Spring 2027

Geophysical Fluid Dynamics II

Geophysical Fluid Dynamics II covers quasi-geostrophic motion, potential vorticity, E-P fluxes, Rossby waves, boundary layers, ocean circulation, instability, and tropical flows.

no offering record for this termCredits unavailable
Recorded instructors · Spring 2027 No instructors listed

Summary

1 / 3

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2024: 3.33 GPA, 60.0% A/AB (n=15 letter grades); Spring 2025: 3.61 GPA, 73.9% A/AB (n=23 letter grades); Spring 2026: 4.00 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=8 letter grades).

What you’ll be able to do

  • Use scale analysis to simplify the primitive equations for different types of geophysical flows.

  • Linearize and solve the wave equation for a variety of flow regimes.

  • Describe the strengths and weaknesses of the quasi-geostrophic equations.

  • Differentiate the governing processes of the midlatitudes versus the tropics.

  • Elucidate the importance of eddies in midlatitude weather and climate.

  • Share skills and techniques in analysis and interpretation with classmates.

Source: UW Guide

Grade history

↗
average GPA
letter grades
A
AB
B
BC
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F

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Prerequisites

Course map

ATM OCN 610 or graduate/professional standing

ATMOCN 611

This is a best-effort interpretation; check the catalog requirements above.

Prerequisite text tree

Professors

Spring 2027

No instructors recorded for this selection.

Historical instructors & teaching patterns

Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

Calendar & sections

Spring 2027

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Student experience

the class

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2024: 3.33 GPA, 60.0% A/AB (n=15 letter grades); Spring 2025: 3.61 GPA, 73.9% A/AB (n=23 letter grades); Spring 2026: 4.00 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=8 letter grades).

difficulty & workload

No workload feedback recorded.

Topics

  • Quasi-geostrophic motion and potential vorticity
  • Rossby waves and boundary layer processes
  • Wind-driven ocean circulation and western boundary currents
  • Barotropic/baroclinic instability and tropical flows

Skills

  • Scale analysis of primitive equations
  • Linearization and solution of wave equations
  • Evaluation of quasi-geostrophic equations
  • Differentiating midlatitude and tropical processes
  • Analysis of eddy importance in weather and climate
  • Sharing analysis and interpretation techniques

Grades

Latest available · Spring 2026— not enough history to project Spring 2027.

average GPA
A / AB grades
letter grades
Instructor

Grade distribution · % of letter grades

A
AB
B
BC
C
D
F

Grades over time

Through Spring 2026

More grade details Grade mix, volume & source data

Not enough comparable courses for Spring 2027 in UW–Madison.

Sources & history

UW–Madison

Catalog & offerings

Descriptions, prerequisites, and recorded course offerings.

Catalog observation history

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Grade history

Recorded grade distributions by term, section, and instructor.

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Dataset & model

Recorded 2026-10-14

View the dataset on Hugging Face
Model outputs & technical records
Qwen/Qwen3.8-27B
LLM outputs across runs
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Full model traces

Recorded model configuration, reasoning, and tool conversations.

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Model & dataset provenance 
{
  "model": "Qwen/Qwen3.8-27B",
  "model_revision": "1d4bf0f2ff6012fd82039f2fa52739d0dd7c60c0",
  "task_version": "17",
  "output_id": "9617a29b194d5b7605476bcd63f94eb9031a5bfdd5768e433a0a0ea2d98f7a71",
  "requirements_status": "valid",
  "dataset_revision": "fc1811fa52e581ea57a35c0cf3343f8740a8ffbf",
  "observed_at": "2026-10-14 17:50:09.728220+00:00"
}