Climate Dynamics and Processes

Doel vak

By the end of the course, students should have developed an in-depth knowledge of the base functioning of the atmosphere and ocean components of the climate system, from a physical systems point of view. Amongst the questions that will be developed are: what are the drivers of atmospheric convection? What is the effect of the rotation of the planet? What is the physical background of known climatological features such as planetary waves, monsoons, etc. Why are the oceanic boundary currents located on the west side of ocean basins? How is the deep ocean ventilated? The course knows a fair amount of theoretical and mathematical analysis.

Inhoud vak

The climate on Earth is mainly dependent on the redistribution of heat from the sun through the atmosphere and, through the coupling of the two bodies, the oceans. Both atmosphere and ocean are governed by the equations of thin fluid layers on a rotating sphere: as a consequence, numerous aspects of the atmospheric and ocean dynamics can be derived from specific approximations of the well-known Navier-Stokes equations. Those form the core of the course and specific simplifications will be used to describe well-known phenomena occurring in both the atmosphere and the ocean that form the basis for the understanding of the climate on Earth. We will illustrate several aspects with state of the art examples, such as the weakening of the jet stream.

Aanvullende informatie onderwijsvormen

Lectures, group discussion and computer exercises. There willl be six lectures and 4 workshops and a student presentations. The workshops will consist of Python/Matlab exercises. The students are required to develop a specific project for analysis and present this towards the end of the project.

Toetsvorm

Compulsory participation in computer exercises, oral presentation and written exam. The final mark is based on 20% being the oral presentation mark 20% exercises and 60% the final written exam.

Vereiste voorkennis

Literatuur

G.K. Vallis: Essentials of Atmospheric and ocean dynamics, Cambridge University Press, 2019. DOI:10.1017/987107588431. / ISBN 978-1-107-69279-4 (Paperback)

Aanvullende informatie doelgroep

Aanbevolen voorkennis

Mathematics and Physics (BSc), some experience in Python/Matlab programming is also useful