Atmospheric Sciences 171 - Section 2
Introduction to Meteorology and Climate
Spring 2000ATMO 171 Section 2 - Syllabus An introduction to weather processes and climate, including fronts and cyclones, precipitation processes, weather forecasting and analysis, severe weather, and the global general circulation. [Prerequisite: Math 110]
Class Hours: MWF 3:00-3:50 p.m, Biosciences West 208
Instructor: John McCormack, Ph.D.; (mcc@atmo.arizona.edu )
Office Hours: MWF 2-3 p.m. or by appointment; PAS 564 626-9098
Department Contacts: Main office 621-6831 ; http://www.atmo.arizona.edu
Course Text: Essentials of Meteorology by C. Donald Ahrens
Lectures: Regular attendance is expected; attendance may be taken throughout the semester. Please arrive to class prepared and on-time.
Reading: Reading assignments will be given on a regular basis. Not all of the material from the reading assignments will be covered in class. Unless you hear otherwise from the instructor, you will be responsible for all material included in these reading assignments. Questions regarding the material not covered in class but included in reading assignments are welcome and encouraged during the lectures, office hours, and review sessions.
Extra Credit: In class and take-home assignments will be given for earning extra credit throughout the semester. This can improve your final grade by at most 3% if you complete all assignments in a conscientious and thorough manner.
Grading: Final grade is based on results of five in-class quizzes and a comprehensive final examination. Quizzes will consist of multiple choice and short answer questions to be completed within 30 minutes. Each quiz will cover material from the reading assignments and lectures since the previous quiz. There will be six quizzes. The lowest quiz score is not included in the final grade. Therefore, there are no make-up quizzes. Review sessions will be scheduled before each quiz.
Quiz dates: Feb 2, Feb 23, Mar 8, Mar 29, Apr 12, Apr 26
The Final Exam is scheduled for May 10 from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. It will consist of about 50 short answer and multiple choice questions covering material from the entire course.
Grading option 1: If you take all 6 quizzes and your average quiz grade is 90.0% or higher, you will receive an "A" for the course and you won't have to take the final exam.
Grading option 2: If you do not meet the above criteria, then your five highest quiz scores (together with any other assignments) will be averaged together. The lowest grade will be dropped - so you can miss one quiz and it will not have to affect your grade. The combination of your average quiz score and your final exam score will then be used to determine the your final grade, using a 60%-40% weighting. For example, if your final exam grade is higher than your average quiz grade, the final exam grade will be weighted 60% and the quiz grade weighted 40%. Letter grades are assigned as follows:
- A = 90.0% or higher
- B = 80.0% - 89.9%
- C = 70.0% - 79.9%
- D = 50.0% - 69.9%
- E = less than 60.0%
Honors Section: There is not a separate honors section for this class. Students wishing to take this class for honors credit must meet with the instructor within the first two weeks of the course.
Course Outline: The following is a tentative outline of the course material. It is subject to change.
- Atmospheric composition and structure
- Atmospheric measurements, weather maps, large-scale weather systems
- Temperature and heat transfer in the atmosphere
- Global energy balace and climate
- Humidity (condensation, evaporation, saturation)
- Cloud formation, cloud classification, atmospheric stability
- Precipitation
- Forces, winds, and large-scale weather systems
- Regional and global circulations
- Air masses, fronts, and the frontal cyclone model
- Weather forecasting
- Thunderstorms, lightning, and tornadoes
- Hurricanes
- Air pollution
- Climate change, global warming, and ozone depletion