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Course 12: Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences |
 | | | 12.00-12.439 plus UROP, IND, TIP, THU | | | 12.44-12.599 plus THG | | | 12.600-12.999 | | |  |
Planetary Science12.601 Essentials of Planetary Science
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(Subject meets with 12.420) Prereq: (8.03, 12.002, and 18.03) or permission of instructor Units: 3-0-9  Lecture: WF10-11.30 (54-911)
Reviews fundamental physical concepts pertaining to the study of the solar system, and highlights recent spacecraft results. Topics include: meteorites, orbital dynamics, asteroids, impact craters, surfaces, atmospheres, atmospheric dynamics, interiors, magnetospheres, rings, comets, formation of the solar system. B. Weiss, J. de Wit No textbook information available 12.603 Solar System Dynamics
( )Not offered regularly; consult department Prereq: Permission of instructor Units: 3-0-9
Studies the dynamics of the solar system and its major subsystems, and the dynamics of exoplanets, with a modern emphasis on the qualitative structure of phase space. Topics may include rotational dynamics, spin-orbit coupling, Cassini states, and orbital dynamics, resonances, and Kozai oscillations, tidal evolution and tidal heating. J. Wisdom 12.612 Meteorites, Cosmochemistry, and Solar System Formation
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(Subject meets with 12.412) Prereq: None Units: 3-0-9
A broad introduction to cosmochemistry, the study of the solar system formation from a geochemical perspective. Examines how the current meteorite records are used to gain information on the processes that happened in the early solar system. Topics include the origin of elements and isotopes, chemical fractionations of them during different processes, meteorite records, pre-solar grains, cosmochemical models for the solar system formation, chronology of planetary bodies from radioactive isotopes, and analytical techniques commonly used in cosmochemistry. Students taking graduate version complete additional assignments. N. X. Nie 12.620[J] Classical Mechanics: A Computational Approach
()Not offered regularly; consult department (Same subject as 6.5160[J], 8.351[J]) Prereq: Physics I (GIR), 18.03, and permission of instructor Units: 3-3-6
Classical mechanics in a computational framework, Lagrangian formulation, action, variational principles, and Hamilton's principle. Conserved quantities, Hamiltonian formulation, surfaces of section, chaos, and Liouville's theorem. Poincaré integral invariants, Poincaré-Birkhoff and KAM theorems. Invariant curves and cantori. Nonlinear resonances, resonance overlap and transition to chaos. Symplectic integration. Adiabatic invariants. Applications to simple physical systems and solar system dynamics. Extensive use of computation to capture methods, for simulation, and for symbolic analysis. Programming experience required. J. Wisdom, G. J. Sussman 12.621[J] Remote Sensing: Physical Principles and Techniques
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(Same subject as 16.850[J]) (Subject meets with 12.421[J], 16.65[J]) Prereq: Physics II (GIR) or permission of instructor Units: 3-0-9 Lecture: TR2.30-4 (54-911)
Introduction to the physics of remote sensing, with applications to the study of Earth, the Moon, and other planets and solar system bodies, as well as to emerging industrial applications. Covers the physical principles of optical, thermal, radar, and lidar remote sensing with an emphasis on the fundamental properties of electromagnetic waves; the principles of electromagnetic scattering from real and idealized materials, including various types of surfaces and vegetation; the interaction of electromagnetic radiation with the atmosphere; and thermal and microwave emission from various media. Discusses remote sensing platforms along with the essentials of orbital mechanics and data processing methods and tools. Students taking graduate version complete additional assignments. G. Stucky de Quay, A. Siddiqi No textbook information available 12.622 Planetary Atmospheres
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(Subject meets with 12.422) Prereq: Permission of instructor Units: 3-0-9
Provides a basic understanding of the physics and chemistry of planetary atmospheres. Explores the formation and evolution of atmospheres, their structure and dynamics, and what is known about their chemical composition. Pays particular attention to their energy balance. Also presents the current state of understanding of exoplanet atmospheres. Students taking graduate version complete an additional research project. R. Pierrehumbert 12.623 Planet Formation
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(Subject meets with 12.423) Prereq: None Units: 3-0-9
Explores the formation and physical and chemical evolution of planetary systems and the astronomical techniques that allow us to study these processes in situ. Topics include the formation and evolution of protoplanetary disks, disk instabilities, grain growth, core formation, atmospheric accretion and disk dissipation. Students taking the graduate version have additional, tougher questions on each of the problem sets and are expected to undertake a more extensive research project than undergraduates, to be used to develop a research proposal. R. Teague 12.625 Extrasolar Planets: Physics and Detection Techniques
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(Subject meets with 8.290[J], 12.425[J]) Prereq: 8.03 and 18.03 Units: 3-0-9 Lecture: TR10.30-12 (54-209)
In-depth study of current topics in exoplanets, such as exoplanet transits, radial velocity curves, current survey missions, the mass-radius relation, and super Earths. Class activities consist of reading the current literature, problem sets, and a term project. Students taking graduate version complete additional assignments. J. de Wit No textbook information available 12.634 Exoplanet Atmospheres
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Prereq: (8.01, 12.003, and 18.01) or permission of instructor Units: 3-0-9
