularization of ill-posed and rank-deficient regression problems. Cross-validation. Principal component analysis. Discriminant analysis. Resampling methods and the bootstrap.