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ATMO 200: Fall 2020

Atmospheric Processes and Phenomenon

NOW ONLINE!

Welcome! This course is currently being taught for undergraduate students during the Fall 2020 semester at Univ. of Hawaii at Manoa. If you are interested in following along with the course, you can find a day by day schedule of course video lessons on youtube, and the course textbook below. This is the first time this course is being taught online, and you are more than welcome to join us!

Lessons are listed on the corresponding day, with multiple lessons making up one "lecture". The topic of each lesson is given, and the youtube link to that lesson follows.

Learning Objective: Upon completion of this course, students will have a qualitative and quantitative understanding of the primary processes that control the state of the atmosphere, weather, and climate. Students will practice observing, connecting physical processes with their governing equations, and will be able to apply what they learn to understand the weather here in Hawaii.

Topics: Atmospheric variables (temperature, pressure, density, humidity etc.), gas laws, radiation balance and processes, thermodynamics, conservation laws, laws of motion, clouds and precipitation, convection, atmospheric circulations, mid-latitude and tropical weather systems, severe weather, forecasting, and climate.

This page will be updated throughout the Fall 2020 semester as the course progresses.

Lectures are recorded, and available on youtube (links provided below).

Youtube Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvBC-8J_WdDdOtw3tVkMtXckk_j8Ng0aO

Week 1 (8.24, 8.26, 8.28): Chapter 1

M: Course Intro, and What is an Atmosphere?

W: Retaining an atmosphere

F: S.I. Units, Atmospheric Pressure and Density, Ideal Gas Law

Week 2 (8.31, 9.2, 9.4): Chapter 1

M: Buoyancy

W: Hydrostatic Balance​

F: Atmospheric Temperature Structure, PSet 1 Due, PSet 2 assigned

Week 3 (9.7, 9.9, 9.11): Chapter 3, and Chapter 5

M:  -- No Class, Labor Day --

W: Lapse Rates & Stability

F: Inversions, Diurnal Changes in Stability

Week 4 (9.14, 9.16, 9.18): Chapter 4 and Chapter 5

M: Introduction to Moisture in the Atmosphere

W: Saturation, Latent Heating, and Influences on Stability

F: A Deeper Understanding of Lifting Processes and Plotting Them

Week 5 (9.21, 9.23, 9.25): Chapter 6

M: Exam Review (No New Videos, Synchronous Session)

W: Exam 1 covering 1st 4 weeks of class, and PSets 1-3 (No New Videos)

F: Clouds

Week 6 (9.28, 9.30, 10.2): Chapters 5, Chapter 22, and Chapter 6

M: Reading a Skew-T Chart, and Atmospheric Visibility and Optics

W: The difference between Cloud Droplets & Rain Drops

F: Precipitation Processes

Week 7 (10.5, 10.7, 10.9): Chapter 5 and Chapter 7

M: Understanding Precipitation Types

W/F: Convective, CAPE, CIN and Lightning

Week 8 (10.12, 10.14, 10.16): Chapter 2 and Chapter 11

M: Earth's steady state temperature

W: Differential Heating Drives Global Circulation

F: Introduction to the Coriolis Force

Keeping it light today since Exam 2 is next week!
 

Week 9 (10.19, 10.21, 10.23): Chapter 11

M: Exam Review (No New Videos, Synchronous Session)

W: Exam 2 covering weeks 4-7 of class, and PSets 4-6 (No New Videos)

 

F: The Coriolis Force and Global Circulation Patterns

Week 10 (10.26, 10.28, 10.30): Chapters 9 and Chapter 10 and Chapter 11

M: Connecting global circulation to global climates

W: Geostrophic Wind, synoptic charts

F: Wind force balances, cyclones, anti-cyclones

Week 11 (11.2, 11.4, 11.6): Chapter 12 and Chapter 13

M: Air Masses and Fronts

 

W: Fronts and Mid-Latitude Frontal Cyclones

F: The Human Experience

Week 12 (11.9, 11.11, 11.13): Chapter 14 and Chapter 15

M: Convective Storms and Tornados

Links to other Video Content:

 

W: -- No Class, Veterans Day --

F: Tornados and Thunderstorm Impacts

Week 13 (11.16, 11.18, 11.20):

M: Exam Review (No New Videos, Synchronous Session)

 

W: Exam 3 covering weeks 8-12, and PSets 7-9 (No New Videos)

F: Tropical cyclones

Week 14 (11.23, 11.25, thanksgiving):

M: Hawaiian Weather

W: Hawaiian Weather: Waves, Kona Storms, and Segue to Climate

 

F: No Class, Thanksgiving!

