2013-2014 Graduate Catalog Downloadable PDF (10.71MB)

Course Descriptions/Oceanography 521612. Elements of Ocean Wave Theory. (3-0). Credit 3. Theories of simple harmonic surface gravity, capillaryand internal waves. Wave propagation, dispersion and energy; modifications due to rotation, variabledepth and finite amplitude. Prerequisites: OCNG 608 and MATH 601 or approval of instructor.614. Dynamics of the Ocean and Atmosphere. (3-0). Credit 3. Time-dependent motions in rotating,stratified fluids, with application to the ocean; Boussinesq and betaplane approximations; circulation,vorticity and energy conservation; Kelvin, Poincaré and Rossby waves; tidal forcing and response; quasi-geostrophicpotential vorticity; concepts of barotropic and baroclinic instability.615. Numerical Modeling of Ocean Circulation I. (3-2). Credit 4. Mathematical theory and numericaltechnique of model development for ocean circulation; concepts of numerical consistency and stability;Lax equivalence theorem; commonly used finite difference schemes in ocean modeling; finite elementand spectral methods as alternative means of discretisation; positivity and CFT method; relaxation anddirect methods for solving elliptic equations. Prerequisite: OCNG 608.616. Numerical Modeling of Ocean Circulation II. (3-2). Credit 4. Quasigeostrophic ocean circulationmodels; Arakawa’s energy and enstrophy conserving scheme; spectral barotropic vorticity model onsphere; shallow water primitive equation models; geostrophic adjustment on different numerical grids;boundary conditions in numerical models; introduction to ocean general circulation models; mixedmodels and sub-gridscale parameterization; oceanic data assimilation. Prerequisite: OCNG 615.617. Theories of Ocean Circulation. (3-0). Credit 3. Theories of wind-driven circulation, Sverdrup solution,frictional and inertial boundary regimes; instabilities, meanders and mesoscale features; role ofstratification, topography and time dependence; Thermohaline circulation. Prerequisite: Graduate classification.620. Biological Oceanography. (3-0). Credit 3. Critical analysis of contribution of biological science toour understanding of sea; discernible interrelationships between organisms and physicochemical parameters.Prerequisites: General prerequisites for oceanography.625. Current Topics in Biological Oceanography. (1-0). Credit 1. Areas of current research; planktonprocesses; microbial food web; benthic communities; fisheries; global change. May be taken up to threetimes. Prerequisite: OCNG 620 or approval of instructor.627. Ecology of the Continental Shelf. (3-0). Credit 3. Environments, populations and communities ofthe continental shelf. Interactions of the shelf with the estuaries and the deep sea; man’s impact on theshelf ecosystems. Prerequisite: Approval of instructor.629. Lower Foodweb Dynamics of Aquatic Ecosystems. (2-3). Credit 3. Dynamics of the lower foodwebin estuaries, rivers and lakes, detailing the role and interactions between biota and how they areinfluenced by abiotic processes; effect of man’s activities on natural succession patterns and ecosystemproductivity, elucidating the potential for new management practices. Prerequisite: Graduate classification.630. Geological Oceanography. (3-0). Credit 3. Survey of marine geology, structure and composition ofocean basins and continental margins, properties of marine sediments. Prerequisites: General prerequisitesfor oceanography.632. Sea-Level Change. (3-0). Credit 3. Modern sea level; topography, measurement, meteorologic andoceanographic contributions, periodic and non-periodic changes; long-term changes: determination,Cenozoic history, Quaternary glacial-interglacial fluctuations; changes during the past century and decade;observations, natural and anthropogenic influences; estimates of future changes and societal implications.Prerequisite: Graduate classification; approval of instructor.640. Chemical Oceanography. (3-0). Credit 3. Chemical composition and properties of seawater, evaluationof salinity, pH, excess base and carbon dioxide in sea. Marine nutrients, oxygen and other dissolvedgases, organic constituents. Prerequisites: General prerequisites for oceanography.641. Inorganic Aquatic Geochemistry. (3-0). Credit 3. Chemical composition and properties of watersin the near Earth surface environment and their interactions with sedimentary minerals; major topics:thermochemical properties of natural waters, equilibrium and kinetic controlling ion speciation; geochemicalprocesses at mineral surfaces; kinetics of mineral-water interactions; applications to modelingearly diagenesis. Prerequisite: Approval of instructor.644. Isotope Geochemistry. (3-0). Credit 3. Stable and radioactive isotope variations in natural materials;applications to geochronometric, geothermometric and paleoclimatologic studies of the marine environment.Prerequisite: Approval of the instructor.