Download Meeting Time/Place - Penn State Meteorology

Climate Dynamics (METEO 470, 3 credits)
Course Syllabus for Spring 2014
Instructor: Michael E. Mann, Department of Meteorology, 514 Walker Building,
[email protected]
Teaching Assistant: Sreece Goldberger, Department of Meteorology, 418 Walker
Building, [email protected]
Meeting Time/Place: TuTh 1:00-2:15P (103 Walker)
Office Hours: You are encouraged to use email for questions when possible. You are
welcome to visit my office for questions during scheduled office hours (Wed 1:00-2:15
PM), or by appointment.
Motivation:
In order to under and model the climate system, we need to understand the dynamics of
the underlying components, including the atmosphere and ocean, and the mechanisms by
which they are coupled.
In this course, we will model the dynamics and thermodynamics governing the ocean and
atmosphere on spatial and temporal scales appropriate for climate studies. We will
investigate the processes by which the dynamics of the ocean and atmosphere are coupled
on these timescales, with the goal of understanding the basic mechanisms of climate
variability. Topics discussed will include the thermohaline and wind-driven ocean
circulation, energy balance, the El Nino/Southern Oscillation (ENSO), internal and
forced climate variability, and climate change.
Webpage
We will regularly draw upon the course homepage as a resource for the course:
http://www.meteo.psu.edu/~mann/Mann/courses/METEO4
70SPR14/index.html
Aside from links to the course syllabus, there will be links to the readings, problem sets,
slides from the lectures, and other course-related materials.
Lectures
Attendance of all lectures is expected. You are strongly encouraged to ask questions and
participate constructively in class. Copies of slides from the lectures will usually be made
available electronically through the course website (see above) within 2-3 days following
the lecture.
Textbook
There is no required textbook.
I recommend as a reference: Peixoto and Oort (1992), Physics of Climate, 2nd Edition,
American Institute of Physics Press, 564pp. (suggested readings indicated in lecture
schedule below).
Where appropriate, supplementary readings taken from various sources will be posted on
the course website.
Grading
Problem Sets (40%): There will be several (4) problem sets assigned that will involve
applications of topics covered in class. You may discuss the problems with each other,
but the problem set you turn in should reflect your own individual effort.
“Up In the Air” Project (10%): You will participate in a project (in teams of 2-3 students)
aimed at producing content (related to some aspect of the course) for use in the
Meteorology Department’s new “Up In the Air” Television program. Projects are **DUE
MARCH 21**. Each project team will give a short presentation sometime after Spring
Break (mid March through mid April).
Mid-Term Exam (20%): There will be a mid-term examination roughly mid-way through
the semester.
Final Exam (30%): There will a final examination for the course at the scheduled time
and date.
LECTURE SCHEDULE (tentative and subject to change)
1
2
DATE
T Jan
14
R Jan
16
T Jan
LECTURE TOPIC
Introduction
READING
1; 2
ASSIGNMENT
“Up in the Air” workshop
[Media Commons, W140 Pattee
Library]
Math & Stat review; Equations
3.1-3.2.1
PS #1 Assigned
6
21
R Jan
23
T Jan
28
R Jan
30
T Feb 4
7
R Feb 6
8
T Feb
11
R Feb
13
T Feb
18
R Feb
20
T Feb
25
R Feb
27
T Mar
4
R Mar
6
T Mar
11
R Mar
13
T Mar
18
R Mar
20
T Mar
25
R Mar
27
T Apr 1
3
4
5
G1
9
G2
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
G3
R Apr
3
T Apr 8
G4
R Apr
of Motion
Equations of Motion (cont)
Energy Equation
3.4.1
Equation of State (for
Atmosphere)
Filtering of Governing Equations
(for Atmosphere)
Large-Scale Atmospheric
Circulation
Large-Scale Atmospheric
Circulation (continued)
Guest Lecture: Ice Sheet
Dynamics (David Pollard)
Hydrological cycle; Salinity;
Equation of State for Ocean
Guest Lecture: Tracers of Ocean
Circulation (Ray Najjar)
Filtering of Governing Equations
(for Ocean)
Mid-term
3.5;3.5.1
Large-scale Ocean Circulation—
Ekman transport
Large-scale Ocean Circulation—
Ekman circulation
No Class [Spring Break]
3.2.3;8
3.2.2
PS #1 Due
3.2.2; 7
PS #2 Assigned
3.5.2;12;12.1.112.5.2
PS #2 Due
3.2.3
No Class [Spring Break]
Large-scale Ocean Circulation—
Sverdrup transport
Large-scale Ocean Circulation—
gyre circulation
Large-scale Ocean Circulation—
thermohaline circulation (THC)
Climate Modeling: Energy
Balance Models
Climate Modeling: Energy
Balance Models (cont)
Climate Modeling: Energy
Balance Models (cont)
Guest Lecture: Early Earth
Climate Evolution (Jim Kasting)
Guest Lecture: Paleoclimatology
PS #3 Assigned
6-6.3; 6.6-6.8;
10-10.7
Supplemental
Readings
Supplemental
Readings
PS #3 Due
PS #4 Assigned
20
G5
21
22
23
24
10
T Apr
15
R Apr
17
T Apr
22
R Apr
24
T Apr
29
R May
1
(Byron Steinman)
Climate Modeling: El
Nino/Southern Oscillation
Guest Lecture: Proxy Records of
El Nino (Byron Steinman)
Climate Modeling: El
Nino/Southern Oscillation (cont)
Climate Modeling: Coupled
Ocean-Atmosphere Models
Climate Modeling: Coupled
Ocean-Atmosphere Models
Anthropogenic Climate Change
Supplemental
Readings
Supplemental
Readings
Supplemental
Readings
PS #4 Due