ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCES 451/551 - Fall 2007
Introduction to Physical Meteorology
This 2-semester course will cover the fundamentals of physical meteorology including the composition of the atmosphere, atmospheric thermodynamics and the kinetic theory of gases, atmospheric chemistry, the atmospheric aerosol, mechanics of ideal and real fluids, atmospheric acoustics, atmospheric radiation, scattering of electromagnetic radiation, radiative transfer, remote sensing, cloud physics, and atmospheric electricity.
Instructor
E. Philip Krider (krider@atmo.arizona.edu)
Office and Office Hours (Krider)
PAS 506
(520) 621-6836
1:30 - 2:30 PM Most days or by appointment
Teaching Assistant
Nathan Johnson (johnson@atmo.arizona.edu)
TA Office and Office Hours
PAS 526
(520) 626-6843
3:00 - 4:00 PM MWF or by appointment
Course Grading
Hour Exams (Monday October 1, 2007 and Wednesday November 14,2007) 20% each, Homework 20%; Final Exam (Wednesday December 12, 11:00AM - 1:00PM) 30%; and Class Participation 10%.
Overall Goal
Provide a foundation in physical meteorology that is suitable for professional employment and/or advanced study in the atmospheric sciences.
Prerequisites
Thorough understanding of basic physics and mathematics (through ordinary differential equations) and the material covered in Physics 325 and Atmospheric Science: An Introductory Survey, 2nd Edition, by John M. Wallace and Peter V. Hobbs, Academic Press/Elsevier, 2006
Textbooks
There are no official textbooks for this course, but you will be responsible for the material covered in the class lectures and the handouts. Several textbooks will be held in reserve for the class in the ATMO/IAP library, and there are articles and some web links that supplement the lectures on the class web page.
Homework
Homework based on the material covered in the lectures and class handouts will be assigned at weekly intervals. The ideas and methods used in the homework exercises will also be included on the exams, so the homework is important.
Two points:
Homework problems are best done individually, but you can certainly discuss your methods and the results with the instructor, the teaching assistant, and with other students in the class. Students can sometimes learn more by discussing the ideas and methods with others than they can on their own, especially at the beginning of the course. Also, each of you has a different perspective and background, and the views of others can often be beneficial to a larger group. Please do NOT copy your solutions from anyone else, and if your ideas and methods are not your own, please tell us that on the homework papers that you turn in.
Homework problems will usually be assigned one week before they are due. Your grade will be reduced 15% for each week, or part of a week, your assignment is late.
Exams
The exams will be based on material covered in class, the lectures, the handouts, and the homework. The problems will be designed to test your understanding of the material and to apply what you have learned in new situations. Of course, the work you submit on examinations must be entirely your own work (see the UA Code of Academic Integrity).