An amount of energy from the Sun is intercepted by the Earth. While, exactly this amount of energy is ultimately radiated back to space, Earth's spherical shape and rotation causes local imbalance between incoming and outgoing radiation. This discrepancy gives rise to air motions that ensure Earth's system to reach an equilibrium state not only radiatively but dynamically as well. Understanding the structure and dynamics of the atmosphere is central to understanding this balance, and thus, our climate and weather. In this course, we will build a fundamental set of physical principles and apply them to understanding large-scale atmospheric motions. The unique of this course is that the atmospheric dynamics will be constructed and interpreted mainly in terms of their physical processes and significance rather than traditional math-oriented descriptions. By the end of this course, we will have investigated various atmospheric phenomena such as mid-latitude cyclones, fronts, tropical cyclones (hurricanes), the planetary boundary layer, and the general circulation of the atmosphere.
Instructor: Ping Zhu<zhup@fiu.edu>
When: Fall 2009; MON/WED/FRI, 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Where: PC 326 (University Park Campus)
Prerequisites: PHY2048/2049 or Permission by the instructor
Grading: Homework (50%), mid-term exam (20%), and final exam (30%)
Office hours:
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Holton, J. R., An introduction of Dynamic Meteorology, Elsevier Academic Press, 4th
ed., 2004. |
This is a non-exhaustive list of additional textbooks that cover aspects of the syllabus.
Adrian E. Gill, Atmosphere-Ocean Dynamics, Academic Press.
Neil Wells, The Atmospheres and Oceans, 2nd Edition, Wiley
Wallace, J. M., P. B. Hobbs, Atmospheric Science: An Introductory Survey, Academic Press, 1977.
benoit Cushman-Roisin, Introduction to Geophysical Fluid Dynamics, Prentice Hall.