Physics Plus Meteorology Curriculum

Physics Plus: Meteorology Curriculum (27 cr)

The Meteorology program, 27 credits in total, consists of a coherent sequence of courses, all taught by the faculty of the Department of Atmospheric Science. The courses are listed below. They amount to a maximum of 44 credits. Your course curriculum may differ depending on whether or not you are in the Air Force ROTC program.

None of the courses is strictly required, i.e. you can choose courses based on your focus and the ability to meet the course prerequisites. The following sequence of courses is recommended: as a freshman or sophomore, you take ATSC2000 (Intro Meteo, 4) and ATSC2100 (Atmo Change, 3). As a junior, you take ATSC4010 (Atmo Processes, 3). Then in the Fall semester of your last year, you take ATSC4000 (Phys Met I, 4), ATSC4100 (Atmo Dynamics I, 4), and ATSC4150 (Weather Analysis, 2). In the following spring you take ATSC 4180 (Weather Briefing, 1). That makes 21 cr. For the remaining 6 cr, you can choose between ATSC 4320 (Oceanography, 3), ATSC 4330 (Micromet, 3), ATSC 4400 (Climate, 3), or ATSC 4160 (Synoptic Met, 3). Another option is to take ATSC 4650 (Undergraduate Research in Atmospheric Science, 2-6), which can be taken in any semester. Suggestions on how to fit these courses into the overall Physics Plus program are given here.

Note: Air Force ROTC candidates need to complete ATSC 2000, 2100, 4010, 4000, 4100, 4150, 4160, and 4170, amounting to 24 credits. These 8 courses combined include a focus on two topics, (a) Atmospheric Dynamics (6 cr), and (b) Analysis and Prediction on the Synoptic Scale and the Mesoscale (6 cr).

ATSC	Course name	cr	offered	Prerequisites	Course description
2000	Introduction to Meteorology	4	Fall & Spring	none	First course in meteorology for students with minimal background in math and science. Provides general and practical understanding of weather phenomena. Emphasizes observational aspects of the science, meteorological view of the physical world and the impact the science has on life and society. Includes three hours of lecture and one laboratory per week. Includes atmospheric composition and structure, radiation, winds and horizontal forces, stability and vertical motions, general circulation, synoptic meteorology, clouds and precipitation, severe storms and atmospheric optics.
2100	Atmospheric Change	3	Fall	none	Introduces non-specialists to a broad overview of global, regional and local atmospheric impacts of mankind's activities and natural phenomena, and their consequences. Includes global warming and potential for climate change, atmospheric ozone depletion, acid rain, urban air pollution and problem alleviating mitigating strategies
4010	Atmospheric Processes	3	Fall	MATH 2210 and PHYS 1220 or ES 2310	Studies radiation and heat balance; dry and moist thermodynamics; motion and driving forces; energy exchanges, characteristics of atmosphere and their applications to engineering, agriculture, aviation and other environmental sciences. Emphasizes weather and climate in mountain and western plains regions.
4000	Physical Meteorology I	4	Fall	MATH 2210 and [ MATH 2310 or PHYS 4830], or equivalent	Solar and terrestrial radiation, heat transfer and the energy budget of the Earth-atmosphere system, the laws of thermodynamics with emphasis on their application to atmospheric processes. Atmospheric statics, thermodynamics of dry and moist air, and atmospheric convective processes.
4100	Atmospheric Dynamics I	4	Fall	MATH 2210 and [ MATH 2310 or PHYS 4830], or equivalent	Development and interpretation of the atmospheric equations of motion, scales of motion, horizontal atmospheric winds, thermal wind equation, circulation and vorticity. Quasi-geostrophic motion. Fundamentally unbalanced motions.
4150	Weather Analysis	2	Fall	ATSC 4010 or equivalent	Access to meteorological data including surface, upper air, and satellite data. Construction and analysis of surface and upper air charts. Interpretation of satellite data, cloud and air mass classification, and introduction to weather radar.
4015	Physical Meteorology II	3	Spring	ATSC 4000	Propagation of electromagnetic energy in the atmosphere; radiative transfers; refraction and scattering (Rayleigh & Mie regimes); visibility; optical phenomena; radar equation. Microphysics of clouds; stable and unstable phase transitions; cloud droplet and ice crystal nucleation and growth; precipitation ormation by coalescence and accretion; atmospheric electricity; mechanisms of charge generation and separation in thunderstorms.
4020	Phys Met II Lab	1	Spring	concurrent enrollment in ATSC 4015	A laboratory course concerned with physical processes in the atmosphere. Approximately eight experiments are conducted examining phenomena related to atmospheric radiation, gas expansions, phase transitions, and nucleation.
4160	Synoptic Meteorology	3	Spring	ATSC 4000 and ATSC 4100 and ATSC 4150	Structure and evolution of the extratropical cyclone; identification and development of fronts, jet streams and associated weather features; theories of cyclogenesis; role of topography. Climatology of formation and movement of cyclone. Mesoscale circulation features; ingredients of severe weather.
4170	Synoptic Met Lab	1	Spring	concurrent enrollment in ATSC 4060	Emphasis on map and case-study analysis. Features of large scale weather systems; mesoscale and local weather processes including orographic influences; local circulations and convection. Design and interpretation of NWP models
4180	Weather Briefing	1	Spring	ATSC 4150 or consent of instructor	Real-time application of basic dynamic, thermodynamic and microphysical principles in the identification and prediction of weather features. Emphasis is placed on oral diagnostic weather discussion and forecast presentation.
4320	The Ocean Environment	3	Spring	[MATH 2310 and PHYS 1310 and CHEM 1020] or equivalent	Synthesis of interacting physical, biological and chemical processes within the global oceans. Foci include air-sea interaction, marine processes along coastal margins, and the mass fluxes of constituents through the ocean. Assignments include an orally-presented semester project.
4330	Micrometeorology	3	Fall	MATH 2200 and [PHYS 1110 & 1120] or [PHYS 1310 & 1320], plus BOT 4400 or 4700 or REWM 4540	Quantitative and descriptive study of processes affecting exchanges of energy, momentum, gases, and particles between the atmosphere and the bio/geosphere, including the effects of plant cover, land use changes, diurnal and seasonal cycles, turbulence, boundary layer structure, local weather, and climate. Instrumentation and techniques also discussed.
4400	The Physical Basis of Climate	3	Fall	[ MATH 2200 and PHYS 1310 and CHEM 1020] or equivalent	Quantitative study of processes affecting global climate, especially radiative transfer. Surveys global, regional and local atmospheric impacts of mankind's activities and natural interaction between the atmosphere and bio- & geospheres. Includes global warming and potential for climate change, atmospheric ozone depletion and acid rain. Builds on but does not prerequisite ATSC2100.
4650	Undergraduate Research in Atmospheric Science	2-6	any semester	ATSC 4000 and ATSC 4100 or consent of instructor	Independent research in atmospheric science under supervision of an atmospheric science faculty member. Projects are possible in the fields of cloud and aerosol physics, radar meteorology, mesoscale dynamics, and stratospheric chemistry. Participation in field work, involving the UW aviation or stratospheric ballooning facilities, is a possibility. Research results will be summarized in a report.