Geophysical fluid dynamics - part 1

Duration

30h Th, 15h Pr

Number of credits

Lecturer

Jean-Marie Beckers

Language(s) of instruction

English 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

Introduction to Geophysical Fluid Dynamics: Physical and Numerical Aspects, Benoit Cushman-Roisin, Jean-Marie Beckers, Academic Press, 2011 »
 
Introduction (1.1-1.7) Elements of Fluid Mechanics (A.1, 2.1, 2.2) Equations of Fluid Motion Equations governing geophysical Flows (3.1-3.6, 4.1-4.5) Geostrophic flows and vorticity dynamics (7.1-7.4) Ekman Layers (8.2-8.3) Barotropic Waves (9.1-9.6) Barotropic Instability (10.1-10.4) Stratification and Layered Models (11.2, 12.1-12.4) Internal Waves (13.1-13.3) Turbulence in stratified fluids (14.1-14.4) Dynamics of stratified rotating fluids (15.1-15.4) Quasi-geostrophic Dynamics (16.1-16.4) Baroclinic instability (17.3-17.4) Sverdrup Dynamics (20.2) Abyssal Circulation (20.5) Equatorial Dynamics (21.1-21.3)

Learning outcomes of the learning unit

Basic knowledge in GFD, analysis of observations in terms of dynamic balances

Prerequisite knowledge and skills

Basic knowledge in continuum mechanics, be at ease with mathematics of differential equations (ordinary and partial)

Planned learning activities and teaching methods

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

face to fac

Recommended or required readings

Assessment methods and criteria

Oral exam based on list of questions

Work placement(s)

Organizational remarks

Contacts

JM.Beckers@ulg.ac.be

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

Teaching methods implemented : distance-learning

Content unchanged

Assessment subjects

The original plan for exam was:
The student is assigned randomly two questions from the list of exam questions distributed at the beginning of the lessons. He than had the whole morning or afternoon preparing his exam using a two-sided page with formulas he had prepared to help him (vademecum). The exam then focussed on checking how well the student mastered the concepts and understood the physics.
In view of the new situation it makes little sense to let students prepare for several hours the exam alone in front of a camera. Therefore the exam will be held with the pdf file of the lectures accessible by students and shared by them (so the pdf file can be annoted by them). The list of questions is still the same and two of them will still be chosen randomly during the exam, but from that moment on, the student will be asked to present the question with an eye on one additional specific aspect of the problem (e.g. Where is the hypothesis that the bottom is flat coming in and what does this eliminate as possible processes). Preparation is then done within 15 minutes and the questions presented and discussed.

Alternatively, instead of preparing the original list of questions, a student can decide to prepare TWO of the following chapters of the reference book (not discussed during the lessons but follow-ups of the theory covered)
13.5 Lee Waves 15.5 Atmospheric Frontogenesis 16.6 Some Nonlinear Effects 17.6 Bulk Criteria 18.2 Vortices 19.3 Direct and Indirect Convective Cells 21.3 El NiQno - Southern Oscillation (ENSO)
and then present one of the two chosen randomly.
Should internet become unstable or unavailable, please provide me with a phone number where I can reach you during the exam (send it to me the day before the exam). Also make sure your computer has been updated recently to avoid forced updates during the exam and no other program is running. Also it could be a good idea to restart your internet router earlier that day.

