Course title:
Coastal Dynamics: Observation and analysis of currents, internal waves and turbulence on shelves
Dates: 27 March-24 April 2012
Visiting Professor: Prof. Iossif Lozovatsky, University of Notre Dame, USA
Host: Dr. Kanapathipillai Arulananthan, Institute of Oceanography and Marine Sciences, National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Agency (NARA), Sri Lanka.
The course was designed to give students a basic knowledge of small-scale processes in the ocean and introduce the state-of-the-art instrumentation, data analysis, and modern research concepts. A series of lectures (20 hours of classes during 8 training days) has been focused on turbulence, mesoscale (eddy) dynamics and internal waves, including theoretical background, examples of numerical modeling results, description of various instruments (ADCP, ADV, CTR7, CTD and microstructure profilers Turbomap and MSS), methodology of measurements on shallow shelves and in the deep-ocean, and data processing. A special two-hours practical was also given to introduce the students to simple graphic and data processing packages (Grapher and Surfer) provided by Golden Software Inc. Field work on CTD profiling measurements started after the completion of theoretical course.
The training was favorably received by the students. Most of the students did not have a solid background in physical oceanography, being trained as marine biologists and geologists. However, they were able to digest the main part of the course understanding the close relationships between mixing in the water interior and bio-chemical exchange and near bottom turbulence and sediment transport problems.
