ATM 101 (3 Credits) WEATHER AND CLIMATE OF ALASKA

Instructor: Dr. John Walsh

Time and Location: TuTh 2:00-3:30 at NSCI 201

Course Description: (coming soon)

For further information contact: Prof. J. Walsh

ATM 413/613 (3 Credits) ATMOSPHERIC RADIATION

Instructor: Dr. Gerhard Kramm

Time and Location: Tuesday and Thursday, 3:40 p.m. - 5:40 p.m., International Arctic Research Center (IARC), Room 407

Course Description: According to the Degree Requirements and the Graduate Plan of the Atmospheric Science Program at UAF, Atmospheric Radiation is a core class that is mandatory for all Atmospheric Science graduate students. This course mainly comprises the governing laws of blackbody radiation as well as absorption line formation, the radiative transfer equation applied to the earth's atmosphere, the sun as a source of radiation including orbital geometry, solar spectrum and solar constant, atmospheric composition and absorption of solar radiation by water vapor and trace constituents including photochemical processes, molecular (Rayleigh) and aerosol (Mie) scattering as well as radiative properties of clouds, absorption and emission of thermal radiation by water vapor and trace constituents, interrelation between radiation and climate, and an introduction to remote sensing based on the principles of radiative transfer including atmospheric spectroscopy and spectral channels for atmospheric and remote sensing from space.

Contact Information:
Office Hours: Monday 4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m., Friday 3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Office: IARC, Room 318
Telephone: 474-5992
Email: kramm@gi.alaska.edu
URL: http://www.gi.alaska.edu/~kramm/syllabus_ar.html
Blackboard enabled

ATM 693 (3 Credits) CLOUD PHYSICS

Instructor: Dr. Ken Sassen

Time and Location: TBD

Instructor: For further information contact: Prof. K. Sassen

Course Description:
The multidisciplinary field of cloud physics attempts to understand the basic properties of condensed water vapor in the atmosphere, and is governed by principles ranging from thermodynamics to radiative transfer. Temperature plays a dominant role in the physics of clouds, as is reflected in the adiabatic process. The topics needed to understand the formation and behavior of clouds include the source and nature of atmospheric aerosols, the nucleation and growth of water droplets and ice crystals, and the development of precipitation. Important current topics to be covered are the nature of mixed-phase (water and ice) clouds, how the transfer of solar and terrestrial radiation depends on the character of clouds, and how humans are modifying clouds and precipitation both intentionally and unintentionally.

ATM 693 (1-3 Credits) POLAR CLIMATOLOGY: GLACIERS AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Instructor: Prof. Charles Raymond, Dept. of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Washington, (Course sponsored by the Chapman Chair)

Time and Location: The series will consist of 8 lectures, given Tuesdays and Thursdays at 15:30 -
17:00 (including discussion), in the Elvey Auditorium, Geophysical Institute
First lecture 17 February 2004 -Last lecture 11 March 2004

Course Web Page

For further information contact: Prof. Raymond

Course Description:
This course will examine two broad questions: (1) To what extent can future course of glaciation be predicted? (2) What can glacier variations tell us about past and ongoing change in climate? The two questions are related, (2) being the inverse of (1). We will review both meteorological and glacier-flow processes essential to answering these questions with the aim of identifying the appropriate level of complexity (or simplicity) depending on the time and spatial resolution that is needed. To illustrate the first question (1), we will examine the possibility of rapid and large shrinkage of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet and associated hazard of rapid rise of global sea level. What are the essential components for answering this question in a useful, quantitative way, and what is the outlook for implementing them in practical models? To illustrate the inverse question (2), we will focus on the history of glacier changes in the last millennium to decades. To what extent can records of glacier change be used to quantify climate change in remote mountain regions and at altitudes where instrumentation and other climate indicators are sparse or absent. Students may register for 1 credit, which requires only attendance, or 3 credits, which requires completion by Labor Day 2004 of a project developed during the course.

Professor Raymond is an internationally renowned glaciologist, Fellow of
the AGU, and recipient of the Seligman Crystal, the highest honor conveyed by
the International Glaciological Society .His courses taught at the U. of
Washington include continuum mechanics, solid earth geophysics, ice physics,
and glaciology. He conducted field projects in the Canadian Rockies, Alaska, the
Olympic Mountains, Antarctica, and Patagonia.

All students, faculty, and staff are cordially invited to attend.

ATM 693 (1 Credits) ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCE INFORMAL SEMINAR

Instructor: Dr. Mölders

Time and Location: Wednesdays, 13:30 - 15:00

For further information contact: Dr. Mölders

Course Description:

The accuracy with which atmospheric surface interactions can be modelled depends on how precisely clouds, precipitation and initial data are predicted. To this end, recent developments in data assimilation and modeling will be presented in this seminar. Students will develop skills on how to participate in scientific discussions, which includes interpreting questions, answering questions, techniques for preparing a talk and writing an abstract. Role playing in a small group will help students develop discussion skills.

Contact Us | August 26, 2009