Main focus: Physical processes responsible for the present-day ocean and shelf sea circulation
By the end of the course, the student:
- has in-depth knowledge of the mathematical formulation of the large-scale wind-driven and thermohaline-driven ocean circulation
- understands the concepts of continuously stratified and multi-layer ocean models, and the effect of density stratification on ocean flows
- is able to model the adjustment of a midlatitude ocean flow to a time-dependent wind-stress forcing, and knows the role of Rossby waves in this process
- is able to model and describe the physical concepts of ocean-atmosphere coupled processes and ocean adjustment processes related to El Nino
- understands how ocean circulation is a key driver for climate and marine ecology
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The ocean circulation is driven by wind-forcing and by density differences, the latter arising through gradients in temperature and salinity. After a brief description of the ocean current systems which are presently observed, this course focuses on understanding the physical processes that determine the spatial pattern and amplitude of the currents and their variability. After a recapitulation of basic principles of geophysical fluid dynamics, the theory of the steady homogeneous wind-driven ocean circulation will be presented. It leads to an explanation of the presence of strong western boundary currents in midlatitude ocean basins (i.e., the Gulf Stream in the Atlantic Ocean). Subsequently, the midlatitude theory is extended to include transient phenomena (waves and instabilities) and the effects of stratification. Next, a basic view of the processes governing the Antarctic Circumpolar Current is presented. The ocean's vertical density distribution serves as an introduction to the theory of the planetary density driven (or thermohaline) circulation. Finally, the impact of ocean currents in storing and redistributing anthropogenic carbon and heat is discussed, as well as the role these currents have in transporting organisms and (plastic) litter, thereby shaping marine ecosystems.
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