Assessment methods

The original plan for exam was:
The student is assigned randomly two questions from the list of exam questions distributed at the beginning of the lessons. He than had the whole morning or afternoon preparing his exam using a two-sided page with formulas he had prepared to help him (vademecum). The exam then focussed on checking how well the student mastered the concepts and understood the physics.
In view of the new situation it makes little sense to let students prepare for several hours the exam alone in front of a camera. Therefore the exam will be held with the pdf file of the lectures accessible by students and shared by them (so the pdf file can be annoted by them). The list of questions is still the same and two of them will still be chosen randomly during the exam, but from that moment on, the student will be asked to present the question with an eye on one additional specific aspect of the problem (e.g. Where is the hypothesis that the bottom is flat coming in and what does this eliminate as possible processes). Preparation is then done within 15 minutes and the questions presented and discussed.
Alternatively, instead of preparing the original list of questions, a student can decide to prepare TWO of the following chapters of the reference book (not discussed during the lessons but follow-ups of the theory covered)
13.5 Lee Waves 15.5 Atmospheric Frontogenesis 16.6 Some Nonlinear Effects 17.6 Bulk Criteria 18.2 Vortices 19.3 Direct and Indirect Convective Cells 21.3 El NiQno - Southern Oscillation (ENSO)
and then present one of the two chosen randomly.
Should internet become unstable or unavailable, please provide me with a phone number where I can reach you during the exam (send it to me the day before the exam). Also make sure your computer has been updated recently to avoid forced updates during the exam and no other program is running. Also it could be a good idea to restart your internet router earlier that day.

Contacts

JM.Beckers@uliege.be
 
Exam under lifesize (AGO1 meeting room)

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

Assessment subjects

The original plan for exam was:
The student is assigned randomly two questions from the list of exam questions distributed at the beginning of the lessons. He than had the whole morning or afternoon preparing his exam using a two-sided page with formulas he had prepared to help him (vademecum). The exam then focussed on checking how well the student mastered the concepts and understood the physics.
In view of the new situation it makes little sense to let students prepare for several hours the exam alone in front of a camera. Therefore the exam will be held with the pdf file of the lectures accessible by students and shared by them (so the pdf file can be annoted by them). The list of questions is still the same and two of them will still be chosen randomly during the exam, but from that moment on, the student will be asked to present the question with an eye on one additional specific aspect of the problem (e.g. Where is the hypothesis that the bottom is flat coming in and what does this eliminate as possible processes). Preparation is then done within 15 minutes and the questions presented and discussed.
Alternatively, instead of preparing the original list of questions, a student can decide to prepare TWO of the following chapters of the reference book (not discussed during the lessons but follow-ups of the theory covered)
13.5 Lee Waves 15.5 Atmospheric Frontogenesis 16.6 Some Nonlinear Effects 17.6 Bulk Criteria 18.2 Vortices 19.3 Direct and Indirect Convective Cells 21.3 El NiQno - Southern Oscillation (ENSO)
and then present one of the two chosen randomly.
Should internet become unstable or unavailable, please provide me with a phone number where I can reach you during the exam (send it to me the day before the exam). Also make sure your computer has been updated recently to avoid forced updates during the exam and no other program is running. Also it could be a good idea to restart your internet router earlier that day.

Assessment methods

The original plan for exam was:
The student is assigned randomly two questions from the list of exam questions distributed at the beginning of the lessons. He than had the whole morning or afternoon preparing his exam using a two-sided page with formulas he had prepared to help him (vademecum). The exam then focussed on checking how well the student mastered the concepts and understood the physics.
In view of the new situation it makes little sense to let students prepare for several hours the exam alone in front of a camera. Therefore the exam will be held with the pdf file of the lectures accessible by students and shared by them (so the pdf file can be annoted by them). The list of questions is still the same and two of them will still be chosen randomly during the exam, but from that moment on, the student will be asked to present the question with an eye on one additional specific aspect of the problem (e.g. Where is the hypothesis that the bottom is flat coming in and what does this eliminate as possible processes). Preparation is then done within 15 minutes and the questions presented and discussed.
Alternatively, instead of preparing the original list of questions, a student can decide to prepare TWO of the following chapters of the reference book (not discussed during the lessons but follow-ups of the theory covered)
13.5 Lee Waves 15.5 Atmospheric Frontogenesis 16.6 Some Nonlinear Effects 17.6 Bulk Criteria 18.2 Vortices 19.3 Direct and Indirect Convective Cells 21.3 El NiQno - Southern Oscillation (ENSO)
and then present one of the two chosen randomly.
Should internet become unstable or unavailable, please provide me with a phone number where I can reach you during the exam (send it to me the day before the exam). Also make sure your computer has been updated recently to avoid forced updates during the exam and no other program is running. Also it could be a good idea to restart your internet router earlier that day.

Contacts