Natural Sciences 101,
Section 34, Fall 2007
Introduction to
Meteorology and Climate
Last updated: September 05, 2007
7:30 am
Add yourself to the Class LISTSERV (only 120 out of 154 are
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Class
Hours and Location: Section 34:
08:00 AM – 08:50 AM (MWF) in ILC 150.
Review
Sessions
on Thursday before Friday quiz. 1 PM location: TBD. 5PM location: Bio West room 208
Instructor: Dr. E. Robert
Kursinski (kursinski@atmo.arizona.edu, PAS 580, 621-2139,
621-6831).
Teaching
Assistant:
Tina Stall (stall@atmo.arizona.edu, Office: PAS 526,
Telephone: 621-3344)
Office
Hours:
Dr. Kursinski: W 2:00-3:00 pm; and by appointment. Ms. Stall: M&W
11:00-12:00 and by appointment.
Class
listserv: Please add yourself to the class listserv in
order to receive important updates outside of class. To add yourself, send a one line email to the address: listserv@listserv.arizona.edu. The one line should read
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nats101s34 firstname lastname where you substitute your
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Required
Text: Essentials of Meteorology-An
Invitation to the Atmosphere, 4th or 5th Ed. (ISBN 0-534-42264-0) by C. Donald Ahrens
Online: http://www.ichapters.net/ for less $$ than
the bookstore.
Highly Recommended: Study Guide for Essentials of
Meteorology, 4th Ed. (ISBN 0-534-42266-7) by C. Donald Ahrens.
Available by order at bookstore or online.
Other Required Material: Thirty (30) 4''x 6''
index cards, used for daily student-to-instructor feedback, attendance (see
below), etc.
Course Description: An introduction to the
science of weather and climate, including (time permitting) atmospheric
composition, energy balance, wind systems, genesis of fronts and cyclones,
precipitation processes, clouds, severe weather, weather prediction, climate
and global warming and optical phenomena. Emphasis will be given to phenomena
that have strong impacts on human activities and economic livelihood such as
tornadoes, hurricanes, El Nino, global warming, ozone depletion, and air
pollution. The fundamental importance of physics, chemistry and mathematics to
the atmospheric sciences will be explored.
Grading Policy: Final grade will be
based on scores from your six best regularly-scheduled quizzes, impromptu “pop
quizzes”, and a comprehensive final examination. Scheduled quizzes will consist
of 20 total questions that are multiple choice and/or short answer. Extra
credit questions may appear on some quizzes. Each quiz will cover new material
presented up through the end of the latest lecture period. There will be seven
quizzes during the term. The quiz dates are given on the schedule below. Students who arrive
late on quiz/exam dates, where late is defined as arriving after the first
student turns in her/his quiz/exam, will not
be not allowed to take the quiz/exam. Because the lowest score among
the seven quizzes will be excluded from the course grade, there will be NO MAKE-UP QUIZZES. Bring your CAT CARD on quiz days!
Pop-quizzes will consist of 1 or 2 questions.
The format of the questions will be same as for the regularly-scheduled quizzes:
multiple choice and/or short answer questions. They will count the same as
regular quiz questions, and they will be added to your total quiz score. As
incentive to “keep up with the program”, pop quizzes may include material that
is contained in the reading assignment for that day’s lecture. Answers will
only be accepted on 4''x 6'' index cards!
The final will be Wednesday
Dec. 12, 08:00 am - 10:00 am in ILC
150. No Exceptions. Bring your CAT CARD to
the final! The final will consist
of multiple-choice questions and/or short answer questions. Some will be taken verbatim from the old quizzes.
If your score on the final exceeds the average of your six best quizzes, the
quizzes will comprise 60% and the final the remaining 40% of your course grade.
Otherwise the quizzes will comprise 75% and the final the remaining 25%. Any
student with an average of 90% or better on all seven
quizzes will be exempt from the final and will receive an "A'' for the
course. There will be NO EXTRA CREDIT PROJECTS. No
Exceptions…so plan accordingly!
|
Course Grading
Scale |
||||
|
A |
B |
C |
D |
E |
|
90% or higher |
89.99-80.0% |
79.99-65.0% |
64.99-55.0% |
Below 55.0% |
Expectations: The reading
assignments for each day's lecture are listed below. You are expected to complete the assigned reading before the lecture. Please ask
questions about the material during lecture, office hours or review sessions.
Per University policy, every student is expected to devote a minimum of two
hours outside of class to studying, reading, etc. for every contact hour in
classroom. See http://catalog.arizona.edu/2004-05/policies/enrpol.htm#unit.
Attendance Policy: Attendance is
mandatory. I will tally attendance during the semester. After three unexcused
absences, you will be issued an administrative drop (prior to the end of week
8) in accord with University of Arizona (UA) policy.
http://catalog.arizona.edu/2005-06/policies/classatten.htm. Bottom line:
Just come to class.
Academic Integrity: The UA Code of Academic
Integrity, Code of Conduct and Student Code of Conduct are strictly followed.
All students are responsible for knowing the codes and abiding by them. http://w3.arizona.edu/~studpubs/policies/ppmainpg.html.
You can submit complaints about fellow students online at http://dos.web.arizona.edu/uapolicies/index.html.
Literacy Requirements: There is a science literacy
requirement for this course. For instance, we use scientific notation for
writing numbers (especially for rather large or small ones). We specify units for all physical
quantities (e.g. meters for height, etc.).
Course Withdrawal: Last day to drop the
course without it appearing on your record is September
14, 2007. Last day to drop the course with a "W'' grade is October 12, 2007. To receive a W, your average grade
at the time you drop must equal or exceed 55%.
Natural Sciences 101,
Section 34, Fall 2007
Introduction to Weather and Climate
Schedule of Topics and Links to Lecture Slides
All Subject to Change, So COME to Class!
|
Week |
Monday |
Wednesday |
Friday |
|
Aug 20 – Aug
24 |
Introduction: Why study the
atmosphere? |
Composition Vertical structure of the
atmosphere |
Weather vs. Climate |
|
Aug 27-Aug 31 |
Heat transfer |
Radiative transfer |
|
|
Sep 3 – Sep
7 |
Holiday |
Greenhouse effect and
energy balance |
Seasons |
Natural Sciences 101,
Section 34, Fall 2007
Introduction to Weather and Climate
Required Reading Assignments for Above Lectures
Essentials of Meteorology: An Invitation to the
Atmosphere 4th or 5th Ed.
by C. Donald Ahrens
|
Week |
Monday |
Wednesday |
Friday |
|
Aug 20 – Aug 24 |
|
1-13, |
13-22; Appendix A: 425-427
(435-437), C: 431-432 (441-442) |
|
Aug 27 – Aug 31 |
25-30 |
30-34 |
QUIZ 1 |
|
Sep 3 – Sep 7 |
Holiday |
34-42 |
42-50 |
|
Sep 10 – Sep 14 |
55-64 |
|
|
Natural Sciences 101,
Section 34, Fall 2007
Introduction to Weather and Climate
Questions for Review to Accompany Lectures and Reading
Essentials of Meteorology: An Invitation to the
Atmosphere 4th or 5th Ed.
by C. Donald Ahrens
|
Week |
Monday |
Wednesday |
Friday |
|
Aug 20 – Aug 24 |
|
1.2, 3, 10, 14 |
1.17,18,20 |
|
Aug 27 – Aug 31 |
2.1-2.4 |
2.7,2.9 |
|
|
Sep 3 – Sep 7 |
Holiday |
2.10,11,12 |
2.15,16,18 |
|
Sep 10 – Sep 14 |
3.1,3.2,3.5,3.6,3.14 |
|
|