V63.0228: Earth's Atmosphere and Ocean: Fluid Dynamics & Climate
| Term: | Spring 2011 | |
| Meeting times: | Lecture: MW 9:30-10:45 in WWH | Lab: F 9:30-10:45 in WWH |
| Instructor: | Shafer Smith |
|
| Office: | 907 WWH | |
| Office hours: | Monday, Tuesday 11-12 and Tuesday 4-5 by appointment | |
| Phone: | 83176 | |
| Email: | shafer@cims.nyu.edu |
Prerequisites
Students who wish to enroll in Earth's Atmosphere and Ocean: Fluid Dynamics & Climate must meet the following prerequisites:
- Calculus I ( or the equivalent ) with grade of B- or better
- Introductory physics ( even at the advanced high school level )
Goals and Topics
An introduction to the dynamical processes that drive the circulation of the atmosphere and ocean, and their interaction. This is the core of climate science. Lectures will be guided by consideration of observations and experiments, but the goal is to develop an understanding of the unifying principles of planetary fluid dynamics. Topics include the global energy balance, convection and radiation (the greenhouse effect), effects of planetary rotation (the Coriolis force), structure of the atmospheric circulation (the Hadley cell and wind patterns), structure of the oceanic circulation (wind-driven currents and the thermohaline circulation), climate and climate variability (including El Nino and anthropogenic warming).
Course Details
Textbook and Materials
Atmosphere, Ocean, and Climate Dynamics, by J. Marshall and R. A. Plumb (Academic Press, 2008)
Homework
I will assign weekly assignments, on which you are free to work in pairs, so long as the name of your collaborator is written on each assignment. Each assignment will include some harder problems intended to challenge those students with greater math and physics backgrounds. These will be graded for your benefit only - they are not required and I’m loath to even call them extra credit, since that is not their purpose.Exams
Final
At the end of the course, there will be a straight-forward final exam.
The point of the
exam is to force you to review the material from the course - it will
not be difficult.
The final exam is scheduled for 5/11 8:00am to 9:50am.
Grading policy
Grades will be computed by a weighted average:
Homework (20%)
In-class and lab activities (20%)
Project (30%)
Final Exam (30%)
Calendar
| Week | Topic |
|---|---|
| 1 | Course overview; intro to atmosphere ocean science, fluid
dynamics, and climate (§0) |
| 2 | {Ideal gases.} Properties of dry and moist air (§1); Albedo,
planetary
emission temperature, absorption of radiation (§2.1-2) |
| 3 | {Black body radiation.} The greenhouse effect (§2.3);
Vertical distribution of
temperature and gases (§3.1) |
| 4 | {Simple differential equations} Hydrostatic balance, the
vertical structure of pressure
and density (§3.2-3); Convection in dry air and in water (§4.1-3) |
| 5 | {Energy and thermodynamics} Stable atmospheres; Moist
convection; Radiativeconvective
equilibrium (§4.4-7) |
| 6 | {Review of integration} Horizontal structure of the
atmosphere;
incoming/outgoing radiation balance;
atmospheric moisture; mean and variable winds (§5.1-4) |
| 7 | {Newtonian mechanics} Conservation of momentum, mass and heat
in a fluid;
Force balance; Rotating frame of reference, Coriolis acceleration
(§6 and instructors notes - we will cover this chapter very lightly) |
| 8 | {Nondimensional parameters} The relationship between
pressure, wind and
temperature on a rotating planet (geostrophic and thermal wind balance)
- weather patterns;
Ekman layers (§7) |
| 9 | {Angular momentum} General circulation of atmosphere;
Tropical Hadley circulation;
Potential energy and baroclinic instability; Storms and storm tracks
(§8.1-3) |
| 10 | {Curl and divergence} Energy and momentum transport in the
atmosphere;
The jet stream; Climate variations with latitude. (§8.4-6 + special
notes) |
| 11 | Physical properties of seawater; ocean basins and major
current structures;
Mixed layer and thermocline; Geostrophic flow and potential energy of
the ocean (§9) |
| 12 | Wind-driven circulation of ocean - gyres and western boundary
currents;
Ekman pumping and Sverdrup balance; Effects of topography (§10) |
| 13 | The ocean’s thermocline; Motions in the abyss;
Oceanic heat transport and partitioning with the atmosphere (§11) |
| 14 | Climate and climate variability; El Nino; Paleoclimate (§12) |