An Introduction to Ocean Turbulence

This textbook provides an introduction to turbulent motion occurring naturally in the ocean on scales ranging from millimetres to hundreds of kilometres. It describes turbulence in the mixed boundary layers at the sea surface and seabed, turbulent motion in the density-stratified water between, and the energy sources that support and sustain ocean mixing. Little prior knowledge of physical oceanography is assumed. It is supported by numerous figures, extensive further reading lists, and more than 50 exercises (graded in difficulty). Detailed solutions to the exercises are available to instructors online at www.cambridge.org/9780521859486. This introduction to ocean turbulence is intended for undergraduate courses in physical oceanography, but will also form a useful guide for graduate students and researchers interested in multidisciplinary aspects of how the ocean works, from the surface to the seabed and from the shoreline to the deep abyssal plains.