Teaching

 12.003 Atmosphere, Ocean and Climate Dynamics

This undergraduate class is designed to introduce students to the physics that govern the circulation of the ocean and atmosphere. The focus of the course is on the processes that control the climate of the planet.

Prerequisites: Multivariable Calculus (18.02) and Physics I: Classical Mechanics (8.01), or consent of the instructor.

12.801 Large Scale Ocean Dynamics

This undergraduate class applies fundamental principles of geophysical fluid dynamics to understand the general patterns of the ocean circulation and stratification. Topics include the mid-latitude wind-driven circulation, the Southern Ocean circulation, and the global overturning circulation. Concepts are introduced through a combination of theory, numerical simulations, and observations.

Prerequisites: Fluid Dynamics of the Atmosphere and Ocean (12.800), or consent of the instructor.

12.802 Small Scale Ocean Dynamics

This undergraduate class applies fundamental principles of geophysical fluid dynamics to study oceanic motions on scales from hundreds of kilometers down to centimeters. Topics will include wave motions, instabilities and turbulence. Concepts are introduced through a combination of theory, numerical simulations, and observations.

Prerequisites: Fluid Dynamics of the Atmosphere and Ocean (12.800), or consent of the instructor.

12.803 Quasi-Balanced Circulations in Oceans and Atmospheres

This graduate course presents the fundamental conservation and balance principles for large-scale flows, generation of quasi-balanced eddies, and the implications for macro-turbulence in the ocean and atmosphere.

Prerequisites: the mathematics and physics required for admission to the graduate curriculum in the WHOI/MIT Joint Program, or consent of the instructor.

12.808 Introduction to Observational Oceanography

This graduate course introduces the students to the physical description of the sea; physical properties of seawater, methods and measurements, boundary processes, regional oceanography.

Prerequisites: the mathematics and physics required for admission to the graduate curriculum in the WHOI/MIT Joint Program, or consent of the instructor.

12.820/823 Modeling Biology in a Turbulent Ocean

This graduate course presents the phenomena, theory, and modeling of biological systems in a turbulent ocean. The focus is on biological problems that are shaped by the oceanic turbulent environment.

Prerequisites: the mathematics and fluid dynamics required as part of the first year graduate curriculum in the MIT Program in Atmosphere, Ocean and Climate, or consent of the instructor.

12.820 Turbulent Motions in the Atmosphere and Oceans

This graduate course presents the phenomena, theory, and modeling of turbulence in the Earth’s oceans and atmosphere. The scope ranges from the fine structure to planetary scale motions. The regimes of turbulence include homogeneous flows in two and three dimensions, geostrophic motions, shear flows, convection, boundary layers, stably stratified flows, and internal waves.

Prerequisites: the mathematics and fluid dynamics required as part of the first year graduate curriculum in the MIT Program in Atmosphere, Ocean and Climate, or consent of the instructor.

12.951 The Meridional Overturning Circulation of the Atlantic Ocean: A Reading Course

This course serves as an introduction to the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) and its role in the climate system, through a survey of classic papers on the subject.

Prerequisites: 12.800 and 12.801, or consent of the instructor.

12.S992 Submesoscale Ocean Processes

This course is based on critical reading of key papers of submesoscale dynamics. Topics include (1) a review of submesoscale processes based on the atmospheric dynamics literature of warm/cold fronts that give rise to dramatic weather, (2) oceanic submesoscale instabilities at density fronts that give rise to enhanced vertical motion and stratification, and (3) impact of submesoscale processes on the production of phytoplankton, its variability, and transport.

Prerequisites: 12.800 and 12.802, or consent of the instructor.