Jan

This is a course designed to delve in to the application of chemical oceanography, especially that of isotope tracers, to understand the long-term evolution of seawater and climate. The topics covered in the course will broadly include the: (1) the long-term evolution of seawater chemistry from the perspective of strontium, magnesium, osmium, and lithium isotopes; (2) changes in magnesium to calcium ratio of seawater over time; (3) boron isotopes and their application in pH reconstruction; (4) seawater carbonate chemistry – what controls the pH and alkalinity of seawater; (5) proxies and their application in paleoceanography.

In modern fields of geosciences, vast quantities of spatio-temporal data are often available to researchers. Our data are sparse, noisy, and typically unlabelled. This course will introduce broad and general analysis tools that can be applied to the student’s research.

Basic fluid dynamics - Navier-Stokes equation, vorticity equation, Kelvin’s circulation theorem, energy and dissipation, helicity. Rotation - Coriolis force, linear inertial waves, formation of Taylor columns, geostrophy, quasi-geostrophic approximation. Stratification - Gravity waves, effect of rotation, Braginsky’s theory of stratified outer core of the Earth.

Role of topography and geology during interaction of Earth system processes; composition of Lithosphere, Atmosphere, Hydrosphere and Biosphere; Earth surface processes and its effect on earth systems, earth as a dynamic planet; Early atmosphere, evolution of atmosphere through time, evolution of hydrosphere and general circulation of ocean through time; Long and short term history of cryosphere; fossilization; Geochemical evidences documenting origin of life; extinction events, biosphere on land and ocean, Great oxygenation Event (GOE);Paleobiology; Microfossils; Indian climate present day and past; Global paleoclimatic record; Palaeo-monsoon record and the role of tectonics and green house forcing.

Theory: Rock forming minerals, textures of Igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary rocks, Microtextures and reactions, using petrological datasets, rock types and tectonic settings, geothermometry and geobarometry, isochemical phase diagrams and its interpretations, linking petrology to geochronology, Geology of southern India and applications of petrology.

Short history of geodesy, gravitation, potential theory, Laplace’s equation, visco-elastic earth, gravimetry, geodetic sensors in the orbit, GNSS, altimeters, GRACE, climate change indicators and their relation to geodesy. References Heiskanen, W.

Nuclear systematics; decay mode of radionuclides; radioactive decay; Rb-Sr, Sm-Nd, Lu-Hf, Re-Os and U-Th-Pb systematics, U series disequilibrium, stable isotope fractionation, early Solar System processes, crust-mantle processes, aquatic processes, selected mass spectrometry techniques.

Plate tectonics and mantle convection, Constraining mantle flow from seismic tomography, Maxwell viscoelastic material, Spherical harmonics, Mantle viscosity, Creep mechanisms, Governing equations, Constraints of mantle flow modeling: geoid and dynamic topography, Thermal evolution of the Earth, Convection in other planets.