Physical Oceanography

Description

Physical Oceanography deals with observations of the properties and movement of ocean water and the understanding and modeling of these natural phenomena using fundamental concepts of fluid mechanics, applied physics, and mathematics. In other words, physical oceanography concerns how water moves and mixes in the ocean, changes its properties, and carries and distributes dissolved chemicals, nutrients, plankton, and pollutants. The discipline is intertwined with atmospheric and climate studies. A goal of all these fields is understanding the energy and momentum transfer through the seas and across their boundaries.

A central intellectual challenge of physical oceanography is understanding the range of space and time scales that are involved. For example, it is difficult to imagine that the same wind that blows leaves across a lawn is responsible for driving the surface circulation of the Pacific Ocean, yet it is true. Centimeter capillary ripples roughen the sea surface so that the atmosphere can grip the water and produce wind waves. Some of these waves propagate to distant beaches where they break as surf, and transport sediment. But surface waves also deposit momentum into the deeper ocean, driving ocean gyres within which water spirals for decades. On even longer times scales- -centuries to millennia- -the entire stratification of the ocean changes in response to cooling at the poles and evaporation in the tropics.

To observe these processes physical oceanographers use a combination of acoustical, optical, satellite, and in situ measurements. Recent technological advances, such as autonomous sampling and acoustic tomography, are producing an increasingly detailed picture of the three-dimensional ocean circulation. Because of these new technologies, oceanic processes that are now seen dimly, or not at all, will be uncovered. Understanding this exciting new data with powerful computer models, fluid mechanics, and modern descriptive tools is the future of physical oceanography.

Program of Study

Programs of study vary widely among the curricular programs, but generally first-year students are expected to enroll in core courses that cover physical, geological, chemical and biological oceanography and in other courses recommended by the student's faculty advisor. Then, by the end of the first year, students usually select a particular area of focus and choose a major professor. As students advance beyond the first year, they begin to function quite effectively as research assistants, high level technical personnel or, in some cases, as teaching assistants. Furthermore, during their third to fifth year they are working toward writing their dissertations. The interdisciplinary nature of research in marine and earth sciences is emphasized; students are encouraged to take courses in several programs and departments, and to select research problems of interdisciplinary character.

Students in this curricular program are required to take SIO 203A-B, 214A and 212A. Students in physical oceanography are required to take 16 four-unit graduate courses, of which 12 are covered during the first year. As part of the overall requirement, the choice of courses will include a breadth component of 2 or more four-unit courses in other scientific disciplines. These might come from SIO courses in other oceanographic disciplines (for example SIO 240, 260, 280) or from related graduate level courses taught at UCSD. The SIO department offers regular seminars in several areas of current interest. After the first year, students in residence are strongly encouraged to enroll for credit in at least one-unit seminar class each quarter.

Physical oceanography students are required to take the departmental examination after completing one year of graduate work at UCSD. The examination covers the material in the four required courses and in additional first-year graduate courses chosen by the student in consultation with the Curriculum Advisor.