Courses Taught

Current classes in bold

ATM 103: Introduction to Climate Change

An introduction to the current scientific understanding of Earth's climate, climate change and climate variability; factors that determine climate, climate in the past, and Earth system connections; exposition of scientific observation, theory, and modelling that are used to make scientific predictions of climate outcomes and potential societal choices; examination of climate change impacts at local, regional, and global scales including environmental, societal and economic impacts; consideration of different approaches to deal with climate change, including mitigation and adaptation.

ATM 200: Natural Disasters

Disasters due to natural phenomena such as climate change, hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, tsunami, volcanic eruptions, asteroid/comet impacts, and mass extinctions are examined from an environmental perspective; each type of event will be characterized in terms of its origin, evolution, warning potential, range of significant environmental impacts and possible mitigation strategies; historical case studies will be analyzed; additional student selected topics may include ice storms, blizzards, landslides, avalanches, floods, drought, fire, heat and cold waves.

ATM 316: Dynamic Meteorology I

Equations and concepts that provide the basis for describing and understanding atmospheric motion systems on planetary and synoptic scales; review of mathematical concepts and tools; kinematics of horizontal flows; fundamental and apparent forces; basic conservation laws; elementary applications of the equations of motion.

ATM 317: Dynamic Meteorology II

Application of the governing equations to describe and understand synoptic to planetary scale phenomena, including vertical motion, jet streaks, and the frontal cyclone; introduction to the concepts of vorticity and potential vorticity.

ATM 413/543: Weather, Climate Change, and Societal Impacts

Survey of the many ways high impact weather and climate change affect human society. Each topic will cover the science behind different weather or climate phenomena and also explore the economic and/or social ramifications of these phenomena. Possible topics include severe thunderstorms, hurricanes, winter storms, solar flares, anthropogenic climate change, sea level rise, and droughts/floods. Possible ramifications of these topics on society include socioeconomic losses, risk perception, transportation disruption, human history, energy usage/markets, and climate policy.

ATM 500: Atmospheric Dynamics

Fundamentals of geophysical fluid dynamics necessary to understand atmospheric motions; conservation laws, fundamental forces, rotational effects, scaling of the equations of motion, concept of balance, circulation, vorticity and divergence.

ATM 622: General Circulation of the Atmosphere

Processes which maintain the general circulation of the Earth's atmosphere; investigation of observed angular momentum, energy and water vapor budgets of the atmosphere; atmospheric energetics; application of numerical methods to studies of the general circulation.