Provides a general understanding of the theory of exoplanet atmospheres and a working knowledge of a practical set of computer simulation tools via publicly available codes. Presents an overview of the fundamentals in exoplanet atmospheres, including: transmission, reflection, and emission spectroscopy; molecular cross sections; equilibrium chemistry; 1D temperature structure; cloud formation; and telescope noise. Students are expected to lead discussion of one or two journal articles (either review and/or topical) and download, run, and help each other debug computer codes. R. Pierrehumbert 12.650 Current Topics in Planetary Science
()  Not offered regularly; consult department Prereq: Permission of instructor Units: 3-0-9
In-depth discussion of current and classic literature on selected topics in planetary science. Topics vary from year to year. J. Wisdom 12.652 Current Topics in Planetary Science
(, ) Not offered regularly; consult department Prereq: Permission of instructor Units: 3-0-9 [P/D/F]
In-depth discussion of current and classic literature on selected topics in the specialty areas of asteroids and the Pluto-Charon system. Topics vary from year to year. Staff Geological, Geophysical, and Chemical Oceanography12.701 Classic Papers in Physical Oceanography
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Prereq: None Units: 3-0-3 [P/D/F]
Provides a historical perspective on fundamental topics in oceanography by considering individual works which, when pieced together, contribute to the more cohesive description of how the ocean works. In class discussions, students consider various aspects of the work in question, including motivation, approach, and implications for the broader context. They also synthesize information and make oral presentations. Develops basic analytical and critical skills in paper reading and writing. I. Rypina 12.702 Elements of Modern Oceanography
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(Subject meets with 12.372) Prereq: None Units: 3-0-9 Whoi campus & 54-827. Lecture: MF10.30-12 (54-827)
Examines a series of crosscutting topics that exemplify current directions in interdisciplinary oceanography. Focuses on current themes in oceanography, their interdisciplinary nature, and the role of ocean sciences in society. Introduces core concepts across the disciplines of biological, physical, and chemical oceanography as well as marine geology. Emphasizes the interdisciplinary aspects of these core concepts, the kinds of approaches and modes of thinking common to all of the disciplines, and the technological developments underpinning current advances. Students taking graduate version complete different assignments. J. Pineda, M. Andres No textbook information available 12.703 Presenting Scientific Research
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Prereq: None Units: 3-0-3 Whoi campus. Lecture: R10.30-12 (WHOI CAMPUS)
Presenting scientific research geared toward a scientific audience. Each student gives one 30-minute talk, one AGU-style 15-minute talk, and one poster presentation. Students present their ongoing research and use the class as a forum to practice for upcoming talks in more formal settings. Abstracts are prepared for each presentation and discussed in class. Students provide comments, questions, encouragement, critiques, etc. on their peers' presentations. A. Cross, K. Costa No textbook information available 12.707 The History of Earth's Climate
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(Subject meets with 12.377) Prereq: Permission of instructor Units: 3-0-9
Studies the climate history of the Earth, from the formation of the early atmosphere and ocean to the present. Evaluates geochemical, sedimentological, and paleontological evidence for changes in ocean circulation, global temperatures, and atmospheric carbon dioxide levels. Covers theories and models of Phanerozoic climate change. Provides a long-term history of the global carbon cycle. Students taking graduate version complete different assignments. K. Bergmann 12.708 Topics in Paleoceanography
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Prereq: Permission of instructor Units arranged [P/D/F] Whoi campus & 54-820. Lecture: T10.30-12 (54-820)
Seminar focusing on areas of current interest in paleoceanography and paleoclimatology. Includes discussion of current and classic literature. Topics vary from year to year. K. Costa, S. Shackleton No textbook information available 12.710 Geological Oceanography
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Prereq: Permission of instructor Units: 3-0-9 Whoi campus & 54-820. Lecture: TR4-5.30 (54-820)
Provides a high level survey of a broad range of active science topics in Geological Oceanography. Presents background material that graduate students are expected to know in the disciplines of solid-earth geophysics, geochemistry, sedimentology and stratigraphy, coastal processes, and climate, including a representative set of canonical science papers, and builds on this material to give a sense of the current state of the science in these fields. Broad topics include the formation of the earth, petrogenesis, volcanism, plate tectonics, geodynamics, sedimentation in the oceans, coastal morphodynamics, paleo-oceanography, and climate. The interconnectedness of and feedbacks between processes discussed under these various topics is emphasized. O. Marchal, D. Lizzaralde, F. Horton, A. Ashton No textbook information available 12.712 Advanced Marine Seismology
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Prereq: Permission of instructor Units: 3-0-6
Focuses on synthetic seismograms, ocean bottom refraction seismology, and multi-channel reflection seismology as applied to studies of the ocean sediments, crust, and lithosphere. Topics include: the wave equations for elastic/anelastic, isotropic/anisotropic, homogeneous/heterogeneous and fluid/solid media; ray theory and WKBJ approximations; the Sommerfeld/Weyl integrals, asymptotic analysis, and Lamb's problem for a fluid/solid interface; reflectivity and related methods; finite difference and finite element methods; and special topics of interest to the class. Extensive readings of geophysical and seismological literature. Staff 12.714 Computational Data Analysis
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Prereq: 18.03 Units: 3-0-9
