Department
of
Meteorology
Special
Course
Announcement
Figure Caption: Global ocean conveyer in an ocean circulation model.
CANCELLED FOR FALL 2005
Meteorology
597B
Advanced Oceanography: Ocean's Role in Climate Change
Graduate
Course in Oceanography, Climatology, and Paleoclimatology
Fall Semester 2005; 3credits
Tues
& Thurs: 11:00 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.
110 Walker Building
Instructor:
Dan Seidov, Ph.D.,
EMS Senior Researcher, Professor of Oceanography
http://www.essc.psu.edu/~dseidov/
Purpose
and Content
Goals:
Goals: The goals of the course are to introduce the most important concepts
in advanced oceanographic and paleoceanographic modeling, to deepen understanding
of the role of the ocean in global climate change, and to increase the
horizon in understanding and using numerical models. An overview of major
observational and computational programs shaping modern climatology and
oceanography will be given, along with an in-depth discussion of the ocean’s
role in the Earth system history and its future. Taking this course will
lead to building the skills and acquiring the knowledge necessary for
a successful beginning in these and many other areas and for future work
in academia and in climate and weather related agencies.
Prerequisites: College mathematics will be used very moderately throughout the course. However, advanced mathematical skills are not required, as most of the ideas will be presented also on a qualitative level making them understandable for anyone knowledgeable of college physics. Some acquaintance with numerical methods may be helpful, but not necessary, as the main ideas are introduced and explained when needed. No specific books are required, although some general text books may be useful additions:
Gill, E. G., Atmosphere-ocean
dynamics, Academic Press, San Diego, 1982.
Hartmann, D. L., Global Physical Climatology, Academic Press,
San Diego, 1994.
Knauss, J. A., Introduction to Physical Oceanography, 2nd ed.,
309 pp., Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ, 1997.
Kump, L. R., J. F. Kasting, and R. G. Crane, (Eds.), The Earth System,
2nd ed., Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, N.J., 2004.
Ruddiman, W.F., Earth’s Climate: Past and Future, W. H.
Freeman , NY, 2000.
Term Paper: A term paper on a topic relevant to the course will be required.