Studying the Oceanic Internal Waves using Google Earth

Author(s): Amelia Carolina Sparavigna

Some recent papers proposed the use of Google Earth in the study of physics, in particular of the behaviour of waves. In fact, in satellite views of coastal zones of oceans and seas, we can easily observe several undulatory phenomena, such as diffraction and interference, created by the surface waves. In this paper, we will show that, with a careful examination of the time series of Google Earth, we can also observe oceanic internal waves. Therefore, we propose to study them, with the aim of attracting students’ interest to subjects of the physics of waves that are beyond those usually discussed in the courses of undergraduate education.

Teaching Physics, Satellite Images, Google Earth, NASA, Internal waves, Oceans

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