In this course we will study the physical principles that govern the climate system and the spatial and temporal patterns of weather elements that occur on regional and global scales. Topics to be covered include the physics of climate, the mean observed state of the atmosphere, climate feedback processes, climate change, and climatological data analysis methods.
Prerequisites: GG310 or GG312 or constent of instructor.
 

Essentials

Instructor:             Jeff Key, Dept. of Geography

Textbook: The textbook for this course is:

                  Hartmann, D.L., Global Physical Climatology, New York: Academic Press,411 pp., 1994.

Additional readings will be handed out.  The the following book is highly recommended, especially for graduate students:
 
                 Peixoto, J.P., and A.H. Oort, Physics of Climate , New York: American Inst. Physics, 520 pp., 1992.
 

Grading

Exam 1 (midterm): 35%, Exam 2 (final): 35%, project: 30%.

No curves are used to adjust distributions. Exams are take-home and open-book, done individually within 24 hours. Late exams are penalized 5% per hour. The project topic and scope are up to you; it may involve a review of the literature, data analysis, and/or model use (see page 3).
 

Policies

1. All exams must be taken at the scheduled times. Makeup exams are only given with a doctors note or a note from the Dean. No exceptions.
2. If you miss a class, do not ask to have the lecture material repeated during office hours.
3. Exam and final grades will be posted by social security number unless I receive, in writing, an alternative code from you.
4. See the college policies about academic honesty and incomplete grades.

The following schedule will be adjusted to best suit needs of this particular class. Chapters listed in the Reading column refer to the Hartmann book.

Week	Dates	Topic	Reading	Other
1	1/13,15	Introduction; climate system components.	Chapter 1 Appendices E,F,G
2	1/20, 22	Atmospheric composition. Thermodynamics: pressure, hydrostatic balance, geopotential.	Appendix C
3	1/27, 29	Atmospheric moisture, adiabatic processes.	Appendix B	Last day to add: 1/26
4	2/3, 5	Stability. Radiative transfer and climate.	Chapters 2, 3
5	2/10, 12	Radiation, cont.		Last day to drop: 2/17
6	2/19	Global energy balance. Latitudinal heat transport.		No class  2/17
7	2/24, 26	The surface energy budget.	Chapter 4
8	3/3, 5	The hydrologic cycle.	Chapter 5	Exam 1 (3/3 due 3/4)
9	3/9 - 13	SPRING BREAK, NO CLASSES
10	3/17, 19	Atmospheric energy budget. Large-scale atmospheric dynamics and the general circulation.	Chapter 6
11	3/24, 26	Divergence, vorticity, momentum balance.
12	3/31, 4/2	Air masses, wave cyclone climatology.
13	4/7, 9	Climate types, classification. Observed mean state of the ocean.	Chapter 7
14	4/14, 16	Climate feedback processes. Sensitivity analyses.	Chapter 9
15	4/21, 23	Climate history. Natural and anthropogenic causes of climate change.	Chapters 8, 11, 12
16	4/28, 30	Climate cycles: El Nino, North Atlantic Oscillation.Student project presentations.		Projects due (4/30)
FINAL EXAM	5/6 (Wed) 9-11	---------------	---	Exam 2 (5/6 due 5/7)

Semester Project Description

Project Type and Scope

• Describe and use a particular type of model; e.g., radiative-convective. Give examples of how this type of model has been used in climate research, and use it to explore a particular problem. (I have code for some models.)
• Research a particular climate feature like the Arizona monsoon, or a set of features unique to a particular geographic region such as the tropics or polar regions. An extensive literature search will undoubtedly be necessary.
• Analyze data from a meteorological station or analyze GCM or other model output. Compile statistics (time and/or space) for one or more variables. Examine trends if the time series is long, look at relationships between variables (e.g., surface skin and air temperatures).

Notes

1. The project is worth 30% of your final grade. This means that approximately one-third of the time you devote to this class should be spent on the project. Don't put it off!
2. A 3 minute presentation of your project is required, to be given during the last class.  With only 3 minutes all you can do is briefly describe the topic and present highlights of your results.
3. A typed project paper on the order of 15-30 pages is required.