University of Utah
Atmospheric Sciences
ATMOS Course Descriptions
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General Catalog Fall 2012
Posted Mar 02, 2012

Disclaimer: The course information below is current as of Mar 02, 2012, is intended for informational purposes only, and does not constitute a legal contract between the University of Utah and any person or entity.

This Web document is updated twice a year, on or about the first day of registration for Fall and Spring semesters.


1010  Severe and Unusual Weather (3) Fulfills Physical/Life Science Exploration.
   Survey of the fundamentals of atmospheric science with an emphasis on severe and hazardous weather including hurricanes, thunderstorms, tornadoes, flash floods, and snowstorms.

1020  Climate Change (3) Fulfills Physical/Life Science Exploration.
   Explores the natural and human induced variations in the Earth's climate. Emphasis will be placed on the evidence underlying climate change and the factors that control Earth's climate. Topics range from climate of the Earth's history, present-day global warming, climatic effects of volcanic eruptions, to impacts of climate change on hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, and droughts.

3000  Professional Development in the Atmospheric Sciences (1.5)
   This course provides an introduction to the atmospheric sciences profession and related environmental fields. Career opportunities in government, industry, and education are discussed by professionals employed in areas such as weather forecasting, broadcasting, air quality, fire weather, hydrology, and snow safety. The course also introduces critical concepts related to observing and forecasting the atmosphere that are applied in many of the upper-division courses.

3100  Atmospheric Chemistry and Air Pollution (3) Prerequisite: CHEM 1210 AND MATH 1220 OR Instructor's Consent. Fulfills International Requirement.
   The course will apply basic principles of physics and chemistry to quantitatively describe the processes that control the chemical composition and evolution of the Earth's atmosphere. Special topics include acid rain, the ozone hole, photochemical smog production, health effects of air pollution, and alternative energy sources.

3200  Mountain Weather and Climate (3) Cross listed as GEOG 3280.
   Influence of terrain upon typical and severe weather, including local wind circulations and mountain snowstorms. Applications of mountain meteorology to related fields such as air pollution, fire weather, sports aviation and snowpack evolution.

3910  Special Topics (1 to 12)
   Intensive work related to a specific area in meteorology for undergraduates.

4999  Honors Thesis/Project (3)
   Restricted to students in the Honors Program working on their Honors degree.

5000  Introduction to Atmospheric Science (3) Prerequisite: MATH 1220, PHYS 2210 or Instructor's consent. Fulfills Quantitative Intensive BS.
   An intermediate-level introduction to the atmospheric sciences for both atmospheric science majors and other scientists and engineers. Topics include the structure of atmosphere, atmospheric thermodynamics, cloud physics, radiative transfer, and atmospheric dynamics.

5010  Weather Forecasting (1.5) Prerequisite: ATMOS 5110 or Instructor's Consent.
   The tools and techniques of modern weather forecasting applied in a real-time forecast environment. May be taken for repeat credit with instructor consent.

5040  Environmental Statistics (1.5) Prerequisite: CS 1000 or CS 1001. Fulfills Quantitative Intensive BS.
   Environmental fields are overwhelmed with data. What is the best way to make sense of all that information? Statistical methods in environmental sciences are introduced including time series analysis, multivariate data analysis, statistical forecasting, forecast verification, and hypothesis testing. A variety of atmospheric and environmental data sets are examined using Matlab.

5050  Environmental Instrumentation (2) Prerequisite: Completion of or concurrent enrollment in PHYS 2220 or instructor's consent.
   Understanding our environment requires understanding how measurements of it are made. The techniques and instrumentation required to observe conditions near and immediately above the earth's surface are introduced. Laboratory and field exercises are used to develop experience applicable for careers in the atmospheric and environmental fields.

5100  Introduction to Atmospheric Dynamics (3) Prerequisite: ATMOS 5000. Fulfills Quantitative Intensive BS.
   Introduction to atmospheric fluid dynamics, including fundamental forces, conservation laws, governing equations, circulation and vorticity.

5110  Synoptic-Dynamic Meteorology I (3) Prerequisite: ATMOS 5100 or Instructor's consent.
   A survey of modern-day synoptic meteorology and its applications, with emphasis on the integrated use of numerical analysis, atmospheric dynamics, and physical meteorology to understand, explain, and predict the evolution of mid-latitude weather systems.