An introduction to the theory and practice of analyzing discrete data such as are normally encountered in geophysics and geology. Emphasizes statistical aspects of data interpretation and the nonparametric discrete-time approach to spectral analysis. Topics include: elements of probability and statistics, statistical inference, robust and nonparametric statistics, the method of least squares, univariate and multivariate spectral analysis, digital filters, and aspects of multidimensional data analysis. Staff 12.715 Environmental Bioinformatics
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Prereq: None Units: 3-0-9
An intensive introduction to computational skills and a survey of modern computational theory and approaches for the manipulation and analysis of genomic data in environmental and non-model systems. Designed to synthesize theory (both biological and computational) and programming to equip students with the ability to understand and carry out hypothesis testing with genomic data. Topics include: introduction to programming and biological algorithms; genomic and transcriptomic data; environmental metagenomics; intraspecific diversity; and best practices in data science and reproducibility. C. Tepolt, H. Alexander, M. Pachiadaki 12.716 Essentials of Oceanic Petrology
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Prereq: 12.710 or permission of instructor Units: 3-2-4
Qualitative interpretation and quantitative analysis of melting, melt transport, melt-rock reactions, igneous crustal accretion, metamorphism and hydrothermalism at oceanic spreading centers and subduction-related arcs applied to understanding the variations in the composition of the Earth's (oceanic) mantle and crust and accretionalry processes at mid-ocean ridges. Combines theoretical methods with field, petrographic, geochemical, and computational techniques. Topics vary from year to year. Staff 12.717 Coastal Geomorphology
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Prereq: Permission of instructor Units: 3-0-9
Explores mechanisms behind the formation and reshaping of coastal environments. Focuses on a process-based understanding of both the fluid dynamic and sediment transport aspects of coastal landforms, and, especially, the importance of feedbacks between the two. Investigates coastal evolution at various scales - from ripples to coastline formation - with an emphasis on the behavior of coastal environments over integrated timescales of days and years to centuries and millennia. Students investigate the effect of storms, sea-level rise, and interactions with biological and anthropogenic influences. Covers a broad array of coastal environments, including beaches, barrier islands, spits, inlets, tidal flats, deltas, rocky coasts, arctic shores, and carbonate atolls. A. Ashton 12.718 Kinetics and Mass Transport
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Prereq: Permission of instructor Units: 3-0-6
Offers a broad overview of various kinetic and transport processes in geology, including volume and grain boundary solid-state diffusion, defects in minerals, rates of mineral reaction and transformation, crystal nucleation and growth, advective transport in porous media and partially molten aggregates, and percolation theory. Emphasis on processes in crystalline rocks. Covers theoretical, phenomenological, and experimental constraints, with a consistent application to "real-world" settings and actual case histories. Staff 12.739 Marine Microbiology and Biogeochemistry
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Prereq: None Units: 3-0-9
Integrates the fields of microbiology and biogeochemistry, and is centered on elucidating the linkages between microorganisms and geochemical processes in the oceans. Divided into modules that first lay the theoretical framework to familiarize students of diverse backgrounds (biologists, chemists, physical oceanographers). Next, introduces specific and general linkages between the topics and the major tools and techniques that have advanced their integrated study. Concludes with a synthesis module examining the role of microorganisms in the biogeochemical cycles of diverse ocean biomes A. Apprill, S. Sievert (WHOI) 12.740 Paleoceanography
()Not offered regularly; consult department Prereq: Permission of instructor Units: 3-0-9
Studies the basic principles of techniques for reconstructing the history of ocean climate from marine sediment cores, corals, ice cores, and other paleoclimate archives. Examines this data in the light of proposed climate change mechanisms. Micropaleontological, isotopic, geochemical, and mineralogical changes are used to infer changes in seawater composition, atmospheric chemistry, and climate. Observations are interpreted as consequences of changes in ocean temperature, circulation, and chemistry, and are used to evaluate theories proposed to account for glacial/interglacial cycles. Focuses on the past two million years, but major processes and events from the past 100 million years are also included. Staff 12.741 Marine Bioinorganic Chemistry
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Prereq: Permission of instructor Units: 2-0-7
Provides an overview of trace element biogeochemistry and marine bioinorganic chemistry. Topics include controls on oceanic trace metal distributions; co-evolution of biological metal requirements and metal availability during early Earth history; chemical speciation and its influence on microbial bioavailability; applications of metal isotopes; roles of metalloenzymes and metal proteins in biogeochemical cycles; and biogeochemical applications of metagenomics, metaproteomics, and bioinformatics. M. Saito 12.742 Marine Chemistry
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Prereq: Permission of instructor Units: 3-0-9 Whoi campus & 54-823. Lecture: TR2.30-4 (54-823)
An introduction to chemical oceanography. Reservoir models and residence time. Major ion composition of seawater. Inputs to and outputs from the ocean via rivers, the atmosphere, and the sea floor. Biogeochemical cycling within the oceanic water column and sediments, emphasizing the roles played by the formation, transport, and alteration of oceanic particles and the effects that these processes have on seawater composition. Cycles of carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, oxygen, and sulfur. Uptake of anthropogenic carbon dioxide by the ocean. Material presented through lectures and student-led presentation and discussion of recent papers. S. Wankel, T. Horner No textbook information available 12.743 Geochemistry of Marine Sediments
