This class is for anyone who loves the ocean. The Earth is larger than we imagine, staying connected to our planet is. The Origin of Waves is a unique course that merges science and surfing. The course aims to:
Understand ocean wave and climate dynamics
Decode climate vocabulary to develop an intuitive sense of the different scales within the Earth's climate system.
Use surfing as a tool to foster a personal connection to environmental science and a keen sense for adventure.
The main objective of this class is to dissect how different scales of the climate system interact with each other. We are trying to answer some fundamental holes in our knowledge of the climate system in how random small scale processes can develop into larger more predictable systems. The wave atmosphere interface proposes an interesting case study because it walks through the connection of small scale wave development patterns to larger scale climate trends, and when these waves hit our coastlines to ride humans then become a part of this system. Inorder to understand how the system will change, it's really a question of what information can be excluded at each scale of the earth's physical climate. When trying to analyze the impact of El Nino on the frequency of swell, what do we actually mean by this? How accurate are the statements between climate and wave patterns? What metrics are comparable in space and time at small and large scales? These are some of the technical questions we will try to answer, while learning more about surfing.