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Goals and Learning Outcomes
Goals
On completing this module, students are expected to be able to:
- describe surface and deep ocean properties;
- explain how surface and deep ocean circulation work;
- illustrate how ocean circulation affects weather and climate;
- predict changes in key ocean parameters and circulation patterns as a result of climate change;
- interpret deep sea circulation patterns from water column properties.
Learning Outcomes
After completing this module, students should be able to answer the following questions:
- What is the warmest temperature in the oceans today?
- What is the coldest temperature in the oceans today?
- What factors impact salinity of surface ocean waters?
- What is primary productivity and what controls it?
- What factors control dissolved oxygen contents of ocean waters?
- What factors control dissolved CO2 contents of ocean waters?
- What drives surface ocean circulation?
- What are the Coriolis effect, gyres, upwelling and downwelling?
- How do deep water masses form?
- What are the major deep water masses in the oceans and their properties?
- What is the significance of the Global Conveyor Belt, deep water aging, properties of the oldest waters in the ocean?
- What is ENSO?
- What are the impacts of ENSO on global weather patterns?