NATS 101 Intro to Weather and
Climate Section 32: 9:00 am MWF Bio W
301
Lecturer: Prof. Xubin ZengTA: Koichi Sakacguchi
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Vital Statistics
• Office Hours: Dr. Zeng – WR 2:00-2:50 pm or by Appointment, PAS 562 621-6842Mr. Sakaguchi – MF 11:00-12:00 am, PAS 526
• Required Text: Essentials of Meteorology-An Invitation to the Atmosphere, 5th Ed. by C. Donald Ahrens
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Course DescriptionIntroduction to the science of weather processes
and climate change: atmospheric structure and composition, energy balance, clouds and precipitation, wind systems, fronts, cyclones, weather forecasting, thunderstorms, lightning, hurricanes, ozone hole, air pollution, global warming and optical phenomena.
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Course DescriptionEmphasis will be given to phenomena that have
strong impacts on human activities.
The fundamental importance of physics, chemistry and mathematics will be noted.
Atmospheric Sciences Applied Physics
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Attendance PolicyAttendance is mandatory, and I reserve the
right to tally it throughout the term.
After three unexcused absences prior to week 9, I will submit to the Office of Curriculum and Registration an administrative drop from the course and assign a grade in accordance with UA policy.
http://catalog.arizona.edu/2006-07/policies/classatten.htm
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Student BehaviorUA Code of Academic Integrity, Code of
Conduct and Student Code of Conduct are enforced in this course.
Every student is responsible for learning these codes and abiding by them. http://w3.arizona.edu/~studpubs/policies/ppmainpg.html
Students can submit complaints online at http://web.arizona.edu/~dos/uapolicies/
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Final ExaminationSection 32 (9:00 am MWF): Bio W 301
Dec 14, 8:00 am - 10:00 pm
No Exceptions per UA Policy
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Course Grading• Course Grading Scale
A 90% or higher
B 80.0-89.99%
C 65.0-79.99%
D 55.0-64.99% E < 55.0%
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ExpectationsEvery student is expected to:
• Complete all of the assigned reading before the lecture, unless you hear otherwise.
• Devote a minimum of 2 hours outside of class studying, reading, etc. for every hour of classroom lecture. Unit Credit Definition
• Attend class daily, arrive on time, leave when class is dismisseddismissed (courtesy to peer students).
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The Golden RuleInstructor and students all show:
Mutual Respect!What exemplifies respectful behavior?
No talking
No electronics
Arriving on time
Remaining seated
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Literacy RequirementsAlthough the writing requirement for this course is negligible, there is a science literacy requirement. This means that we:
• Use scientific notation for writing numbers(especially rather large or small ones).
• Specify units of physical quantities (e.g. meters for elevation, etc.).
• Attempt to quantify physical relationships.
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Announcements
Course Homepage…is functional!
http://www.atmo.arizona.edu/
Click Students and Courses
Click Course Links
Click NATS101 – Zeng
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Importance of Atmosphere
• Necessary for a wide spectrum of features
Oceans
Clouds, Rain, Fresh Water
Erosion by Water and Wind
Life, Life on Land
Blue Skies, Red Sunsets, Twilight
Sound
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Importance of Atmosphere
• Point 1- Offers Protection
Consider surface temperatures
Without atmosphere?
0oF average, large day-night swings
Similar to the Moon’s Climate
With atmosphere…
60oF average, moderate diurnal swings
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Importance of Atmosphere
• Point 2 - Offers Protection
Consider Surface Radiation
Shields against harmful UV radiation
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Importance of Atmosphere
• Consider Survival Time
Without Food
few weeks
Without Water
few days
Without Air
few minutes
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To Understand the Atmosphere
Examine its interfaces
with land/ocean
with space Sun
Space
Earth
Atmosphere
13,000 kmIs a very thin skin99% below 50 km (31 miles)50% below 5.5 km (3.4 miles)Atmosphere Picture
Energy Flow
Solar Input =
Output to Space
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Course Building Blocks
• Intro 1st week or so
• Energy ~2 weeks
• Moisture ~2 weeks
• Dynamics ~3 weeks
Above are interdependent
• Specific Topics ~6 weeks