Physical Oceanography

About this programme

The course includes a research cruise with R/V ELECTRA (in collaboration with the Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre) where students learn basic methods for observational oceanography. The course is a part of the Master's programme in Meteorology, Oceanography and Climate, but may also be taken as an individual course. The course deals with central concepts and dynamical phenomena in physical oceanography: sea water properties, the Equation of State (EOS) for sea water, water masses, T-S diagram with applications, ocean stratification, Boussinesq equations, geostrophic currents and thermal wind, Ekman layers, upwelling phenomena, Sverdrup-, Stommel-, Munk models for the wind-driven circulation, thermohaline circulation, coastal circulation, wave phenomena (Kelvin, Rossby, gravity and internal waves) and mixing processes in the ocean. The regional oceanography is not covered in detail except of certain aspects of the circulation in the Baltic Sea and the Arctic Ocean. The teaching consists of lectures and tutorials: theory exercises and an oceanographic cruise with R/V ELECTRA (in collaboration with the Baltic Sea Centre). Participation in the oceanographic cruise is volontary. Participation in the data analysis labs and related group work is compulsory. Under special circumstances, the student may be allowed to omit certain parts of the compulsory teaching. Grading criteria, course literature and other material and correspondence related to the course will be available on the course Athena-site once you have registered for the course.