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MET 3993-- Physical Climatology (Credits: 3)
Dr. Ping Zhu, Department of Earth Sciences
Justification:
This course primarily supports the proposed Track Program in Atmospheric Sciences, B.S. Major
in Department of Earth Sciences. This is a required course for B.S. degree in Atmospheric Sciences
recommended by the American Meteorological Society (AMS). This course should also be of
interest to students in physics, geosciences, computer science, engineering, environmental studies,
public policy, and any fields that are related to climate. There is no similar course at FIU.
Course Description:
This course introduces the nature of Earth's climate and examines the processes that maintain our
climate system based on physical principles. The class is concerned primarily with the global
climate and its geographic variation on different scales. Topics include the global energy balance,
general circulation of the atmosphere, general circulation of the oceans, the cryosphere, the
hydrologic cycle, regional to global scale climate variability such as El Nino, causes for climate
change, climate feedback mechanism, and climate modeling. This course will also discuss humaninduced modifications to the climate system, such as urbanization, anthropogenic global warming,
desertification, and tropical deforestation, and many other climate change related issues.
Course Objectives:
This course is constructed to introduce students to the nature of Earth’s physical climate. Upon
completion of this course, students should be able to know the fundamental scientific concepts
underlying our understanding of our climate system. More specifically, students will understand the
basic energy and water balances in the past, current, and potential future climate system and be able
to explain their roles in climate change and the impact of climate on living organisms and the
human environment.
Suggested Time:
3:30 – 4:45 AM
Instructor:
Dr. Ping Zhu
Office:
MARC354
Office hours:
Tuesday and Thursday: 12:30 AM – 2:30 PM
Monday and Wednesday 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM or by appointment
(305) 348-7096
Office Tel:
E-mail:
Co-requisite:
Tuesday/Thursday
[email protected]
MET3003
Textbook:
Global Physical Climatology (Dennis L. Hartmann, Academic Press, 1994, 411pp)
Reference:
1. Contemporary Climatology (Ann Henderson-Sellers & Peter Robinson, Prentice Hall, 1999,
344pp)
2. Atmosphere, Weather & Climate, 8th Edition (R. G. Barry & R.J. Chorley)
3. Physical Climatology (Sellers, William Univ. of Chicago, 1965, 272pp)
4. Physics of Climate (Peixoto, Jos P., and Abraham H. Oort, American Institute of Physics,
New York, 1992, 520 pp)
5. Climate System Modeling (Trenberth, Kevin E., Ed., Cambridge Univ. Press, 1992, 788 pp)
6. For links to other important global warming source material, visit the US Global Change
Research Program web page, http://www.usgcrp.gov/
Grading Policy:
Generally, homework will be due one week from the date when it is given; late homework will not
be accepted without a good reason. You are encouraged to work together on your homework if you
wish. Participation in class discussions and raising good questions during lecture are strongly
encouraged. Grades will be determined from the following formula:
Homework/Participation
Mid-term exam
Final exam
50%
20%
30%
Lecture Outline:
Schedule
Subject
Week 1:
Introduction
Climate System
Week 2:
Radiative Transfer
Global Energy Balance
Week 3:
Large-scale Circulation
Atmospheric General Circulation
Week 4:
Baroclinic Waves, Baroclinic Instability
Seasonal Circulation, Monsoons
Dry and wet climate
Week 5:
Ocean properties
Wind-driven Circulation
Week 6:
Upwelling and downwelling
Thermohaline Circulation
Week 7:
Cryosphere
Mid-term Exam
Week 8:
Hydrologic Cycle
Climate Sensitivity
Week 9:
El Niño and Southern Oscillation (ENSO)
Week 10:
Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO)
North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO)
Arctic Oscillation
Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO)
Week 11:
Climate feedback mechanisms
Water Vapor feedback
Snow and ice feedback
Week 12:
Climate-Cloud-Aerosol feedback
Climate modeling
Atmospheric component of a climate model
Week 13:
Oceanic component of a climate model
Land component of a climate model
Coupled atmosphere-ocean-land modeling system
Physical parameterization of sub-grid processes.
Week 14:
Anthropogenic climate change
Final Exam