Introduction to Physical Oceanography

by Robert H. Stewart

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This book is written for upper-division undergraduates and new graduate students in meteorology, ocean engineering, and oceanography. Because these students have a diverse background, I have emphasized ideas and concepts more than mathematical derivations.

Description from LibreTexts.

Publisher
Texas A & M University
Subjects
Geosciences, Oceanography
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 4.0, as LibreTexts states it. Non-commercial use only.
Who can read
Tweens profiles and older, judged from its title and subjects

Contents

LibreTexts writes equations in TeX, and here they show as TeX; the PDF has them typeset.

  1. Front Matter
  2. TitlePage
  3. InfoPage
  4. Table of Contents
  5. Licensing
  6. Preface
  7. 1: A Voyage of Discovery
  8. 1.1: Why Study the Physics of the Ocean?
  9. 1.2: Goals
  10. 1.3: Organization
  11. 1.4: The Big Picture
  12. 1.5: Further Reading
  13. 2: The Historical Setting
  14. 2.1: Definitions
  15. 2.2: Eras of Oceanographic Exploration
  16. 2.3: Milestones in the Understanding of the Ocean
  17. 2.4: Evolution of Some Theoretical Ideas
  18. 2.5: The Role of Observation in Oceanography
  19. 2.6: Important Concepts
  20. 3: The Physical Setting
  21. 3.1: Ocean and Seas
  22. 3.2: Dimensions of the Ocean
  23. 3.3: Sea-Floor Features
  24. 3.4: Measuring the Depth of the Ocean
  25. 3.5: Sea Floor Charts and Data Sets
  26. 3.6: Sound in the Ocean
  27. 3.7: Important Concepts
  28. 4: Atmospheric Influences
  29. 4.1: The Earth in Space
  30. 4.2: Atmospheric Wind Systems
  31. 4.3: The Planetary Boundary Layer
  32. 4.4: Measurement of Wind
  33. 4.5: Calculations of Wind
  34. 4.6: Wind Stress
  35. 4.7: Important Concepts
  36. 5: The Oceanic Heat Budget
  37. 5.1: The Oceanic Heat Budget
  38. 5.2: Heat-Budget Terms
  39. 5.3: Direct Calculation of Fluxes
  40. 5.4: Indirect Calculation of Fluxes: Bulk Formulas
  41. 5.5: Global Data Sets for Fluxes
  42. 5.6: Geographic Distribution of Terms
  43. 5.7: Meridional Heat Transport
  44. 5.8: Variations in Solar Constant
  45. 5.9: Important Concepts
  46. 6: Temperature, Salinity, and Density
  47. 6.1: Definition of Salinity
  48. 6.2: Definition of Temperature
  49. 6.3: Geographical Distribution of Surface Temperature and Salinity
  50. 6.4: The Oceanic Mixed Layer and Thermocline
  51. 6.5: Density, Potential Temperature, and Neutral Density
  52. 6.6: Measurement of Temperature
  53. 6.7: Measurement of Conductivity or Salinity
  54. 6.8: Measurement of Pressure
  55. 6.9: Temperature and Salinity with Depth
  56. 6.10: Light in the Ocean and Absorption of Light
  57. 6.11: Important Concepts
  58. 7: The Equations of Motion
  59. 7.1: Dominant Forces of Ocean Dynamics
  60. 7.2: Coordinate System
  61. 7.3: Types of Flow in the Ocean
  62. 7.4: Conservation of Mass and Salt
  63. 7.5: The Total Derivative (D/Dt)
  64. 7.6: Momentum Equation
  65. 7.7: Conservation of Mass: The Continuity Equation
  66. 7.8: Solutions to the Equations of Motion
  67. 7.9: Important Concepts
  68. 8: Equations of Motion with Viscosity
  69. 8.1: The Influence of Viscosity
  70. 8.2: Turbulence
  71. 8.3: Calculation of Reynolds Stress
  72. 8.4: Mixing in the Ocean
  73. 8.5: Stability
  74. 8.6: Important Concepts
  75. 9: Response of the Upper Ocean to Winds
  76. 9.1: Inertial Motion
  77. 9.2: Ekman Layer at the Sea Surface
  78. 9.3: Ekman Mass Transport
  79. 9.4: Application of Ekman Theory
  80. 9.5: Langmuir Circulation
  81. 9.6: Important Concepts
  82. 10: Geostrophic Currents
  83. 10.1: Hydrostatic Equilibrium
  84. 10.2: Geostrophic Equations
  85. 10.3: Surface Geostrophic Currents from Altimetry
  86. 10.4: Geostrophic Currents from Hydrography
  87. 10.5: An Example Using Hydrographic Data
  88. 10.6: Comments on Geostrophic Currents
  89. 10.7: Currents from Hydrographic Sections
  90. 10.8: Lagrangian Measurements of Currents
  91. 10.9: Eularian Measurements
  92. 10.10: Important Concepts
  93. 11: Wind-Driven Ocean Circulation
  94. 11.1: Sverdrup's Theory of the Ocean Circulation
  95. 11.2: Western Boundary Currents
  96. 11.3: Munk's Solution
  97. 11.4: Observed Surface Circulation in the Atlantic
  98. 11.5: Important Concepts
  99. 12: Vorticity in the Ocean
  100. 12.1: Definitions of Vorticity
  101. 12.2: Conservation of Vorticity
  102. 12.3: Influence of Vorticity
  103. 12.4: Vorticity and Ekman Pumping
  104. 12.5: Important Concepts
  105. 13: Deep Circulation in the Ocean
  106. 13.1: Defining the Deep Circulation
  107. 13.2: Importance of the Deep Circulation
  108. 13.3: Theory for the Deep Circulation
  109. 13.4: Observations of the Deep Circulation
  110. 13.5: Antarctic Circumpolar Current
  111. 13.6: Important Concepts
  112. 14: Equatorial Processes
  113. 14.1: Equatorial Processes
  114. 14.2: Variable Equatorial Circulation: El Niño/La Niña
  115. 14.3: El Niño Teleconnections
  116. 14.4: Observing El Niño
  117. 14.5: Forecasting El Niño
  118. 14.6: Important Concepts
  119. 15: Numerical Models
  120. 15.1: Introduction: Some Words of Caution
  121. 15.2: Numerical Models in Oceanography
  122. 15.3: Global Ocean Models
  123. 15.4: Coastal Models
  124. 15.5: Assimilation Models
  125. 15.6: Coupled Ocean and Atmosphere Models
  126. 15.7: Important Concepts
  127. 16: Ocean Waves
  128. 16.1: Linear Theory of Ocean Surface Waves
  129. 16.2: Nonlinear Waves
  130. 16.3: Waves and the Concept of a Wave Spectrum
  131. 16.4: Ocean-Wave Spectra
  132. 16.5: Wave Forecasting
  133. 16.6: Measurement of Waves
  134. 16.7: Important Concepts
  135. 17: Coastal Processes and Tides
  136. 17.1: Shoaling Waves and Coastal Processes
  137. 17.2: Tsunamis
  138. 17.3: Storm Surges
  139. 17.4: Theory of Ocean Tides
  140. 17.5: Tidal Prediction
  141. 17.6: Important Concepts
  142. Back Matter
  143. Index
  144. Glossary
  145. Detailed Licensing
  146. References