Course Description
Advanced, quantitative study of Earth's physical climate. Includes global energy balance, surface-atmosphere energy exchanges, surface hydrology and water budget at various temporal and spatial scales. Methods of measuring and modeling are discussed. Case studies are used to illustrate how the physical processes govern the climate system.
Additional Requirements for Graduate Students:
Graduate students will be required to do additional readings from journal articles and other sources from which they will provide written summaries and critiques. In addition, they will be required to provide a written term paper or research project. Graduate students will be given more difficult questions on exams and quizzes.
Athena Title
Physical Climatology
Prerequisite
ATSC(GEOG) 3110 or ATSC(GEOG) 3120-3120L or ATSC(GEOG) 4140/6140 or ATSC(GEOG) 4160/6160 or ENGR(ATSC)(GEOG) 4161/6161-4161L/6161L or GEOG(ENGR) 4112/6112 or permission of department
Semester Course Offered
Offered fall
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
Students should acquire an in depth, quantitative understanding of the various energy and mass exchanges that comprise the physical climate system. They should also develop a knowledge of the methods and techniques used to measure these various components. Finally, the student should acquire an understanding of the various ways that the energy and water budgets of the land surface, atmosphere, and oceans can be simulated in computer models of varying sophisication. This course meets the following General Education Abilities by accomplishing the specific learning objectives listed below: Computer Literacy is addressed through course administration, student-faculty electronic interaction, and data analysis activities and assignments. Critical Thinking is central to the learning objectives of this class, and are developed through homework assignments, lecture, classroom discussion, and inquiry- based learning efforts.
Topical Outline
Introduction to the climate system Global energy balance Earth-sun relationships Energy balance of the earth Distribution of insolation Poleward energy flux Atmospheric Radiative Transfer and Climate Description of electromagnetic radiation Planck's Law Selective absorption and emission by atmospheric gasses Lambert-Bouguet-Beer Law Infrared radiation Clouds and radiative balance of the earth Energy Balance of the Surface Surface energy budget Radiative heating of the surface Sensible and latent heat fluxes Spatial and temporal variations in the energy balance Hydrologic Cycle Water balance Surface water storage and runoff Precipitation Evaporation and transpiration Modeling the land surface water balance Annual variation of terrestrial water balance Climate Sensitivity and Feedback Mechanisms Objective measures of climate sensitivity and feedback Radiative feedback processes Ice albedo feedback Dynamical feedbacks and meridional energy transport Longwave and evaporation feedbacks Cloud feedbacks Biogeochemical feedbacks Global Climate Models Mathematical modeling Modeling the land surface, atmosphere, and oceans Validating climate model simulations Climate Change Natural causes Anthropogenic causes
Syllabus