While Robert H. Stewart, the author of Introduction to Physical Oceanography, states that he has minimized the math in his textbook, he does suggest students will need to be familiar with differential equations and introductory college physics first. [For reviews of either subject, check out our lists of free online differential equations textbooks and free online physics textbooks.]
Introduction to Physical Oceanography has been used to teach upper-division undergraduates and graduate students studying oceanography, meteorology and ocean engineering. It describes “physical-oceanographic processes, theories, data and measurements.” And, it includes discussions of “heat fluxes, the role of the ocean in climate, the deep circulation, equatorial processes including El Nino, data bases used by oceanographers, the role of satellites and data from space, ship-based measurements, and the importance of vorticity in understanding oceanic flows.”
There have been several revisions made to this text and while the last posted revisions were made in 2008, the file dates would infer that an additional update may have been made as late as November of 2014.
Table of Contents for Introduction to Physical Oceanography
1 A Voyage of Discovery
1.1 Physics of the ocean
1.2 Goals
1.3 Organization
1.4 The Big Picture
1.5 Further Reading
2 The Historical Setting
2.1 Definitions
2.2 Eras of Oceanographic Exploration
2.3 Milestones in the Understanding of the Ocean
2.4 Evolution of some Theoretical Ideas
2.5 The Role of Observations in Oceanography
2.6 Important Concepts
3 The Physical Setting
3.1 Ocean and Seas
3.2 Dimensions of the ocean
3.3 Sea-Floor Features
3.4 Measuring the Depth of the Ocean
3.5 Sea Floor Charts and Data Sets
3.6 Sound in the Ocean
3.7 Important Concepts
4 Atmospheric Influences
4.1 The Earth in Space
4.2 Atmospheric Wind Systems
4.3 The Planetary Boundary Layer
4.4 Measurement of Wind
4.5 Calculations of Wind
4.6 Wind Stress
4.7 Important Concepts
5 The Oceanic Heat Budget
5.1 The Oceanic Heat Budget
5.2 Heat-Budget Terms
5.3 Direct Calculation of Fluxes
5.4 Indirect Calculation of Fluxes: Bulk Formulas
5.5 Global Data Sets for Fluxes
5.6 Geographic Distribution of Terms
5.7 Meridional Heat Transport
5.8 Variations in Solar Constant
5.9 Important Concepts
6 Temperature, Salinity, and Density
6.1 Definition of Salinity
6.2 Definition of Temperature
6.3 Geographical Distribution
6.4 The Oceanic Mixed Layer and Thermocline
6.5 Density
6.6 Measurement of Temperature
6.7 Measurement of Conductivity or Salinity
6.8 Measurement of Pressure
6.9 Temperature and Salinity With Depth
6.10 Light in the Ocean and Absorption of Light
6.11 Important Concepts
7 The Equations of Motion
7.1 Dominant Forces for Ocean Dynamics
7.2 Coordinate System
7.3 Types of Flow in the ocean
7.4 Conservation of Mass and Salt
7.5 The Total Derivative (D/Dt)
7.6 Momentum Equation
7.7 Conservation of Mass: The Continuity Equation
7.8 Solutions to the Equations of Motion
7.9 Important Concepts
8 Equations of Motion With Viscosity
8.1 The Influence of Viscosity
8.2 Turbulence
8.3 Calculation of Reynolds Stress:
8.4 Mixing in the Ocean
8.5 Stability
8.6 Important Concepts
9 Response of the Upper Ocean to Winds
9.1 Inertial Motion
9.2 Ekman Layer at the Sea Surface
9.3 Ekman Mass Transport
9.4 Application of Ekman Theory
9.5 Langmuir Circulation
9.6 Important Concepts
10 Geostrophic Currents
10.1 Hydrostatic Equilibrium
10.2 Geostrophic Equations
10.3 Surface Geostrophic Currents From Altimetry
10.4 Geostrophic Currents From Hydrography
10.5 An Example Using Hydrographic Data
10.6 Comments on Geostrophic Currents
10.7 Currents From Hydrographic Sections
10.8 Lagrangian Measurements of Currents
10.9 Eulerian Measurements
10.10 Important Concepts
11 Wind Driven Ocean Circulation
11.1 Sverdrup’s Theory of the Oceanic Circulation
11.2 Western Boundary Currents
11.3 Munk’s Solution
11.4 Observed Surface Circulation in the Atlantic
11.5 Important Concepts
12 Vorticity in the Ocean
12.1 Definitions of Vorticity
12.2 Conservation of Vorticity
12.3 Influence of Vorticity
12.4 Vorticity and Ekman Pumping
12.5 Important Concepts
13 Deep Circulation in the Ocean
13.1 Defining the Deep Circulation
13.2 Importance of the Deep Circulation
13.3 Theory for the Deep Circulation
13.4 Observations of the Deep Circulation
13.5 Antarctic Circumpolar Current
13.6 Important Concepts
14 Equatorial Processes
14.1 Equatorial Processes
14.2 El Ni˜no
14.3 El Ni˜no Teleconnections
14.4 Observing El Ni˜no
14.5 Forecasting El Ni˜no
14.6 Important Concepts
15 Numerical Models
15.1 Introduction–Some Words of Caution
15.2 Numerical Models in Oceanography
15.3 Global Ocean Models
15.4 Coastal Models
15.5 Assimilation Models
15.6 Coupled Ocean and Atmosphere Models
15.7 Important Concepts
16 Ocean Waves
16.1 Linear Theory of Ocean Surface Waves
16.2 Nonlinear waves
16.3 Waves and the Concept of a Wave Spectrum
16.4 Ocean-Wave Spectra
16.5 Wave Forecasting
16.6 Measurement of Waves
16.7 Important Concepts
17 Coastal Processes and Tides
17.1 Shoaling Waves and Coastal Processes
17.2 Tsunamis
17.3 Storm Surges
17.4 Theory of Ocean Tides
17.5 Tidal Prediction
17.6 Important Concepts
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Introduction to Physical Oceanography
