Physical Oceanography

3 credits · Nicholas School of Environment

Fundamental physical principles of ocean circulation. Physical properties of seawater; forces acting on the ocean such as heat, pressure gradients, wind stress, rotation, and friction; and conservation equations for heat, mass and momentum. Applications include geostrophic balances, thermal wind, coastally trapped waves, El Nino/ENSO, and tidal circulation. Taught in Beaufort at Duke Marine Lab. Prerequisite: prior course work in calculus and physics or permission of instructor.