Mathematical and Numerical Modelling of the Atmosphere and Oceans

This course is offered jointly by the Departments of Mathematics and Statistics and Meteorology. The course combines graduate study in applied and computational mathematics together with advanced training in meteorology and oceanography. The objectives of the course are to convert graduates from first degree courses containing a significant amount of mathematics into postgraduates possessing a deeper insight into the modelling of environmental problems, together with practical competence in the application and analysis of numerical techniques.

The course will appeal to those who wish to understand the mathematics of a scientifically challenging and important field. The training provided will be invaluable for the effective and intelligent use of mathematical and numerical models in the environmental sciences and will be equally useful for those preparing to enter industry or to study for a higher degree.

Concern about the environment has brought increasing demands for the prediction of the possible effects of natural and man-made changes on both global and regional scales. The need is for quantitative analyses based on sound mathematical and numerical models of environmental systems. This is especially true in the areas of numerical weather prediction, long-range forecasting of climate variability, oceanography, dispersion of pollution and data assimilation. Data assimilation, which attempts to incorporate observational data on the environment into a dynamical model, is an area particularly ripe for development, since the current use of expensively acquired observational data is far from optimal.

The dynamic behaviour of the atmosphere and oceans is described by systems of differential equations. These equations form the basis of mathematical models for many problems in the physical and environmental sciences, including compressible and incompressible fluids flows, flows in channels and through porous media, as well as models of the circulations in the atmosphere and oceans. The complicated nature of these equations generally leads to systems that can be solved only approximately, by numerical methods. The study of such methods is therefore of great practical importance and the need for people who can develop and apply numerical techniques to environmental problems is growing rapidly. Providing a firm foundation in the mathematical theory of differential equations and in numerical analysis is therefore a primary aim of the course.

An understanding of the physical processes that generate weather systems and form climates is also essential to the formulation of mathematical models that enable accurate analysis and forecasting of atmosphere and ocean dynamics. A strong grounding in fluid dynamics and atmospheric physics and practical experience in the analysis and interpretation of atmospheric data, including remotely sensed data, is therefore also a major objective of the course.

Further information

A full  Programme Specification is also available with further details of the programme structure.