WELCOME
This is the door to RP OCEANS A.K.A. GMCS 108, the Oceans 320 lab that is on the first floor of the GEOLOGY-MATHMATICS-COMPUTATIONAL SCIENCES building. Plumbing facilitates the use of water in tanks. PC's allow INTERNET based exercises.
SETTLING TUBE
This water filled tube is used to time how long particles of different sizes fall one meter. Particles fall at a rate proportional to the square of their diameter. These fall rate factors determine the distribution of sediments on the ocean floor that came from land.
SETTLING TUBE
LONG WAVE TANK
LONG WAVE TANK
This narrow, rectangular tank is used to study water waves that have a long wave length compared to the depth of the water. A wave is created with the paddle that is resting in a support on the left hand side of the tank. Once created, a wave will traverse back and forth, reflecting off the ends of the tank. An aspect to be tested is that the speed of the wave is proportional to the depth of the water.
BEACH WAVE TANK
Sandy beaches along the shore are created and maintained by breaking gravity waves intersecting the shoreline at an angle. The essential beach dynamics may be created in the small, beach wave tank shown. A wave maker creates waves that move across the tank and intersect a sand beach "coastline" at an angle. Each time a wave breaks it pushes an extra pile of water along shore, creating a longshore current. An opening in the beach, such as a harbor mouth will be closed by sand moved along shore by the longshore current. Other aspects of beach dynamics may also be tested. Some are: cliff erosion and collapse, effects of offshore breakwaters or jetties, and wave reflection.
BEACH WAVE TANK
CLOUD FLOW CHANNEL (demo movie below)
CLOUD FLOW CHANNEL
This long open ended tank uses CO2 to model cloud flow along different boundaries and objects that represent coastlines and islands. By controlling the flow of CO2 via a a slide door in front of the CO2 charging tank, this model allows us to demonstrate different flow mechanics.
MISSION BAY MAP
MISSION BAY MODEL
With removable causeways and adjustable water flow, this model can simulate tidal currents, and sediment movement throughout Mission Bay.
This turntable setup can be used to demonstrate jet streams and other currents such as eddies.
MISSION BAY MAP
OCEAN THEME PRODUCTS
MARINE ROCKS FROM THE DESERT
SEA STORIES
BEACH SANDS FROM AROUND THE WORLD
5500 Campanile Dr • 237 Geology Mathematics and Computer Science Building • San Diego • CA 92182-1020 • (619) 594-5586
