Atmospheric Science
ATM 101X (4 Credits) Spring
Weather and Climate of Alaska (3+3)
Focus on the Alaska atmosphere as an important part of our environment. Includes fundamental laws of physics and chemistry, the behavior of atmospheres on rotating planets, clouds, precipitation and weather systems. Includes societal impacts of weather worldwide and investigations into global climate change. (Prerequisite: High school level mathematics.)
ATM 401 (3 Credits) Fall
Introduction to Atmospheric Science (3+0)
(Stacked with ATM 601 and CHEM 601)
Introduction to atmospheric science includes the thermodynamics and dynamics of properties of constituent gases, energy and mass conservation in the atmosphere, internal energy and entropy in dry and moist processes, water vapor in the atmosphere, static and conditional stability, non-internal equations of motion, hydrostasis, geostrophy. Chemistry discussion includes thermodynamic equilibrium and kinetic processes in the atmosphere, role of photolysis and gas phase oxidation processes, heterogeneous chemistry, origin of ozone layer, fundamentals of biogeochemical cycles: (e.g. CO2); Radiation discussion includes solar and terrestrial radiation, major absorbers, radiation balance, radiative equilibrium, radiative-convective equilibrium, basics of molecular, aerosol, and cloud adsorption and scattering. (Prerequisites: CHEM 105X, CHEM 106X, MATH 302 and PHYS 212X.)
ATM 409 (3 Credits) Alternate Fall
Atmospheric Thermodynamics (3+0)
(Stacked with ATM 609)
Atmospheric thermodynamics including the fundamentals of internal energy, enthalpy and Gibb's free energy in the atmospheric context, thermodynamic properties of ideal gases, internal equilibrium, gas and heterogenous systems, phase equilibria and nucleation of water, Clausius-Clapeyron equation, conserved variables. Includes thermodynamic diagrams: area equivalence computation of energy integrals, skew-T/log-P charts and tephigrams. Processes in the atmosphere include frost and dew points, isenthalpic processes, equivalent and wet-bulb temperatures, saturated ascent/descent, phase transition. Vertical stability: conditional and potential instability, Margule's theorems, available potential energy, laboratory and field measurements of thermodynamic constants, solar initiated chemical processes, chemical origin of atmospheric temperature profile. (Prerequisite/co-requisite: ATM 401. Next offered: 2001 - 02.)
ATM 413 (3 Credits) Alternate Fall
Atmospheric Radiation (3+0)
(Stacked with ATM 613)
Atmospheric radiation including the fundamentals of blackbody radiation theory and radiative properties of atmospheric constituents. Discussion of gaseous absorption including line absorption, broadening effects and radiative transfer. Includes scattering, radiative properties of clouds, and radiation climatology. (Prerequisite/co-requisite: ATM 401. Next offered: 2001 - 02.)
ATM 445 (3 Credits) Fall
Atmospheric Dynamics
(Stacked with ATM 645)
Atmospheric dynamics includes the fundamentals of equations of motion, conservation laws, balance relationships and coordinate systems. Vorticity dynamics includes vortex filaments and tubes, vorticity equations, Rossby-Haurwitz waves, Ertel's PV principle for the potential vorticity, EPV in isentropic coordinates. Includes Balance and quasi-geostrophy, QG theory, scaling of the QG system, the w equation, QG and numerical modeling. (Prerequisite/co-requisite: ATM 401 and PHY 331.)
ATM 488 (1-3 Credits) Fall, Spring
Undergraduate Research
Advanced research topics from outside the usual undergraduate requirements. (Prerequisite: Permission of instructor. Recommendations: A substantial level of technical/scientific background.)
