Download Course Outline for Geography 8

Chabot College
Fall 2010
Course Outline for Geography 8
INTRODUCTION TO WEATHER AND CLIMATE
Catalog Description:
8 – Introduction to Weather and Climate
3 units
Introduction to weather and climate and their impact on and modification by human activities.
Emphasis on weather elements, events, and processes; climate controls; and the techniques,
tools, and instruments of atmospheric science. Includes atmospheric optics, weather prediction,
severe storms, air pollution, global/regional warming/cooling, ozone depletion, acid rain, El Niño,
deforestation, desertification, and other topics related to everyday experience and global climate
change. Field trips and observational activities
may be included. 3 hours.
[Typical contact hours: 52.5]
Prerequisite Skills:
None.
Expected Outcomes for Students:
Upon completion of the course, the student should be able to:
1. observe, describe, and explain weather elements, events, and processes;
2. apply climate control principles to the classification, spatial distribution, and modification of
atmospheric events and global/regional climates;
3. apply the techniques, tools, and instruments of atmospheric science to the observation,
statistical summarization, portrayal, and prediction of weather events;
4. evaluate the impact of weather and climate on human activities and critically assess the role
of human behavior in affecting short-term weather changes and long-term climate
modification.
Course Content:
1. Introduction to atmospheric science
a. Weather elements and variables
b. Meteorology vs. climatology
c. Climate and climate controls in the classification of climates and in the adaptation of
human settlement to climate
2. Earth’s atmosphere and radiation balance
a. Insolation over Earth’s surface
b. Earth-sun relationships
c. Origin, composition, structure, and behavior of the atmosphere
d. Atmospheric pollutants, acid rain, ozone depletion, and global/regional warming/cooling
e. Spatial and temporal distribution of solar and terrestrial energy
1. Temperature
a. annual and daily cycles of air temperature
b. Relationship of air temperature ranges to latitude and relative location
1) c. Maritime and continental location air temperature patterns and cycles
c. Heat storage and transfer in water bodies and land surfaces
d. Temperature range relationship to climate classifications
e. Inversions
f. Relationships to human comfort and behavior
g. Urban heat island effect
2. Circulation of atmosphere and ocean
a. Relationships to human comfort and behavior
b. Atmospheric pressure and density
c. Pressure instruments and measurement
Chabot College
Course Outline for Geography 8, Page 2
Fall 2010
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
d. Wind instruments and measurement
e. Vertical air motion
f. Charts: surface and upper-air
General circulation of the atmosphere and its relationship to the spatial distribution of:
a. Upper-air and surface pressure systems and winds
b. Jet streams
c. Surface ocean currents
d. Precipitation patterns
e. El Niño and the Southern Oscillation (ENSO)
Atmospheric moisture and stability
a. Deforestation
b. Clouds, fog, and other condensation forms and processes
c. Precipitation forms, processes, distribution, and measurement
d. Atmospheric stability/instability and its relationship to:
1) Cloud development and precipitation distribution
2) Inversions and atmospheric pollution
e. Effects on human behavior and activities
Weather instrumentation and forecasting
Atmospheric optics
a. Light and color
b. Rainbows, halos, glories, mirages, and other common phenomena
Air masses, cyclonic systems, and severe storms
a. Air mass source regions, classification, and weather
b. development, vertical structure, spatial distribution, classification, and weather associated
with:
1) Mid-latitude cyclones
2) Frontal systems
3) Tropical cyclones
4) Thunderstorms
5) Tornadoes
c. Effects on human behavior and activities
Interpretation of weather data and observations
Global climate classification systems
Human modification of surface-atmosphere interactions
a. Deforestation
b. Agricultural practices
c. Biomass and fossil fuel burning
d. Spatial and temporal patterns in carbon dioxide emissions
Cultural adaptations and human adjustments to:
a. Drought
b. Floods
c. Severe storms
Issues in global climate change
a. Paleoclimatology
b. Climatic variability: natural and anthropogenic causes
c. Global warming
Methods of Presentation:
1. Lecture
2. Maps, PowerPoint slides, transparencies, and videotapes
3. Class discussions and student presentations
Assignments and Methods of Evaluating Student Progress:
1. Typical Assignments
Chabot College
Course Outline for Geography 8, Page 3
Fall 2010
a. Retrieve current weather observation data for Bay Area locations from the Internet and
draw weather station models using conventional symbology
b. Write an analysis of surface weather maps
1) Interpret meteorological symbols
2) Explain motion of frontal boundaries and 3) convergent/divergent conditions in the
atmosphere
c. Write diurnal observations of significant local atmospheric conditions: temperature,
atmospheric pressure, cloud cover, precipitation, wind speed and direction
d. Write a summary of a global/regional climate change article from a newspaper or the
periodical literature
2. Methods of Evaluating Student Progress
a. Written weather observations and map interpretations
b. Summaries of articles on climate change
c. Midterm examination(s) and quizzes, including map quizzes
d. Final examination
Textbook(s) (Typical):
Meteorology Today: An Introduction to Weather, Climate, and the Environment,
C. Donald Ahrens, Brooks/Cole, 2009
Visualizing Weather and Climate, B. T. Anderson and A. Strahler, John Wiley & Sons,
2008
Understanding Weather and Climate, Edward Aguado and James E. Burt, Pearson Prentice Hall,
2010
Meteorology: Understanding the Atmosphere. Steven Ackerman and John Knox, Brooks/Cole,
2007
The Atmosphere: An Introduction to Meteorology, Frederick K. Lutgens, Edward J. Tarbuck, and
Dennis Tasa, Pearson Prentice Hall, 2010
Special Student Materials:
None.
GEOG 8, revised 9/09: cs