METEO 300 - Fundamentals of Atmospheric Science
This is a sample syllabus.
This sample syllabus is a representative example of the information and materials included in this course. Information about course assignments, materials, and dates listed here is subject to change at any time. Definitive course details and materials will be available in the official course syllabus, in Canvas, when the course begins.
Overview
This four-credit course gives students a solid foundation in the application of physical, chemical, and mathematical principles to broad range of atmospheric phenomena, including weather, air quality, and climate. It also prepares meteorology students for their 400-level meteorology courses. Students are introduced to fundamental concepts and applications of atmospheric thermodynamics, radiative transfer, atmospheric chemistry, cloud microphysics, atmospheric dynamics, and the atmospheric boundary layer. These topics are covered broadly but in enough depth to introduce students to the methods atmospheric scientists use to describe and predict atmospheric phenomena. The course is designed to be taken by second-year meteorology and atmospheric science students as well as by students in related disciplines who have an adequate mathematical and physical background.
Objectives
When you have successfully completed METEO 300, you will be prepared to:
- describe in written and oral language the basic physical processes responsible for weather and climate, from global scale to microscale
- solve simple problems and derivations related to these physical processes
- demonstrate the importance of water vapor in all these processes
Required Materials
The materials listed here represent those that may be included in this course. Students will find a definitive list in the course syllabus, in Canvas, when the course begins.
No Required Textbooks
All materials needed for this course are presented online through Canvas. In order to access the online materials, you need to have an active Penn State Access Account user ID and password (used to access the online course resources).
Optional Textbooks
Here is a list of textbooks that are not required for this course and you can learn the material without them. But you may want to get some or all of them so that you can read alternate explanations and descriptions of the atmospheric science that you will learn in this class. Some class material is derived from parts of these books.
Atmospheric Science, Second Edition: An Introductory Survey, by John M. Wallace and Peter V. Hobbs; Academic Press, 2006; ISBN-13: 978-0127329512 ISBN-10: 012732951X
An Introduction to Dynamic Meteorology, by James R. Holton and Gregory J. Hakim; Academic Press, 2013, ISBN: 0123848660, 9780123848666 (often used in Meteo 421, Atmospheric Dynamics)
Physics and Chemistry of Clouds, by Dennis Lamb and Johannes Verlinde, Cambridge University Press, 2011; ISBN: 9780521899109 (often used in Meteo 437, Cloud Physics and Chemistry)
Prerequisites
CHEM 110, PHYS 211, MATH 141; Concurrent: MATH 230 or 231
Expectations
We have worked hard to make this the most effective and convenient educational experience possible. How much and how well you learn is dependent on your attitude, diligence, and willingness to ask for clarifications or help when you need them. We are here to help you succeed. Please keep up with the class schedule and take advantage of opportunities to communicate with us and with your fellow students. You can expect to spend an average of 8 - 12 hours per week on class work.
Major Assignments
This course will rely on four main methods to assess and evaluate student learning:
Quizzes/Activity (50%)
The quizzes are timed homework problem sets that may consist of some combination of problems, true/false answers, multiple-choice answers, pictures, and drawings. There is also one Excel workbook activity in the first lesson, which will be useful for some of your quizzes. The quizzes/activity vary in their weight and exact values may be found on Canvas.
Discussion Forums (10%)
This is a series of equally weighted discussion forums, which allow you to think more deeply about a particular atmospheric phenomenon or concept.
Final Project (20%)
This is an integrative final project in which you explain the physical processes occurring in atmospheric observations and solving quantitative problems associated with the observations. There is also an alternative project that allows you to delve into some aspect of the changing atmosphere.
Final Exam (20%)
The final exam consistits of problems, true/false answers, multiple-choice answers, pictures, and drawings that either were on the quizzes or are closely related to previous quiz questions.
Course Schedule
| Week | Topic | Assignment |
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| 1 | Getting Started |
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| 2 | Thermodynamics |
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| 3 | Moist Processes |
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| 4 | Atmospheric Composition |
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| 5 | Cloud Physics |
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| 6 | Atmospheric Radiation |
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| 7 | Applications of Atmospheric Radiation Principles |
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| 8 | Math and Conceptual Preparation for Understanding Atmospheric Motion |
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| 9 | Kinematics |
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| 10 | Dynamics – Forces |
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| 11 | Atmospheric Boundary Layer |
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| 12 | Wrapping Up |
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