Climate
Dynamics (METEO 470, 3 credits)
Course
Syllabus for Spring 2016
Instructor: Michael E. Mann,
Department of Meteorology, 514 Walker Building, mann@psu.edu
Meeting Time/Place: TuTh
8:00-9:15 AM (103 Walker)
TA: Andra
Reed, Department of Meteorology
Office Hours: You are encouraged to use
email for questions when possible. You are welcome to visit my office for questions
during scheduled office hours (Wed 1:00-2:15 PM), or by appointment.
Motivation:
In order to under and model the climate system, we
need to understand the dynamics of the underlying components, including the
atmosphere and ocean, and the mechanisms by which they are coupled.
In this course, we will model the dynamics and thermodynamics governing the ocean and atmosphere on spatial and temporal scales appropriate for climate studies. We will investigate the processes by which the dynamics of the ocean and atmosphere are coupled on these timescales, with the goal of understanding the basic mechanisms of climate variability. Topics discussed will include the thermohaline and wind-driven ocean circulation, energy balance, the El Nino/Southern Oscillation (ENSO), internal and forced climate variability, and climate change.
Webpage
We will regularly draw upon the course homepage as a resource for the course:
http://www.meteo.psu.edu/~mann/Mann/courses/METEO470SPR16/index.html
Aside from links to the course syllabus, there will be links to the readings, problem sets, slides from the lectures, and other course-related materials.
Lectures
Attendance of all lectures is expected. You are strongly encouraged to ask questions and participate constructively in class. Copies of slides from the lectures will usually be made available electronically through the course website before or shortly following the lecture.
Textbook
There is no required textbook.
I recommend as a reference: Peixoto and Oort (1992), Physics of Climate, 2nd Edition, American Institute of Physics Press, 564pp. (suggested sections indicated in lecture schedule below).
Where appropriate, supplementary readings taken from various sources will be posted on the course website.
Grading
Problem Sets
(40%): There will be several (4)
problem sets assigned that will involve applications of topics covered in
class. You may discuss the problems with
each other, but the problem set you turn in should reflect your own individual
effort.
“Up In the Air”
Project (10%): You will participate
in a project (in teams of 2-3 students) aimed at producing content (related to
some aspect of the course) for use in the Meteorology Department’s new “Up In
the Air” Television program. Projects are **DUE MARCH 22**. Each project team
will give a short presentation sometime after Spring Break (late March through
late April).
Mid-Term Exam
(20%): There will be an in-class
mid-term examination roughly mid-way through the semester (March 3).
Final Exam
(30%): There will a final
examination for the course at the scheduled time and date.
LECTURE
SCHEDULE (tentative and subject to change)
|
DATE |
LECTURE TOPIC |
READING |
ASSIGNMENT |
|
T Jan 12 |
No Class [AMS Conference] |
|
|
|
R Jan 14 |
No Class [AMS Conference] |
|
|
1 |
T Jan 19 |
Introduction |
1; 2 |
|
2 |
R Jan 21 |
Introduction (continued); |
|
|
3 |
T Jan 26 |
Climate Data and Statistics |
|
PS #1 Assigned |
G1 |
R Jan 28 |
“Up in the Air” workshop |
|
|
4 |
T Feb 2 |
Equations of Motion |
3-3.2 + Supp Reading |
|
5 |
R Feb 4 |
Equations of Motion (cont) |
|
|
6 |
T Feb 9 |
Energy Equation |
3.4 |
|
7 |
R Feb 11 |
Equation of State (for Atmosphere) |
3.2 |
PS #1 Due |
8 |
T Feb 16 |
Filtering of Governing Equations (for Atmosphere) |
3.2; 7 |
|
9 |
R Feb 18 |
Large-Scale Atmospheric Circulation |
|
PS #2 Assigned |
10 |
T Feb 23 |
Large-Scale Atmospheric Circulation (continued) |
|
|
11 |
R Feb 25 |
Hydrological cycle; Salinity; Equation of State for Ocean |
3.5.2;12-12.5 |
|
12 |
T Mar 1 |
Filtering of Governing Equations (for Ocean) |
3.2.3 |
PS #2 Due |
R Mar 3 |
Mid-term |
|
|
|
|
T Mar 8 |
No Class [Spring Break] |
|
|
|
R Mar 10 |
No Class [Spring Break] |
|
|
13 |
T Mar 15 |
Large-scale Ocean Circulation—Ekman transport |
3.2.3;8 |
PS #3 Assigned |
14 |
R Mar 17 |
Large-scale Ocean Circulation—Ekman circulation |
|
|
15 |
T Mar 22 |
Large-scale Ocean Circulation—Sverdrup transport |
|
|
16 |
R Mar 24 |
Large-scale Ocean Circulation—gyre circulation |
Supp Reading |
|
17 |
T Mar 29 |
Large-scale Ocean Circulation—thermohaline circulation |
Supp Reading |
PS #3 Due |
18 |
R Mar 31 |
Climate Modeling: Energy Balance Models |
6-6.8; 10-10.8; Supp Reading |
|
G2 |
T Apr 5 |
Guest Lecture: Climate & Coastal
Risk (Andra Reed) |
Supp Reading |
PS #4 Assigned |
19 |
R Apr 7 |
Climate Modeling: Energy Balance Models (cont) |
Supp Reading |
|
20 |
T Apr 12 |
Climate Modeling: El Nino/Southern Oscillation |
||
G3 |
R Apr 14 |
Guest Lecture: Ice Sheets &
Climate (David Pollard) |
|
|
21 |
T Apr 19 |
Climate Modeling: El Nino/Southern Oscillation (cont) |
Supp Reading |
|
G4 |
R Apr 21 |
Guest Lecture: Earth's Early Climate
(James Kasting) |
|
PS #4 Due |
22 |
T Apr 26 |
Climate Modeling: Coupled Ocean-Atmosphere Models |
Supp Reading |
|
23 |
R Apr 28 |
Anthropogenic Climate Change |
Supp Reading |