|
Department
of Marine Science | Academics
| Courses | MAR 461/561
MAR
461/561:
INTRODUCTION TO PHYSICAL OCEANOGRAPHY
Fall 2005, 30 - 31 lectures (16 week semester)
INSTRUCTOR: Dmitri Nechaev; office hours are by appointment
ADA Compliance: If a student has
a disability that qualifies under the Americans with Disabilities
Act (ADA) and requires
accommodations, he/she should contact the Office for Disability
Accommodations (ODA) for information on appropriate policies and
procedures. Disabilities covered by ADA may include learning,
psychiatric, physical impairments, or chronic health disorders.
Students should contact ODA if they are not certain whether a
medical condition/disability qualifies. Box 8568; Telephone (601)
266-5024; TTY (601) 266-6837; Fax (601) 266-6035.
TEXTS:
Class notes with some home assignments will be provided for each
lecture.
Text: Knauss, 1997. Introduction to Physical Oceanography, 2nd
ed., Prentice-Hall
The following books are recommended for supplemental reading:
Pickard and Emery, 1990. Descriptive Physical Oceanography, 5th
ed., Pergamon Press.
Pond and Pickard, 1983. Introductory Dynamical Oceanography, 2nd
ed., Pergamon Press.
The Open University, 1989. Ocean Circulation. Pergamon Press.
GRADING:
Class participation (10%), home assignments (25%), mid-term examination
(25%),
final examination (40%).
COURSE OUTLINE:
| Week |
Chapter |
Topic |
| 1 |
1 |
Introduction: Subject of Physical Oceanography. The History of Physical Oceanography. |
| 1-2 |
2 |
Geological Setting: basins and scales, structure of oceanic
floor, global plates
and tectonics |
| 2-3 |
3 |
Physical properties of sea-water: pressure, temperature,
salinity, density, and equation of state |
| |
4 |
Distributions of temperature, salinity and density in the ocean |
| 3-4 |
5 |
Water, salt, and heat budgets of the ocean |
| 4-6 |
6 |
The equations of motion: conservation laws, Coriolis force,
eddy diffusion, vorticity |
| 6-8 |
7 |
Simple dynamic models: geostrophic balance, dynamical method
of velocity
calculation, Ekman transports, Sverdrup balance and Rossby
waves |
| 8 |
|
Mid-term exam |
| 9-11 |
8 |
Ocean Circulation I: Wind driven circulation, equatorial
currents, western
intensification, Ekman currents, coastal upwelling |
| |
9 |
Ocean Circulation II: thermohaline circulation, water masses |
| 11-13 |
10 |
Waves and Tides: wind generated waves, long gravity waves,
Kelvin wave, tides, planetary waves |
| 14-15 |
11 |
Course review |
| Dec. 10-14 |
|
Final exam |
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Last
modified:
August 1, 2005 11:49 AM
| The University of Southern Mississippi
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Department of Marine Science | URL:
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