| NATS 101 Intro to Weather and Climate Section 34: 08:00AM MWF ILC 150 |
| Dr. E. Robert Kursinski | |
| TA: Tina Stall |
| Who Am I? |
| Professor Department of Atmospheric Science | |
| Joint Faculty Appointment | |
| Dept. of Planetary Sciences | |
| Worked for many years at NASA JPL in So. Cal. | |
| Research Specialty | |
| Remote Sensing, Water cycle, Planetary atmospheres | |
| Ph.D. in Planetary Sciences | |
| M.S. in Electrical Engineering | |
| B.S. in Physics, Minor in Music Theory |
| Vital Statistics |
| Office Hours: Dr. Kursinski by Appointment PAS Bldg, Rm 580 | |
| Ms. Stall Monday & Wednesday 11-noon | |
| PAS Bldg, Rm 526 and by Appointment | |
| Required Text: Essentials of Meteorology-An Invitation to the Atmosphere, 4th & 5th Ed. by C. Donald Ahrens Picture Link Publisher Download, Save $ | |
| Recommended Text: Study Guide for Essentials of Meteorology, 4rd Ed. by C. Donald Ahrens Link | |
| Required Material: Thirty (30) 4''x 6'' index cards. |
| Course Description |
| Intro to science of processes weather & climate change: | ||
| atmospheric structure and composition, | ||
| energy balance, | ||
| wind systems, | ||
| clouds and precipitation, | ||
| weather fronts, cyclones, weather forecasting, | ||
| thunderstorms and lightning, | ||
| hurricanes, monsoons, | ||
| climate and global warming, | ||
| ozone hole and air pollution | ||
| Course Description |
| Emphasis will be given to phenomena that have strong impacts on human activities. | |
| The fundamental importance of physics, chemistry and mathematics will be noted. | |
| Atmospheric Science is a branch of Applied Physics |
| Attendance Policy |
| Attendance is mandatory, and will be tallied throughout the term. | |
| After three unexcused absences prior to week 9, I will submit to the Office of Curriculum and Registration an administrative drop from the course and assign a grade in accordance with UA policy. | |
| http://catalog.arizona.edu/2006-07/policies/classatten.htm |
| Student Behavior |
| UA Code of Academic Integrity, Code of Conduct and Student Code of Conduct are enforced in this course. | |
| Every student is responsible for learning these codes and abiding by them. http://w3.arizona.edu/~studpubs/policies/ppmainpg.html | |
| Students can submit complaints online at http://web.arizona.edu/~dos/uapolicies/ |
| Grading Policy |
| Final grade will be based on scores from closed book/closed notes quizzes and final exam. | |
| Quizzes will consist of multiple choice questions and short answer questions. | |
| Quizzes will cover new material presented through the end of the previous lecture day. | |
| Extra credit questions given on some quizzes. | |
| Extra credit impromptu ÒpopÓ quizzes given. |
| Grading Policy |
| There will be seven quizzes during the term. Dates for the quizzes are listed on the home page. | |
| Students who arrive late on quiz days will be not allowed to take the quiz after the first student turns in her/his quiz. No Exceptions | |
| The lowest score among the seven quizzes will be excluded from the course grade. | |
| Therefore, no make-up quizzes. |
| Grading Policy |
| If your final exam score exceeds the average of your 6 best quizzes, the quizzes will comprise 60% of your term grade and the final 40%. | |
| Otherwise, the quizzes will comprise 75% of your term grade and the final 25%. | |
| CARROT: If your average is 90% or higher on all 7 quizzes, you will earn an exemption from the final and will receive an "A'' for the course. | |
| No Extra Credit Projects. | |
| So Plan Accordingly! |
| Final Examination |
| Section 34 (08:00 am MWF): ILC 150 | |
| Wednesday Dec. 12, 08:00 am - 10:00 am | |
| The final will consist of approximately 60 multiple choice questions and short answer questions. | |
| A number of questions will be taken verbatim from the old quizzes. |
| Course Grading |
| Course Grading Scale | |
| A 90% or higher | |
| B 80.0-89.99% | |
| C 65.0-79.99% | |
| D 55.0-64.99% | |
| E < 55.0% |
| Expectations |
| Every student is expected to: | |
