|
Department
of Marine Science | Academics
| Courses | MAR 461/561
MAR
667:
Waves and Tides
INSTRUCTOR: Dmitri Nechaev; office hours are by appointment
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Waves and eddies are the important building blocks that shape ocean "weather" and its variability. The dispersion and distribution of pollutants and chemical species are largely determined by wave activity around the globe. Remarkably, the development and propagation of these waves can be understood with rather simple quasi-linear dynamics. The Course will cover: Surface and internal gravity waves, dispersion characteristics, reflections, normal modes in a closed basin. The dynamics of wind generated waves, energy spectrum; coastal waves, forced resonance and tidal currents will be considered using simple analytical models. The course will also discuss planetary waves: scale analysis; physical description of planetary wave propagation, large-scale baroclinic and barotropic instabilities, Eady and Charney models for baroclinic instability.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
1. To provide the basic concepts of geophysical fluid dynamics required to understand the circulation in coastal regions.
2. To teach the skills in applying the general principles of geophysical fluid dynamics to the analysis of particular problems of coastal dynamics.
3. To explain relations between widely used simplified models and the real shelf circulation.
TEXTS:
Class notes with some home assignments will be provided for each lecture.
Pond, S. and G. L. Pickard , 1983. Introductory Dynamical Oceanography. Pergamon Press, 329 pp, Second edition (reprinted by Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd 1995).
The following books are recommended for supplement reading:
Knauss , J, 1997. Introduction to Physical Oceanography, 2nd ed., Prentice-Hall
LeBlond, P. and L. A. Mysak , 1978. Waves in the Ocean, Elsevier, 602pp.
GRADING:
1. Class participation: 10%
2. Home assignments: 25%
3. Mid-term examination: 25%
4. Final examination: 40%
COURSE OUTLINE:
| Week |
Chapter |
Topic |
| 1-2 |
1 |
Introduction: Course overview
Equations of motion. Conservation of mass, mass of salt, conservation of heat, momentum conservation. Compressible and incompressible fluid, Sound waves. |
| 3-6 |
1-2 |
Coriolis Force. Vorticity. Potential and solenoidal flows.
Simplification of equations of motion. Scaling of the equations. Traditional approximations. Bernoulli equations. Linearization of the equations of motion. |
| 7-8 |
3 |
Simple analytical models for surface deep-water and shallow water gravity waves. Dispersion relations. Plane waves, ray theory of wave propagation. |
| |
|
Mid-term exam |
| 9-11 |
4 |
Surface gravity waves. Wind generated waves. Energy and wave dispersion. Waves propagation and refraction. Swell. Long waves. Seiches and trapped waves. Internal waves. Effect of rotation. Kelvin wave. |
| 11-13 |
5 |
Tides. Tide generating forces and their spectral components. Tides in the open ocean, tides on the continental shelf. Harmonic analysis of tides. Tides in the gulfs and partially enclosed seas. Forced resonance. Tidal currents. |
| 14-16 |
6 |
Planetary waves. Scale analysis. Physical description of Planetary wave propagation. Large-scale baroclinic and barotropic instabilities, Eady and Charney models for baroclinic instability. |
| |
|
Final exam |
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.
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August 1, 2005 11:52 AM
| The University of Southern Mississippi
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