COURSE DESCRIPTION:
 
This class will investigate the distribution and transport of geochemical tracers in the global ocean, the interactions of physics and chemistry in the global ocean, and especially the use of geochemical tracers in defining the time and space scales of ocean transport, ventilation, boundary fluxes, mixing and eddy diffusion.

Some topics we will include:

1. Distributions of Salt, Heat and Chemicals in the World's Oceans
2. Conservative Tracers, Biological Tracers, Geological Tracer, Transient Tracers
3. Basic Transport Theory - the Advection-Diffusion Equation
4. Flow Paths, Mixing Patterns, and their Rates
5. Isopycnal vs. Diapycnal Mixing
6. Freons and Ventilation Tracers
7. Tritium/3He, Krypton-85, Argon-39 and Thermocline Ventilation Rates
8. Natural and Bomb Radiocarbon and Deep Mixing Time Scales
9. Radon at the Top and Bottom Boundary Layers - Turbulence
10. Hydrothermal Tracers
11. Evidence for Recent Ocean Circulation Changes

COURSE MATERIALS:

The class will be a mixture of background lectures, readings from the recent and classic literature, and class presentations and presentations. We will rely on the GEOSECS, WOCE and repeat hydrography data sets and Atlases.

Papers to read and reports to write will be assigned during the semester.

General Reference:

• Broecker, W. Tracers in the Ocean

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

In this course, you will gain an appreciation for current geochemical research topics, and study methods to solve for tracer
distributions. 

GRADING/EVALUATION:

Grading will be based on participation in each of the parts of the class:

1) Literature search: a writtin reference list and summary of key papers.

2) Theme definition: a written proposal.

3) In-class presentations.

4) Final report. No final exam.

ASSIGNMENTS/RESPONSIBILITIES:

Reading assignments will be given 1 week in advance for each topic.

COURSE CONTENT AND OUTLINE:

Week 1 (01/10): Organizational meeting.

Week 2 (01/17): No class: Martin Luther King Day - no class.

*Week 3 (01/24): Tracers in the Sea Chapter 1

Week 4 (01/31): Maps: distributions and geographic effects, boundary layers.

Week 5 (02/07):

Week 6 (02/14):  Guest Lecture Radu Herbei (Statistics) on tracer inversion for flow in the deep South Atlantic Ocean.

Week 7 (02/21):  Advection-Diffusion pipe model

Week 8 (02/28):  

Week 9 (03/07): No class: Spring Break 

*Week 10 (03/14):

*Week 11 (03/21):

Week 12 (03/28): Hydrothermal Tracers

Week 13 (04/04): Recent ocean changes revealed by tracers. Obs

*Week 14 (04/11): Recent ocean changes revealed by tracers. GCM

*Week 15 (04/18): Recent ocean changes revealed by tracers.

Week 16 (04/25): No class: Final Exam week

ACADEMIC HONOR CODE:

Students are expected to uphold the Academic Honor Code published in The Florida State University Bulletin and the Student Handbook. The Academic Honor System of The Florida State University is based on the premise that each student has the responsibility (1) to uphold the highest standards of academic integrity in the student's own work, (2) to refuse to tolerate violations of academic integrity in the university community, and (3) to foster a high sense of integrity and social responsibility on the part of the university community.

Please see the following web site for a complete explanation of the Academic Honor Code. http://www.fsu.edu/Books/Student-Handbook/codes/honor.html

AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT:

Students with disabilities needing academic accommodation should: (1) register with and provide documentation to the Student Disability  Resource Center; (2) bring a letter to the instructor indicating the need for accommodation and what type. This should be done during the first week of class.

For more information about services available to FSU students with disabilities,
contact the Student Disability Resource Center

Dean of Students Department
08 Kellum Hall
Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL 32306-4400
(850) 644-9566 (voice)
(850) 644-8504 (TDD)
SDRC@admin.fsu.edu
http://www.fsu.edu/~staffair/dean/StudentDisability

SYLLABUS CHANGE POLICY:

This syllabus is a guide for the course and is subject to change with advanced notice.

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