Estuarine and coastal circulation are central to many environmental problems, yet the physics involved is extraordinarily complicated.  In this course students are given an intensive introduction to the key physical oceanographic concepts and processes of estuaries and coasts.  Students also design and conduct their own field or numerical experiments.

Here is the link to the application instructions: http://depts.washington.edu/fhl/studentSummer2012.html Applications are due February 1, 2012. Enrollment is limited to 12 students.

Course Description

This is an intensive introduction to the physical oceanography of estuarine and coastal regions.  The first half of the course is devoted to lectures, from the instructors and from several guest faculty, on fluid mechanics and processes intrinsic to these scales.  We review shallow water flows, unstratified turbulence, tides and hydraulics, and stratified mixing driven by winds and tides.  We cover the coupled systems of estuarine dynamics, river plumes, and coastal circulation.  The second half of the course focuses on student-designed experiments, either in the field or numerical.  Students work in teams to develop their experiments, and each is expected to develop an individual project within that.  Students write a short paper and give a presentation to document their work.

This course is a great way to develop a strong peer group with young scientists in their field, and to meet a number of researchers from different institutions.  In addition, the waters around FHL provide some spectacular and challenging areas in which to understand environmental fluid dynamics.

Students are expected to have completed at least the first year of a graduate program in physical oceanography.  Please contact Parker MacCready pmacc@uw.edu, or Rocky Geyer rgeyer@whoi.edu for more information.

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Topics Covered in lectures

• Fluids: Notation, Basic Equations, Hydrostatic, Reynolds Averaging
• Homogeneous turbulence and the bottom boundary layer
• Shallow Water Equations with Friction
• Origin of Tides, Tides in a Channel with Friction, Energetics of Tides
• Stratified Turbulence & Shear Flow
• Estuaries: Introduction and the Knudsen Relation
• Tidally-Averaged Estuarine Dynamics: Equations & Solutions
• Estuary Subtidal Time-Dependence
• Estuary Complexities: Tidal Residual, SIPS, Rix, Lateral Processes
• Rough Topography & Form Drag
• Highly Stratified Estuaries
• Buoyant Coastal Currents
• The Inner Shelf
• River Plumes
• Wind-driven Coastal Upwelling

... and additional topics covered by several distinguished visiting scientists ...