2019-2020 / OCEA0011-2

Coastal oceanography

Duration

20h Th, 10h Pr, 3d FW

Number of credits

 Master in oceanography (120 ECTS)5 crédits 

Lecturer

Aida Alvera Azcarate

Language(s) of instruction

French language

Organisation and examination

Teaching in the second semester

Schedule

Schedule online

Units courses prerequisite and corequisite

Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program

Learning unit contents

The coastal ocean has a series of particularities because of its shallow depth, the presence of the coastline, the anthropogenic influence, the riverine impact... The coastal ocean is much more productive than the open ocean, and phenomena like tides get amplified in the vicinity of the shelf. The basic principles of coastal oceanography will be seen during the lessons.

Learning outcomes of the learning unit

The Coastal Oceanography course is divided in two parts. A first part (1/3 of the total) gives an overview of the basic principles of coastal oceanography:
 
1. Introduction to coastal oceanography
2. Basic definitions and concepts:
3. Main differences between the open ocean and the coastal ocean (Friction, Tides, Presence of coast: upwelling and downwelling, Sea level variations, Stratification, Fronts, Terrestrial influences)
4. Waves  and oscillatory movements in the coastal ocean
5. Estuaries
 
A second part (2/3 of the total) is dedicated to the analysis of data, with a focus on coastal data:
 
1. Instrumentation (sensors, ocean observing systems, remote sensing)
2. Data analysis exercises (ocean currents derivation, air-sea fluxes, derivation of temperature and salinity from a CTD, analysis of results)

Prerequisite knowledge and skills

Planned learning activities and teaching methods

Theoretical explanations and practical exercises. In situ and satellite data will be used for the exercises.

Mode of delivery (face-to-face ; distance-learning)

Face-to-face.

Recommended or required readings

The materials seen during the lessons are available at the course webpage indicated below.
 
Other readings:
 
Introduction to the Physical and Biological Oceanography of Shelf Seas. 2012. J.H. Simpson and J. Sharpless. Cambridge. 448pp
 
Data Analysis Methods in Physical Oceanography. 2001. W.J. Emery and R.E. Thomson. Elsevier Science Inc. 400 pp.

Assessment methods and criteria

Written exam or practical exercise to be presented orally.

Work placement(s)

Organizational remarks

Contacts

Aïda ALVERA AZCARATE
 
Université de Liège
AGO-GHER
Allée du 6 Août, 17, Bât. B5a
B-4000 Liège
Belgium

 
Tél : +32 4 3663664
Fax : +32 4 3669729
E-mail : A.Alvera@ulg.ac.be

Adaptation of teaching commitments following the COVID-19 pandemic for the May-June 2020 session

Teaching methods implemented : distance-learning

Lessons are given by teleconference, and these sessions are registered and uploaded to the podcast section of the class. The materials viewed in class (slides, papers etc) are available at the e-campus site.
A discussion section has been open in the e-Campus site to allow students to pose any question they might have.

Assessment subjects

Assessment methods

There are 4 parts to be examined in this course:
- Individual presentation of a scientific paper (5 minutes)
- Group presentation of an interdisciplinary topic in coastal oceanogrpahy (10 minutes)
- Development of an observing system (poster, in groups)
- Written assessment in data analysis (5 pages maximum)
 
Each part will have a maximum note of 5, for a total of 20 points. The oral exams (group and individual) will be done by teleconference. Students not able to join these teleconferences are requested to contact me in advance to find a way to make the presnetations individually.these For other details refer to the French part.

Contacts

Contact by e-mail (a.alvera@ulg.ac.be) or by the discussion forum at e-campus

Adaptation of teaching commitments following the COVID-19 pandemic for the Aug-Sept 2020 session

Assessment subjects

Assessment methods

Contacts

Items online

Coastal oceanography
Lecture notes