xx Coursework in Phys Ocean
AOSC610 Dynamics of the atmosphere and oceans (3) Pre- or corequisite: MATH 462. Equations of motion and their approximation, scale analysis for the atmosphere and the ocean. Conservation properties. Fluid motion in the atmosphere and oceans. Circulation and vorticity, geostrophic motion and the gradient wind balance. Turbulence and Ekman Layers.

AOSC611 Dynamics of the atmosphere and oceans II (3) Corequisite: Math 462. AOSC611 is a continuation of AOSC610 and is designed to give students the tools necessary for understanding and manipulating atmosphere/ocean dynamics and to provide the basic principles which govern those dynamics, including linear theory of wave propagation and instability in rotating and stratified fluids. Specific topics include: acoustic waves, gravity waves, mountain waves, inertial gravity waves, Rossby waves, boundary and equatorially trapped waves, geostrophic adjustment and model initialization, parcel instability, shear, Kelvin-Helmholtz, symmetric, inertial, barotropic and baroclinic instability and their application to the atmosphere and oceans. Look here for a description of AOSC611.

AOSC 614 Atmospheric Modeling, Data Assimilation and Predictability (3) Prerequisite: AOSC 611 or equivalent . Solid foundation for atmospheric and oceanic modeling and numerical weather prediction: numerical methods for partial differential equations, an introduction to physical parameterizations, modern data assimilation, and predictability.

AOSC 615 Advanced data assimilation for the Earth Sciences (3) Prerequisite: AOSC 614 or approval of instructor . Overview of the most important methods for data assimilation. Theory, techniques and strategies of these methods, as well as their possible drawbacks. Hands-on experimentation with variational and other data assimilation systems.

AOSC 617 Atmospheric and Oceanic Climate (3) Prerequisite: AOSC 610 Understanding what determines the Earth's climate and how it changes. The general circulation of the Atmosphere and oceans: how weather gives rise to climate, historical perspective, observations, and conceptual models. General circulation as a heat engine driven by differential solar heating. Hadley and Walker circulations. Wind-driven and thermohaline circulation of the oceans. Intraseasonal variability: midlatitude storm tracks and jet streams, tropical storms and hurricanes, Madden-Julian oscillation. Seasonal cycle and monsoon circulations. Interannual to interdecadal climate variability. The hydrological cycle. The carbon cycle. Climate change. Look here for a description of AOSC617.

AOSC 630 Statistical Methods in Meteorology and Oceanography (3) Prerequisite: STAT 400 or equivalent . Parametric and non-parametric tests; time series analysis and filtering; wavelets. Multiple regression and screening; neural networks. Empirical orthogonal functions and teleconnections. Statistical weather and climate prediction, including MOS, constructed analogs. Ensemble forecasting and verification.

AOSC670 Physical Oceanography (3) Corequisite: AOSC610 or equivalent. Physical oceanography is the study of the fluid dynamics and physics of the world ocean. This course presents a broad introduction to physical oceanography covering the observed ocean and forces governing the general circulation. Topics include: ocean observations, water masses, sources of deep water, coastal and estuarine processes, mass, heat, and salt transport, and geochemical tracers. The dynamics of western boundary currents, processes maintaining the main thermocline. Surface waves and tides. Ocean climate and the ocean's role in the global carbon budget. More information here. Look here to see photos from the 2000 AOSC670 cruise.

AOSC671 Air/sea interaction (3) Prerequisite: MATH 462 or equivalent. Pre- or corequisite: AOSC 610. Observations and theories of the seasonal changes in the ocean circulation and temperature, and interactions with the atmosphere. Equations of motion and theories of wind-driven circulation. Mixed layer observations and theories. Midlatitude and equatorial waves. Seasonal budgets of momentum, fresh water, and heat. El Nino/Southern Oscillation. Interannual variability and atmosphere-ocean coupling. Tropical meteorology. Grade will be based on midterm and final examinations. Approximately four problem sets will be handed out. More information here.

AOSC658h physical-biological modeling (3) Biology and its interactions with the physics of the oceans is crucial to the ocean's role in regulating the earth's climate. This is a seminar course examining the processes involved in this interaction, presented at an introductory level. The weekly lectures will cover the dominant processes regulating the growth of biomass, including nutrient cycling, mixing, O2, CO2, light, as well as other important processes. The students will be presented with a simplified physical-biological model allowing them to explore for themselves important feedback processes.

AOSC 684 Climate System Modeling (3) Fundamentals in building computer models to simulate the components of the climate system: atmosphere, ocean ice, land-surface, terrestrial and marine ecosystems, and the biogeochemical cycles embedded in the physical climate system, in particular, the carbon cycle. Simple to state-of-the-art research models to tackle problems such as the Daisy World, El Nino and global warming.

AOSC 685 Global Climate Change: Past and Present (3) Global climate change, an integral part of the earth history, as opposed to historical, anthropogenically induced climate change. Record of climate change in the context of climate forcing, climate response, and climate feedbacks. Sensitivity of climate to these parameters and the value (and limitations) of the proxy records. Predictions tested with the proxy record.