| Complete all of the assigned reading before the lecture (unless you hear otherwise). | |
| Devote a minimum of 2 hours outside of class studying, reading, etc. for every hour of classroom lecture. Unit Credit Definition | |
| Attend class daily, arrive on time, leave when class is dismissed (courtesy to peer students). |
| The Golden Rule |
| Instructor and students all show: | |
| Mutual Respect! |
| Literacy Requirements |
| Although the writing requirement for this course is negligible, there is a science literacy requirement: | |
| Use scientific notation for writing numbers (especially rather large or small ones). | |
| Specify units of physical quantities (e.g. meters for elevation, etc.). | |
| Attempt to quantify physical relationships. |
| Announcements |
| Course HomepageÉis now functional | |
| http://www.atmo.arizona.edu/ | |
| Click Course Links | |
| Click NATS101 – Kursinski | |
| Class Format: Lecture Days |
| 2-4 minutes - Interesting weather discussion | |
| 2-3 minutes - Review/Summary/Clean-up From Prior Lecture, Optional | |
| 40-45 minutes - New Material Lecture, Demos, Discussion | |
| 2-3 minutes - Wrap-up and Summary |
| Class Format: Quiz Days |
| 2-3 minutes - Review/Summary/Clean-up From Prior Lecture, Optional | |
| 5-10 minutes - Last Minute Questions Passing Out Quiz Materials | |
| 40 minutes - Quiz |
| Class LISTSERV |
| NATS101-034@listserv.arizona.edu | |
| Use for any questions, comments, discussions that are general interest to the class. | |
| kursinski@atmo.arizona.edu is reserved for personal requests not of general interest. | |
| To subscribe go to http://listserv.arizona.edu/ and click the link ÒSubscribe to a listÓ | |
| http://listserv.arizona.edu/Subscribe.html | |
| Follow straightforward instructions |
| LISTSERV |
| You can subscribe by sending an email to listserv@listserv.arizona.edu with the following as the only line in the body of the message. | |
| subscribe nats101s34 Firstname
Lastname Substitute your first name for Firstname Substitute your last name for Lastname |
| Importance of Atmosphere |
| Necessary for a wide spectrum of features | |
| Oceans | |
| Clouds, Rain, Fresh Water | |
| Erosion by Water and Wind | |
| Life, Life on Land | |
| Blue Skies, Red Sunsets, Twilight | |
| Sound |
| Importance of Atmosphere |
| Point 1- Offers Protection | |
| Consider surface temperatures | |
| Without atmosphere? | |
| 0oF global average, large diurnal swings | |
| Similar to the MoonÕs Climate | |
| With atmosphereÉ | |
| 60oF global average, moderate diurnal swings |
| Importance of Atmosphere |
| Point 2 - Offers Protection | |
| Consider Surface Radiation | |
| Shields against harmful UV radiation |
| Importance of Atmosphere |
| Consider Survival Time | |
| Without Food | |
| Þ few weeks | |
| Without Water | |
| Þ few days | |
| Without Air | |
| Þ few minutes |
| To Understand the Atmosphere |
| Examine its interfaces | |
| with land/ocean | |
| with space |
| Slide 26 |
| Local Weather and
Climate: The North American Monsoon |
| Tucson gets half of its rainfall during the summer | |
| Sonora, Mexico gets most of its rainfall during the summer | |
| During summer, high pressure sets up to the east/northeast of Arizona which brings moisture in from the south and east | |
| The monsoon is still going: Thunderstorms yesterday | |
| For a monsoon overview and daily forecast, see: | |
| http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/twc/monsoon/monsoon.php | |
| http://www.atmo.arizona.edu/products/models/forecasts/forecast.html | |
| CONCERN: Our monsoon & rainfall may be changing |
| Local: 2005 Monsoon Rainfall |
| Record water flow through the Sabino and Rillito Creeks on July 31 | |
| Rillito flow higher than Colorado river! |
| Course Building Blocks |
| Intro Þ 1st week or so | |
| Energy Þ ~2 weeks | |
| Moisture Þ ~2 weeks | |
| Dynamics Þ ~3 weeks | |
| Above are interdependent | |
| Specific Topics Þ ~6 weeks |
| Reading Assignment |
| Ahrens | |
| Pages 1-13 | |
| Problems 1.2, 1.3, 1.10, 1.14 | |
| (1.14 means Chapter 1, Question 14) | |
| DonÕt Forget the 4Óx6Ó Index Cards |