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Prereq: Chemistry (GIR) and 5.60 Units: 3-0-9
Focuses on processes that control the composition of sediments in coastal, shelf, and deep-sea environments and processes that define their roles in biogeochemical cycles. Topics include calculating chemical fluxes across the sediment-water interface; evaluating the sources and reactivity of carbonate, silicic, and detrital sediments; using pore water gradients to calculate diffusion, reaction, and flux rates; sediment dating; estimating accumulation rates; and using stable isotopes and natural-series radioisotopes. Covers evaluation of the links between sedimentary and water column processes; the effects of anthropogenic disturbances (e.g., eutrophication, acidification, warming) on sedimentary processes; and the role of sediments in global biogeochemical cycles. Introduces sampling techniques and mathematical modeling of sedimentary processes. K. Costa 12.744 Marine Isotope Chemistry
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Prereq: Permission of instructor Units: 3-0-9
Fundamentals of using isotopes to study processes and timescales for marine chemistry and geochemistry. Provides basic introduction to the nature, origins, and reasons for the distributions of isotopes in nature, then develops theory and approaches for radioactive dating methods. These are used to constrain the timing and nature of the geochemical evolution of the elements, solar system, earth, ocean, and atmosphere. Covers cosmogenic isotopes and their applications. Briefly discusses basics of mass spectrometry, followed by a closer inspection of the principles and applications of isotope fractionation. Introduces mass independent fractionation and clumped isotope methods. Explores applications of isotope methods to a number of water column processes, including particle scavenging, sedimentation, long term element budgets, redox processes, and air-sea exchange. Emphasizes quantitative methods and problem-solving. Includes problem sessions with development of problem solutions. V. Galy, S. Wankel, B. Peucker-Ehrenbrink 12.746 Marine Organic Geochemistry
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Prereq: Permission of instructor Units: 3-0-6 Whoi campus & 54-820. Lecture: TR1-2.30 (54-820)
Provides an understanding of the distribution of organic carbon (OC) in marine sediments from a global and molecular-level perspective. Surveys the mineralization and preservation of OC in the water column and within anoxic and oxic marine sediments. Topics include: OC composition, reactivity and budgets within, and fluxes through, major reservoirs; microbial recycling pathways for OC; models for OC degradation and preservation; role of anoxia in OC burial; relationships between dissolved and particulate (sinking and suspended) OC; methods for characterization of sedimentary organic matter; application of biological markers as tools in oceanography. Both structural and isotopic aspects are covered. V. Galy No textbook information available 12.747 Modeling, Data Analysis, and Numerical Techniques for Geochemistry
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Prereq: Permission of instructor Units: 3-0-9
Emphasizes the basic skills needed for handling and assimilating data as well as the basic tool-set for numerical modeling. Uses MATLAB as its computation engine; begins with an introduction to MATLAB to ensure familiarity with software. Topics include: probability distributions, error propagation, least squares and regression techniques, principle component and factor analysis, objective mapping, Fourier and spectral analysis, numerical solutions to ODEs and PDEs, finite difference techniques, inverse models, and scientific visualization. Staff 12.749 Solid Earth Geochemistry
()Not offered regularly; consult department Prereq: Permission of instructor Units: 3-0-9
Integrates methods in mineralogy, petrology (both igneous and metamorphic), and trace element and isotope geochemistry to address scientific issues of the solid earth. Covers processes in the solar nebula, accretion, and early differentiation of the earth. Discusses topics in three representative geodynamic environments - mid-ocean ridges, subduction zones, and mantle plumes - with respect to physical framework and petrological/geochemical aspects. Staff 12.751-12.753 Seminar in Oceanography at Woods Hole
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Prereq: Permission of instructor Units arranged [P/D/F]
Topics in marine geology and geophysics, physical, dynamical, and chemical oceanography. Content varies from term to term. 12.754, 12.755, and 12.756 are letter-graded. WHOI Staff 12.754 Sem: Oceanography at WHOI
() Not offered regularly; consult department Prereq: Permission of instructor Units arranged
Staff 12.757 Seminar in Oceanography at Woods Hole
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Prereq: Permission of instructor Units arranged [P/D/F] 12.757: Whoi campus & 54-827. Lecture: R4-5.30 (54-827)
Topics in marine geology and geophysics, physical, dynamical, and chemical oceanography. Content varies from term to term. 12.754, 12.755, and 12.756 are letter-graded. C. Piecuch 12.757: No textbook information available 12.758-12.759 Seminar in Oceanography at Woods Hole
() Not offered regularly; consult department Prereq: Permission of instructor Units arranged [P/D/F]
Topics in marine geology and geophysics, physical, dynamical, and chemical oceanography. Content varies from term to term. 12.754, 12.755, and 12.756 are letter-graded. Staff 12.760-12.761 Seminar in Marine Geology and Geophysics at MIT
(, ) Not offered regularly; consult department Prereq: Permission of instructor Units arranged [P/D/F]
Topics in marine geology and geophysics taught at MIT. Content varies from term to term. 12.760 is letter-graded. Staff 12.777 Field Oceanography
