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Geophysical Fluid Dynamics
Last Updated: 2026-02-05 15:36:09
Abstract
Fluid mechanics is one of the fundamentalbuilding blocks of modern geophysics. This course aims to provide the students with the basic tools used in fluid dynamics studies of geophysical-astrophysical problems. The course is a combination of lectures, exercises and demo experiments.
Objective
The goal of this course is to introduce the fluid dynamics concepts relevant to geophysical and astrophysical problems.
Content
-Fundamentals of fluid mechanics. -Dimensional analysis, order of magnitude and scaling laws. -Ideal inviscid fluids. -Incompressible viscous fluids. -Elements of Thermal convection. -Rotating fluids. -Stratified fluids. -Instabilities and Turbulence. The theoretical lectures will be accompanied by numerical and experimental examples. Last 3 parts are advanced topics, depending on the students we may cover all or only some of them.
Resources
Lecture Notes
The slides, exercises corrections, numerical codes and if applicable recording of the lecture will be made available.
Literature
M. Rieutord, Springer 2015, Fluid dynamics - An Introduction: The book is available as a pdf for ETH students ( https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007%2F978-3-319-09351-2 )
General Information
- Language
- English
- Levels
- MSC
- Frequency
- Yearly recurring
Examination
- Type
- graded semester performance
Course Components
| Type | Title | Time & Place | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| lecture with exercise | Geophysical Fluid Dynamics |
|
2 h weekly |