Dynamical Meteorology and Oceanography

This subject addresses the fundamental processes that govern atmospheric and oceanic motion, and how these processes interact to control the weather and climate of the Earth. Topics include the fluid dynamics of the atmosphere and ocean, the scaling of the equations of motion, the shallow-water system, vorticity and divergence, buoyancy driven flows, and numerical modelling of atmospheric and oceanic flows. On completion of this subject, students should have an appreciation of the fundamental processes that govern atmospheric and oceanic motion and interactions on a range of time and spatial scales. A qualitative as well as quantitative understanding of the atmosphere is to be gained, with the substantial mathematical analyses covered during the subject. Students will also receive experience in constructing simplified models of the atmosphere and ocean.

• 1explain the physical processes that govern atmospheric and oceanic motions on a range of time and spatial scales
• 2derive from first principles the equations governing atmospheric and oceanic dynamical motions
• 3explain and quantify how dynamical processes form the basis of atmospheric and oceanic computational models and the methods used to construct them
• 4derive and explain how high and low pressure systems, Rossby waves, and other key atmospheric and oceanic processes influence our weather and climate and how those influences vary with latitude
• 5assess how different key processes vary with spatial and temporal scales