Time Schedule:
Cecilia Bitz
ATM S 441
Seattle Campus
Basic equations governing atmospheric motions and their elementary applications; circulation and vorticity; dynamics of midlatitude disturbances. Prerequisite: either AMATH 353 or MATH 309; MATH 324. Offered: A.
Class description
The purpose of the course is to introduce principles of fluid dynamics applied to the behavior of large-scale midlatitude weather systems. Students will learn why upper-level winds tend to blow parallel to the isobars and why troughs, instead of ridges, tend to bring unsettled weather. The first six chapters of the text, Holton, J.R., 2004: Introduction to Dynamic Meteorology, will be covered.
Student learning goals
General method of instruction
Lectures 3 times per week with weekly homework. Class room demonstrations will be given, when possible.
Recommended preparation
AMATH 353 or MATH 309; MATH 324. ATM S 301 is helpful, but not required.
Class assignments and grading
Problem sets will be written and/or executed on computer with MATLAB.
Midterms (2) 15% each, Final 30%, Homework 40% (subject to small alterations until first day of class). The final will likely be take home.
