Fundamental Dynamics of Earth's Atmosphere and Climate

(4 Credits)

This course will be an introduction to the dynamical processes that drive the circulation of the atmosphere and ocean, and their interaction. The aim of the course is to develop both qualitative and quantitative understanding of the processes that generate weather and climate. The course is technical, involving physics and mathematics, but lectures will be driven by consideration of observations and experiments. Topics include the global energy balance, convection and radiation (the greenhouse effect), effects of planetary rotation, structure of the atmospheric circulation, structure of the oceanic circulation, climate and climate variability.