GEF2500 ¨C Geophysical Fluid Mechanics

Course description

• Course content
• Learning outcome
• Admission
• Prerequisites

• Overlapping courses
• Teaching
• Examination
• Evaluation

Course content

This course constitutes an introduction to fluid mechanics for students in meteorology and oceanography. It presents a number of examples of simple solutions of the equations of motion and mass conservation for the atmosphere and ocean on a rotating earth.

Learning outcome

The student will obtain knowledge of:

• the derivations of the equations of motion and mass conservation for fluids on a rotating earth on the basis of Newton¡¯s 2. law and thermodynamics for compressible media.
• the static stability of the atmosphere and ocean
• potential temperature, potential density and the pressure as vertical coordinate
• dynamical processes like inertial oscillations and gravity waves on the interface between two media of different density
• geostrophic currents and the thermal wind
• turbulent mean motion, the wind-driven Ekman current in the ocean and the Ekman current in the atmospheric boundary layer at the ground

Admission

Students who are admitted to study programmes at UiO must each semester register which courses and exams they wish to sign up for in Studentweb.

If you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about admission requirements and procedures.

Prerequisites

Formal prerequisite knowledge

In addition to fulfilling the Higher Education Entrance Qualification, applicants have to meet the following special admission requirements:

• Mathematics R1 (or Mathematics S1 and S2) + R2

And in addition one of these:

• Physics (1+2)
• Chemistry (1+2)
• Biology (1+2)
• Information technology (1+2)
• Geosciences (1+2)
• Technology and theories of research (1+2)

The special admission requirements may also be covered by equivalent studies from Norwegian upper secondary school or by other equivalent studies (in Norwegian).

Recommended previous knowledge

Overlapping courses

5 credits overlap with GEF2600 ¨C Dynamical oceanography 1 (discontinued)

Teaching

Lectures, colloquias/groups. 4 obligatory assignments to hand in, these must be approved before you can take the final exam. One of the assignments may be in the form of an oral presentation.

Examination

One written (3h) or oral final exam, which counts 100% in the grade. Oral exam if less than 5 exam candidates, this will be decided by 15 February each time the course is given.

Grading scale

Grades are awarded on a scale from A to F, where A is the best grade and F is a fail. Read more about the grading system.

Explanations and appeals

• Explanation of grades and appeals

Resit an examination

Students who can document a valid reason for absence from the regular examination are offered a postponed examination at the beginning of the next semester.

Re-scheduled examinations are not offered to students who withdraw during, or did not pass the original examination.

Withdrawal from an examination

It is possible to take the exam up to 3 times. If you withdraw from the exam after the deadline or during the exam, this will be counted as an examination attempt.

Special examination arrangements

Application form, deadline and requirements for special examination arrangements.

Evaluation

The course is subject to continuous evaluation. At regular intervals we also ask students to participate in a more comprehensive evaluation.

This course was periodic evaluated in spring 2012 (pdf, in Norwegian).

Other

Attendance at the first lecture is compulsory. Students who fail to meet, are considered to have withdrawn from the course unless they have previously given notice to the Studies administration [studieinfo@geo.uio.no]