The large-scale circulation of the oceans and atmosphere.

Books

• Pedlosky - Geophysical Fluid Dynamics
• Gill - Atmosphere-ocean dynamics
• Holton - An Introduction to Dynamic Metorology
• Peixoto & Oort - Physics of Climate
• Lindzen - Dynamics in Atmospheric Physics
• Grothjahn - Global Atmospheric Circulation

Outline:

Large scale circulation of the oceans:

1. Motivation and some brief observational background
2. Friction in rotating flows:

Ekman layers: bottom, surface;
Ekman pumping, coastal upwelling.
3. Wind driven ocean circulation:

The Sverdrup balance.
Boundary layer analysis of PDEs
Western boundary currents (Gulf stream): bottom and horizontal
friction models, inertial models.
4. The deep oceanic circulation.
5. The thermocline problem:

Vertical structure: 1D vertical temperature balance
Horizontal structure: similarity solutions and the ventilated
thermocline model
6. The thermohaline circulation: climate stability and variability

Large scale circulation of the atmosphere:

1. Introduction:

a. Early Theories (Headley, Ferrel, the heat engine concept).
b. The nature of the problem (Held & Hou calculations).
c. Partition to 1. Zonally averaged circulation (quasi-stationary circulation).
2. Interannual (low frequency) variabality.
3. Longitudinal and seasonal variabilty.

Observations & examples.
4. Zonally averaged circulation - eddy (wave) mean-flow interaction:

a. The governing eqs.
b. The Transformed Euleruan Mean (TEM)
c. Eliassen Palm (EP) flux d. Wave action.
e. Stationary planetary Rossby waves
f. The angular momentum budget (Hide's theorem).
g. The Lorentz energy cycle.
5. Interannual variability:

a. The Walker circulation and ENSO (if not been given before)
b. Quasibiennial Oscillation (QBO)
c. Regional teleconnection.
6. Longitudinal and seasonal variability:

a. Jet stream and storm tracks
b. Topographic Rossby waves
c. The monsoon
7. Global Circulation Models (GCM):

a. The governing eqs. in the numerical schemes.
b. The physical processes and parametarization
c. The GFDL "SKYHI" model
8. An introduction to coupled ocean - atmospheric models:

a. Heat and vapor fluxes
b. The water/vapor cycle
c. The balance eqs.
d. The atmosphere as a constrain to the ocean and vice-versa.
e. flux correction