Advanced Topics in AOS:

Catalog description

The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the instrumentation used in collecting basic data of the Earth’s atmosphere, oceans, and cryosphere. Most of our fundamental knowledge of the Earth’s physical environment has been gained from observations taken over the last few decades, using a wide variety of observational techniques ranging from in situ observations at the sea floor to remote sensing satellites at high altitudes in the atmosphere. In this course the student is introduced to basic meteorological instrumentation using a hands-on approach with equipment on a rooftop and basic oceanographic instrumentation deployed in the nearby Hudson estuary. To help understand and reinforce the underlying theoretical concepts of geophysical fluid dynamics as presented in other course work, the students operate a laboratory turntable and perform experiments that demonstrate the roles of rotation and stratification in atmospheric and oceanic circulations on a wide range of spatial and temporal scales. Students complete an individually assigned laboratory experiment project.