Meteorology 3410- Weather Observations and Analysis I

Instructor- 1st half: John Horel

Office Hours: T-TH 1-2, call or send email for an appointment if those hours are not convenient; INSCC 483

Phone: 581-7091

Instructor- 2nd half: Steve Krueger

Office Hours: ; WBB 817

Phone: 581-3903

Course Description: The goal of the first half of the semester is to develop familiarity with the ways to observe the atmosphere through direct and remote measurement techniques. Applications of thermodynamics in the atmospheric sciences follow in the second half.

Class Hours: TH 9-10:20AM. Substantial additional time will be required to complete assignments.

Classroom: 490 INSCC

Prerequisites: PHYS 2220, Concurrent with Math 3150, CP SC 1020. (See overview for further information)

Grading: The course grade will be determined from class participation and assignments (50%), take-home midterm assignment (25%), and final on material from 2nd half of course (25%).

Text: Weather Analysis by Dusan Duric (this book is optional, appropriate handouts will be given in class to complete assignments.)

Participiation in VTMX

VTMX represents an unique opportunity to participate in a field program. The required level of participation as a component of this class is minimal:

attend radiosonde training the weekend of September 30.
attend at least 1 VTMX briefing
help with at least 1 radiosonde launch during an IOP
participate in at least 1 IOP for an extended period
submit write-ups on each of the above activities

Required activities should not conflict with class lectures of this or other courses. Voluntary participation in VTMX depends upon your schedule and the timing of the intensive observing periods (IOPs). Activities that you should want to be involved with include:

manual observations of local drainage circulations
radiosonde launches
tethersonde ascents
collect tracer samples
help set up/take down equipment for profilers/lidars
daily planning briefings

If you decide to become involved significantly in VTMX, your participation must not come at the expense of the other course assignments or those of other courses.

Course Outline: (by week)

First half: Instrumentation

1 (1 class): Navigating the Internet. Assignment: using the web server to access weather information

2: Editor Review, Unix commands. Assignment: develop personal web page

3: Electronics and characteristics of measurements

4:Temperature, relative humidity, and pressure sensors

5: Upper air observations

6: Remote measuring techniques

7: VTMX/Break

Second Half: Thermodynamics

8: Introduction. The equation of state.

9: Work, heat, and specific heat capacity.

10: First law of thermodynamics. Adiabatic processes.

11: Equation of state of moist air. Moisture variables.

12: Phase changes and latent heat. Adiabatic processes of saturated air .

13 : Hydrostatic stability and convection.

14 (1 class) : Hydrostatic stability and convection.

15: Hydrostatic stability and convection.

16:

Updated last on August 17, 2000