Atmosphere and Climate

After completing this course students are able to:

 

The climate is a complicated physical system, the properties of which affect our everyday lives and impact virtually all things ecological and economic. The basic principles that govern the interaction between the climate's main constituents, the atmosphere and oceans, can be described by the methods of physics. This course introduces the fundamentals of the physics of the atmosphere and related climate. We start with the Earth's energy balance, atmospheric composition and static stability. Students learn about the vertical distribution of mass (air pressure), temperature and the role of atmospheric moisture. After the midterm brake we turn our attention to the dynamical atmosphere to see how pressure gradients and the Coriolis force affect air motion (wind). We apply our knowledge to simple models of the atmosphere to discuss large scale and small-scale flows. The last two classes are devoted to anthropogenic climate change; recent developments, current affairs and issues pertaining to this contemporary problem will be discussed throughout the course.
 
Format
The Tuesday class starts with current affairs, in which the teacher applies the theory presented in previous classes to the actual weather situation and forecast. He will also discuss climate in the news, for which students are invited to suggest topics. After that, we continue to treat basic material using PowerPoint presentations. Students participate actively, answering pop-quiz questions during lectures. The Thursday class starts with a student weather presentation, focusing on newly learnt material applied to today's atmosphere. After that, we engage in a more in-depth study of the material. Problem sets are provided with solutions for students to work with outside of class hours. Students are expected to spend approximately fourteen hours per week on the course. At the end of the course, students give an oral presentation on a pre-approved topic covering a recent major advance in climate research. Subject to availability, the course includes an excursion to the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI) in De Bilt.
 
Course goals
We define ten knowledge topics (1-10 below) and three skills (A-C). After completing this course, students are able to solve problems on all knowledge topics in writing (skill A), apply one or more topics to the real-time atmosphere in a weather presentation (skill B), and apply multiple topics in a scientific presentation on a recent major -published- advance in climate research (skill C). The knowledge topics are:

1. The global energy balance at three levels: the top of the atmosphere, the atmosphere and the surface;
2. The basic vertical structure of the static atmosphere, notably the vertical distribution of mass and temperature;
3. The concept of static stability of the atmosphere and potential temperature;
4. The influence of atmospheric moisture on these aspects;
5. The sensitivity of Earth's climate to external (solar radiation) and internal (terrestrial radiation) perturbations;
6. The components of the equations of motion that determine atmospheric motion (wind);
7. The main force balances in circle-symmetric systems (tornado's, tropical and extratropical cyclones);
8. The large-scale balance between pressure, temperature and wind (thermal wind balance);
9. The main differences between the atmospheric boundary layer and the free atmosphere;
10. The latest insights in anthropogenic climate change (IPCC, global warming, sea level rise).

 

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