Course Meeting Times
Lectures: 2 sessions / week, 1.5 hours / session
Course Description
This course examines diagnostic studies of the Earth’s atmosphere and discusses their implications for the theory of the structure and general circulation of the Earth’s atmosphere. Includes some discussion of the validation and use of general circulation models as atmospheric analogs.
Prerequisites
Quasi-balanced Circulations in Oceans and Atmospheres (12.803) or Dynamics of the Atmosphere (12.810).
Topics
- Introduction
- Analysis Techniques
- The Angular Momentum and Kinetic Energy Budgets
- The Water Vapor Budget
- The Heat Budget
- Spectral Analysis
- Forcing of the Zonal Mean Circulations
- The Energy Cycle
- Numerical Models
Texts
Lorenz, E. N. “The Nature and Theory of the General Circulation of the Atmosphere.” Geneva: World Meteorological Organization Publication 218 (1967): 161.
Peixoto, J. P., and A. H. Oort. Physics of Climate. New York, NY: Springer, 1992. ISBN: 9780883187128.
Exams and Term Paper
There will be a mid-term exam, an end-of-term exam, and a term paper.
Grading
| ACTIVITIES | PERCENTAGES |
|---|---|
| Mid-term Exam | 30% |
| End-of-Term Exam | 30% |
| Term Paper | 40% |
