| Unit name | Geophysical Fluid Dynamics |
|---|---|
| Unit code | EASCM0025 |
| Credit points | 10 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1A (weeks 1 - 6) |
| Unit director | Professor. Mader |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
Successful completion of the first three years of a science programme. Please note that the material on this course ranges from descriptive to theoretical. To cope with the theory you need to be at ease with algebraic manipulations of equations and with basic calculus (i.e. Can you differentiate a polynomial and do you understand the meaning of the function you thereby obtain?). Anything that goes beyond this level will be introduced carefully during the course before being applied to fluid flow. |
| Co-requisites | |
| School/department | School of Earth Sciences |
| Faculty | Faculty of Science |
This unit is aimed at developing a quantitative description and understanding of natural flows. This will involve a consideration of the flow of natural, multiphase materials in viscous, inviscid and turbulent flow. The fluid mechanical principles of heat and mass transfer in fluid flows will be applied to understanding geophysical phenomena. The impact of the Earth's rotation on large-scale fluid motions will also be discussed. Specific geophysical flows of interest will be: the flow of ice, rock, lava and mud; plate motions and the viscosity of the mantle; convection in magma chambers and in the Sun's interior; flows in the Earth's atmosphere and oceans including the Gulf Stream.