5120  Weather Discussion (1) Prerequisite: Concurrent enrollment in ATMOS 5110, or Instructor's Consent.
   Student-led analysis and prediction of current and future weather using modern analysis and forecast tools. Repetitive for up to 2 credit hours.

5130  Physical Meteorology II: Thermodynamics (1.5) Prerequisite: ATMOS 5000.
   Thermodynamics of dry and moist air, including adiabatic processes, parcel theory, and thermodynamic diagrams.

5140  Physical Meteorology II: Atmospheric Radiation (1.5) Prerequisite: ATMOS 5000 or Instructor's consent.
   Solar and infrared radiative transfer in the atmosphere, and the green house effect.

5200  Physical Meteorology III: Cloud Physics (1.5) Prerequisite: ATMOS 5000. Fulfills Quantitative Intensive BS.
   Aerosol production and removal, cloud and precipitation formation, mixing and turbulence.

5210  Synoptic Meteorology II (1.5) Prerequisite: ATMOS 5110.
   Characteristics of surface-based fronts, upper-level fronts, and mid-latitude cyclones, including the use of quasigeostrophic theory and potential vorticity thinking for synoptic analysis.

5220  Boundary Layer Processes (1.5) Prerequisite: CHEM 1210 AND MATH 1220 OR Instructor's Consent.
   Boundary layer structure and processes, including turbulence, surface fluxes, vertical structure and diurnal cycle.

5230  Mesoscale Meteorology (1.5) Prerequisite: ATMOS 5000 AND ATMOS 5130.
   Fundamentals of radar meteorology; use of surface-based, aircraft-based, and satellite-based radar to study clouds, rainfall, and storms. Quantitative description of cumulus convection, multicell and supercell storms, mesoscale convective systems, local circulations (thermal and terrain forcing), downslope windstorms. Emphasis is on using observed characteristics to develop a physical and dynamical understanding of phenomena over a range of scales. Whenever possible, we will undertake real-time examination of storms as they may develop around the country.

5250  Mountain Meteorology (3) Prerequisite: Upper-division Undergraduate student or Instructor's consent.
   Synoptic and mesoscale meteorology in complex terrain including orographically-modified cyclone evolution, frontal interaction with topography, terrain- and thermally-driven circulations, mountain waves, downslope winds, gap winds, and orographic precipitation.

5260  Snow Dynamics and Avalanche Studies (4) Cross listed as GEOG 5260.
   Field sessions require clothing and equipment that allow students to participate in outdoor activities. Students must be able to ski or snowshoe, climb steep terrain, and safely ski back down. Two lectures or discussions weekly combined with one full afternoon in field. Second lecture meets at Alta Town Library before field session. Provides thorough background in technical avalanche forecasting procedures. Study of conditions leading to snow avalanches, broader aspects of snow in all its phases.

5270  Wind Power Meteorology (1.5) Prerequisites: MATH 1220, PHYS 2220.
   Siting of wind turbines, regional wind resource assessment, and short-term prediction of the wind resource. Aspects of boundary layer meteorology important for wind energy: wind profiles and shear, turbulence and gusts, and extreme winds. Wind climate analysis, wind resource estimation and siting, and their relation to local topography and surface features. Meteorological models used for estimation and prediction of the wind: their types, inputs, limitations, and requirements.

5400  The Climate System (3) Prerequisite: MATH 1050 OR Instructor's Consent.
   Interactions among components of the climate system are examined, especially interactions concerning the atmosphere, oceans, land surfaces, and sea ice. After completion of the course, knowledge of the physical processes underlying climate dynamics will enable students to evaluate and understand projected climate change and variability.

5495  Biophysical Ecology (4) Cross listed as GEO 5495, BIOL 5495. Prerequisite: BIOL 2010, CHEM 1220, MATH 1220, PHYS 2010, 2110, or 2210 Fulfills Quantitative Intensive BS.
   This quantitative-intensive lecture and laboratory course will examine the physical environment (light, wind, temperature, humidity) in which plants, animals, and soil organisms live, how the physical environment affects their physiological function, and how organisms in turn affect their physical environment.

5500  Numerical Weather Prediction (1.5) Prerequisite: ATMOS 5100 or Instructor's consent.
   Introduction to modern numerical weather forecasting techniques, concentrating on model fundamentals, structures, dynamics, physical parameterization, and model forecast diagnostics.

