Stanford School of Earth Sciences

Oceanic Fluid Dynamics
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Oceanic Fluid Dynamics

CEE/EESS 363F :: Spring 2009

Instructor: Leif Thomas
leift_at_stanford.edu

TA: Matthew Long
mclong_at_stanford.edu

2009 Syllabus

Course description

The fundamental dynamics of rotating stratified fluids with application to oceanic flows. Topics include inertia-gravity waves, geostrophic and cyclogeostrophic balance, vorticity and potential vorticity dynamics, quasi-geostrophic motions, planetary and topographic Rossby waves, inertial, symmetric, barotropic, and baroclinic instability, Ekman layers, and the frictional spin-down of geostrophic flows. Prerequisite: CEE 262A or a graduate class in fluid mechanics.

Class Hours and Location

Monday, Wednesday, and Friday 2:15pm - 3:05pm. Yang and Yamazaki Environment and Energy Bldg. Room 155

Primary text

Introduction to Geophysical Fluid Dynamics, Physical and Numerical Aspects, by B. Cushman-Roisin and J-M Beckers. Academic Press.

Recommended text
Atmospheric and Oceanic Fluid Dynamics, Fundamentals and Large-scale Circulation, by G. Vallis, Cambridge University Press, 2006.

Geophysical Fluid Dynamics, 2nd Edition, by J. Pedlosky, Springer 1986.