Course Term: Hilary & Trinity
Course Lecture Information: 16 lectures
Course Weight: 1
Course Overview:
16 Lectures
Area: Astro
1 unit
Lecturers: Tim Woollings, Andrew Wells.
Method of Assessment: Written exam in weeks 6-8 TT
This a Physics course. Additional course materials such as problem sheets, homework hand in, and lecture recording can be found at the Canvas site at:
https://canvas.ox.ac.uk/courses/110068 Lectures can be accessed from this link, but if you need a direct link to lectures they can be found at:
https://canvas.ox.ac.uk/courses/110068/external_tools/496
Area: Astro
1 unit
Lecturers: Tim Woollings, Andrew Wells.
Method of Assessment: Written exam in weeks 6-8 TT
This a Physics course. Additional course materials such as problem sheets, homework hand in, and lecture recording can be found at the Canvas site at:
https://canvas.ox.ac.uk/courses/110068 Lectures can be accessed from this link, but if you need a direct link to lectures they can be found at:
https://canvas.ox.ac.uk/courses/110068/external_tools/496
Course Synopsis:
Rotating frames of reference. Geostrophic and hydrostatic balance. Pressure coordinates. Shallow water and reduced gravity models, f and β–planes, potential vorticity. Inertia-gravity waves, dispersion relation, phase and group velocity. Rossby number, equations for nearly geostrophic motion, Rossby waves, Kelvin waves. Linearised equations for a stratified, incompressible fluid, internal gravity waves, vertical modes. Quasigeostrophic approximation: potential vorticity equation, Rossby waves, vertical propagation and trapping. Eady model of baroclinic instability. Overview of large-scale structure and circulation of atmospheres and oceans, poleward heat transport. Angular momentum and Held-Hou model of Hadley circulations. Applications to Mars and slowly-rotating planets. Tide-locked exoplanets. Giant planets: Multiple jets, stable eddies and free modes.