PRINCIPLES OF PHYSICAL OCEANOGRAPHY

Catalog description

Examines fundamental physical principles that govern the behavior of the earth's oceans including conservation of mass, heat, momentum, and vorticity. Presents equations governing motion in the ocean, geostrophy, planetary boundary layers, and wind-driven and thermohaline circulation. Emphasizes large-scale circulation and climate, and regional and topical aspects, such as coastal upwelling, El Niño, and the influence of physical dynamics on biological and chemical processes. Discusses ocean composition and essential fluid dynamics, especially the earth's global energy balance, and the non-intuitive behavior of fluids on a rotating planet.