Climate Modeling (METEO 523, 3 credits)
Course Syllabus for Fall 2006
Instructor: Michael
E. Mann, Department of
Meteorology, 523
Meeting Time/Place: T R 2:30-3:45P (218A HOSLER)
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,
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 to be
covered:
·
Averaging of the Governing Equations for Climate
Studies
·
Coupled ocean-atmosphere interactions
·
The Thermohaline and
·
The El Nino/Southern Oscillation
·
Internal Climate Variability
·
Energy Balance Models
Webpage
We will
regularly draw upon the course homepage as a resource for the course:
http://www.meteo.psu.edu/~mann/Mann/courses/METEO523FALL06/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 (see above)
within 2-3 days following the lecture.
Textbook
The course textbook is:
Peixoto and Oort (1992), Physics of Climate, 2nd Edition, American Institute of Physics Press, 564pp.
Where appropriate, supplementary readings taken from various sources
will be posted on the course website.
Grading
Problem Sets
(60%): There will be several (4-5)
problem sets assigned that will involve applications of topics covered in
class.
Mid-Term (40%): There will a mid-term examination during class on
Tuesday Oct 31.
LECTURE
SCHEDULE (tentative and subject to change)
|
DATE |
LECTURE TOPIC |
|
ASSIGNMENT |
1 |
T Sep 5 |
Introduction |
1; 2 |
|
2 |
R Sep 7 |
Equations of Motion |
3.1-3.2.1 |
|
3 |
T Sep 12 |
Equations of Motion (cont); Energy Equation |
3.1-3.2.1; 3.4.1 |
PS #1 Assigned |
4 |
R Sep 14 |
Equation of State for Atmosphere |
3.5;3.5.1 |
|
5 |
T Sep 19 |
Filtering of the equations for Atmosphere |
3.2.2 |
|
6 |
R Sep 21 |
Filtering of the equations for Atmosphere (cont) |
3.2.2 |
|
7 |
T Sep 26 |
Large-scale Atmospheric Circulation |
3.2.2; 7 |
PS #1 Due |
8 |
R Sep 28 |
Large-scale Atmospheric Circulation (cont) |
3.2.2; 7 |
|
9 |
T Oct 3 |
Hydrological cycle; Salinity; Equation of State for Ocean |
3.5.2;12;12.1.1-12.5.2 |
PS #2 Assigned |
10 |
R Oct 5 |
Filtering of the equations for Ocean |
3.2.3 |
|
11 |
T Oct 10 |
Large-scale Ocean Circulation—Ekman (transport and circulation) |
3.2.3;8 |
|
12 |
R Oct 12 |
Large-scale Ocean Circulation—Sverdrup transport |
Supplemental Readings |
|
13 |
T Oct 17 |
Large-scale Ocean Circulation—gyre circulation |
Supplemental |
|
14 |
R Oct 19 |
Large-scale Ocean Circulation—thermohaline circulation |
Supplemental |
PS #2 Due |
|
T Oct 24 |
No Class |
|
|
|
R Oct 26 |
No Class |
|
|
|
T Oct 31 |
Mid-term |
|
|
15 |
R Nov 2 |
Energy Balance and Energy Balance Models (EBMs) |
6-6.3; 6.6-6.8; 10-10.7 |
PS #3 Assigned |
16 |
T Nov 7 |
EBMs (continued) |
Supplemental |
|
17 |
R Nov 9 |
Upwelling-Diffusion Models |
Supplemental |
|
18 |
T Nov 14 |
Atmospheric General Circulation Models (GCMs) |
Supplemental |
|
19 |
R Nov 16 |
Atmospheric General Circulation Models (GCMs) |
Supplemental |
PS #3 Due/#4 Assigned |
|
T Nov 21 |
No Class [Thanksgiving Break] |
|
|
|
R Nov 23 |
No Class [Thanksgiving Break] |
|
|
20 |
T Nov 28 |
Coupled Atmosphere-Ocean Models (AOGCMs) |
Supplemental |
|
21 |
R Nov 30 |
Tropical Ocean-Atmosphere Dynamics; ENSO |
Supplemental |
|
22 |
T Dec 5 |
Tropical Ocean-Atmosphere Dynamics; ENSO |
Supplemental |
|
23 |
R Dec 7 |
ENSO (continued) |
Supplemental |
PS #4 Due |
|
T Dec 12 |
Course evaluations |
|
|