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(Subject meets with 12.373) Prereq: Permission of instructor Units: 3-7-5
Provides an introduction to the biogeochemistry of the ocean, and the field techniques and methods used in its study. Emphasizes biogeochemistry and the interrelated nature of elemental cycling, but also examines physical transport and air-sea gas exchange. Covers multiple aspects related to field instrumentation and measurements, including nutrients, oxygen, the carbon system, temperature, salinity, and microbial analyses. Students analyze and synthesize experimental data collected during the term. Includes an optional week-long field trip aboard a research vessel in the field at a time to be determined; opportunities for funded travel available. Students work in groups to propose projects over the research expedition that utilize the field time to collect samples. Students taking graduate version complete additional assignments. Enrollment limited. A. R. Babbin Atmospheres, Oceans, and Climate12.800 Fluid Dynamics of the Atmosphere and Ocean
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(Subject meets with 12.390) Prereq: 8.03 and 18.04 Units: 3-0-9 54-823 & WHOI campus. Lecture: MW9-10.30 (54-823) +final
Introduction to fluid dynamics. Students acquire an understanding of some of the basic concepts of fluid dynamics that are needed as a foundation for advanced coursework in atmospheric science, physical oceanography, ocean engineering, climate science, etc. Emphasizes fluid fundamentals, with an atmosphere/ocean twist. Students taking graduate version complete additional assignments. W. Kang No textbook information available 12.801 Large-scale Ocean Dynamics
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Prereq: 12.800 Units: 3-0-9
Applies fundamental principles of geophysical fluid dynamics to understand the general patterns of the ocean circulation and stratification. Includes the mid-latitude wind-driven circulation, the Southern Ocean circulation, and the global overturning circulation. Uses a combination of theory, numerical simulations, and observations to illustrate the concepts. J. Yang, Y. Kwon 12.802 Waves, Instability and Turbulence at Small Scales
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Prereq: 12.800 or permission of instructor Units: 3-0-9
Covers basic concepts of wave motion, flow instability, and turbulence in rotating and stratified fluids with emphasis on small scales. Presents wave properties, including the dispersion relation, phase and group velocities, and wave kinematics, and uses these concepts to study the dynamics of surface and internal gravity waves, Poincare waves, Kelvin waves, and topographic waves. Includes flow instability. Explores general concepts of linear instability in small-scale stratified shear flows (Rayleigh and Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities); examines non-rotating stratified turbulence resulting from these instabilities. Also discusses wave-mean flow interaction, hydraulic control, the entrainment assumption, and the interpretation of microstructure observations. G. Flierl 12.803 Advanced Geophysical Fluid Dynamics
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Prereq: 12.843 Units: 2-0-7
Further development of topics covered in 12.843, with a more mathematical treatment. Covers current topics of interest in rotating stratified flows of oceans and atmospheres. G. Flierl, W. Kang 12.805 Data Analysis in Physical Oceanography
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Prereq: Permission of instructor Units: 3-0-9
Directed at making scientifically-sensible inferences from physical oceanography data (both observations and models). Introduces linear inverse methods, including regression, singular value decomposition, objective mapping, and data assimilation. Connects these methods to time series analysis, including Fourier methods, spectra, coherence, and filtering. Focuses on working with data in a computer laboratory setting. Emphasizes how statistical information can be used to improve experimental design. Gives some attention to the instruments and algorithms used to acquire the data. G. Gebbie, C. Piecuch 12.806[J] Atmospheric Chemistry Models & Climate
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(Same subject as 10.571[J]) (Subject meets with 12.306) Prereq: (18.075 and (5.60 or 5.61)) or permission of instructor Units: 3-0-9
Introduction to the physics and chemistry of the atmosphere including experience with computer codes. Aerosols and theories of their formation, evolution, and removal. Gas and aerosol transport from urban to continental scales. Coupled models of radiation, transport, and chemistry. Solution of inverse problems to deduce emissions and removal rates. Emissions control technology and costs. Applications to air pollution and climate. Students taking graduate version complete different assignments. Staff 12.807[J] Atmospheric Chemistry
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(Same subject as 1.84[J], 10.817[J]) Prereq: 5.601 and 5.602 Units: 3-0-9 Lecture: TR10.30-12 (35-308)
Provides a detailed overview of the chemical transformations that control the abundances of key trace species in the Earth's atmosphere. Emphasizes the effects of human activity on air quality and climate. Topics include photochemistry, kinetics, and thermodynamics important to the chemistry of the atmosphere; stratospheric ozone depletion; oxidation chemistry of the troposphere; photochemical smog; aerosol chemistry; and sources and sinks of greenhouse gases and other climate forcers. A. Fiore, J. Kroll No textbook information available 12.808 Introduction to Observational Physical Oceanography
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Prereq: Permission of instructor Units: 3-0-9 Whoi campus & 54-827. Lecture: TR10.30-12 (54-827)
Results and techniques of observations of the ocean in the context of its physical properties and dynamical constraints. Emphasis on large-scale steady circulation and the time-dependent processes that contribute to it. Includes the physical setting of the ocean, atmospheric forcing, application of conservation laws, description of wind-driven and thermohaline circulation, eddy processes, and interpretive techniques. I. Le Bras, X. Yang No textbook information available 12.809 Hydraulic Phenomena in Geophysical Fluid Flows
