Hokusai: Great Wave off Kanagawa

MAST 602

Introduction to Physical Oceanography

Course Information

Course Texts

  • Knauss, John A., 1997. Introduction to Physical Oceanography, 2nd Edition, Prentice-Hall.

References on reserve in the library

  • Pickard, George L. & William J. Emery, 1990. Descriptive Physical Oceanography, 5th Edition, Pergamon.
  • Pond, Stephen, & George L. Pickard, 1983. Introductory Dynamical Oceanography, 2nd Edition, Pergamon.
  • Open University, 1989a. Ocean Circulation, Pergamon.
  • Open University, 1989b. Waves, tides, and shallow-water processes, Pergamon.
  • Open University, 1989c. Seawater: its composition, properties and behaviour, Pergamon.
  • Warren, Bruce A., and Carl Wunsch, eds., 1981. Evolution of Physical Oceanography, MIT.

Instructor

Ferris Webster
Cannon 216, Lewes Campus
Tel: 302-645-4266
Fax: 302-645-4007
Internet ferris@udel.edu

Course Grade

50% based on take-home problems,
50% based on the mid-term and end-of term tests:
 

 

10 take-home problem sets

200 points

50%

Mid-term open-book test

100 points

25%

End-of-term closed-book test

100 points

25%

A- -> A

85 - 100%

B- -> B+

70 - 84%

C- -> C+

60 - 69%

D

50 - 59%

F

below 50%

Course Schedule, Fall 1999

3 Sept Physical properties of the ocean and seawater, sound and light
10 Sept Earth's heat balance
17 Sept Oceanic balance of heat, salt, & water
8 Oct Equations of continuity and motion
15 Oct Balance of forces
 ? Oct The effect of Earth's rotation
29 Oct Ocean currents
5 Nov Deep currents and general ocean circulation
12 Nov Surface waves
19 Nov Tides and long-period waves
3 Dec Delaware Bay and Continental Shelf
  End-of-term closed-book exam
   

I'll use the interactive TV (ITV) system and, depending on the course registration, will alternate between Lewes and Newark during the semester.

The best way to communicate with me is over the Internet:


Course Outline

  • Properties of the ocean and seawater
    notes for this lecture (Adobe Acrobat [PDF] format) pdficonsmall.gif (153 bytes)
    • The scale of the ocean
    • Temperature
    • Salinity
    • Density
    • Static Stability
    • Other properties of seawater
  • Sound and Light
    • Underwater sound
    • Absorption and scattering
    • Refraction of sound
    • Reflection of sound
    • Underwater sound applications
    • Underwater optics
  • Earth's Heat balance
    notes for this lecture (Adobe Acrobat [PDF] format) pdficonsmall.gif (153 bytes)
    • Air-sea transfer of heat
    • Solar radiative energy,
    • Back radiation,
    • Evaporation (latent heat flux),
    • Sensible heat flux,
    • The enhanced greenhouse effect
    • The carbon cycle
    • Climate system modelling
    • Sea-level rise
  • Oceanic balance of heat, salt, & water
    notes for this lecture (Adobe Acrobat [PDF] format) pdficonsmall.gif (153 bytes)
    • Seasonal heat storage
    • Advection of heat
    • Sea ice
    • Global heat balance
    • Interannual climate variability (El Niņo and La Niņa)
  • Equations of continuity & motion
    notes for this lecture (Adobe Acrobat [PDF] format) pdficonsmall.gif (153 bytes)
    • Continuity
    • Molecular Diffusion
    • Turbulent Diffusion
    • Box models
    • Pressure gradient force
    • Coriolis force
    • Gravity
    • Friction
    • Shearing stress
    • Eddy viscosity
    • Reynolds stresses
  • Balance of forces
    notes for this lecture (Adobe Acrobat [PDF] format) pdficonsmall.gif (153 bytes)
    • Hydrostatic equation
    • Dynamic height
    • Pressure gradients in layered fluids
    • River flow
    • Terminal velocity
    • Coriolis force: geostrophic flow
  • The effect of Earth's rotation
    notes for this lecture (Adobe Acrobat [PDF] format) pdficonsmall.gif (153 bytes)
    • Inertial motion
    • Thermal wind equation
    • Wind stress on the sea surface
    • Ekman transport
    • Ekman spiral
    • Upwelling
    • Vorticity
    • Westward intensification of ocean currents
  • Ocean currents
    notes for this lecture (Adobe Acrobat [PDF] format) pdficonsmall.gif (153 bytes)
    • General circulation
    • Western boundary currents
    • Gulf Stream structure
    • Eastern-side currents
    • Equatorial currents
    • Indian Ocean (Monsoon) currents
    • Antarctic Circumpolar Current
    • Arctic circulation
  • Deep currents & general ocean circulation
    notes for this lecture (Adobe Acrobat [PDF] format) pdficonsmall.gif (153 bytes)
    • Thermohaline circulation
    • Water masses
    • Water-mass types
    • Bottom topographic effects
    • Microstructure, double diffusion
    • Mesoscale eddies
    • Langmuir circulation
  • Surface waves
    notes for this lecture (Adobe Acrobat [PDF] format) pdficonsmall.gif (153 bytes)
    • Small-amplitude waves
    • Particle motion
    • Wave dispersion
    • Wave energy and momentum
    • Stokes waves and capillary waves
    • Wave spectrum
    • Wave propagation
    • Refraction and breakers
    • Longshore currents and rip currents
  • Tides & long-period waves
    notes for this lecture (Adobe Acrobat [PDF] format) pdficonsmall.gif (153 bytes)
    • Tsunami
    • Seiches
    • Effects of Earth's rotation
    • Internal waves
    • Tidal forces
    • Equilibrium tide
    • Observed ocean tides
    • Tidal prediction
    • Tidal currents
    • Altimetric measurement of ocean currents
  • Delaware Bay & Continental Shelf
    notes for this lecture (Adobe Acrobat [PDF] format) pdficonsmall.gif (153 bytes)
    • Continental shelf circulation
    • Delaware Coastal Current
    • Longshore flow
    • Estuarine circulation
    • Estuaries
    • Delaware Bay tides
    • Subtidal flow in Delaware Bay
    • Fronts
  • Course reference list (Adobe Acrobat [pdf] format) pdficonsmall.gif (153 bytes)

24 August, 1999