EARTH 361 Atmospheric Motions and Physics

Earth Sciences (2009-2010)

This course aims to provide an intuitive and physical understanding of the atmosphere. Topics will include the atmospheric distribution of temperature/pressure, stability, phase changes of water, fluid dynamical phenomena at various scales. The basic conservation equations of momentum, mass, and energy are introduced as a framework to understand the above topics. The physical foundation laid in this class will be linked to current research topics such as climate change, weather forecasting, and severe weather phenomena.