Oceanography (OFF505)

The course is aimed at students who want to apply their engineering education to the field of oceanography. The course also prepares the students for the courses Marine Technology OFF580 and Marine Operations OFF600.

Introduction to waves: small-amplitude, linear wave theory, standing and propagating waves, transformation in shallow water, generation by wind and specification of a random sea, long waves with rotation, and internal waves. Introduction to tides: description of tides, tidal generation forces, equilibrium tide, and tidal analysis.


Course description for study year 2022-2023

Facts

Course code

OFF505

Version

1

Credits (ECTS)

5

Semester tution start

Autumn

Number of semesters

1

Exam semester

Autumn

Language of instruction

English

Offered by
Time table

View course schedule

Content

Properties of seawater. Conservation equations. Equations of motion. Coriolis effect. Geostrophic current. Inertial current. Planetary boundary layer flow. Wind-induced current. Bottom currents. Circulation flows. Tides. Global and local wind description. Mean wind. Wind gust. Wave forecast. Surface waves. Wave refraction. Non-linear waves. Breaking waves. Wave-current interaction.

Learning outcome

  1. To have a good physical understanding of phenomena contributing to the interaction between the atmosphere and the ocean, and which also contribute to the motions in the ocean.
  2. To have detailed knowledge of the global and local description of wind conditions, of how waves change due to change in water depth and interacting with currents.
  3. To have knowledge of non-linear and breaking waves.
  4. To have detailed knowledge of physical phenomena which contribute to currents in the ocean.
  5. To be able to make simple calculations of wind-, wave- and current conditions. To master the concepts and terminology which are used in the description of wind, waves, and currents.

Required prerequisite knowledge

None

Exam

Form of assessment Weight Duration Marks Aid
Written exam 1/1 3 Hours Letter grades

Coursework requirements

Homework exercises
80 % of the homework exercises must be approved in order to get access to the exam. 

Course teacher(s)

Course coordinator:

Charlotte Obhrai

Course coordinator:

Muk Chen Ong

Head of Department:

Mona Wetrhus Minde

Method of work

On average 2 hours of lectures and one-hour exercises every week, more during certain periods. Home exercises: 80% of exercises must be approved prior to the student being allowed to enter the exam. The exercises shall be handed in according to plans for the course. Active participation at lectures is recommended. All information about the course (including information about time for lectures) will be posted on Canvas. The course is given in English. Mandatory work demands (such as hand-in assignments) must be approved by the course teacher three weeks ahead of the examination date.

Open for

Master-level on at the Faculty of Science and Technology for qualified students

The Ph.D. level at the Faculty of Science and Technology according to an agreement with the lecturer

Course assessment

By form and/or by discussions in class in accordance with university regulations.

Literature

The syllabus can be found in Leganto