This page is intended to share information and provide a convenient reference for course materials. It will evolve as the course progresses. Look under general information topics for the course description and syllabus and for assignments.
INSTRUCTOR: Prof. Jeffrey D. Paduan (Code OC/Pd)
OFFICE: Spanagel 348
PHONE: 656-3350
OFFICE HOURS: Prefer: after 2pm M-Th, or Fridays
QUARTER: Fall 98
LECTURE
WHERE: Spanagel 316
WHEN: Mon, Tues, Wed, Thur (and occasional Fri) 1310-1400
PROPOSED GRADING
Journal Notebooks and Lab Excercise(s) 24%
2 Midterm Exams 25% each
Final Project 36%
(no Final Exam)
SPECIAL DATES
Week-1, 29 Sept-3 Oct: No Class
Monday, 13 Oct: Columbus Day Holiday
Tuesday, 11 Nov: Veterans Day Holiday
Thursday, 27 Nov: Thanksgiving Holiday
COURSE OBJECTIVES
1) To acquaint you with typical scales and behaviours of mesoscale
ocean variability (e.g. oceanic eddies, fronts, and meandering jets)
2) To acquaint you with the many ways in which mesoscale features
influence ocean circulation, climate, and operational activities.
3) To encourage you to read contemporary, professional literature
critically.
4) To help you to translate the phenomenology of mesoscale features
into requirements for ocean observing systems and models.
Catalog Description:
OC4331 MESOSCALE OCEAN VARIABILITY ( 4 - 0 )
Contemporary knowledge of ocean mesoscale eddies, fronts, meandering currents;
baroclinic and barotropic instabilities; kinematics, dynamics and energetics
from observations, theories and models. PREREQUISITE: OC4211
General Topic Subtopics Week ------------------------------------------------------------------ Introduction General Circ. versus "eddies" 2 Eddy Paradox (Gill/Ped) 1 1/2 Layer Model MODE Eddy time/length scales 3 Sampling Methods/Problems Objective Techniques/Pitfalls 3 Analysis Computer Lab Assign Gulf Stream Cold Core Rings 3 Rings Warm Core Rings 3/4 OTIS Navy Operational Mapping 4 DAMEE Ex., FNMOC Lecture Northeast STORMS Drifter Examples 4 Pacific Eddies Niiler & Hall Mooring Eastern Bndry California Current Examples 5 Current Eddies Squirts and Jets vs. Eddies Exam-1 All of the above 5 Fronts FASINEX Experiment 5/6 SUBDUCTION Experiment Retrograde/Prograde Instability Hydrodynamic Instability 7 Theory Barotropic Instability Instability 1.5 Layer BT Instability 7/8 Theory (cont) Baroclinic Instability Energy Considerations Exam-2 Recent Material 8 Isolated Self and topo. interactions 8/9 Vorticies Propagation on beta-plane Satellite Alt Finding eddies with altimeters 9 Data assimilation examples Student Present 2/day on above topics 10/11 Catch-up/Review SOFs 11
Jeffrey D. Paduan--paduan@oc.nps.navy.mil