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NATS 101 Intro to Weather and Climate Section 06: 12:30PM TTh ILC 150

This course provides an introduction to the science of weather processes and climate change, covering topics such as atmospheric structure, energy balance, clouds and precipitation, wind systems, weather forecasting, and more.

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NATS 101 Intro to Weather and Climate Section 06: 12:30PM TTh ILC 150

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  1. NATS 101 Intro to Weather and Climate Section 06: 12:30PM TTh ILC 150 Dr. E. Robert Kursinski TA: Nathan Johnson

  2. Who Am I? • Professor Department of Atmospheric Science • Joint Faculty Appointment Dept. of Planetary Sciences • Research Specialty Remote Sensing, Water cycle • Ph.D. in Planetary Sciences M.S. in Electrical Engineering B.S. in Physics, Minor in Music Theory Lecture 1-Nats 101

  3. Vital Statistics • Office Hours: Dr. Kursinski W 2:00-2:50 pm PAS Bldg, Rm 580 or by Appointment Mr. Johnson TBD PAS Bldg, Rm 526 or by Appointment • Required Text: Essentials of Meteorology-An Invitation to the Atmosphere, 4rd Ed. by C. Donald Ahrens Picture LinkPublisher Download, Save $ • Recommended Text: Study Guide for Essentials of Meteorology, 4rd Ed. by C. Donald Ahrens Link • Required Material: Thirty (30) 4''x 6'' index cards. Lecture 1-Nats 101

  4. Course Description Introduction to the science of weather processes and climate change: atmospheric structure and composition, energy balance, clouds and precipitation, wind systems, fronts, cyclones, weather forecasting, thunderstorms, lightning, hurricanes, ozone hole, air pollution, global warming and optical phenomena. Lecture 1-Nats 101

  5. Course Description Emphasis will be given to phenomena that have strong impacts on human activities. The fundamental importance of physics, chemistry and mathematics will be noted. Atmospheric Sciences  Applied Physics Lecture 1-Nats 101

  6. Attendance Policy Attendance is mandatory, and I reserve the right to tally it throughout the term. After three unexcused absences prior to week 9, I will submit to the Office of Curriculum and Registration an administrative drop from the course and assign a grade in accordance with UA policy. http://catalog.arizona.edu/2005-06/policies/classatten.htm Lecture 1-Nats 101

  7. Student Behavior UA Code of Academic Integrity, Code of Conduct and Student Code of Conduct are enforced in this course. Every student is responsible for learning these codes and abiding by them.http://w3.arizona.edu/~studpubs/policies/ppmainpg.html Students can submit complaints online athttp://web.arizona.edu/~dos/uapolicies/ Lecture 1-Nats 101

  8. Grading Policy Final grade will be based on scores from closed book/closed notes quizzes and final exam. Quizzes will consist of multiple choice questions and short answer questions. Quizzes will cover new material presented through the end of the previous lecture day. Extra credit questions given on some quizzes. Extra credit impromptu “pop” quizzes given. Lecture 1-Nats 101

  9. Grading Policy • There will be seven quizzes during the term. Dates for the quizzes areJan 27, Feb 10, Feb 24, Mar 10, Mar 31, Apr 14, Apr 28.No Exceptions • Students who arrive late on quiz days will be not allowed to take the quiz after the first student turns in her/his quiz.No Exceptions • The lowest score among the seven quizzes will be excluded from the course grade. Therefore, no make-up quizzes. Lecture 1-Nats 101

  10. Grading Policy • If your final exam score exceeds the average of your 6 best quizzes, the quizzes will comprise 60% of your term grade and the final 40%. Otherwise, the quizzes will comprise 75% of your term grade and the final 25%. • CARROT: If your average is 90% or higher on all 7 quizzes, you will earn an exemption from the final and will receive an "A'' for the course. • No Extra Credit Projects. No Exceptions. So Plan Accordingly! Lecture 1-Nats 101

  11. Final Examination Section 06 (11:00 am MWF): ILC 150 Thursday Dec. 14, 11:00 am - 1:00 pm No Exceptions per UA Policy • The final will consist of 60 multiple choice questions and short answer questions. • At least 30, but no more than 40 questions, will be taken verbatim from the old quizzes. Lecture 1-Nats 101

  12. Course Grading • Course Grading Scale A 90% or higher B 80.0-89.99% C 65.0-79.99% D 55.0-64.99% E < 55.0% Lecture 1-Nats 101

  13. Expectations Every student is expected to: • Complete all of the assigned reading before the lecture, unless you hear otherwise. • Devote a minimum of 2 hours outside of class studying, reading, etc. for every hour of classroom lecture. Unit Credit Definition • Attend class daily, arrive on time, leave when class is dismissed (courtesy to peer students). Lecture 1-Nats 101

  14. The Golden Rule Instructor and students all show: Mutual Respect! Lecture 1-Nats 101

  15. Literacy Requirements Although the writing requirement for this course is negligible, there is a science literacy requirement. This means that we: • Use scientific notation for writing numbers (especially rather large or small ones). • Specify units of physical quantities (e.g. meters for elevation, etc.). • Attempt to quantify physical relationships. Lecture 1-Nats 101

  16. Announcements Course Homepage…is functional! http://www.atmo.arizona.edu/ Click Students and Courses Click Course Links Click NATS101 – Kursinski User Name: nats101 (if established) Password: spring2006 (if established) Lecture 1-Nats 101

  17. Class Format:Lecture Days • 2-4 minutes - Interesting weather (if any) • 2-3 minutes - Review/Summary/Clean-up From Prior Lecture, Optional • 60-65 minutes - New Material Lecture, Demos, Discussion • 2-3 minutes - Wrap-up and Summary Lecture 1-Nats 101

