This textbook provides a mathematical introduction to the theory of large-scale ocean circulation and is accessible for readers with an elementary knowledge of mathematics and physics, including continuum mechanics and solution methods for ordinary differential equations. The book consists of four parts. Part I (chapters 1 - 4) is a very brief introduction to ocean circulation and the mathematical formulation of the governing equations of ocean flows. In addition, concepts are introduced that are necessary to describe and understand large-scale ocean currents. In part II (chapters 5 - 10), the theory of mid-latitude wind-driven ocean circulation is presented. The consideration of model development includes a top-down approach and reduced equations are derived using asymptotics and scaling. Part III (chapters 11 - 12) focuses on the understanding of equatorial currents and El Nino. In the last part IV, chapters 13 - 16, the theory of planetary scale flows is presented, covering topics such as the thermocline problem, the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, the stability of the thermohaline circulation and the Arctic Ocean circulation. At the end of each chapter several exercises are formulated. Many of these are aimed to further develop methodological skills and to get familiar with the physical concepts. New material is introduced in only a few of these exercises. Fully worked out answers to all exercises can be downloaded from the book web site.
Henk A. Dijkstra is professor of dynamical oceanography at the Institute for Marine and Atmospheric research Utrecht (IMAU) at the Department of Physics and Astronomy of Utrecht University, the Netherlands. After graduating in applied mathematics at the University of Groningen in 1984. During his Ph.D. he worked in Groningen on a Spacelab experiment involving Marangoni convection under microgravity conditions. From 1988-1990 he continued this research at the Department of Chemical Engineering at Cornell University (USA) . In 1990 he started to work on problems in physical oceanography at Utrecht University. His main research interests are in the stability of ocean currents and the physics of low-frequency variability of the climate system. He is the author of the book "Nonlinear Physical Oceanography" of which the 2nd edition appeared in 2005 (Springer).
