Atmospheric Sciences 170A1 Sect. 1
Introduction to Weather & Climate
Course Information for Spring 2013
(click here for a WORD document that you can download and print)

In this course we will use basic scientific principles (material you should already know) to better understand and appreciate a variety of common weather and atmospheric phenomena.  This will include: general characteristics of the atmosphere; basic weather measurements and weather maps; air pollution; solar radiation, energy transport and the greenhouse effect; climate change; humidity; identifying and naming clouds; formation of precipitation; air motions and wind patterns; fronts; thunderstorms, tornadoes, and lightning; hurricanes.

Class Hours:  MWF 2-2:50 pm     Room:  ILC 130
Text: There is no required text for this class. comment
         A packet of photocopied ClassNotes is required. (available at the ASUA Bookstore, notes from Fall or Spring 2012 are fine)

Instructor: Chuck Weidman (PAS 588a, 621-2593, weidman@atmo.arizona.edu)
Office Hours: weekday mornings 10:00 - 11:30 am, or by appointment
Class webpage: www.atmo.arizona.edu (follow links to the web page for this class)
Teaching Assistant:  Jennifer Stutler

Lectures: Regular, frequent attendance is encouraged but not required. A pretty detailed set of lecture notes will appear online after class (generally within 24 hours).  You should at least skim through these even if you were in class as they may contain some extra material.  There may be occasional, unannounced, activities in class that you will miss if you aren't in class (these will generally be counted as extra credit and are usually mentioned in the online lecture notes).  A second more extensive set of notes will also be available online.

Student Responsibilities: Keep an open mind.  Participate in the class by thinking about what you are hearing and writing as you take notes in class, reading the online class notes, completing and turning in assignments on time, and asking questions about confusing class or reading material.  One of best strategies for doing well in this class is to keep a clear and organized set of notes.

You are expected to follow the University of Arizona Code of Conduct and the Code of Academic Integrity.

Quizzes: A large part of your grade will be based on four quizzes given during the semester. The quizzes will contain a mixture of multiple choice, short answer, and discussion-type questions. Most of the questions will be over material covered since the preceding quiz, some questions may test you on basic concepts from earlier in the semester. There may also be questions covering material in the online notes or from assigned reading that wasn't covered in class. Makeup quizzes are given only in special circumstances and the makeup quiz must be taken before the graded quizzes are returned in class. Completion of a short supplementary assignment may be required in order to have the right to make up a quiz. Please bring a picture ID with you on quiz days.

Quiz Dates: Jan. 30 (Practice Quiz), Feb. 13, Mar. 6, Apr. 3, and Apr. 24. These are all Wednesdays.
Review sessions will be scheduled Monday and Tuesday afternoon before each quiz. Copies of quizzes and the final exam from a previous, similar, course can be downloaded from the class webpage for use as a study aid. comment

Writing Assignments: A variety of types of required written work will be assigned during the semester. Some writing assignments may include data analysis and simple mathematical calculations.  You'll find more information on the Writing Requirements page.

In at least one case you will be able to revise and resubmit your work after having received feedback from the instructor. The percentage grade that you receive on the entire body of written work will have the same weight as one quiz grade.

Final Exam: Scheduled for Fri., May 3 from 1 - 3 pm in ILC130.  The final exam will contain about 50 questions that cover the entire course. The questions will be similar to those given on the quizzes.

Extra Credit: There will be many opportunities for earning extra credit during the semester (probably both in-class and take-home assignments, and occasionally unannounced assignments that are hidden in the online notes).

Grading: I make this complicated so that you can't figure it out on your own; there are two possibilities:

(1) If your average grade (all 4 quizzes and your writing assignments grade) plus extra credit is 90.0% or more, you won't have to take the final exam, and you will receive an A in the class. [Note: 89.9% is not the same as 90.0%]

(2) If you don't meet the requirement above, the lowest quiz score is dropped. Your three highest quiz scores and the writing assignments grade will be averaged together and extra credit will be added.  That score and your final exam score will then be used to determine your overall grade. If your final exam score is high enough that it will raise your overall grade, the final exam will count as 40% of your grade. If the final exam score acts to lower your grade, it will count 20%.

Letter grades are determined using the following scale:
A: 90.0% or more       B: 80.0% to 89.9%        C: 70.0% to 79.9%        D: 60.0% to 69.9%        E: less than 60.0%