ATM S 101, SPRING Quarter 2002

Outline
 

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Schedule: Lectures: 10:30-11:20 MTWTh, Kane 110

Sections: Th 11:30-12:30 Johnson 223
Th 1:30-2:30 JHN 223
Th 2:30-3:20 JHN 223
F 10:30-11:20  PAA A118
F 10:30-11:20 JHN 437
F 10:30-11:20 JHN 101
F 1:30-2:20 CHL 101

"Sections" may include a laboratory demonstration, a discussion of the lecture material or a de-briefing on the homework questions.

General Description: The course deals with the science of the Earth's atmosphere. My goal in this course is to provide you with a better understanding of the processes occurring in the atmosphere that are responsible for the weather and climate we experience. I will focus on why and how things happen, rather than have you memorize climate classifications and statistics. We will also learn how to read the sky and weather maps, and we will discuss the cause of selected natural and anthropogenically induced climate variations, such as El Nino, Greenhouse Warming, Acid Rain and the Ozone Hole.
 

WWW page:  http://www.atmos.washington.edu/2002Q2/101/
Here you will find the course outline, homeworks, syllabus, and handouts. You will also find some interesting weather and climate links.
 

Required Text: Aherns, C. Donald, 2001: Essentials of Meteorology: an invitation to the atmosphere. Wadsworth Publishing
 

Course Grading: Homework 20%
Two midterms 24% each
Final 32%
 

Evaluation:

Homework: Homeworks will generally consist of five questions, each with multiple parts. Three of the five questions will be graded in depth, and the rest will be skimmed through quickly. Homework will be handed out on Thursdays and is due at the lecture on the following Thursday. Late homework is devalued at 50% per day. You will be allowed one free drop for the quarter (worst grade, sick, etc.).
 

Exams: The content of the exams will be based on class discussions, section discussions and activities, reading assignments and homeworks. The final exam will cover the entire course. The format of the exams is short answer and closed book. Makeup exams will consist of a seriously viscous essay individually assigned by Dr. Battisti.  You will most likely prefer to NOT be the one to tell your classmates how evil the essay was.

Two Midterm Exam Dates: April 22 and May 20
Final Exam Date:  Monday 8:30 - 10:20, June 10, 2002

Forecast Contest: an opportunity for extra credit. Forecasting will begin the sixth week of the quarter. Students who submit a minimum of 15 forecasts will have 6 extra credit points added to their final. Students who do well on their forecasts, and submit at least 15 forecasts, are eligible for up to 6 additional points of extra credit on the final.  (Total possible extra credit is 12 points added to a 100-point final.)

Books on reserve at the Undergraduate Library:  Aherns, C. Donald, 2001: Essentials of Meteorology: an invitation to the atmosphere. Wadsworth Publishing

Aherns, C. Donald, 1994: Meteorology Today: An Introduction to Weather, Climate and the Environment. West Publishing (or Wadsworth Publishing), 616p.

Lutgens, Frederick K. and Edward J. Tarbuck, 1992. The atmosphere. Fifth Ed., Prentice Hall. PP 430.
 

Tentative Schedule

April 1-4:  Introduction; Origin of Earth's Atmosphere; Heat and Temperature; Radiation; Concepts in EM Radiation; Solar Radiation and the Earth; Greenhouse Effect:  readings 1-23, 31-42, class notes, Appendix A and B

April 8-11:  Vertical Structure of the Atmosphere; Composition and changes; Heat forms and transport; Seasonal Temperature Cycles:  readings 26-40, 42-51

April 15-18:  Daily and Seasonal Temperature Cycles (cont.); Density and Pressure; Ideal Gas Law:  readings 53-73, 140-146, Appendix B

Monday April 22, 1st Midterm

April 23-25:  Humidity and Water Vapor; Surface Condensation; Atmospheric Stability; Ozone Hole:  readings 75-92, 109-118, 317-323, Appendix B

April 29-May 2:  Cloud Development and Classification; Precipitation Processes; Acid Rain; Atmospheric Optics:  readings  93-107, chart, 119-137, 333-335, 399-418

May 6-9:  Forces and Winds; Local Circulations; Geostrophic Wind; Jet Streams:  readings 165-178, 146-153, class notes, 154-163, Appendix B

May 13-16:  General (Global) Circulation; Air Masses and Fronts:  readings 179-187, 341-346, 197-215, Appendix C

Monday May 20, 2nd Midterm

May 21-23:  Mid latitude Cyclones; Hurricanes; Thunderstorms; Tornadoes:  readings 215-225, 253-309

May 27 Holiday

May 28-30:  Weather Forecasting; Puget Sound Weather:  readings 227-251, class notes

June 3-6:  El Nino; Climate Change and Greenhouse Warming:  readings 190-194, class notes

Monday June 10, 8:30 - 10:20:  Final
 
 

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