PDF Version of Syllabus

Atmospheric Sciences 101: Weather
Spring 2003

Syllabus

EOM denotes Essentials of Meteorology
Links are enrichment, not required reading

Lecture/Topic Month Day EOM reading Links
1. Composition and structure of our atmosphere Mar 31 Ch 1, pp. 1-12
2. Weather vs. climate, temperature Apr 1 pp. 13-23 The development of thermometers and temperature scales
3. Heat transfer and radiation 2 Ch 2, pp. 25-34 Time lapse of infrared water vapor imagery
4. The greenhouse effect. Climate of Seattle area. 3 pp. 34-42
5. The seasons. Global temperature variations 7 pp. 42-51 Wind Chill
6. Air masses. Daily temperature variations 8 pp. 53-73, 197-208 What do inversions have to do with this photo?
7. Air pressure, adiabatic expansion, lapse rate 9 pp. 31, 110-113, 139-144
8. Pressure gradient force. Pressure maps. 10 Ch 6 pp. 145-149
9. Coriolis effect and geostrophic balance 14 Ch 6 pp. 150-163
10. Local circulations I: turbulence, wind shear, mtn waves. 15 Ch 7, pp. 165-168 Mountain lee wave visible satellite loop (6.4 MB)
11. Local circulations II: thermal circulations 16 pp. 168-178
12. Formation of jet streams; the general circulation 17 pp. 178-187 Northern hemisphere 500 mb height loop, 7 days ago to 5 days ahead
13. Winds and ocean currents, El Nino 21 pp. 187-195 NOAA El Nino Theme Page
14. Year-to-year wintertime variability in midlatitudes 22 US temps and precip for last month
15. Extratropical cyclones and fronts 23 Ch 8, pp. 208-217 12 day 500/1000mb loop of extratropical cyclones evolving in jet stream
MIDTERM 1 (closed book and note-thru 17 Apr lecture) 24
16. Upper atmospheric cyclone structure 28 pp. 218-225
17. Humidity 29 Ch 4, pp. 75-85 More on the molecular structure of water and ice
18. Condensation and fog 30 pp. 86-92
19. Types of cloud (+ 30 min cloud slide show) May 1 pp. 93-107 Cloud Atlas
20. Conditional instability and cumulus clouds 5 Ch 5, pp. 109-118
21. Formation of rain and snow 6 pp. 115-125
22. Other types of precipitation, cloud seeding, radar 7 pp. 126-135
23. Precipitation patterns, floods, droughts 8 pp. 341-345, 395
24. How are weather forecasts made? 12 Ch 9 pp. 227-243
25. Forecast error and predictability of weather 13
26. Thunderstorms and thunderstorm systems 14 Ch 10, pp. 253-257
27. Cloud electrification, lightning and thunder (+35 min video) 15 pp. 267-272 Annual variation in worldwide lightning distribution
28. Severe thunderstorms and tornadoes (+ 20, 7 min videos) 19 pp. 273-287 Supercell and Tornado Photos
29. Hurricanes and tropical cyclones I (+ 20 min video) 20 Ch 11 pp. 289-297 NOAA Hurricane Research Division FAQs about hurricanes.
30. Hurricanes and tropical cyclones II 21 pp. 298-311
MIDTERM 2 (closed book and note-thru 15 May lecture) 22
NO CLASS - Memorial Day 26
31. Sky color, mirages 27 pp. 399-410
32. Rainbows, halos, coronas 28 pp. 411-420 Rainbow light paths
33. Air pollution 29 Ch 12, pp. 313-337
34. Ozone hole June 2 Ch 12, pp. 321-324
35. Paleoclimate and climate variability 3 Ch 13, pp. 371-387
36. Manmade climate change and impacts in Pacific NW 4 pp. 387-397
37. Lect 36, continued. 5
FINAL EXAM, 8:30-10:20, Bagley 131 June 9