Turbulent Convection
OCEANOGRAPHY 5930, Fall 2001
Office: 431
Oceanography-Statistics Building
Office
Hours: by appointment (but see below)
Telephone: 645-4846
Email: kspeer@ocean.fsu.edu
Web page: http://www.ocean.fsu.edu/
Textbook: No
formal text.
Recommended
reference texts are:
1) Buoyancy
Effects in Fluids by J. Turner (Cambridge University Press, 1979)
2)
Hydrothermal Vents and Processes edited by Parson, Walker, and Dixon (Geol.
Soc. of London, 1995).
Required
reading:
Review paper
by Turner: Jour. Fluid Mech. 173: 431-471, 1986.
Paper by Phillips: Deep-Sea Research, 13:1149-1160, 1966.
Course Description. OCP 5930 is a special topics course on turbulent convection. Convection results from density differences in a fluid, which drive motion. Examples are common in everyday life, from ice cubes in a cup to the sea-breeze. In nature, volcanoes and deep-water formation are other examples. The goal of the course is to develop some insight into simplified physical balances responsible for convective flow. Very little is know about the general form of geophysical fluid flow, and there are no exact solutions to the full equations of motion. We will start by examining the equations of motion for geophysical fluids, including a scaling analysis and approximations. The rest of the course is divided into two parts: 1) Plumes, vortices, and thermals. 2) Convection cells. Each of the parts will begin with a scaling approach to solving the equations approximately, for key physical balances. In each of the two parts we will build up intuition about the system with classical non-rotating examples, then add the effect of Earth’s rotation and other relevant geophysical parameters.
You are responsible for all the material covered during the class periods. The goal is that you will find the course interesting, challenging and enjoyable.
Class Meetings. Tuesday Thursday classes meet in 433 OSB. These classes involve discussion, exercises, and lectures all designed to help you to understand physical phenomena. Attendance will not be taken, but experience shows that your grade is strongly correlated with your attendance record!
Office hours. My formal office hours are after class T/Th 3:15-4:00 or by appointment, but in reality I am usually available to meet with you almost any afternoon outside of class hours.
Homework. Homework assignments will be made at the end of each course segment covering a new model.
Examinations. There will be two examinations based on material from
class. There is no specific final exam,
but a project will be assigned in the second half of the course. The project
could be an in-class report on a paper, an analysis from your own research
presented in class, or another topic by arrangement.
Course points. Your point total for the course will be determined by a combination of your exams scores (50%), your homework score (30%), and a project (20%).
Course Grade. Here are the breakpoints for some of the grades:
A-/B+ 85 points
B-/C+ 73 points
C-/D 60 points
D/F 55 points
What these mean, for example, is that if you earn 85 points, your grade will be no worse than an A-, etc.
Students are expected to uphold the Academic Honor Code published in The Florida State University Bulletin and the Student Handbook. The first paragraph is:
The Academic Honor System of 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.
ADA
Statement
Students with disabilities needing academic accommodations should: a) register with and provide documentation to the Student Disability Resource Center SDRC; b) bring a letter to the instructor from SDRC indicating you need academic accommodations. Please do this in the first week of class.
COURSE SCHEDULE
Fall 2001 Aug 27 – Dec 14
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|
Week |
Date |
Events
|
Comments |
|
|
1 |
T Aug 28 |
|
Equations of motion and
scaling |
|
|
1 |
TH Aug 30 |
|
|
|
|
2 |
T Sept 4 |
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2 |
TH Sept 6 |
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3 |
T Sept 11 |
|
Plumes and Thermals:
laminar vs turbulent |
|
|
3 |
TH Sept 13 |
X |
|
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4 |
T Sept 18 |
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4 |
TH Sept 20 |
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5 |
T Sept 25 |
|
Plumes and Thermals:
rotation and stratification |
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5 |
TH Sept 27 |
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6 |
T Oct 2 |
X |
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6 |
TH Oct 4 |
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7 |
T Oct 9 |
MIDTERM EXAM |
|
|
|
7 |
TH Oct 11 |
|
Convective Chimneys |
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8 |
T Oct 16 |
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8 |
TH Oct 18 |
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9 |
T Oct 23 |
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9 |
TH Oct 25 |
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10 |
T Oct 30 |
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10 |
TH Nov 1 |
|
Convective Cells |
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11 |
T Nov 6 |
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11 |
Th Nov 8 |
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12 |
T Nov 13 |
X |
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12 |
Th Nov 15 |
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13 |
T Nov 20 |
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13 |
Th Nov 22 |
NO CLASS |
Happy Thanksgiving
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14 |
T Nov 27 |
|
Thermohaline States |
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14 |
TH Nov 29 |
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15 |
T Dec 4 |
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15 |
Th Dec 6 |
X |
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