- Percorsi di studio
- Master's Degree in COASTAL AND MARINE BIOLOGY AND ECOLOGY
- OCEANOGRAPHY OF MARGINAL SEAS AND OF THE COASTAL ZONE
OCEANOGRAPHY OF MARGINAL SEAS AND OF THE COASTAL ZONE
- Teaching in italian
- OCEANOGRAPHY OF MARGINAL SEAS AND OF THE COASTAL ZONE
- Teaching
- OCEANOGRAPHY OF MARGINAL SEAS AND OF THE COASTAL ZONE
- Subject area
- GEO/12
- Reference degree course
- COASTAL AND MARINE BIOLOGY AND ECOLOGY
- Course type
- Master's Degree
- Credits
- 6.0
- Teaching hours
- Frontal Hours: 48.0
- Academic year
- 2024/2025
- Year taught
- 2024/2025
- Course year
- 1
- Language
- ENGLISH
- Curriculum
- Curriculum Marine Biology and Ecology
- Reference professor for teaching
- BOZZEDA FABIO
- Location
- Lecce
Teaching description
the students are required a basic knoledge of algebra, calculus and Physics (dynamics and thermodynamics)
The course will describe the characteristics of water masses and the basic instrumentation and methods used for observing the oceans, basic concepts on energy and mass budgets (with a focus on marginal seas), processes involved in air sea interactions and how to describe them, basic dynamical balances in the oceaans, waves and currents in the coastal zone, sea level variations, vertical structure of the water column. The concepts are applied to describe the circulation of the Mediterranean, Baltic and Black Seas. The course will also teach techniques for data visualization based on the Ocean Data View software.
The students will acquire a basic knowledge of the processes leading to changes of temperature, salinity and producing currents and waves in the oceans. Description will focus on processes occurring in the coastal zone and on mass, energy and salinity balances in marginal seas and having important effects in the corresponding environments. The students will acquire capability of understanding the basic physical-mathematical language used in physical oceanograpphy. Moreover, the students will learn about basic techniques for presenting (also graphically) oceanographic data.
teaching will be based on a sequence of lectures explaining the content of the course. It will be integrated with exercizes (solution of simple problems) and demonstrations of techniques to plot oceanigraphic variables
The standard exam consists of 2-3 questions, asking you to describe a figure, to describe a process, a phenomenon or the characteristics of a basin, to comment a formula and its use, To describe a measurement device and/or procedure, to describe how some given data are obtained (up to 30 points). In addition to the knowledge acquired, the exam will also evaluate the ability to express oneself with precision and clarity, the use of an appropriate vocabulary, the specific skills and the ability to elaborate them with consistency. The standard exam can be replaced by two written partial tests to be held during the course. The test includes a) 4 or 5 questions with multiple choices where to mark the correct answer/statement and b) 4 or 5 questions requiring an explicit explanation. The score attribute to both part a) and b) is 15. No penalty for wrong answers. Minimum score in the first test for accessing the second test is 15. The final score is the mean of the two tests. The time for the test is 3 hours. For both types of exams , the score can be integrated with a short report based on a) the ODV software and the plot of oceanographic data OR b) a summary/report of a relevant scientific paper. The content of the report will be discussed during a short interview (up to 4 points).
detailed list of the subjects covered during the lectures:
Historical notes on the evolution of physical oceanography, generalities on observations (errors, acccuracy, precision), morphology of ocean basins, propagation and attenuation of sound in sea water and echosounders, the sound channel, energy budgets, heat capacity of ocean basins, air-sea interaction (thermal radiation, sensible and latent heat flux), Bulk formulas, vertical and horizontal flux of heat in the ocean, winds and wind stress, salinity, density of sea water, vertical structure of the water column (Mixed layer and its variations, seasonal and permanent thermocline, abyss) , methods and instruments for observing temperature, salinity and currents, hydrostatic pressure, salinity and salt budget, exchanges of mass, heat and salt across straits, temeprature and salinity in the Mediterranean Sea, circulation of the Mediterranean Sea, notes on Baltic, Red and Black Seas, waves in the ocean, forces in the oceans, geostrophic balance, Margules' relation, comments on Gibraltar and Otranto straits, coastal currents, surface waves in shallow water and the surf zone, ekman transport, coastal downwelling and upwelling, storm surges and castal floods, sea level variations at regional scale.
Introduction to Physical Oceanography
Robert Stewart, Texas A&M University
Pub Date: 2008
Available at
http://oceanworld.tamu.edu/resources/ocng_textbook/PDF_files/book_pdf_files.html
Further recommended readings are the chapters (the books are available in the library of DiSTeBA):
K. Schroeder, J. Garcìa-Lafuente, S. A. Josey, V. Artale, B. Buongiorno Nardelli, A. Carrillo, M. Gac?ic´, G. P. Gasparini, M. Herrmann, P. Lionello, W. Ludwig, C. Millot, E. Özsoy, G. Pisacane, J. C. Sánchez-Garrido, G. Sannino, R. Santoleri, S. Somot, M.V. Struglia, E. Stanev, I. Taupier-Letage, M. N. Tsimplis, M. Vargas-Yáñez, V. Zervakis, G. Zodiatis (2012) Circulation of the Mediterranean Sea and its Variability in Lionello P. (Ed.) The Climate of the Mediterranean Region. From the Past to the Future , Amsterdam: Elsevier (NETHERLANDS), 187-256, ISBN:9780124160422
And
Tsimplis M., V. Zervakis, S. Josey, E. Peneva, M.V. Struglia, E Stanev, Piero Lionello, Vicenzo Artale, A. Theocharis, Elina Tragou, James Rennell (2006): Variability of the Mediterranena Sea Level and Oceanic circulation and their relation to climate patterns in P.Lionello, P.Malanotte-Rizzoli, R.Boscolo (eds) Mediterranean Climate Variability. Amsterdam: Elsevier (NETHERLANDS), 227-282
the texts will be integrated and summarized in the slides used for the lesson, which will be made available during the course in the teaching material (reserved access)
Semester
Second Semester (dal 03/03/2025 al 06/06/2025)
Exam type
Compulsory
Type of assessment
Oral - Final grade
Course timetable
https://easyroom.unisalento.it/Orario