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Prereq: Permission of instructor Units: 3-0-6
Examination of the hydraulics of nonrotating flows (Long's experiments, hydraulic control, upstream influence, nonlinear wave steepening, hydraulic jump and bores, application to severe downslope winds). Other topics may include: nonrotating stratified flows (two-layer hydraulics, virtual and approach controls, maximal and submaximal flow, application to the Strait of Gibraltar and the Bab al Mandab); and deep ocean straits and sills (steady theories for rotating channel flow, nonlinear Kelvin and frontal waves, rotating hydraulic jumps, geostrophic adjustment in a rotating channel, and applications to the Denmark Strait and other deep passages). C. Cenedese 12.810 Dynamics of the Atmosphere
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Prereq: 12.800 Units: 3-0-9
Discusses the dynamics of the atmosphere, with emphasis on the large scale. Topics include internal gravity waves in the atmosphere; potential vorticity conservation and Rossby waves; baroclinic instability and extratropical storms; the tropical Hadley and Walker circulations and equatorial waves; and the general circulation, annular modes, and the response to climate change. P. O'Gorman 12.811 Tropical Meteorology
()Not offered regularly; consult department Prereq: 12.810; or Coreq: 12.843 Units: 3-0-9
A description of the large-scale circulation systems of the tropical atmosphere and analysis of the dynamics of such systems. Topics include: Radiative-convective equilibrium; the Hadley and walker circulation; monsoons; tropical boundary layers; theory of the response of the tropical atmosphere to localized sea-surface temperature anomalies; intraseasonal oscillations; equatorial waves; El Niño/Southern Oscillation; easterly waves; and tropical cyclones. Staff 12.812 The General Circulation of the Atmosphere and Climate Change
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Prereq: 12.810 or permission of instructor Units: 2-0-7 Lecture: TR10.30-12 (54-911)
Describes the general circulation of Earth's atmosphere and its maintenance. Second half of the course explores the response of the general circulation to climate change. T. Tamarin-Brodsky No textbook information available 12.815 Atmospheric Radiation and Convection
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(Subject meets with 12.315) Prereq: 12.800 or permission of instructor Units: 3-0-9
Introduction to the physics of atmospheric radiation, remote sensing, and convection, including use of computer codes. Radiative transfer equation including emission and scattering, spectroscopy, Mie theory, and numerical solutions. Physics of dry and moist convection, including moist thermodynamics. Radiative-convective equilibrium. Students taking graduate version complete additional assignments. T. Cronin 12.817[J] Atmospheric Composition and Global Change
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(Same subject as 1.841[J]) Prereq: 1.84 or permission of instructor Units: 3-0-9
Explores how atmospheric chemical composition both drives and responds to climate, with a particular focus on feedbacks via the biosphere. Topics include atmospheric nitrogen; DMS, sulfate, and CLAW; biogenic volatile organic compounds and secondary organic aerosol; wildfires and land use change; atmospheric methane and the oxidative capacity of the troposphere; and air quality and climate and geoengineering. A. Fiore 12.818 Introduction to Atmospheric Data and Large-scale Dynamics
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(Subject meets with 12.318) Prereq: None. Coreq: 12.800 Units: 3-3-6 Lecture: TR1.30-3 (54-611) Lab: TBA
Provides a general introduction to meteorological data and analysis techniques, and their use in the MIT Synoptic Laboratory to study the phenomenology and dynamics of large-scale atmospheric flow. Illustrates balance concepts as applied to the dynamics of frontal and synoptic scales, using real-time upper-air and surface station data and gridded analyzed fields. Uses advanced meteorological software packages to access, manipulate, and graphically display the data. Students taking graduate version complete different assignments. L. Illari 12.820 Turbulence in the Ocean and Atmosphere
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Prereq: 12.843 Units: 3-0-9
Covers phenomena, theory and modeling of turbulence in the Earth's oceans and atmosphere. The scope will range from centimeter- to planetary-scale motions. Includes homogeneous isotropic three- and two-dimensional turbulence, convection, stratified turbulence, quasi-gesotrophic turbulence, baroclinic turbulence, and macroturbulence in the ocean and atmosphere. R. Ferrari, G. Flierl 12.823 Modeling the Biology and Physics of the Ocean
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Prereq: 18.075 or 18.085 Units: 3-0-6
Principles and examples of the construction of physical/ biological models for oceanic systems. Individual-based and continuum representations. Food webs and structured population models. Fluid transport, stirring, and mixing. Effects of rotation and stratification. Advection, diffusion, reaction dynamics. Oceanic examples of physical-biological dynamics: surface mixed layer, upwelling regimes, mesoscale eddies, and oceanic gyres. D. McGillicuddy (WHOI); G. Flierl 12.824 Stability Theory for Oceanic & Atmospheric Flows
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Prereq: 12.802 or permission of instructor Units: 3-0-9
Basic theory of hydrodynamic instability with special application to flows of interest in oceanography and meteorology. Topics covered include general formulation of stability theory; concept of normal modes and linearization; fundamental stability theorems; baroclinic instability: Charney model, Eady model and the Phillips two-layer model; energy transformations; initial value theory and non-modal instability; barotropic instability for jets and shear layers; radiating instabilities; initial value problems applied to the concepts of convective, absolute and spatial instabilities; finite amplitude theory; stability of non-parallel flows. G. Flierl, W. Kang 12.830 Topics in Waves and Instability
