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ATOC 5720Introduction to Atmospheric Dynamics |
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ATOC 5720Introduction to Atmospheric Dynamics |
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An amount of energy from the Sun is intercepted by the Earth. While, exactly this amount of energy is ultimately radiated back to space, Earth’s, spherical shape and rotation causes local imbalance between incoming and outgoing radiation. This discrepancy gives rise to motions that ensure the radiative balance. Understanding the structure and dynamics of the atmosphere is central to forecasting weather and understanding climate. This course aims to build a fundamental set of physical principles and apply them to understanding large-scale atmospheric motions. We explore the dynamics of the Earth's atmosphere and basic properties and laws governing atmospheric motion. Mathematical descriptions of the atmospheric dynamics are constructed and interpreted in terms of their physical significance. By the end of this course we will have investigated phenomena such as geostrophic flow, mountain waves, planetary waves, mid-latitude cyclones, the planetary boundary layer, and the general circulation of the atmosphere.
Instructor: David Noone<dcn@colorado.edu>
When: Fall 2004; Tuesday 12:30-1:45pm, Thursday 12:30-1:45pm
Where: Stadium, RM 136C (between gates 5 and 6, main campus)
Prerequisites: One year of calculus and one year of physics with calculus
Grading: Homework (25%), projects (25%), mid-term exam (20%) and final exam (30%)
Office hours: Thursdays, 2-5pm. Please use sign-up sheet.
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Holton, J. R., An introduction of Dynamic Meteorology, Elsevier Academic Press, 4th
ed., 2004. |
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Rogers, R. R., and M. K. Yau, A short course in cloud physics, Butterworth and
Heinemann, 3rd ed., 1989. |
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This is a non-exhaustive list of additional textbooks that cover aspects of the syllabus. Most of these are available in the Math/Physics library.
Arya, S. P., Introduction to Micrometeorology, 2nd ed., Academic Press, 2001.
Curry, J. A., and P. J. Webster, Thermodynamics of Atmospheres and Oceans, Academic Press, 1999.
Piexotto, J. P., and A. H. Oort, Physics of Climate, Springer-Verlag, 1992.
Salby, M. L., Fundamentals of Atmospheric Physics, Academic Press, 1997.
Wallace, J. M., P. B. Hobbs, Atmospheric Science: An Introductory Survey, Academic Press, 1977.
The following papers extend the class material and provide a useful historical background for some of the key topics.
Charney, J. G, On the scale of atmospheric motions. J. Meteor, 4, 135-163, 1948.
Charney, J. G., Fjortoft, R., and von Neumann, J., Numerical integration of the barotropic vorticity equation. Tellus, 2(4), 1950
Haynes, P. H., and M. E. McIntyre, On the evolution of vorticity and potential vorticity in the presence of diabatic heating and fractional or other forces. J. Atmos. Sci., 44, 1987.
Hoskins, B. J., M. E. McIntyre and A. W. Robertson, On the use and significance of isentropic potential vorticity maps. Quart. J. Roy. Met. Soc., 111877-946, 1985.
Phillips, N., The general circulation of the atmosphere: A numerical experiment. Quart. J. Roy. Met. Soc., 82, 123-164, 1959.
Material primarily from Chapter 1-6 of Holton (H), supplemented with material from the first 3 chapters of Rogers and Yau (RY).
I) Week 1 (Aug 23): Forces and atmospheric composition (H1)
Gravity, rotation, geopotential. Revision of differential and vector calculus.
II) Week 2: Thermodynamics of dry air (RY1, H2)
First law of thermodynamics, thermodynamic equation, entropy, potential temperature
III) Week 3: Thermodynamics effect of water (RY3)
Equation of state, Clasius-Clapeyron equation, virtual temperature, equivalent (potential)
temperature, psudoadiabatic processes.
IV) Week 4: Conservation of mass and momentum (H2)
Continuity equation, momentum equation, scaling. Vertical motion.
V) Week 5: Stability and buoyancy (RY3, H2, also H7 and H9)
Dry adiabatic lapse rate, buoyant forces and buoyancy waves. Shear and criterion for baroclinc
instability. Parcel model of convection.
VI) Week 6: Balanced flow on different scales (H3, also RY3)
Geostropic balance, thermal wind.
VII) Week 7: Vorticity and vorticity equation (H 4)
Vorticity and divergence form of momentum equations, circulation theorem, barotopic vorticity
equation.
VIII) Week 8-9: Potential voticity (H4, also H9)
Conservation properties, shallow water equations, flow over topography.
IX) Week 10-11: Boundary layers (H5)
Reynolds averaging, surface drag, mixing length hypothesis, similarity theory, Ekman layers and
transport, turbulent kinetic energy equation.
X) Week 12-13: Quasigeostropic motions (H6)
Quasigeostropic assumptions, 2-layer model. Potential vorticity inversion. Simple description of
the general circulation.
XI) Week 14 (Dec 6): Ageostrophic analysis (H6)
Omega equation. Baroclinic instability.
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