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