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Geophysical Fluid Dynamics I
ATM S 509/OCEAN 512

MWF 12:30-1:20, ATG Rm. 610
Lab Section: TBA
This schedule will be updated as the quarter progresses.  

Week 1:
What is GFD?  Review of equations of motion.  Equation of state.  Thermodynamic equations for fluids.  
Slides from day 1
Readings: Vallis 1.1-1.4. Gill 3.1-3.3, 4.1-4.3, 4.6-4.8.

Potential temperature/density.  Hydrostatic balance in a fluid at rest.  Adiabatic lapse rates.
Readings: Vallis 1.5-1.6. Gill 3.5, 4.4.

Week 2
Static stability.  Moisture, latent heating and equivalent potential temperature.
Lecture slides
Readings: Vallis 2.9.  Gill 3.4-3.8.  

Lab 1: Thermodynamics
Peter's notes

Sound waves.  Incompressibility.  Advection/diffusion of a tracer. 
Readings: Vallis: 1.8-1.11. Gill 4.9.
Lecture slides

Week 3
Equations of motion in a rotating frame of reference.  Coriolis and centrifugal forces.   Inertial oscillations.
Readings: Vallis 2.1.  Gill 4.5.

Lab 2: rotation 1, Peter's notes

Week 4
Equations of motion in spherical coordinates.   The primitive equations.  
Readings: Vallis 2.2.1-2.2.6. Gill 4.12.  

F- and beta-plane approximations.   The Boussinesq equations.   The anelastic equations.  
Readings: Vallis 2.3-2.5.

Week 5
Hydrostatic approximation.   Effect of stratification on hydrostatic balance.  
Readings: Vallis 2.7.

Pressure coordinates.  
Readings: Vallis 2.6. Gill 6.17.

Week 6
Geostrophic and thermal wind balance.   Shallow water equations. Vorticity and potential vorticity in the shallow water equations.

Readings: Vallis 2.8, 3.1-3.4, 3.6. Gill 7.6-7.7, 5.6, 7.10, 5.7.
Lab 5 writeup

Week 7
Linear motion in the shallow water equations.   Poincare waves.   Kelvin waves. Geostrophic adjustment. Energy in the shallow water equations. 1.5 layer and 2 layer equations.
Lab 6 writeup
Geostrophic adjustment slides

Readings: Vallis 3.7-3.8, 3.2-3.3.  Gill 7.1-7.5, 8.1-8.3, 10.4, 6.2-6.3. 

Weeks 8-9
Equatorial Kelvin waves.   Rossby waves on a beta plane.  Quasigeostrophy.   Ekman layers.  Ekman pumping.  

Readings: Vallis 5.7, 5.1-5.3.  Gill 12.1-3. Vallis 2.12.  Gill 11.5, 9.1-9.6, 12.4-12.5.

Week 10
Internal gravity waves in a continuously stratified fluid.   Group velocity and phase velocity.

Readings: Gill 6.4-6.8, 8.4-8.9, Vallis 2.10.