OCNG 689: Physical Oceanography of the Gulf of Mexico
1 Credit Hour
Spring 2007
Dr. Steven F. DiMarco, Associate Professor, Department of Oceanography
Time: TBD (most likely Wednesday morning for 1 hour)
O&M Room 602AA
Objective: Reading course designed to familiarize the student with the fundamental
scientific body of knowledge regarding the physical oceanographic properties of the
waters of the Gulf of Mexico.
Description: We will read and discuss the principal papers and reports that document the
physical oceanographic properties and processes that occur in the Gulf of Mexico.
Special consideration will be regarding the general circulation of the surface and deep
waters, water mass distribution and source waters, physical oceanography of the northern
shelves, the Loop Current and its associated eddies, and results from numerical general
circulation models.
Prerequisites: OCNG 608 Physical Oceanography.
Grading: Grading will be based on weekly summaries and discussion based on reading
assignments given in the schedule below.
Course Materials
Circulation in the Gulf of Mexico: Observations and Models, W. Sturges and A. LugoFernandez, Eds. Geophysical Monograph Series 161, American Geophysical Union, pp.
347.
Copies of materials and requisite papers will be provided to the student. We will also
make use of on-line material, particularly the web sites that host real-time observations in
the Gulf of Mexico.
Schedule:
17 January:
Introduction
Plenary
24 January:
General surface circulation and water properties
DiMarco, S.F., W. D. Nowlin, Jr, and R. O. Reid, 2005. A statistical description
of the upper ocean circulation of the Gulf of Mexico from drifters. AGU
Monograph.
OCNG 689: Physical Oceanography of the Gulf of Mexico
Spring 2007
Morrison, J.M. and W. D. Nowlin, 1982. General description of water masses
within the eastern Carribbean Sea during the winter of 1972 and fall of
1973. JGR 87(C6), 4207-4229.
Morrison, J.M., Wm. Merrell, R. M. Key, and T. C. Key, 1983. Property
distributions and deep chemical measurements within the western Gulf of
Mexico. JGR 88(C4), 2601-2608.
31 January:
The Loop Current
Sturges, W., 1993. The Frequency of Ring Separations from the Loop Current. J.
Phys. Oceanogr. 24, 1647-1651.
Sturges, W., and R. Leben, 2000. Frequency of Ring Separations from the Loop
Current in the Gulf of Mexico: A Revised Estimate. J. Phys. Oceanogr. 30,
1814-1818.
Sheinbaum, J., J. Candela, A. Badan, J. Ochoa, 2002. Flow structure and transport
in the Yucatan Channel. Geophys. Res. Letters, 29(3), 1040,
10.1029/2001GL013990.
Bunge, L., J. Ochoa, A. Badan, J. Candela, J. Sheinbau, 2001. Deep flows in the
Yucatan Channel and their relation to changes in the Loop Current
Extension. J. Geophys. Res. 107(C12) 3233, 10.1029/2001JC001256.
7 February:
Loop Current Eddies
Elliot, B. A., 1982. Anticyclonic rings in the Gulf of Mexico. JPO
Nowlin, W.D., J. M. Hubertz, and R. O. Reid, 1967. A detached eddy in the Gulf
of Mexico. J. of Mar. Science 26(2), 185-186.
14 February:
Deep Circulation
Selections from the Deepwater Reanalysis and Synthesis Report, 2001.
28 February:
LATEX
Cochrane, J. D., and F. J. Kelly, 1986. Low-frequency circulation on the TexasLouisiana shelf. JGR 91(C9), 10645-10559.
Cho, K., W. D. Nowlin, Jr., and R. O. Reid, 1998. Objectively mapped stream
function fields on the Texas-Louisiana continental shelf based on 32
months of moored current meter data. JGR 103(C5) 10377-10390.
7 March:
LATEX
DiMarco, S. F., and R. O. Reid, 1998. Characterization of the principal tidal
constituents of the Texas-Louisiana shelf. JGR.
Li, Y., W. D. Nowlin, Jr., and R. O. Reid. 1997. Mean hydrographic fields and
their interannual variability over the Texas-Louisiana continental shelf in
spring, summer, and fall. JGR 102(C1), 1027-1049.
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OCNG 689: Physical Oceanography of the Gulf of Mexico
Spring 2007
21 March:
NEGOM
Selected readings from the NEGOM Synthesis Report.
Bellabbassi. L., P. Chapman, W. D. Nowlin, Jr., A. E. Jochens, D. C. Biggs, 2005.
Summertime nutrient supply to near-surface Gulf of Mexico Science.
28 March:
Southern and western shelves
Zavala-Hidalgo, J., S. Morey, and J. J. O’Brien, 2004.
Vidal, Vidal, Perez-Molero, 1992. JGR 97(C2), 2155-2172.
4 April:
Bay of Campeche
Vazquez De la Cerda, R. O. Reid, S. F. DiMarco, and A. E. Jochens, 2005. AGU
Monograph.
11 April:
Numerical modeling of the Gulf of Mexico
Selection TBD
18 April:
Real time data observations of the Gulf of Mexico
TABS, NDBC websites.
25 April:
Selection TBD
2 May:
Wrap up
Future perspectives
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal anti-discrimination statute that
provides comprehensive civil rights protection for persons with disabilities. Among other
things, this legislation requires that all students with disabilities be guaranteed a learning
environment that provides for reasonable accommodation of their disabilities. If you
believe you have a disability requiring an accommodation, please contact the Department
of Student Life, Services for Students with Disabilities in Room B118 of Cain Hall, or
call 845-1637.
Copyright and Plagiarism Policy
The materials used in this course are copyrighted. These materials include but are not
limited to syllabi, quizzes, exams, lab problems, in-class materials, review sheets, and
additional problem sets. Because these materials are copyrighted, you do not have the
right to copy the handouts, unless permission is expressly granted.
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OCNG 689: Physical Oceanography of the Gulf of Mexico
Spring 2007
As commonly defined, plagiarism consists of passing off as one’s own the ideas, words,
writings, etc., which belong to another. In accordance with this definition, you are
committing plagiarism if you copy the work of another person and turn it in as your own,
even is you should have the permission of that person. Plagiarism is one of the worst
academic sins, for the plagiarist destroys the trust among colleagues without which
research cannot be safely communicated.
If you have any questions regarding plagiarism, please consult the latest issue of the
Texas A&M University Student Rules, http://student-rules.tamu.edu, under the section
“Scholastic Dishonesty.”
“Aggies do not lie, cheat, or steal, nor do they tolerate those who do.” Instances of
scholastic dishonesty will be treated in accordance with Section 20 of the TAMU Student
Rules. Please inform yourself on the student rules regarding cheating, plagiarism,
fabrication of information, conspiracy at the new website: www.tamu.edu/aggiehonor/.
Know the Code. Aggie Code of Honor.
http://www.tamu.edu/aggiehonor/
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