5510  Tropical Meteorology (1.5) Prerequisite: ATMOS 5130 or Instructor's Consent.
   Survey of small scale and large scale processes in the tropics. It will place special emphasis on near-real time examination of any tropical cyclones and hurricanes that may develop during the early weeks of the course, including operational and research datasets. It also includes quantitative description of tropical phenomena including El Nino-Southern Oscillation, Madden-Julian Oscillation , easterly waves, and interactions between convective, mesoscale, and large-scale circulations, applications of remote sensing, and field programs. Emphasis is on using observed characteristics to develop a physical and dynamical understanding of phenomena over a range of scales.

5520  Remote Sensing of the Environment (1.5) Prerequisite: ATMOS 5140.
   A quantitative overview of atmospheric remote sensing concentrating on tropospheric phenomena. Emphasis is placed on developing a basic theoretical foundation as well as detailed examination of selected contemporary problems in this rapidly evolving field.

5910  Special Topics (1 to 12)

6010  Fundamentals of Dynamic Meteorology (3) Prerequisite: Graduate standing or Instructor's consent.
   Introduction into dynamic meteorology, including the primitive equations, scale analysis, rotational effects, boundary layers, quasi-geostrophy, and atmospheric waves..

6020  Fundamentals of Physical Meteorology (3) Prerequisite: Graduate standing or Instructor's consent.
   Overview of fundamental physical processes in the atmospheric sciences. Topics include thermodynamics, radiative transfer, and cloud microphysics.

6030  Climate Dynamics (3) Prerequisite: MATH 1210 AND (Graduate Standing OR Instructor's Consent).
   Analysis of the Earth climate system consisting of the atmosphere, the oceans, and the land surfaces. Topics include the global energy balance, the hydrological cycle, the general circulation, atmospheric radiative transfer, and natural and anthropogenic climate change.

6040  Environmental Statistics (3) Prerequisite: Graduate standing or Instructor's consent.
   Numerical techniques used in atmospheric modeling. Statistical methods in environmental sciences including time series analysis, multivariate data analysis, statistical forecasting, forecast verification, and hypothesis testing.

6050  Environmental Instrumentation (3) Prerequisite: Graduate standing or Instructor's consent.
   Understanding our environment requires understanding how measurements of it are made. The techniques and instrumentation required to observe conditions near and immediately above the earth's surface are introduced. Laboratory and field exercises are used to develop experience applicable for careers in the atmospheric and environmental fields.

6100  Atmospheric Chemistry (1.5) Prerequisite: Graduate standing or Instructor's consent.
   Introduction to the physical and chemical processes affecting the dynamics and fate of air pollutants at the local, regional, and global scales. Particular emphasis is on tropospheric pollutant chemistry and transport, photochemistry of ozone, smog formation, aqueous-phase chemistry, and acid rain.

6110  Synoptic-Dynamic Meteorology I (3) Prerequisite: Graduate standing or Instructor's consent.
   A survey of modern-day synoptic meteorology and its applications, with emphasis on the integrated use of numerical analysis, atmospheric dynamics and physical meteorology to understand, explain, and predict the evolution of mid-latitude weather systems.

6120  Weather Discussion (1) Prerequisite: Graduate standing or Instructor's consent.
   Student-led analysis and prediction of current and future weather using modern analysis and forecast tools. Repetitive for up to 2 credit hours.

6150  Cloud System Modeling (3) Prerequisite: ATMOS 6010 and 6020 or instructor's consent.
   Numerical modeling of turbulent, convective, and mesoscale motions associated with cloud systems. Formulation of physical processes in cloud-resolving models. Role of modeling efforts in understanding the structure and behavior of cloud systems. Representation of clouds and cloud processes in numerical weather prediction and climate models.

6200  Atmospheric Radiation (3)
   Theory of solar and infrared radiation; fundamentals of energy balance and climate models; parameterization of infrared and solar-flux transfer in clear, aerosol, and cloudy atmospheres; climate perturbations due to greenhouse gases, aerosols and clouds.

6210  Synoptic-Dynamic Meteorology II (1.5) Prerequisite: ATMOS 6110.
   Characteristics of surface-based fronts, upper-level fronts, and mid-latitude cyclones, including the use of quasigeostrophic theory and potential vorticity thinking for synoptic analysis.

6220  Boundary Layer Meteorology (3) Prerequisite: ATMOS 6010 and 6020 or instructor's consent.
   Boundary layer characteristics; Reynolds averaging; equations for turbulent flow; turbulence kinetic energy, stability, and scaling; turbulence closure; boundary conditions; convective mixed layer; stable boundary layer; cloud-topped boundary layer; boundary layer modeling.

