NATS 101 Intro to Weather and

Climate Section 45: 10 am MWF ILC 150

Dr. Steven L. Mullen

TA: Koichi Sakaguchi

Guest Lecturers?

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Who Am I?• Professor and Department Head

Department of Atmospheric Science• Joint Faculty Appointment

Dept. of Hydrology and Water Resources• Research Specialty

Precipitation Forecasting, Computer Modeling• 30 Years as Atmospheric Scientist• M.S. and Ph.D. in Atmospheric Sciences

B.S. in Mathematics, Minor in Physics

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Vital Statistics• Office Hours: Dr. Mullen WF 2:00-2:50 pm

PAS Bldg, Rm 552 or by Appointment

Mr. Sakaguchi TR 2:00-2:50 pmPAS Bldg, Rm 526 or by Appointment

• Required Text: Essentials of Meteorology-An Invitation to the Atmosphere, 4rd Ed. by C. Donald Ahrens Picture Link Publisher 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.

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Course DescriptionIntroduction 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.

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Course DescriptionEmphasis 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

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Attendance PolicyAttendance 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

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Student BehaviorUA 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 at http://web.arizona.edu/~dos/uapolicies/

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Grading PolicyFinal 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.

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Grading Policy• There will be seven quizzes during the term.

Dates for the quizzes are Jan 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.

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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: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!So Plan Accordingly!

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Final ExaminationSection 45 (11:00 am MWF): ILC 150

May 8, 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.

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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%

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ExpectationsEvery 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 dismisseddismissed (courtesy to peer students).

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The Golden RuleInstructor and students all show:

Mutual Respect!

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Literacy RequirementsAlthough 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.

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Announcements

Course Homepage…is functional!

http://www.atmo.arizona.edu/

Click Students and Courses

Click Course Links

Click NATS101 – Mullen

User Name: nats101 (if established)

Password: spring2006 (if established)

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Class Format: Lecture Days

• 3-5 minutes - Map Discussion and Forecast(If computer Gods are friendly)

• 2-3 minutes - Review/Summary/Clean-upFrom Prior Lecture, Optional

• 35-40 minutes - New Material Lecture, Demos, Discussion

• 2-3 minutes - Wrap-up and Summary

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Class Format: Quiz Days

• 10 minutes - Last Minute Questions Passing Out Quiz Materials

• 30 minutes - Quiz

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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.htmlFollow straightforward instructions!

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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 Lastname Substitute the list you want to join for xxxxxx, i.e. mullen@listserv.arizona.edu . Substitute your first name for Firstname Substitute your last name for Lastname

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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

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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

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Importance of Atmosphere

• Point 2 - Offers Protection

Consider Surface Radiation

Shields against harmful UV radiation

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Importance of Atmosphere

• Consider Survival Time

Without Food

few weeks

Without Water

few days

Without Air

few minutes

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To Understand the Atmosphere

Examine its interfaces

with land/ocean

with space Sun

Space

Earth

Atmosphere

13,000 kmIs a very thin skin99% 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 26NASA photo gallery

Note “thinness” of atmosphere in light blue

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Course Building Blocks

• Intro 1st week or so

• Energy ~2 weeks

• Moisture ~2 weeks

• Dynamics ~3 weeks

Above are interdependent

• Specific Topics ~6 weeks

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Reading Assignment

• Thomas Friedman NYT Article

Homepage Link “Reading Assignments”

• Ahrens

Pages 1-13

Problems 1.2, 1.3, 1.10, 1.14