Atmospheric Science
ATM 101X 4 Credits
Weather and Climate of Alaska
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.) (3 + 3) Offered Spring
ATM 401 3 Credits
Introduction to Atmospheric Science
(Stacked with ATM 601 and CHEM 601)
Fundamentals of atmospheric science. Includes energy and mass conservation,
internal energy and entropy, atmospheric water vapor, cloud microphysics, equations
of motion, hydrostatics, phase oxidation, heterogeneous chemistry, the ozone
layer, fundamentals of biogeochemical cycles, solar and terrestrial radiation
and radiative-convective equilibrium. Also includes molecular, cloud and aerosol
absorption and scattering. (Prerequisites: CHEM 105X, CHEM 106X, MATH 302 and
PHYS 212X.) (3 + 0) Offered Fall
ATM 409 3 Credits
Atmospheric Thermodynamics
(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: 2005-06.) (3 + 0) Offered Alternate Fall
ATM 413 3 Credits
Atmospheric Radiation
(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: 2005-06.) (3 + 0)
Offered Alternate Spring
ATM 445 3 Credits
Atmospheric Dynamics
(Stacked with ATM 645)
Examination of the fundamental forces and basic conservation laws that govern
the motion of the atmosphere. Topics include momentum, continuity equations,
circulation, vorticity, thermodynamics, the planetary boundary layer and synoptic
scale motions in mid-latitudes. (Prerequisite/co-requisite: ATM 401.) (3 + 0)
Offered Alternate Spring
ATM 488 1-3 Credits
Undergraduate Research
Advanced research topics from outside the usual undergraduate requirements.
(Prerequisite: Permission of instructor. Recommendations: A substantial level
of technical/scientific background.) Offered Fall, Spring
ATM 601 3 Credits
Introduction to Atmospheric Science
(Stacked with ATM 401 and cross-listed with CHEM 601)
Fundamentals of atmospheric science. Includes energy and mass conservation,
internal energy and entropy, atmospheric water vapor, cloud microphysics, equations
of motion, hydrostatics, phase oxidation, heterogeneous chemistry, the ozone
layer, fundamentals of biogeochemical cycles, solar and terrestrial radiation,
and radiative-convective equilibrium. Also includes molecular, cloud and aerosol
absorption and scattering. (Prerequisite: Graduate standing.) (3 + 0)
Offered Fall
ATM 606 3 Credits
Atmospheric Chemistry
(Stacked with CHEM 406 and cross-listed with CHEM 606)
Chemistry of the lower atmosphere (troposphere and stratosphere) including
photochemistry, kinetics, thermodynamics, box modeling, biogeochemical cycles,
and measurement techniques for atmospheric pollutants. Study of important impacts
to the atmosphere which result from anthropogenic emissions of pollutants,
including acid rain, the "greenhouse” effect, urban smog and stratospheric
ozone depletion. (Prerequisite/co-requisite: ATM 601 or permission of instructor.)
(3 + 0) Offered Alternate Spring
ATM 608 3 Credits
Global Chemical Cycles
(Stacked with CHEM 408 and Cross-listed with CHEM 608)
Discussion of the current understanding of global chemical cycles and the uncertainties
associated with our knowledge. Examines experimental techniques used to investigate
chemical cycles on a global scale. Recent scientific literature is critically
reviewed to help provide an understanding of the uncertainties and difficulties
involved in quantifying global scale cycles. Includes the interaction and exchange
of chemicals between the atmosphere and earth’s surface (both land and
ocean), chemical reservoirs and the implications for global change. (Prerequisite/co-requisite:
ATM 601 or permission of instructor.) (3 + 0) Offered Alternate Spring
ATM 609 3 Credits
Atmospheric Thermodynamics
(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: 2005-06.) (3 + 0) Offered
Alternate Fall
ATM 613 3 Credits
Atmospheric Radiation
(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: 2005-06.)
(3 + 0) Offered Alternate Spring
ATM 631 3 Credits
(Cross-listed with CHEM 631)
Environmental Fate and Transport
Examination of the physical properties that govern the behavior, fate and transport
of contaminants released into the environment. Topics include air-water partitioning
and exchange, organic solvent-water partitioning, diffusion, sorption, chemical
and biological transformation reactions, and modeling concepts. (3 + 0)
Offered Alternate Spring
ATM 644 3 Credits
Synoptic Analysis and Forecasting
Weather systems and the techniques used to understand and predict their behavior.
Topics include atmospheric observations, synoptic analysis techniques, satellite
image interpretation, kinematics, fronts and frontogenesis, life cycles of
extratropical cyclones, mesoscale phenomena, numerical weather prediction,
and interpretation of forecast products. (Prerequisites: ATM 601 and 645.)
(3 + 0) Offered Alternate Fall
ATM 645 3 Credits
Atmospheric Dynamics
(Stacked with ATM 445)
Examination of the fundamental forces and basic conservation laws that govern
the motion of the atmosphere. Topics include momentum, continuity equations,
circulation, vorticity, thermodynamics, the planetary boundary layer and synoptic
scale motions in mid-latitudes. (Prerequisite/co-requisite: ATM 601 and graduate
standing.) (3 + 0) Offered Alternate Spring
ATM 646 3 Credits
Atmospheric Dynamics II
Continuation of ATM 645. Includes geophysical fluid dynamics as applied to
the atmosphere. Topics include linear perturbation theory, gravity waves, Rossby
waves, numerical weather prediction, baroclinic instability, frontogenesis,
general circulation, stratospheric and tropical dynamics.. (Prerequisites:
ATM 645 or permission of instructor.) (3 + 0) Offered Alternate Fall
ATM 656 3 Credits
Climate and Climate Change
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.) (3 + 0) Offered Alternate
Fall
ATM 688 1 Credit
Atmospheric Science Informal Seminar
Review of ongoing research in atmospheric science to learn about research results,
ideas and direction long before they are published in journals. Presentations
cover the broad range of atmospheric sciences and links to other disciplines
as required to answer questions on global variability, climate change and assessment
studies. (Prerequisite: Graduate standing in physical sciences or permission
of instructor.) (1 + 0) Offered Fall, Spring