12.333 | Spring 2004 | Undergraduate

Atmospheric and Ocean Circulations

Readings

These suggestions for further reading are taken from the lecture notes, and are collected here for the convenience of the students.

SES # TOPICS READINGS
1-2 Shallow Water Gravity Waves

Elementary but brief descriptions of water waves (not confined to those on shallow water) can be found in:

Open University Course Team. Chap. 1 in Waves, Tides and Shallow-Water Processes. The Open University: Pergamon Press, 1989. ISBN: 0080363717.

Acheson, D. J. Elementary Fluid Dynamics. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 1990. ISBN: 9780198596790.

Other treatments can be found in many fluid dynamics texts, but are usually much more advanced and more mathematical than these two. One particularly thorough treatment is in:

Lighthill, James. Chap. 3 in Waves in Fluids. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press, 2001.  ISBN: 9780521010450.

3-4 Deep Water Gravity Waves Same as for sessions 1-2
5-6 Internal Gravity Waves

Internal gravity waves are covered to some extent in many texts of geophysical fluid dynamics. A detailed but thorough treatment is given in:

Gill, A. E. Chap. 6 in Atmosphere-Ocean Dynamics. San Diego, CA: Academic Press, 1982. ISBN: 9780122835223.

7 Mid-Term Quiz 1  
8-9 Tides

An elementary discussion of ocean tides is given in:

Open University Course Team. Chap. 1 in Waves, Tides and Shallow-Water Processes. The Open University: Pergamon Press, 1989. ISBN: 0080363717.

A comprehensive discussion of the mathematical theory of tides on a global ocean is given in the classical text:

Lamb, H. Hydrodynamics. Cambridge University Press, 1916.

For a discussion of atmospheric tides (including an historical account of the resonance theory) see:

Lindzen, R. S. Chap. 9 in Dynamics in Atmospheric Physics. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press, 1990. ISBN: 9780521361019.

10-11 Large-scale Motions on a Rotating Earth

This material is covered in several geophysical fluid dynamics texts. The most suitable is:

Holton, J. R. Chaps. 1 and 4 in An Introduction to Dynamic Meteorology. 2nd ed. San Diego, CA: Academic Press, 1979. ISBN: 9780123543608.

12-13 Rossby Waves and Planetary Scale Motions

Observational and theoretical aspects of Rossby waves are covered in several geophysical fluid dynamics texts, including:

Holton, J. R. An Introduction to Dynamic Meteorology. 2nd ed. San Diego, CA: Academic Press, 1979. ISBN: 9780123543608.

14 Mid-Term Quiz 2  
15-16 Baroclinic Instability and Midlatitude Storms

Holton, J. R. An Introduction to Dynamic Meteorology. 2nd ed. San Diego, CA:: Academic Press, 1979. ISBN: 9780123543608.

James, I. N. Introduction to Circulating Atmospheres. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press, 1995. ISBN: 9780521429351.

Wallace, J. M., and P. V. Hobbs. Atmospheric Science: An Introductory Survey. San Diego, CA: Academic Press, 1977. ISBN: 9780127329505.

17-18 The Equatorial Atmosphere and Ocean  
19-20 El Niño and the Southern Oscillation

A good, basic discussion of all the issues presented here (and several of the figures), as well as discussion of the impact of El Nino, can be found in:

Philander, S. G. El Nino, La Nina and the Southern Oscillation. San Diego, CA: Academic Press, 1989. ISBN: 9780125532358. (The later chapters are at an advanced level.)

An interesting series of articles on the large 1982-83 El Nino was published in Science on 16 Dec 1983. For discussion of the ocean and atmosphere, see the articles by Cane and by Rasmusson and Wallace.

Information about past and current behavior can be found on many Web sites, such as NONA El Niño Page (from which some of the figures shown here were obtained; this site also has pointers to many others).

21-22 Tropical Cyclones (Hurricanes, Typhoons)  
23 Final Exam  

Course Info

Instructor
As Taught In
Spring 2004