6230  Mesoscale Meteorology (3) Prerequisite: Graduate standing or Instructor's consent.
   Quantitative description of cumulus convection, multicell and supercell storms, tropical cyclones, local circulations (thermal and terrain forcing), and downslope windstorms. Whenever possible, we will undertake real-time examination of storms as the may develop around the country. Emphasis is on using observed characteristics to develop a physical and dynamical understanding of phenomena over a range of scales. Students will undertake evaluation of recent literature or an independent research paper.

6250  Mountain Meteorology (3) Prerequisite: Graduate standing or Instructor's consent.
   Synoptic and mesoscale meteorology in complex terrain including orographically-modified cyclone evolution, frontal interaction with topography, terrain- and thermally-driven circulations, mountain waves, downslope winds, gap winds, and orographic precipitation.

6270  Wind Power Meteorology (1.5) Prerequisite: MATH 1220 AND PHYS 2220.
   Siting of wind turbines, regional wind resource assessment, and short-term prediction of the wind resource. Aspects of boundary layer meteorology important for wind energy: wind profiles and shear, turbulence and gusts, and extreme winds. Wind climate analysis, wind resource estimation and siting, and their relation to local topography and surface features. Meteorological models used for estimation and prediction of the wind: their types, inputs limitations, and requirements.

6300  Advanced Cloud Physics (3) Prerequisite: ATMOS 6020 or Instructor's consent.
   Survey of small scale and large scale processes in the tropics. We will place special emphasis on near-real time examination of any tropical cyclones and hurricanes that may develop during the early weeks of the course, including operational and research datasets. We shall also include quantitative description of tropical phenomena including El Nino-Southern Oscillation, Madden-Julian Oscillation, easterly waves, and interactions between convective, mesoscale, and large-scale circulations, applications of remote sensing, and field programs. Emphasis is on using observed characteristics to develop a physical and dynamical understanding of phenomena over a range of scales. Students will undertake evaluation of recent literature or an independent research paper.

6310  Advanced Dynamic Meteorology (3) Prerequisite: ATMOS 6010 or Instructor's consent.
   Advanced topics in geophysical fluid dynamics: Atmospheric waves, baroclinic and frontal instability, observation and theory of the general circulation, middle atmospheric dynamics, tropical dynamics, and dynamical oceanography.

6500  Numerical Weather Prediction (3) Prerequisite: ATMOS 6010 or Instructor's consent.
   Comprehensive introduction to modern numerical weather forecasting theory and techniques, concentrating on concepts and advanced methods of atmospheric modeling, data assimilation, and predictability.

6510  Tropical Meteorology (3) Prerequisite: Graduate standing or Instructor's consent.
   Survey of small scale and large scale processes in the tropics. Special topics such as tropical cyclones, ENSO, interactions between convective, mesoscale, and large-scale circulations, applications of remote sensing, and field programs. Students will undertake evaluation of recent literature or an independent research paper.

6520  Remote Sensing of the Environment (3) Prerequisite: Graduate standing or Instructor's consent.
   A quantitative overview of atmospheric remote sensing concentrating on tropospheric phenomena. Emphasis is placed on developing a basic theoretical foundation as well as detailed examination of selected contemporary problems in this rapidly evolving field.

6910  Graduate Special Topics (1 to 12) Prerequisite: Graduate standing required.
   Intensive work in a specific area of meteorology.

6960  Non-thesis Research: Master's (1 to 12) Prerequisite: Graduate standing required.
   To provide a course with research credit for the non-thesis Master's degree student.

6970  Thesis Research: Master's (1 to 12) Prerequisite: Graduate standing required.

6980  Faculty Consultation: Master's (1 to 12) Prerequisite: Graduate standing required.

7810  Graduate Seminar (1) Prerequisite: Graduate standing required.
   Presentation of scholarly works of faculty, graduate students, and external scientists. Repeatable for up to 10 credit hours.

7820  Mountain Meteorology Seminar (1) Prerequisite: Graduate Standing required.
   Presentation of scholarly works of faculty, graduate students, and external scientists in the field of mountain meteorology.

7970  Thesis Research: Ph.D. (1 to 12) Prerequisite: Graduate standing required.

7980  Faculty Consultation: Ph.D. (1 to 12) Prerequisite: Graduate standing required.

7990  Continuing Registration: Ph.D. (0) Prerequisite: Graduate standing required.
   Continuing registration needed for PhD students.


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