Dynamic Meteorology

Catalog description

GEOL1510 invites you to explore the atmosphere as a dynamic, ever-moving system shaped by fundamental physical principles. Together we'll unravel how air moves and how circulations organize themselves into weather patterns and climate systems, from gentle sea breezes to powerful mid-latitude cyclones. Along the way, you'll discover the laws that govern these motions and learn to interpret them through the lens of real-world phenomena. We'll cover the essentials of atmospheric motion, including geostrophic balance, vorticity dynamics, boundary layer processes, and baroclinic instability, and see how these ideas explain features such as planetary waves, fronts, and the global circulation that keeps Earth's climate in balance. The emphasis will be on physical interpretation of the equations but some facility with vector calculus is very important. Contact professor through cab for pre-req overrides (case by case.)