  18. Class Format:Quiz Days • 10 minutes - Last Minute Questions Passing Out Quiz Materials • 30 minutes - Quiz Lecture 1-Nats 101

  19. LISTSERV Established • mullen@listserv.Arizona.EDU • Use for any questions, comments, discussions that are general interest to the class. • mullen@atmo.arizona.edu is reserved for personal requests not of general interest. • To subscribe go to http://listserv.arizona.edu/ and click the link “Subscribe to a list” http://listserv.arizona.edu/Subscribe.html Follow straightforward instructions! Lecture 1-Nats 101

  20. LISTSERV If you DID NOT receive an email two days ago, you need to subscribe to the list. You can subscribe by sending an email to listserv@listserv.arizona.edu with the following as the only line in the body of the message. subscribe xxxxxx Firstname LastnameSubstitute the list you want to join for xxxxxx, i.e. mullen@listserv.arizona.edu. Substitute your first name for FirstnameSubstitute your last name for Lastname Lecture 1-Nats 101

  21. Importance of Atmosphere • Necessary for a wide spectrum of features Oceans Clouds, Rain, Fresh Water Erosion by Water and Wind Life, Life on Land Blue Skies, Red Sunsets, Twilight Sound Lecture 1-Nats 101

  22. Importance of Atmosphere • Point 1- Offers Protection Consider surface temperatures Without atmosphere? 0oF average, large diurnal swings Similar to the Moon’s Climate With atmosphere… 60oF average, moderate diurnal swings Lecture 1-Nats 101

  23. Importance of Atmosphere • Point 2 - Offers Protection Consider Surface Radiation Shields against harmful UV radiation Lecture 1-Nats 101

  24. Importance of Atmosphere • Consider Survival Time Without Food  few weeks Without Water  few days Without Air  few minutes Lecture 1-Nats 101

  25. Atmosphere Sun Earth 13,000 km Space To Understand the Atmosphere Examine its interfaces with land/ocean with space Is a very thin skin 99% below 50 km (31 miles) 50% below 5.5 km (3.4 miles) Atmosphere Picture Energy Flow Solar Input = Output to Space Lecture 1-Nats 101

  26. Note “thinness” of atmosphere in light blue NASA photo gallery Lecture 1-Nats 101

  27. Course Building Blocks • Intro  1st week or so • Energy  ~2 weeks • Moisture  ~2 weeks • Dynamics  ~3 weeks Above are interdependent • Specific Topics  ~6 weeks Lecture 1-Nats 101

  28. Reading Assignment • Thomas Friedman NYT Article Homepage Link “Reading Assignments” • Ahrens Pages 1-13 Problems 1.2, 1.3, 1.10, 1.14 Lecture 1-Nats 101

  29. Atmospheric CompositionPermanent Gases • N2 and O2 are most abundant gases • Percentages hold constant up to 80 km • Ar, Ne, He, and Xe are chemically inert • N2 and O2 are chemically active, removed & returned Ahrens, Table 1.1, 3rd Ed. Lecture 1-Nats 101

  30. Atmospheric CompositionImportant Trace Gases Ahrens, Table 1.1, 3rd ed. Lecture 1-Nats 101

  31. CO2 Trend Keeler Curve from Hawaii Obs Some gases can vary by season and can vary over many years CO2 increases in spring decreases in fall Ahrens, Fig. 1.3, 3th Ed. Lecture 1-Nats 101

  32. H2O Vapor VariabilityPrecipitable Water (mm) Some gases can vary spatially and daily Lecture 1-Nats 101

  33. Two Important Concepts Let’s introduce two new concepts... Density Pressure Lecture 1-Nats 101

  34. What is Density? Density () = Mass (M) per unit Volume (V)  = M/V  = Greek letter “rho” Typical Units: kg/m3, gm/cm3 Mass = # molecules  molecular weight (gm/mole) Avogadro number (6.023x1023 molecules/mole) Lecture 1-Nats 101

  35. a b Density Change Density () changes by altering either a) # molecules in a constant volume b) volume occupied by the same # molecules Lecture 1-Nats 101

  36. What is Pressure? Pressure (p) = Force (F) per unit Area (A) Typical Units: pounds per square inch (psi), millibars (mb), inches Hg Average pressure at sea-level: 14.7 psi 1013 mb 29.92 in. Hg Lecture 1-Nats 101

  37. Pressure Can be thought of as weight of air above you. (Note that pressure acts in all directions!) So as elevation increases, pressure decreases. Top Higher elevation Less air above Lower pressure Lower elevation More air above Higher pressure Bottom Lecture 1-Nats 101

  38. Density and Pressure Variation Key Points • Both decrease rapidly with height • Air is compressible, i.e. its density varies Ahrens, Fig. 1.5 Lecture 1-Nats 101

  39. 10 kg 10 kg 10 kg 10 kg 10 kg 10 kg Why rapid change with height? Consider a spring with 10 kg bricks on top of it The spring compresses a little more with each addition of a brick. The spring is compressible. Lecture 1-Nats 101

  40. Why rapid change with height? Now consider several 10 kg springs piled on top of each other. Topmost spring compresses the least! Bottom spring compresses the most! The total mass above you decreases rapidly w/height.  mass  mass  mass  mass Lecture 1-Nats 101

  41. Why rapid change with height? Finally, consider piled-up parcels of air, each with the same # molecules. The bottom parcel is squished the most. Its density is the highest. Density decreases most rapidly at bottom. Lecture 1-Nats 101

  42. Why rapid change with height? Each parcel has the same mass (i.e. same number of molecules), so the height of a parcel represents the same change in pressure p. Thus,pressure must decrease most rapidly near the bottom. p p p p Lecture 1-Nats 101

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