ATM 525: Troposphere-Stratosphere
Interactions
Fall 2017 Syllabus
Instructor: Andrea Lang, alang@albany.edu, 518-442-4558
Office Hours: Mon & Wed 10:45-11:45 or by appointment, ES 323
Credits: 3, Class Number: 9884
Website: http://www.atmos.albany.edu/facstaff/andrea/courses/atm525.html
Course Description:
This course will provide an introduction to the structure, composition, dynamics, chemistry and radiational properties of the stratosphere. We will analyze the two-way interaction between the troposphere and stratosphere in the tropics, extra-tropics and high latitudes and the implications of troposphere-stratosphere interactions on both weather and climate timescales.
This course is the combination of several parts, a lecture-based component, an student led journal article discussion component and a group project component. The lecture-based component will be weighted toward the beginning of the semester, it will provide you with the background to fully appreciate the research articles that you will choose and discuss with the class. Finally, the project based component will build upon information from the lectures and the article discussions in an analysis of a recent case of stratosphere-troposphere interaction.
Relevant Texts:
Stratosphere-Troposphere Interaction (2008), by K.Monanakumar
Middle Atmosphere Dynamics (1987), D. G.Andrews, J. R. Holton and C. B. Leovy
An Introduction to Dynamic Meteorology (2012), J. R. Holton and G. J. Hakim
Additional online readings/papers provided in class
Grading: A-E
Student Led Discussions: Students will pick a journal article relevant to the course and facilitate a class discussion centered on themes highlighted in the article. All students are expected to participate. In preparation, the students leading the discussion will create a one page summary sheet (think infographic) about the article. The collection of summary sheets you accumulate throughout the semester will be a quick reference guide for topics in troposphere-stratosphere interaction. A component of your grade will be from your peers.
Final Project: The final project will be a case study of recent Sudden Stratospheric Warming (SSW). Students will work in groups to investigate and present their analysis of the troposphere-stratosphere interaction and coupling that occurred either prior to, during or after the SSW event. The analysis will be due, as well as presented, on the last day of class.
Course Topics:
1.
Structure and Composition of the
Lower and Middle Atmosphere
2.
Chemistry of the Stratosphere
3.
Radiative Processes in the
Troposphere and Stratosphere
4.
Topics in
Stratosphere-Troposphere Interactions
5.
Dynamics of the Troposphere and Stratosphere
6.
Waves in the Troposphere and Stratosphere
7.
Stratosphere-Troposphere Exchange
8.
Stratospheric influences on tropospheric weather and climate