ATM 601 (3 Credits) Fall
Introduction to Atmospheric Science (3+0)
(Stacked with CHEM 601 and cross-listed with ATM 401)
Introduction to atmospheric science includes the thermodynamics and dynamics of properties of constituent gases, energy and mass conservation in the atmosphere, internal energy and entropy in dry and moist processes, water vapor in the atmosphere, static and conditional stability, non-internal equations of motion, hydrostasis, geostrophy. Chemistry discussion includes thermodynamic equilibrium and kinetic processes in the atmosphere, role of photolysis and gas phase oxidation processes, heterogeneous chemistry, origin of ozone layer, fundamentals of biogeochemical cycles: (e.g. CO2); Radiation discussion includes solar and terrestrial radiation, major absorbers, radiation balance, radiative equilibrium, radiative-convective equilibrium, basics of molecular, aerosol, and cloud adsorption and scattering. (Prerequisite: Graduate standing.)
ATM 609 (3 Credits) Alternate Fall
Atmospheric Thermodynamics (3+0)
(Stacked with ATM 409)
Atmospheric thermodynamics including the fundamentals of internal energy, enthalpy and Gibb's free energy in the atmospheric context, thermodynamic properties of ideal gases, internal equilibrium, gas and heterogenous systems, phase equilibria and nucleation of water, Clausius-Clapeyron equation, conserved variables. Includes thermodynamic diagrams: area equivalence computation of energy integrals, skew-T/log-P charts and tephigrams. Processes in the atmosphere include frost and dew points, isenthalpic processes, equivalent and wet-bulb temperatures, saturated ascent/descent, phase transition. Vertical stability: conditional and potential instability, Margule's theorems, available potential energy, laboratory and field measurements of thermodynamic constants, solar initiated chemical processes, chemical origin of atmospheric temperature profile. (Prerequisite/co-requisite: ATM 601 and graduate standing. Next offered: 2001 - 02.)
ATM 613 (3 Credits) Alternate Fall
Atmospheric Radiation (3+0)
(Stacked with ATM 413)
Atmospheric radiation including the fundamentals of blackbody radiation theory and radiative properties of atmospheric constituents. Discussion of gaseous absorption including line absorption, broadening effects and radiative transfer. Includes scattering, radiative properties of clouds, and radiation climatology. (Prerequisite/co-requisite: ATM 601 and graduate standing. Next offered: 2001 - 02.)
ATM 644 (3 Credits) Alternate Spring
Weather and Circulation (3+0)
Fundamentals in meteorology and general circulation, including topics of atmospheric dynamics, vertical density stratification, convection, geostrophic wind, vorticity, Rossby waves, cyclone and anticyclone, synoptic meteorology, thunderstorms, monsoon, meteorological measurements, and numerical weather prediction. (Prerequisites: Graduate standing in physical sciences or permission of instructor.)
ATM 645 (3 Credits) Fall
Atmospheric Dynamics
(Stacked with ATM 445)
Atmospheric dynamics includes the fundamentals of equations of motion, conservation laws, balance relationships and coordinate systems. Vorticity dynamics includes vortex filaments and tubes, vorticity equations, Rossby-Haurwitz waves, Ertel's PV principle for the potential vorticity, EPV in isentropic coordinates. Includes Balance and quasi-geostrophy, QG theory, scaling of the QG system, the w equation, QG and numerical modeling. (Prerequisite/co-requisite: ATM 601 and graduate standing.)
ATM 646 (3 Credits) Alternate Spring
Dynamics of the Atmosphere and Ocean (3+0)
The response of the atmosphere and ocean to mechanical and thermal forcing, mean circulation and thermal structure, the governing fluid equations and appropriate boundary conditions. Other topics include wave motions, cyclogenesis, frontogenesis, and heat, momentum and energy transport. (Prerequisite: Graduate standing.)
ATM 656 (3 Credits) Alternate Fall
Climate and Climate Change (3+0)
The climate of planet Earth and its changes with time. Radiative fluxes, greenhouse effects, energy budget, hydrological cycle, the atmospheric composition and climatic zones. Physical and chemical reasons for climatic change. (Prerequisite: Graduate standing in physical sciences.)