The Atmosphere

4 credits

This course describes the distinguishing features of the Earth’s atmosphere, providing a nontechnical overview of the role of the atmosphere in meteorology and climate sciences. Topics include atmospheric structure, global temperature trends and their causes, water-temperature relationships, the ozone layer and hole, Earth’s radiation balance forecasting transport and storms, greenhouse gas effects, aerosols and clouds, precipitation and acid rain, and climate change. Students may not receive credit for both SIO 20 and SIO 20R. Prerequisites: none.