Physical Oceanography (MSCI3001) (MSCI5004)

The UNSW Physical Oceanography (MSCI3001) and (MSCI5004) course dives into the way the ocean works throughout our lectures, tutorials and lab-based classes.

The way water circulates around the oceans impacts climate variability and change, marine ecology and human society and economy.  From the East Australian Current to the global conveyor belt, and from eddies to beach waves. We will cover the properties and dynamics of the ocean, how we measure the ocean, and methods for analyzing oceanographic information, applying our understanding to problems like El Nino, the great garbage patches and Global Warming. 

Term Offering

Term 2

Course Attendance

In Person

Level

Postgraduate

Discipline

Marine science

Course code

MSCI3001, MSCI5004

The Physical Oceanography course involves face-to-face lectures that cover ocean basics, observation and modelling, ocean physics, waves, tides and climate change. Our tutorials involve solving basic math problems; however, we also provide additional tutorials for those who need to brush up on their skills.

During the course, you’ll use MATLABs data analysis software to explore real oceanographic data. This will be accompanied by a student workshop where you’ll have the opportunity to present your own research topic.

The course covers the following areas:

• Properties of the ocean
• How we observe and model the ocean
• Forces that drive ocean circulation
• Wind-driven circulation, upwelling, subtropical gyres and western boundary currents
• Ocean waves and tides
• The thermohaline circulation
• Oceans and climate variability: El Niño and La Niña
• Oceans and global warming
• Spherical Cows: how to solve complex problems using order of magnitude estimation

The course is intended for third-year undergraduate students Physical Oceanography (MSCI3001) or postgraduate students Oceanographic Processes (MSCI5004).

Assumed knowledge includes any six units of credit (UoC) of level one mathematics:

• Mathematics IA (MATH1131)
• Higher Mathematics 1A (MATH1141)
• Mathematics for Life Sciences (MATH1031)
• Fundamentals of Mathematics B (MATH1011)

This subject will introduce you to cross-disciplinary research, providing you with an understanding of the links between the physical environment, marine ecosystems, climate variability and climate change. You will develop skills in handling real data using software and simple calculations to solve complex problems. The skills you develop are relevant to many future career opportunities in Environmental Sciences from environmental research, to data analysis, policymaking to science communication.

Relevant roles

• Meteorologist
• Geologist
• Geophysicist
• Hydrologist
• Ecologist
• Environmental Scientist
• Natural Resource Manager
• Marine Scientist
• Marine Biologist
• Environmental Scientist
• Data Analyst

“At the end of the Term, I found myself with basic programming skills, presentation skills and developed understanding of how the ocean works. I also found myself a supervisor for my honours project on oceanographic temperature extremes. I would have never thought that this course would have the potential for anything more than just learning the course content. Well, with an open mind and a positive attitude who knows what you can get out of a course.”

- Nish Su. Nish, Physical Oceanography graduate.