ESS 148: Introduction to Physical Oceanography (CEE 162D, CEE 262D, EARTHSYS 164, OCEANS 162D, OCEANS 262D)

Course Description

An introduction to what causes the motions in the oceans. Topics include: the physical environment of the ocean; properties of sea water; atmosphere-ocean interactions; conservation of heat, salt, mass, and momentum, geostrophic flows, wind-driven circulation patterns; the Gulf Stream; equatorial dynamics and El Nino; and tides. By the end of the course, students will have physical intuition for why ocean currents look the way they do and a basic mathematical framework for quantifying the motions. Prerequisite: PHYSICS 41