MARINE GEOPHYSICS AND OCEANOGRAPHY

The course has the stated goal of providing adequate knowledge and understanding of the main geophysical surveys in the marine environment and the main physical characteristics of oceans and seas.

42 hours of lectures

Localization of the measures at sea: navigation using electromagnetic waves; Satellite Navigation: GPS and GLONASS; acoustic navigation; integrated navigation systems. Representation of the seabed by means of Sonar and Lidar: Electromagnetic and acoustic waves in the ocean, velocity and attenuation; echo-soundings, bathymetric data representation; radar, lidar. Marine seismic exploration : seismic data acquisition at sea, seismic sources at the sea, hydrophones, OBS (ocean bottom seismographs); representation of seismic data. Seismic Chirp.Gravity measurements in the sea. Thermal measurements at sea; heat flux in the oceans.Magnetic measurements in the sea; magnetic anomalies and expansion in the mid-ocean ridges. Study of the oceanic lithosphere: the sedimentary cover, the crust and the upper mantle.Study of divergent margins, transforms and subduction zones.The marine geophysics for application purposes: mineral resources and geological hazards.

Historical background of oceanography. The marine and oceanic basins: origin and evolution. Morphology and physiographic characteristics of the Oceans and Mediterranean Sea. Nature and characteristics of the seabed and oceanic floor. Physical and chemical factors (temperature, salinity, density) and their role in the stratification of the water masses. Influence of the atmosphere. The winds. Waves and tides and their influence on coastal areas; currents and circulation in the Oceans and in the Mediterranean Sea.

Jones E. J. W., 1998: Marine Geophysics. J.W. Wiley & Sons, 466 pp.
Pinet P.R. 2003. Invitation to Oceanography. Jones & Bartlett Publisher. Sudbury, Massachussets.
Stewart R. H., 2008. Introduction To Physical Oceanography, Texas A&M University