1. Introduction to Ocean Circulation - Geography 163 Wind-driven circulation of major gyres & surface currents Buoyancy-driven circulation linking the major gyres & the global conveyor belt Coastal circulations & land-ocean interactions Build from physical principles (w/out math)

2. Approach First principles do “work” Build descriptions from first principles Do not bludgeon students with calculus Work with available data sets

6. Why do we care? Climate –Global heat & water cycles –Weather & weather/climate prediction Global biogeography & biogeochemistry –Species ranges & adaptation to global change –Fossil fuel CO 2 sequestration Marine resources –Renewable (fisheries) –Non-renewable (oil, etc.)

7. IPCC [2007] Global Climate Change

8. Global Heat Transport How can it be constant?

9. Global Heat Transport

10. 10 15 W = 1 Petawatt

11. El Niño

14. NPP & Climate

16. Biogeography

17. Biogeographical Boundaries

18. Biogeography

19. CO 2 Sequestration It’s gotta go somewhere...

20. CO 2 Sequestration This is where.

21. Climate & Fish Pacific Decadal Oscillation Warm phase - southern Cool phase - northern We’re now in a cool phase…

22. Introduction to Ocean Circulation - Geography 163 Wind-driven circulation of major gyres & surface currents Buoyancy-driven circulation linking the major gyres & the global conveyor belt Coastal circulations & land-ocean interactions

23. Scales Ocean basins are wide & shallow –Typical scales are 10 4 km across and 5 km deep –“Spit on a basketball” Aspect ratio has important implications –Horizontal velocities are >> vertical velocities –Horizontal property changes are << vertical ones

24. Global Bathymetry

25. Hyposgraphic Curve

26. Wind-Driven Gyres

27. Global Ocean Circulation

29. Global Wind Climate

30. Conveyor Belt

31. Net Air-Sea Heat Flux

32. Atlantic Temperature eWOCE gallery – www.ewoce.org

33. Atlantic Salinity

34. Atlantic Oxygen

35. Atlantic Phosphate

36. Coastal Upwelling

38. July 1992 AVHRR Ch 4

39. Summary Importance of large-scale ocean circulation –climate, biogeochemistry, marine resources Characteristic “Types” of Ocean Circulation –Patterns of circulation can be generalized for different regions –Suggests that dynamical processes are the same –Wind-driven, Buoyancy-driven & Coastal Scales - “spit on a basketball”