Week 15 (11.30, 12.2, 12.4): 

M: Understanding Greenhouse Gases

W: Positive and Negative Feedbacks

F:  Natural Climate Variations

Week 16 (12.7, 12.9):

M: El Nino Southern Oscillation

W: Wrapping Up

Final Exam Date: Monday December 14th, 12-2 set by the University calendar.

This page will be updated throughout the Fall 2020 semester as the course progresses.

Lectures are recorded, and available on youtube (links provided below).

Youtube Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvBC-8J_WdDdOtw3tVkMtXckk_j8Ng0aO

Week 1 (8.24, 8.26, 8.28): Chapter 1

M: Course Intro, and What is an Atmosphere?

W: Retaining an atmosphere

F: S.I. Units, Atmospheric Pressure and Density, Ideal Gas Law

Week 2 (8.31, 9.2, 9.4): Chapter 1

M: Buoyancy

W: Hydrostatic Balance​

F: Atmospheric Temperature Structure, PSet 1 Due, PSet 2 assigned

Week 3 (9.7, 9.9, 9.11): Chapter 3, and Chapter 5

M:  -- No Class, Labor Day --

W: Lapse Rates & Stability

F: Inversions, Diurnal Changes in Stability

Week 4 (9.14, 9.16, 9.18): Chapter 4 and Chapter 5

M: Introduction to Moisture in the Atmosphere

W: Saturation, Latent Heating, and Influences on Stability

F: A Deeper Understanding of Lifting Processes and Plotting Them

Week 5 (9.21, 9.23, 9.25): Chapter 6

M: Exam Review (No New Videos, Synchronous Session)

W: Exam 1 covering 1st 4 weeks of class, and PSets 1-3 (No New Videos)

F: Clouds

Week 6 (9.28, 9.30, 10.2): Chapters 5, Chapter 22, and Chapter 6

M: Reading a Skew-T Chart, and Atmospheric Visibility and Optics

W: The difference between Cloud Droplets & Rain Drops

F: Precipitation Processes

Week 7 (10.5, 10.7, 10.9): Chapter 5 and Chapter 7

M: Understanding Precipitation Types

W/F: Convective, CAPE, CIN and Lightning

Week 8 (10.12, 10.14, 10.16): Chapter 2 and Chapter 11

M: Earth's steady state temperature

W: Differential Heating Drives Global Circulation

F: Introduction to the Coriolis Force

Keeping it light today since Exam 2 is next week!
 

Week 9 (10.19, 10.21, 10.23): Chapter 11

M: Exam Review (No New Videos, Synchronous Session)

W: Exam 2 covering weeks 4-7 of class, and PSets 4-6 (No New Videos)

 

F: The Coriolis Force and Global Circulation Patterns

Week 10 (10.26, 10.28, 10.30): Chapters 9 and Chapter 10 and Chapter 11

M: Connecting global circulation to global climates

W: Geostrophic Wind, synoptic charts

F: Wind force balances, cyclones, anti-cyclones

Week 11 (11.2, 11.4, 11.6): Chapter 12 and Chapter 13

M: Air Masses and Fronts

 

W: Fronts and Mid-Latitude Frontal Cyclones

F: The Human Experience

Week 12 (11.9, 11.11, 11.13): Chapter 14 and Chapter 15

M: Convective Storms and Tornados

Links to other Video Content:

 

W: -- No Class, Veterans Day --

F: Tornados and Thunderstorm Impacts

Week 13 (11.16, 11.18, 11.20):

M: Exam Review (No New Videos, Synchronous Session)

 

W: Exam 3 covering weeks 8-12, and PSets 7-9 (No New Videos)

F: Tropical cyclones

Week 14 (11.23, 11.25, thanksgiving):

M: Hawaiian Weather

W: Hawaiian Weather: Waves, Kona Storms, and Segue to Climate

 

F: No Class, Thanksgiving!

Week 15 (11.30, 12.2, 12.4): 

M: Understanding Greenhouse Gases

W: Positive and Negative Feedbacks

F:  Natural Climate Variations

Week 16 (12.7, 12.9):

M: El Nino Southern Oscillation

W: Wrapping Up

Final Exam Date: Monday December 14th, 12-2 set by the University calendar.

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