()Not offered regularly; consult department Prereq: 12.843 Units: 3-0-9
A detailed presentation of selected advanced topics in waves and instability in the atmosphere. The precise selection varies from year to year. Topics have included wave-mean flow interaction, the quasi-biennial oscillation, sudden warmings, critical-level behavior, wave overreflection, nonlinear equilibration, wave breaking, tropical waves, and stationary waves. Staff 12.834[J] Land-Atmosphere Interactions
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(Same subject as 1.713[J]) Prereq: Permission of instructor Units: 3-0-9
Topics include the exchange of mass, heat and momentum between the soil, vegetation or water surface and the overlying atmosphere; flux and transport in the turbulent boundary layer; and coupled balance of moisture and energy. D. Entekhabi 12.835 Experimental Atmospheric Chemistry
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(Subject meets with 12.335) Prereq: Permission of instructor Units: 2-4-6 Lecture: TR1.30-3 (E25-605) Lab: TR1.30-3 (E25-650)
Introduces the atmospheric chemistry involved in climate change, air pollution, and ozone depletion using a combination of interactive laboratory and field studies and simple computer models. Uses instruments for trace gas and aerosol measurements and methods for inferring fundamental information from these measurements. Students taking the graduate version complete different assignments. S. Ono No textbook information available 12.842 Climate Science
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(Subject meets with 12.301) Prereq: (Calculus II (GIR), Chemistry (GIR), and Physics II (GIR)) or permission of instructor Units: 3-0-9 Lecture: MW1.30-3 (54-911)
Introduction to climate studies, including beginnings of the solar system, time scales, and climate in human history; methods for detecting climate change, including proxies, ice cores, instrumental records, and time series analysis; physical and chemical processes in climate, including primordial atmosphere, ozone chemistry, carbon and oxygen cycles, and heat and water budgets; internal feedback mechanisms, including ice, aerosols, water vapor, clouds, and ocean circulation; climate forcing, including orbital variations, volcanism, plate tectonics, and solar variability; climate models and mechanisms of variability, including energy balance, coupled models, and global ocean and atmosphere models; and outstanding problems. Students taking the graduate version complete different assignments. A. Fiore, P. O'Gorman, D. McGee No textbook information available 12.843 Large-scale Atmosphere and Ocean Dynamics
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Prereq: 12.801, 12.810, or permission of instructor Units: 2-4-9 54-1623 & WHOI campus. Lecture: MW1-2.30 (54-1623) Lab: F1-2.30 (54-1623)
Project-based with lectures covering the relevant theory. Students work in groups on four projects. Each of these comprises a numerical part, to illuminate and illustrate the theory, and a data part (drawn from laboratory tank experiments, atmospheric, or ocean observations), to illustrate the phenomena. Topics include: barotropic vorticity dynamics including inversion and evolution, geostrophic and higher order balance, baroclinic dynamics and the evolution of balanced flows, and stability with emphasis on the mutual interaction of disturbances. Projects include a verbal presentation and writeup covering both the numerical and geophysical parts plus additional derivations as needed. R. Ferrari, G. Flierl No textbook information available 12.845[J] Sustainability Science and Engineering
()Not offered regularly; consult department (Same subject as IDS.526[J]) Prereq: None Units: 3-0-6
Introduces and develops core ideas and concepts in the field of sustainability science and engineering from an engineering systems perspective. Takes an interdisciplinary approach to discuss case studies of sustainability systems research. Exposes students to techniques for sustainability research across engineering, natural and social science disciplines. Term projects focus on applying techniques. Staff 12.849 Mechanisms and Models of the Global Carbon Cycle
()Not offered regularly; consult department (Subject meets with 12.349) Prereq: Permission of instructor Units: 3-0-9
Addresses changes in the ocean, terrestrial biosphere and rocks modulation of atmospheric carbon dioxide on timescales from months to millions of years. Includes feedbacks between carbon cycle and climate. Combines hands-on data analysis with the formulation of simple models rooted in basic physical, chemical and biological principles. Students create individual "toy" global carbon cycle models. Students taking graduate version complete different assignments. M. Follows 12.850 Computational Ocean Modeling
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Prereq: None Units: 3-0-9
Numerical modeling in oceanography and environmental fluid mechanics. Focuses on the building of computational models that describe processes such as transport (advection, diffusion), reaction (ecosystems), and boundary forcing, of relevance in the ocean. Models are developed in a hierarchical manner, starting from the simple (zero-dimensional in space), and incrementally advancing toward more complex, time-evolving systems in one-, two- (shallow water) and three-dimensions (Primitive equations). Students build their own models using the finite volume approach with an appreciation and understanding of the working of general circulation models A. Bodner, A. Mahadevan 12.853 Advanced geophysical fluid dynamics
()Not offered regularly; consult department Prereq: 12.843 or permission of instructor Units: 2-0-7
Follow-on to 12.843, with a more mathematical treatment and extension of material to current topics of interest involving rotating, stratified flows of oceans and atmospheres. Staff 12.860 Climate Variability and Diagnostics
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Prereq: Permission of instructor Units: 3-0-9 Whoi campus & 54-1623. Lecture: TR2.30-4 (54-1623)
