|
MET6480
(3 semester hours)
ATMOSPHERIC OBJECTIVE ANALYSIS
Course Objective
To obtain a solid understanding of the fundamentals
of atmospheric objective analysis. Emphasis will be put
on the physical aspects of objective analysis that differentiate
atmospheric data analysis from other applications of these
methods. The course covers the following selected topics:
The principles of objective analysis, interpolation, early
objective analysis methods, statistical concepts, elementary
matrix derivation, Fourier decomposition, data sampling
theory, filtering, statistical structures of meteorological
fields, minimum variance estimates, successive correction,
nudging, physical initialization, optimal interpolation,
spectral response, variational calculus, and a brief description
of the formulation of 3D-Var.The course allows students
to learn how the general mathematical concepts are applied
to solve practical data analysis problems in atmospheric
science.
MET6308 (3 semester hours)
ADVANCED ATMOSPHERIC DATA ASSIMILATION
Course Objective
To obtain an appreciation of how data assimilation
is carried out to improve numerical weather forecasting
skill and to deepen and broaden the dynamical and physical
understanding of atmospheric and oceanic circulation.
The course covers general estimation theory, 3D-Var/4D-Var
formulation as a general inverse problem, adjoints and
gradients, selected introductory minimization concepts,
adjoint sensitivity studies, 4D-Var applications, assimilation
of various types of observations, penalty methods, singular
vectors and their applications in ensemble forecasts,
the Kalman filter and its link to other data assimilation
methods and parameter estimation using adjoint techniques.
Numerical forecasting models ranging from a simple 1-D
advection equation, (1-D and 2-D) shallow water equations,
a quasi-geostrophic multi-level model, a multi-level balance
model, a global spectral primitive equation model, to
a primitive equation nonhydrostatic mesoscale model and
their adjoint models are described and used as tools for
students to have hands-on experience.
MET5541 (3 semester hours)
DYNAMICAL WEATHER PREDICTION
Course Objective
To obtain knowledge of the fundamentals of numerical weather
prediction, with emphasis on mesoscale prediction. The
course covers basic physical laws of conservation and
governing equations, mathematical aspects, physical processes
and their parameterizations, numerical prediction models
ranging from simple to complex, mesoscale processes, ensemble
forecasts, data assimilation, as well as model evaluations.
Students are shown how the knowledge of atmospheric dynamics
and thermodynamics interface with practical problems in
numerical weather prediction.
MET4420/5425 (3 semester hours)
ATMOSPHERIC PHYSICS I
Course Objective
To obtain a solid understanding of the fundamentals of
thermodynamics, with emphasis on the study of dry and
moist thermodynamics of the earth's atmosphere. The course
covers classical equilibrium thermodynamics, units, the
equation of state, Dalton's Law, work, internal energy,
the hydrostatic equation, First and Second Laws, heat
capacity, latent heat, entropy, Carnot cycles, thermodynamic
potentials, water and its transformations, equilibrium
diagrams, as well as physics of moist air. The course
allows students to gain an appreciation of how the general
concepts of atmospheric thermodynamics interface with
practical problems in atmospheric science.
MET 5340 (3 semester hours)
GENERAL ATMOSPHERIC CIRCULATION
COURSE OBJECTIVE:
This course covers selected materials in theory, observations,
large-scale analyses, and global model simulations that
describe characteristic large-scale circulation of the
atmosphere. The theoretical part aims at providing students
with an understanding of the physical processes responsible
for the observed, analyzed, and simulated large-scale
circulation of the earth's atmosphere. The diagnostic
part describes main features of the general circulation
of the atmosphere, illustrates how the global atmospheric
wind systems organize themselves to satisfy the conservation
laws of physics, and highlights how primary processes
can be distinguished from secondary processes in the complex
atmospheric system. Main features of the general circulation
of the atmosphere to be described and understood include
the zonally averaged climatology (e.g., the global energy
balance, the easterly trade winds, the storm tracks, the
westerly jets in the midlatitudes, the Hadley cell in
the tropics, the Ferrel cell in the midlatitudes) and
the asymmetric features of the general circulation (such
as stationary waves in the midlatitudes, Atlantic and
Pacific storm zones, tropical monsoon systems, blocking
of the midlatitude flow, teleconnection patterns, and
interactions between transient and steady eddies). The
course allows students to have a hands-on experience to
create their own climate statistics using readily available
software and data sets, and enhances students' ability
to use theoretical tools to gain insight into various
aspects of the general circulation of the atmosphere. |
|
|
|
