EEPS1520, Spring 2023 — Proceedings

EEPS1520. Ocean Circulation and Climate

Or, Notions for the Motions of the Oceans.
Examines physical characteristics, processes, and dynamics of the global ocean to understand circulation patterns and how they relate to ocean biology, chemistry, and climate change. Assignments address ocean's role in the climate system; ocean observations and models; the origin, distribution, and dynamics of large-scale ocean circulation and water masses; energy and freshwater budgets; and variability of the coupled system on seasonal to centennial timescales e.g. El Niño. Intended for geological and physical sciences undergraduate and graduate students with quantitative skills and an interest in oceans, climate, paleoclimate. Pre-requisite: EEPS 0250, EEPS 0350, PHYS 0720, or MATH 0180. Offered alternate years, previously offered as GEOL1100 and GEOL1520.

Baylor taught this class in Spring 2023, Spring 2021, Spring 2019, Spring 2017, Spring 2015, Spring 2013.

Proceedings volumes: Spring 2023, Spring 2021, Spring 2019, Spring 2017, Spring 2015, Spring 2013, Spring 2010, Spring 2008, Spring 2007.

You can access the syllabus, proceedings, class calendar, notes, and reading.

Notions for the Motions of the Oceans, Volume 8

Issue 1: 3 Kinds of Lies or Inside Joke

• Ahmed, A.: Is Narragansett Bay an ideal laboratory to study tides?
• Davidson, L.: 20-year freshwater budget analysis of the Mediterranean Sea in relation to basin salinification
• Nicklas, J. M.: Balancing the salinity budgets for ECCO in the subtropical gyres
• Ruzicka, Z.: Ocean Surface Temperature Trends in the Mediterranean Sea from ECCO data from 1996-2016
• Zhang, D.: Is there a detectable trend in salinity flux in the North Atlantic Basin from NADW data from ECCO?

Issue 2: I Get Around

• Ahmed, A. and Ruzicka, Z.: Can we assess the impacts of Ekman Transport on commercial fishermen in coastal areas?
• Davidson, L.: Seasonality of upwelling due to Ekman transport and suction in the Humboldt Current System off the coast of Chile (20 to 40S)
• Nicklas, J. M.: Evaluating the Ekman transport within the ECCO model in the subtropical gyres
• Ruzicka, Z. and Ahmed, A.: Ekman transport effects on Caribbean coastal fishing: A practical process for predicting fishing cycles
• Yoosiri, P.: Seasonality of Ekman transport in the Arabian Sea
• Zhang, D.: Effect of prevailing winds on the Leeuwin Current with seasonality

Issue 3: Swimming Upstream

• Ahmed, A.: ECCO-V4r2 Data and SWOT reveal key oceanographic features of the California Current system
• Davidson, L.: Interannual variations in Sverdrup and geostrophic meridional transport in the South Pacific subtropical gyre
• Nicklas, J. M.: Evaluating the Sverdrup balance in the South Pacific within the ECCO model
• Ruzicka, Z.: Sverdrup, Ekman and geostrophic transport for the Atlantic gyre system
• Yoosiri, P.: Seasonality of meridional transport in the Kuroshio recirculation and the North Pacific subtropical countercurrent
• Zhang, D.: Teleconnections between El Niño and the strength of the Leeuwin Current

Issue 4: Meridional Overturning Circulation or Waves

• Ahmed, A.: The El Niño/Southern Oscillation and the Indian Ocean: A review of causes and impacts
• Davidson, L.: Investigation of the formation and termination of the 1997-1998 El Niño event
• Nicklas, J. M.: Clocking Pacific Rossby waves within the ECCO model
• Ruzicka, Z.: Caribbean Sea resonant basin mode
• Yoosiri, P.: Coupling between the Madden-Julian Oscillation and large wave propagation in the Indian Ocean at the intraseasonal timescale
• Zhang, D.: Rossby waves in the Indian Ocean basin

Important Note from the Editor/Instructor: These papers represent the best efforts of the students of to assimilate and use the information they were learning on the fly. These papers were written under very tight time constraints. Thus, while selected for content that is generally excellent, the reader is encouraged to look at these papers as works in progress and disregard typographical or other minor errors. These papers have all been peer-reviewed by the class and revised afterward.