MECENG 161
Oceanic and Atmospheric Waves
Covers dynamics of wave propagation in the ocean and atmosphere with emphasis on engineering and environmental applications. Topics include surface, interfacial, and internal waves, density stratification, shallow water dynamics, and nonlinear wave phenomena (solitary waves, KdV equation). Applies wave mechanics to real-world challenges in ocean exploration, marine vehicle/offshore engineering, aviation turbulence, and large-scale natural phenomena such as El Niño, tsunamis, and atmospheric gravity waves.
Topics
- Formulate governing differential equations for wave propagation in oceanic and atmospheric domains. Assess the relative importance of physical contributing factors and simplify equations to derive dispersion relationships. Analyze wave energy flux, group velocity, and wave interactions with bottom topography. Apply fundamental wave mechanics principles to real-world marine, coastal, and environmental engineering challenges.
- Outcome 1: An ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics. Outcome 7: An ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.
Official catalogue course objectives and student learning outcomes
Sources
- Course catalogue ↗2026-2027