Weather, Climate & Society - Atmo 336 - Spring 2005

Syllabus

Introduction -- Does the weather really matter?

1. The atmosphere

Composition and structure of the atmosphere

Pressure and density

Water vapor in the atmosphere

Temperature, humidity, and human comfort

Winds and atmospheric circulations

Clouds and precipitation

2. Severe Weather

Severe thunderstorms and tornadoes

Tropical cyclones and hurricanes

Lightning and thunder

Severe weather impacts

3. The Atmosphere in Balance

Water vapor and the hydrologic cycle

Carbon dioxide and the carbon cycle

Stratospheric ozone and the ozone hole

Air pollution and acid rain

Earth's energy balance and the greenhouse effect

4. Climate and the General Circulation

Weather versus climate

General circulation of the atmosphere and oceans

Causes of climate change

Ocean-atmosphere interactions - Monsoon circulations

5. Climate through Human History

Reconstructing climate

The climate of the Pleistocene

The climate of the Holocene

Climate and the rise of man

Climate of the last Millennium

6. Contemporary Climate

Weather forecasting

Modeling climate

Climate models and their prediction of climate change

Potential impacts of global warming

Recommended Texts

Basic Meteorology:

Essentials of Meteorology, C. D. Ahrens, 3rd edition, 2001.

Meteorology, E. W. Danielson, J. Levin, and E. Abrams, McGraw-Hill, 1998.

Meteorology, R. A. Anthes, 7th edition, 1997.

Meteorology Today -- An Introduction to Weather, Climate and the Environment, C. D. Ahrens, 5th edition, 1994.

The Weather Book -- An Easy-to-Understand Guide to the USA's Weather, J. Williams, 1997.

Understanding Weather and Climate, E. Aguado and J. E. Burt, Prentice Hall, 1999.

Weather and Society:

Weather and People, M. D. Morgan and J. M. Moran, 1997.

Does the weather really matter? The social implications of climate change, W. J. Burroughs, 1997.

Climate:

The Human Impact on the Natural Environment, Andrew Goudie, 5th edition, 2000.

Global Warming, John Houghton, 1997.

Global Environmental Change: An Atmospheric Perspective, J. Horel and J. Geisler, 1997.

The Climate Revealed, W. J. Burroughs, 1999.

Climate and Environmental Change and Society:

History and Climate -- Memories of the Future?, P. D. Jones, A. E. Ogilvie, T. D. Davies, and K. R. Briffa, Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2001.

The Way the Wind Blows -- Climate, History, and Human Action, McIntosh, Tainter, and McIntosh, Eds., 2000.

Climatic Change and Human Society, I. D. Whyte, 1995.

Climate History and the Modern World, H. H. Lamb, 1995.

Atmospheric Change -- An Earth System Perspective, T. E. Graedel and P. J. Crutzen, 1993.

General:

Earth -- Evolution of a Habitable World, J. I. Lunine, 1999.

Global Environmental Change -- Its Nature and Impact, J. J. Hidore, 1996.

Geosystems -- An Introduction to Physical Geography, R. W. Christopherson, 1997.

The Earth System, L. R. Kump, J. F. Kasting, and R. G. Crane, Prentice Hall, 2000.

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