Earth Sciences

AIMS

The module aims to describe and explain features of the ocean circulation that are important to the Earth’s climate system using fundamental physical principles of mechanics and energy conservation. It will also describe techniques in satellite geodesy applicable to ocean circulation and mass fluxes and to the determination of changes in the Earth’s ice masses.

OUTCOMES

• Knowledge and understanding of physical principles governing the energy balance and circulation of the oceans, ice mass balance and dynamics, and the interaction between the cryosphere and global climate.
• Understanding of analytical, and observational, techniques that can be used to obtain that knowledge.

CONTENT

• Mean oceanic circulation: Coriolis acceleration, geostrophic flow, barotropic and baroclinic motion, dynamic topography, Ekman motion, mid-latitude gyres, Gulf Stream, equatorial circulation;
• Geodesy and the shape of the Earth;
• Surface topography of the ocean determined from satellites;
• Ocean Dynamic topography;
• Unsteady motion (waves): inertial motion, barotropic and baroclinic modes;
• Water mass and the thermohaline circulation;
• Planetary equilibrium temperature and the greenhouse effect;
• Carbon dioxide/temperatures from ice core records;
• Milankovich fluctuations in temperature; Ocean-ice interaction;
• Observed mass balance and dynamics of ice sheets, ice shelves and sea ice.