Lectures on Geophysical Fluid Dynamics - Hardcover

Salmon, Rick

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0195108086 ISBN 13: 9780195108088

Publisher: OUP USA, 1998

Synopsis

Lectures on Geophysical Fluid Dynamics offers an introduction to several topics in theoretical geophysical fluid dynamics, including the theory of large-scale ocean circulation, geostrophic turbulence, and Hamiltonian fluid dynamics. The book is based on an introductory course in dynamical oceanography offered to first-year graduate students at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Each chapter is a self-contained introduction ti its particular subject, and makes few specific references to other chapters. Chapters 1 examines the relationship between the molecular and continuum models of the fluid, and between the Eulerian and Lagrangian descriptions of the latter. Ch.2 is a broad introduction to the fluid dynamics of rotating, stratified flows. Ch.3 adddresses large-scale ocean circulation. Chs.4,5 and 6 discuss the theory of turbulence, including elementary ideas based on vorticity laws (Ch.4), statistical turbulence theory (Ch.5), and the applications of these ideas to quasigeostrophic flows in the Earth's oceans and atmosphere (Ch.6). Ch.7 surveys Hamiltonoian fluid dynamics, including the interaction between waves and currents, and "balanced" approximations to nearly geostrophic flow. Overall, the emphasis is on physical ideas rather than mathematical techniques. Readers are assumed to have had an elementary introduction to fluid mechanics, to know advanced calculus through partial differential equations, and to be familiar with the elementary ideas about linear waves, including the concept of group velocity.

About this title

Review

'The book provides an excellent course for graduate students in applied mathematics or mathematical oceanography or meterology. It can be used fruitfully by researchers in related areas who would like to learn about a field of physics that generates intriguing and cha,lenging mathematical problems...It is also likely to become a significant reference book for the subject' SIAM Review

From the Author

A graduate-level textbook on geophysical fluid dynamics.
The book is based on a course in dynamical oceanography taught at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Seven free-standing chapters offer self-contained introductions to the following topics:

Chapter 1: Fundamentals: Eulerian & Lagrangian descriptions of fluid mechanics, Hamilton's principle for an ideal fluid, entropy, variable composition, derivation of the equations by averaging over molecular motions, kinetic theory, thermodynamic constraints on molecular diffusion, macroscopic averaging, stirring and mixing, static stability, potential density and potential temperature, statistical mechanics and equations of state.

Chapter 2: Introduction to Geophysical Fluid Dynamics: Rotating coordinates, geostrophy, potential vorticity, the quasigeostrophic approximation, plane waves, geostrophic adjustment, two-layer fluids, baroclinic instability, the primitive equations, the quasigeostrophic approximation for a continuously stratified fluid.

Chapter 3: Noninertial theory of Ocean Circulation: Boundary layer theory, western boundary currents, Ekman layers, spin up, the three-dimensional circulation in stratified and unstratified oceans, upwelling, bottom topography, the thermocline.

Chapter 4: Vorticity & Turbulence: Vorticity laws, the interpretation of Ertel's theorem, Kolmogorov's theory, intermittency, phenomenological theory of two- and three-dimensional turbulence.

Chapter 5: Statistical Fluid Dynamics: The closure problem of turbulence, the eddy-damped Markovian approximation, stochastic models, entropy, irreversibility, statistical mechanics, the meaning of absolute equilibrium.

Chapter 6: Geostrophic Turbulence: Flow over topography, beta-plane turbulence, stratified quasigeostrophic turbulence, two-layer turbulence.

Chapter 7: Hamiltonian Fluid Dynamics: Symmetry & conservation laws, particle relabeling and potential vorticity conservation, wave action, wave-mean flow interactions, constrained Hamiltonian dynamics, the geometrical view of dynamics, Poisson brackets, st! ability, pseudoenergy and pseudomomentum, the semigeostrophic equations.

Edition details

• Publisher: OUP USA
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 0195108086
• ISBN 13: 9780195108088
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 400