Physical oceanography

Physical oceanography

The scientific study of the physical conditions and processes related to the motions and physical properties of ocean currents and waters.

Industry: Earth science

Add a new term

Contributors in Physical oceanography

Become a Contributors

Physical oceanography

baroclinicity vector

Earth science; Physical oceanography

A quantity that can be derived from the vorticity equation and expressed as:

A ratio of buoyancy to inertial forces which measures the stability of a fluid layer. There are several different definitions of this for various situations,including the overall, gradient, and flux ...

stochastic process

Earth science; Physical oceanography

A reasonably strict definition of this (also called a random process) is a family of random variables indexed by t, where t belongs to some index set T (which may denote time, space, or whatever else ...

thermograph

Earth science; Physical oceanography

A recording thermometer which measures a continuous trace of temperature called a thermogram. The classical version of this featured a bi-metallic strip attached to a lever holding a pen. As the ...

level of no motion

Earth science; Physical oceanography

A reference level at which it is assumed the horizontal velocities are practically zero.

zero velocity surface

Earth science; Physical oceanography

A reference level at which the horizontal velocities are thought to be practically zero.

Costa Rica Dome

Earth science; Physical oceanography

A region centered to the west of Central America around 8–10°N and 88–90°W and about 200 to 400 km wide. Open ocean upwelling causes a domelike configuration of the local well–defined thermocline, ...