Explores climate variability and change, focusing on the atmosphere and ocean, while building experience applying diagnostic analyses to a range of modern observations and models. Provides practical insight, from regional to global scale, with applications to past and future climates. Emphasizes salient features of the mean climate system and modes of natural variability, as well as observed and projected manifestations of anthropogenic climate change. Students gain experience accessing, analyzing, and visualizing a wide range of gridded observational-based datasets, as well as output from global climate model simulations. Develops the tools necessary to apply climate diagnostic analysis to one's own research, as well as the interdisciplinary edge to critically assess and interpret the observational and model results underpinning the Fifth Assessment Reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. A. Gonzalez No textbook information available 12.862 Coastal Physical Oceanography
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Prereq: 12.800 Units: 3-0-9 Whoi campus & 54-823. Lecture: TR1-2.30 (54-823)
Introduction to the dynamics of flow over the continental shelf, nearshore, and estuaries, emphasizing both theory and observations. Content varies somewhat according to student and staff interests. Possible topics include fronts, buoyant plumes, surface and bottom boundary layers, wind-driven upwelling, coastal-trapped waves, internal waves, quasi-steady flows, high-latitude shelf processes, tides, and shelf-open ocean interactions. D. Ralston, K. Chen No textbook information available 12.863 Advanced Topics in Coastal Physical Oceanography
()Not offered regularly; consult department Prereq: 12.862 or permission of instructor Units: 3-0-6
More specialized topics in the dynamics of flow over the continental shelf, including coastal-trapped waves, wind-driving, and mean flows. Emphasis on the relationship between theory and observations. Instrumentation and the application of statistical techniques also covered. Staff 12.866 Theory of the General Circulation of the Ocean
()Not offered regularly; consult department Prereq: 12.800, 12.801, and 12.802 Units: 3-0-9
A review of wind-driven circulation, and the development of the baroclinic theory of the wind-driven circulation. Potential vorticity homohenization and the ventilated thermocline. Wind-driven circulation with continuous stratification, subduction/obduction. Equatorial thermocline and its relation to ENSO. Decadal climate variability. Thermohaline circulation and variability. Abyssal circulation. Mixing and energetics of the oceanic general circulation. WHOI Staff 12.870 Air-Sea Interaction: Boundary Layers
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Prereq: Graduate-level fluid mechanics and a subject on waves or permission of instructor Units: 3-0-9
Addresses the interaction of the atmosphere and ocean on temporal scales from seconds to days and spatial scales from centimeters to kilometers. Topics include the generation, propagation, and decay of surface waves; the processes by which mass, heat, momentum, and energy are transported vertically within the coupled atmospheric and oceanic boundary layers and across the air-sea interface; and the statistical tools, mathematical models, and observational methods that are used to quantify these processes. T. Farrar, H. Seo 12.885[J] Science, Politics, and Environmental Policy
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(Same subject as 11.373[J]) (Subject meets with 12.385) Prereq: Permission of instructor Units: 3-0-9
Examines the role of science in US and international environmental policymaking. Surveys the methods by which scientists learn about the natural world; the treatment of science by experts, advocates, the media, and the public and the way science is used in legislative, administrative, and judicial decision making. Through lectures, group discussions, and written essays, students develop a critical understanding of the role of science in environmental policy. Potential case studies include fisheries management, ozone depletion, global warming, smog, and endangered species. Students taking graduate version complete different assignments. Limited to 22. S. Solomon, J. Knox-Hayes 12.900 EAPS First Year Graduate Seminar
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Prereq: None Units: 4-0-2 [P/D/F] Lecture: F11 (54-517)
Provides a shared experience for first-year graduate students in EAPS and the MIT/ WHOI Joint Program. Facilitates opportunities to interact with senior graduate students and to meet a wide range of faculty. Familiarizes students with departmental research within the themes of Earth, planets, climate, and life. Discusses resources, graduate life at MIT, and the path to PhD. J. Perron No textbook information available 12.901 Proposals, Papers and Pathways
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Prereq: None Units: 2-0-3 [P/D/F]  Subject Cancelled
This seminar builds skills for writing scientific proposals and papers, and facilitates investigation of career pathways. Topics covered include scientific writing and graphics, peer review, proposal writing for grants and fellowships, and exploration of academic and non-academic careers. P. O'Gorman 12.910 Communicating Ocean Science
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Prereq: None Units: 3-0-6 Whoi campus. Lecture: TR1-2.30 (WHOI CAMPUS)
For students interested in improving their ability to teach science, the focus is on inquiry-based instructional methods and application to various audiences. Includes an opportunity to teach in a course at a local state university and in a supervised elementary school classroom. Class meets twice a week for 11 sessions, and episodically thereafter. The undergraduate lesson is arranged in consultation with Bridgewater State University faculty. Outreach in local school classrooms involves one session observing and three sessions teaching. T. Bell, L. Mullineaux No textbook information available 12.921 Modeling the Earth System and Climate
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| | | 12.00-12.439 plus UROP, IND, TIP, THU | | | 12.44-12.599 plus THG | | | 12.600-12.999 | | | |
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